Blue Dot Tail Lights WHY? When did this start?

Yep...... Diamond bits is what I use. I basically core semi-precious stones and add custom inserts for my customers who want high-quality "jewelry" for their vehicles. But I also make the cool, funky kind of knobs out of any material you can think of for the hot rod community.
Not long ago, I did a run of custom size, glass "dots" for the HAMBer, fourspd2quad, who creates some very cool, cast taillights. I help HAMBers out so they will like me.
(I draw the line at safe crackers....... they're on their own lonesome on how to make holes in stuff.)

I did a run of holes in glass for my wife because she thought these would be cooler to pass out than Christmas cards........
(I'm always ready to help make empty bottles when ever I can.)

 

Back-in-the-day as they say I watched a friend use a steel tube tapered at the end put in a drill press and using valve lapping compound grind thru a glass tail light for his blue dots. Fascinating . I never wanted or had a set on one of my vehicles….

 

They are illegal in Pa. Have been for many years. Why? I don't know.

 

Had a spare pair of tailite lenses for my 66 Suburban and had never had blue dots so I figured what's to lose.

 

I have them on coupe, I bought them as is,glass with dots in them
not sure how legal they are, but have not been booked in 20 years

 

Dots, because Hot Rod

 

WOW!!!--What a discussion!!!-----I'll add my 2 bits worth.
After LAR meetings every Thursday night we would cruise to a restaurant of choice. Bob Barnes had the blue dots on his '34 roadster & was leading the "Pack" to his choice of dining that night when being pulled over for blue dots, we knew where he was going so we passed him & the cop & went to the restaurant.
Shortly Bob arrived too, naturally all wanted to hear the outcome of his release. Bob said the cop looked all over his code book under "Lighting" & could not find a thing about blue dots.----So he let Bob go.
Had the cop looked under "Impersonation" he would have scored another victim! This was in 1971--Bob still runs the "Blue dots".------Don

 

I recall sometime in the 50's my Mother asking why the car traveling in front of us had purple cast tailights, & Dad explained they were blue dots & were at that time illegal in Nebraska, not certain if still true however.

 

What about Red Dot’s??

 

What about them? Says JC Whitney to me. Doo-dad fruit.

 

I guess you are looking at them from the wrong side of the drivers seat! Or is it that the car they are installed on only has two doors?

 

That's pretty funny.

 

To me, the Dot is all about the look. I own the original glass tooling from the 1960s and the Dots are made using my mold in a glass factory in Ohio where they still hand press glass in what I call a "pie" which is 10 dots. All my glass lenses are made there the same way they have been for years. The nice thing about owing the tooling for all my lenses is that I can have the factory make any color I want. Like I have the 1951 Chevrolet front park lens made in amber just because they never were. So with my dots I make them in the original Cobalt Blue and also Red for that person who wants or was told to remove the Blue dot.. also Amber and Green. I manufacture the solid brass bezel in my home shop and polish some and plate some. I like to be able to supply something different for any want or need. I guess it all comes down to individuality.
Jon Oliver
Ollie's Hot Rod & Chop Shop

 

I showed the 34's blue dots earlier, here is my PU wearing a pair. No those are not my legs in the tailgate, I am in the cab

And my Dune Blaster which has identity issues but has dots!

 

can't stop Rebels

 

Illegal in Colorado, last I heard. I never cared for them anyway.

 

At least Washinton State got it right
RCW 46.37.5185: Street rod and custom vehicles—Blue ...
WA.gov
https://app.leg.wa.gov › rcw

Washington State Legislature ... A street rod or custom vehicle may use blue dot taillights for stop lamps, rear turning indicator lamps, rear hazard lamps, ...

 

We were coming back from Kernville in the mid 80s. There were about 10 cars all in a row. As we passed through Mojave, the last car disappeared it was a 47 tudor with blue dots. He got pulled over by CHP and cited. They had been on the car for at least 10 years. He put red lenses in and cleared the fix-it ticket. Afterwards he put the blue dots back on and ran the car everywhere for at least another 10 years and never got stopped again. Go figure. When he sold the car, it still had the blue dots.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/blue-dot-question.1091871/page-3#post-12391761


Hello,

Back in 2018, the “BLUE DOT QUESTION” was brought up in a thread. At the time of early 60s-70s time in So Cal as mentioned by several folks, the CHP was cracking down on hot rod folks that had the red lenses with a small blue dot in the lower portion. They were not illegal to sell as almost every old car, hot rod accessory dealer or shop had them in stock. The swap meets were full of them at great prices if one was into refurbishing them and adapting them to your own hot rod or cruiser.

