Hot Rods Headlight's on early cars & trucks ~ what's your thought's?

We all have to have headlight's if we drive our hot rods on the street, some of the cars & trucks have fenders where others don't.

Like this one with fenders with a stock headlight bar and big headlight's.


And this one with dropped headlight bar and stock headlights.


Stock headlight bar w/t small headlights, Gray Baskerville style.



One with fenders w/t a dropped headlight bar and small aftermarket lights.


And the highboy styles

Big Headlights.


and small lights, McGee tribute car.


Which style headlights & bars do you like best? HRP

 

I really like the astetics of lowered bars and original style head lights but in reality, the smaller sealed beams win out because of the being able to see at night thing. I think that the GUIDE/ BLC lights fit the bill by hitting a happy medium of style and function. I gotta go with that. Mitch

 

Yes

 

I tried both stock and B_L_C's....went with the 7 inch sealed beams.

 

I know we're all over the board on this, but I'm in the lowered & smaller camp. W/ fenders I like the dropped bar with smaller lights, like that gold coupe (and even if you run a standard height bar at least use small lights). Fenderless I like the small lights set about the same height as the top of the tires, or below, like that red McGee tribute roadster.

 

I’ve had both large (‘32 style) and small (King Bee). The gennie style provide poorer lighting even with halogen bulbs. On the coupe I’m building I’m using OTB 682-C’s with 7” halogen sealed beams.

 

I have used both the 33/34 commercial lights, and the smaller 35-37 commercial lights. Both sets are great with the revised reflector design and halogen bulbs as sold by Bob Drake.

 

Manufactures have dreamed up several different solutions to improve the original large headlight,

One of the first was the adapter that fit a regular sealed beam headlight inside the original headlight bucket.

Next came the new reflector almost identical to the original with the halogen bulb, it was a improvement but it never was that good.

The new & greatly improved kit uses the chrome plated plastic technology similar to that off the new mini coopers along with a halogen bulb.



I used this on my 1932 pickup and the light is as good as any conventional sealed beam, unlike the old reflector kits of the past there is absolutely no shadows when the lights are on, if you have experienced this you know what I mean. HRP

 

I like big headlights but some of the non stock lights look good too. My 32 still retains the original headlight bar and big lights but my 34 truck uses the Guide headlights.

 

I like big headlights with high beams on. Oh wait, you were talking about cars!?

 

These fiberglass E&J replicas work for me based on the aesthetics. Too, they use high powered snow machine sealed beams that really light the way. And, this picture will appeal to the E&J haters!

 

Dennis, I'm not a big E&J guy and to me they look horrible on some cars but I think they look great on T buckets and track roadsters. HRP

 

^^^^^This. I hate the E&J lamps, but Dennis's T makes them look...delicious...

 

My throughs an facts as I know it to be !!!
#1
The big lights didn't work for crap,in the 50s,, we'd make jokes about when ya turn those on,the light rolled out on to the bumper.
So all the hot rodders I knew, put those big ugly things in the trash can ,through the 1950s an 60s< And I knew a hell of a lot*of other hot rodders.
I was in 3 cool car clubs,had two show cars my self in that time,,ran all over Florida with them,did at least 6 indoor big car shows a year, plus smaller ones. Big factory lights were junk,though of as not-aero bulky ugly bad ,not hip. Only time we'd see them still on a car,was a restore to factory as built,or not yet restored.
Even looking at actual photos of hot rods built in that time in mag.s,nearly all have 7in. sealbeams,not big clunky lights that seem to be trendy bubble of BS now days.. I'm sure there were places were not so many hot rods were around an trends didn't spread as EZ.

Yes, anytime I see big old lights used,I cringe some!,they look so wrong to me ,having lived n built rods in the 50s n 60s.

Rule #2,,I know right away,if big over size lights,that guy likes them or they would not be on his car. So ya,it's his thing! Dosen't want to know they were not used,in the 50s n 60s.
But he may not know why they don't show much at all, in old real time rod photos. Being happy not knowing.
Yes, now days you can buy kits or full repro fakes,that do light the road!< That dosen't make that junk big headlight ,light the road back in the passed an fix why they were rarely used after 7in. sealbeams came out. . ...............If your mad at me for popping a bubble,go back to rule#2 .= aply; It's not my car. But is what I know. No two rods should look a-like any way!
I can over look funny lights an still like a car for all the rest of it !
"T"buckets and oddball lighting is it's own crazy thing ,altogether !

 

Hot rods wear hot rod headlights; like Arrow 775, various Guides, Dietz, etc up and back where they belong.

Street rods, resto mods, *** rods, etc wear big ol' stock sized headlights down low and hanging out in front.

 

Run what you like, but traditional hot rods had/have small headlights like Dietz, Kingbees, Durays or some other small light.

 

Depends on the vehicle. The '35-'37 Ford truck headlights used to be a popular swap on '33-'34 Fords and I think they look good. I have stock headlight buckets on my '38 Ford pickup with the Bob Drake reflectors, halogen bulbs, and '36 car "bug eye" lenses. The halogen bulbs used with the Drake reflectors are a commonplace one that you can find at any auto parts store. '38-'39 trucks have the same complete headlight assembly as a '35 car. '36 car is the same bucket with a shorter mounting stud and different lens and ring. I couldn't imagine one of the frog eye Dodge trucks of the '40s with anything but its stock lights.

 

I like big stock headlights with fenders (or even without), but I hate the quality of light that comes out of them. The '28 is getting some 682 J's with sealed beams.

 

Same headlights two different mounts

 

On the various 32-34 Pickups we own or have owned, we usually have a stock headlight bar and smaller headlights, while the two 34 coupe we used to have had the large headlights. Felt the larger lights on the coupe looked better than smaller ones and then we think the smaller lights look better on the pickups, lol.

 

IAfter living here I like the French Marchal ones.Very different and very Art Deco.The first 2 pics ar the '32 Ford Deluxe and the last 2 pics are the '32 Ford standard.

 

Well first thought is that they are a nice thing to have if you drive at night..
Second thought is , after seeing whats being posted, Im aware that the 32-34 fords were the most popular cars to become Hot Rods and that the headlights and bars were a comon thing to change,.
Were they the only cars that headlights got swapped around on?
Dropped bars , big to little lights etc.

Sent from my SM-T307U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I like the dropped headlight bar with fenders. Lower mounts and smaller without fenders.

 

I don't care.... I'd sell a set of King Bee or Guides in a minute cause they are so ugly...

 

My preference is stock looking headlights, even if the car isn't stock. But I also want plenty of light, although I rarely drive at night. So I convert all my hotrods to either halogen, or LED lamps that ensure I can see if I am driving at night.

 

As far as dropped headlight bars, Model A's are extremely popular, and the same ideas hold true for them also. HRP

 

Model A hiboy with aftermarket style Guides. HRP

 

did the roadster over awhile back. From big 32"s to Guides.

 

Went the opposite on the coupe I am doing!

 

Those lights look exactly like the lights on my 8N Ford tractor.