Hi. I've been looking for 1942 Buick Blackout taillights for quite some times now but can't find any obviously... so i was thinking of maybe trying to replicate the general shape of them with other looking alike parts. Making bezels from plain alloy, using steel plate for the backing parts etc... regarding the context, i have plenty of time though !!!! So would anyone on the forum had the overall dimensions of the various parts and maybe a few pictures and close ups of those taillights ? That would be very helpfull indeed. And if anyone has those lights to sell or know someone who would, please let me know that would be much appreciated. Till then be safe and have a good day. Rod.
Can’t see old cars at night now or hardly their brake lights..... please tell us what your thinking. Is this for pebble beach?
The picture in my request shows the Blackout taillights that Mr Bass restored and chromed to mount on his roadster. The article was published on the forum a few years ago. I was indeed thinking of finding Roadmaster taillights and shorten them but have issue of finding how to shorten the "arrow" shaped bulb. Some rods use Roadmaster lights but i find them a bit too wide on a 32. Not that easy to find them on ebay too, i tried, and reprod bulbs gaskets and bezels are already 200 bucks at least, and you don't have the backing plate etc....
What makes them Blackout? Do they shine the beam towards the ground? They just look like normal tail lights. Or is it just a name for the lights with the short arrow?
I really believe the term ‘blackout’ is misapplied here. What I think the OP wants are the ‘42 only lights that due to the war production shortages, were painted and not chromed. He even mentions “Mr Bass restored and had plated.....”. True blackout lights were/are commonly found on Jeeps, trucks, tanks etc. and were low output lamps and shaded/visored/louvred lens covers to direct the light downward and not easily seen from afar. They were often added on in addition to conventional headlamps to be used as circumstances dictated. Ray.
The Buick 1942 Blackout was a special serie made just during 1942 and had nearly no chrome at all (i think buick did so for the car to be less visible at night... war time... and having just read an article on that car, weapons manufacturers needed the chrome for tanks armors and other stuff...) , those tail lights were very specific to that car and this year. from what i learned.. though i far from having encyclopedic knowledge about this car, there is not much infos about it, neither many pictures on the web. Some were built (211) in Mc-Laughlin Canada.
Starting in late 1941 here in the states most vehicle manufactures started producing vehicles without Chrome "Bright Work". By 1942 all civilian vehicles that were built (until civilian vehicle production stopped) had very little to no chrome. Most were standard production vehicles that did not get parts chromed. So standard '42 parts no Chrome + Nickle. These elements (Chrome, Nickle and more) were needed for armament production. Both Chrome and Nickle are added to Steel and Iron to make them harder, stronger and lighter. Attached is a picture of a late 1941 truck. Note lack of Chrome already . The owner told me by 1942 it was 100% gone. It also came with a Fordson Tractor 4 cylinder engine. p.s. many '42 cars-trucks are referred to as "Black-out" cars do to their lack of Chrome...not how the lighting works
Thanks for the replies to my question. I am familiar with real blackout lights, and the no chrome cars in 42. I just didn't get the term blackout as it applied to the tail lights pictured.
The Jalopy Journal
