Customs Need Opinions on My Proposed Tail Light Changes

Like #1 till I saw #6...6 l@@KS KOOL

 

Thanks Janne! That idea is interesting. The bezel shape is maybe a little too gothic compared to the rest of the car, but I think something similar is on-track - maybe more oval-ish like the ports in the hood?
I find it very interesting in that you left the 49 Ford's 'ribbed' lens in there and just reshaped around it, because when Mr. Bertolucci was going over my car last year at Autorama, I mentioned I was planning to redo the lights somehow but couldn't make up my mind, and he said that he would keep the same ribbed glass and just reshape around it - like what you've done.

 

#5 gets my vote

 

Ok, what do you think of this?
Along the line of Janne's idea, but with ovalized bezel. Similar to 39 Ford but not the teardrop because I want it to look GM and it would pick up on the hood portholes.
Surface mounted bezels with rounded bulging lens frenched into the bezel but protruding out a little.
The trick would be to somehow keep it looking as an old part and not too high tech fabbed up like.

 

^^ I like that one!

 

Looks pretty nice!

Maybe you could cut the bezels out of something like 1/4" thick stainless steel with a plasma cutter and then do a ton of hand shaping using die grinders and sanders until they look like a factory part with a nice rolled over shape and no flat surfaces at all. That would be a bitch of a job though with stainless. Or use brass and have them plated. It might save some time to silver solder different shapes of brass to a flat backing piece, like maybe bend up some 1/2 round or some 1/4 round brass rod into the bezel shape and then silver solder it to a flat backing piece with a big hole in it a little smaller than the lens. The lens could then sit against the flat backing piece.

As long as you can make the bezels look like they have nice smoothed over rounded surfaces and edges like they were cast, it'll look really nice. If they look like they were CNC milled and have perfectly flat faces and sharp corners, it won't look right. Probably as long as you do a lot of the shaping and polishing by hand that'll keep it from having that high tech look that you don't want.

 

Yes! My thought at the very beginning was "It needs an oval light to flow with the rest of the body." That's perfect. It flows with the car, and some schmo won't tail end you.

 

If you are going to leave them on the fenders something like this is the best option you have posted so far. The sharp pointy looks of the other options look to high tech IMO and don't really look like something from the era you are after.

 

Cleatus..by the way....NICE CAR !!

 

If you must change it, then I like those on the second car on post #77 the most and then your photoshop in post #94.

Great looking car by the way.

 

Cleatus: Actually I was thinking of custom made lens with almost same shape as fender have.

 

Rounded version of my first attempt:

 

Yep one vote for them on the fenders. On the bumper guard in that style they are so close together that at night they could be confusing to other drivers. Unless you never drive it at night or aren't worried about the skills and reaction time of other drivers.

 

Morning Cleatus, I've enjoyed the changes that you've made over the years. It is fun
to watch you work towards purrfection.

I like the taillights in the bumper guards #6 or #3. The reason, Having them mounted
on the fender takes away from the kool fender body line. I agree to run them with LEDs number 6 would be a big enough tailight that it would light up. Roger brought up a good
point about making sure blondes can see them. I moved my tailights down and used LEDs
and now they are kooler and safer. Both can be done. Good luck..

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Happy Trails,

Mick

 

NOW you're getting close to my taillights...



These are 1940 Studebaker Commander taillights...the lenses are still available but the chrome surrounds are getting harder to find...however, I may have an extra set in my Stude cache...might take me some time to round them up if you are interested...and I'm thinking they'll need rechroming...

R-

 

Thanks Janne, I like those - ribbed for pleasure

Thanks Mick, I just keep trying to fix the stuff that bugs me when I look at it. Right now it is the tail lights. Once I fix those, something else will be bugging me. So far, I think I've re-styled each part at least 3 times before I can be satisfied enough to leave it. Maybe I should have just built 3 cars instead of one car 3 times, ha, ha. If I ever get it to a point where nothing bugs me enough to make me cut it back apart again then I guess I'll have to paint it or something. Then that will probably bug me.

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

VERY interesting! I've not seen those, and I like them. I'll need to play with that idea for sure. How tall are they?

Just when I thought I was narrowing it down

 

Either what you have or number five IMO. Course i like people to see the lights. People will be staring at your car and run into the ass of it if you don't have good lights.Just my .02

 

Trying to get a "decent" shot of those taillights, in my storage shed (it's STILL winter here) without any light is tuff...and this one is slightly blurry, but you'll get the idea...



The length, from the top of the bezel chrome to the top of the reflector is not quite 6 1/2"...from the top edge of the serrated part to the top edge of the lense is 2 7/8"...

R-

 

Those taillights are pretty bitchin Roger.

 

Incredibly, amazingly beautiful!

 

I'm diggin' these. The appeal of the streamlined looks allways nails it. Very clean. Any bezel that sticks out is just going to clutter the clean lines your car already has(which is beautiful).
My two cents..........

 

Thanx Chad, Studebaker did have good ideas way back when...and would you believe, my '40 Commander coop has two-speed electric windshield wipers STOCK...!!! Can you say "ahead of its time"...???

R-

 

Cleatus.....quit looking around at everybody elses and not being satisfied with what you have...that's why folks get divorces.....You have one COOL RIDE and those taillights IMO are a one off good looking idea and done exceptionally well....I know what you mean about something that bugs you, 'cause I've gotten rid of cars over that and later wished I'd kept 'em....Anyway don't fall into the 60s car show senario of changing a great looking car just to get a different look or trophy......Not trying to mean mouth you Cleatus, but sometimes we just don't think we got it right and on those taillights and your whole ride this old man thinks YOU DONE GOOD FELLA ! Yes, go ahead and put color on it and as frustrating as it may be CALL IT DONE,drive the crap outta it....and get out in the garage and BUILD ANOTHER ONE;because you know what they're supposed to look like !! Randy

 

This tailight would go with the body line. Very kool idea Roger or was it Dan's idea?
Ha, ha, ha,... I can see them looking kool right above the bumper. Kool visual.

Happy Trails,

Mick

 

Mick, you keep forgetting Dan isn't hooked up...meaning: he has no internet access, no HAMB access and at this time of the morn, he's still sawing logs...

R-

 

Update?