Since acquiring Jerry's (HomemadeHardtop57) Sport Coupe which has E&J type 20 headlights, I've been intrigued.....as have MANY people that see it......by these headlights. They are quite the conversation piece at hotrod gatherings. Not knowing anything about their story, I've been looking for info on them. I haven't found much, but here's an interesting little piece about E&J's. http://www.hotroddisorder.com/2011/01/1920s-edmunds-jones-weird-torpedo.html Here's a link to what's inside these gems: http://www.hotroddisorder.com/p/e-inside-light.html Love them or hate them, they have a place in traditional rodding, I'd say. Anyone else have more info on these things? Got any? Let's see em! Here is mine:
I've always liked them long before I knew they were "rare" or even what they were called. At one point they were being reproduced. Really nice product with updated internals. Closest I've come to owning a set is the $200 rough castings for sale on ebay. Sold them off pretty quickly after getting a close look.
I picked up a set about 5 years ago for $75, in great shape and complete except for the little medallions, at a LARGE swap meet with thousands of people marching right by them... and yes, this was after the prices on the things went mad! They are very cool in themselves, but I think that very few hotrods using them look right... Mack got it right but most I see what look a lot better with King Bees or something. Unless you have a Jordan Playboy... Maybe my set will put the grandkids through medical school, or maybe they will draw a trade for something cool and early Ford. They are fascinating critters on their own, though. They look like they would also be good lights with the reflectors cleaned up and some superduper bulbs. Someone here on the HAMB was the producer of the good repros...cannot remember name.
I clicked on the link but missed the "T". It is the only early hot rod I have ever seen with them. Don't claim to have seen it all in my 68 years though.
Yeah I'm sure they weren't too popular...which is probably why they are now a conversation piece since they aren't the run-of-the-mill type headlights that you see at every rod run. They are different....and polarizing for sure!
I think they are really high-zoot 1920's luxury car bits, really predating the classic period of modern rodding and probably mostly long gone from the junkyards by the dry lakes era.
Agreed, Bruce. I put them in the same category as the Woodlights. Old, cool, and they 'work' on certain rods.
I had seen a picture in an old book of an entire fleet of Buses with EJ headlights, so they used on commercial vehicles too.
According to Frank Mack they were available on the 1927 Jordan Playboy,... This picture was of a friend of his Model A, after he seen them on Franks T.
Not sure if I ever posted this picture before,... But this is the "inner workings" of Franks lights..... Look close,... He was a pretty crafty guy, This picture was taken in 1952.
The great circle of life! E&J's updated to sealed beam in 1950, then the reflector and bulb came back from the dead and kicked sealed beams into the dustbin of history 10 or 20 years ago! Seems to me that the innards of an original E&J look a great deal like the modern projector headlights...a little beyond just reflector and lens...? I suspect that with new silver on the reflectors and a ferocious modern bulb there would be no reason to upgrade further. The extra lens from a hidden sealed beam probably does not play well with the forward lens in any case.
I'm not sure if it was the thickness or the fluting in the lenses,... But Franks Roadster threw plenty of light....
The E&J's on mine have been retrofit with halogens. They are OK at night, certainly not enough for me on unlit country roads though. For this reason alone I'm considering swapping them out for bigger, and I guess more "normal" headlights.
I restored a pair in the early 1990s before they became the 'gotta have' and got put on everything under the sun. I used Wagner motorcycle lamps to retrofit them. I can't remember the exact part number....
Mine are converted to 12 volt and I'm using a light bulb from a snowmobile. Not sure how they will do at night but I doubt I'll be doing much flying around on back roads at night.
I like the way they look, but I've only seen a couple cars they look good on. I've never seen them on a car in person, but I saw a set at Conroe swap about 6 years ago. $400 had everybody scared to pick them up.
I have found the "Holy-Grail" upgrade kit for original E&J type 20 Headlights! I have a beautiful set of type 20's, but was lacking most of the internals. After experimenting with several options using original lenses, I found that the light pattern sucked! J&P Cycles Part #3100503 Dual Halogen Headlight set is a PERFECT fit! High & low beams, 12-volt and Low wattage day running lamps that can be used as built in turn signals! This kit is perfectly designed to fit type 20's! The front reflector can be used as a retaining ring to hold the lamp assemblies in place. I had to grind off the 12:00 locator tab on the inside of the ring so the new assembly would seat flush on the inside of the ring. I'm telling you guys, this is the MAGIC recipe if you want to run a set of Original E&J's with modern lamps and built in turn signals.
Thanks to Dodge Brother I upgraded my E J's today using the same light from J & P cycles and yes this is the holly grail fix for the holy grail E J's . Mine are done a little different than Dodge Brothers I used clips from a Buick headlight switch to hold them in place and used OTB's park turn signal kit so I have both turn and park lights. Using these lights are the only way to go,plenty of light and they fit perfectly.
Mine are repops by a guy in the uk, the use h4 motorcycle units, pretty good if lacking a decent pattern
The other type of accessory headlight was, of course, the Woodlite, which is less often seen in a hot-rod context. I'm thinking that there might have been others, however obscure or, on the other hand, however unremarkable. Just how big was the accessory headlight industry in the '20s and '30s? Does anyone know of any other types from that era?
I found this image at the Stanford University archive; was going to post it it my next "Vintage Shots..." batch, but since we're talking about those headlights it fits here: Dated 1933; looks like a '30 A transformed into a poor man's version of an Auburn boattail speedster. I'd like to see this one recreated.