But, as the old days are remembered, there were car/vehicle/hot rod check points for vehicle violations as early as 1960 and were heavily enforced and seen during the mid to late 60s. Of course, registrations, driver’s licenses were inspected, but then a walk around for vehicle violations was done to every car stopped.

A hot rod/custom car owner’s nightmare. A lot of so called "gassers" got caught for vehicle violations and made to change the vehicle violations. Then, that fad faded out due to being stopped almost as a given in So Cal.

Jnaki

As simple as stopping at the Ford Parts Obsolete store near our parent’s house in the Westside of Long Beach, those red taillight lenses with blue dots were tempting. We did need a second taillight to increase visibility for following cars and trucks to stay aware of us stopping in front of them. They were not expensive and it was the next purchase and install, except we sold the sedan delivery.

As boring as any rules are, here are some for motor vehicles in 2023: Similar to those from 2018 in the old HAMB article.


The 2023 updated code:

During darkness every motor vehicle which is not in combination with any other vehicle and every vehicle at the end of a combination of vehicles shall be equipped with lighted taillamps mounted on the rear as follows:

(a) Every vehicle shall be equipped with one or more taillamps.

(b) Every vehicle, other than a motorcycle, manufactured and first registered on or after January 1, 1958, shall be equipped with not less than two taillamps, except that trailers and semitrailers manufactured after July 23, 1973, which are less than 30 inches wide, may be equipped with one taillamp which shall be mounted at or near the vertical centerline of the vehicles. If a vehicle is equipped with two taillamps, they shall be mounted as specified in subdivision (d).

(c) Every vehicle or vehicle at the end of a combination of vehicles, subject to subdivision (a) of Section 22406 shall be equipped with not less than two taillamps.

(d) When two taillamps are required, at least one shall be mounted at the left and one at the right side respectively at the same level.

(e) Taillamps shall be red in color and shall be plainly visible from all distances within 500 feet to the rear except that taillamps on vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1969, shall be plainly visible from all distances within 1,000 feet to the rear.

(f) Taillamps on vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1969, shall be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than 72 inches, except that a tow truck, in addition to being equipped with the required taillamps, may also be equipped with two taillamps which may be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than the maximum allowable vehicle height and as far forward as the rearmost portion of the driver's seat in the rearmost position.The additional taillamps on a tow truck shall be lighted whenever the headlamps are lighted.

Either the taillamp or a separate lamp shall be so constructed and placed as to illuminate with a white light the rear license plate during darkness and render it clearly legible from a distance of 50 feet to the rear. When the rear license plate is illuminated by a lamp other than a required taillamp, the two lamps shall be turned on or off only by the same control switch at all times.



(a) A vehicle may be equipped with not more than two red fog taillamps mounted on the rear which may be lighted, in addition to the required taillamps, only when atmospheric conditions, such as fog, rain, snow, smoke, or dust, reduce the daytime or nighttime visibility of other vehicles to less than 500 feet.

(b) The lamps authorized under subdivision (a) shall be installed as follows:

(1) When two lamps are installed, one shall be mounted at the left side and one at the right side at the same level and as close as practical to the sides. When one lamp is installed, it shall be mounted as close as practical to the left side or on the center of the vehicle.

(2) The lamps shall be mounted not lower than 12 inches nor higher than 60 inches.

(3) The edge of the lens of the lamp shall be no closer than four inches from the edge of the lens of any stoplamp.

(4) The lamps shall be wired so they can be turned on only when the headlamps are on and shall have a switch that allows them to be turned off when the headlamps are on.

(5) A nonflashing amber pilot light that is lighted when the lamps are turned on shall be mounted in a location readily visible to the driver.


Every motor vehicle that is not in combination with any other vehicle and every vehicle at the end of a combination of vehicles shall at all times be equipped with stoplamps mounted on the rear as follows:

(a) Each vehicle shall be equipped with one or more stoplamps.

(b) Each vehicle, other than a motorcycle, manufactured and first registered on or after January 1, 1958, shall be equipped with two stoplamps, except that trailers and semitrailers manufactured after July 23, 1973, which are less than 30 inches wide, may be equipped with one stoplamp which shall be mounted at or near the vertical centerline of the trailer. If such vehicle is equipped with two stoplamps, they shall be mounted as specified in subdivision (d).

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (h), stoplamps on vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1969, shall be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than 72 inches, except that a tow truck or a repossessor's tow vehicle, in addition to being equipped with the required stoplamps, may also be equipped with two stoplamps which may be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than the maximum allowable vehicle height and as far forward as the rearmost portion of the driver's seat in the rearmost position.

(d) When two stoplamps are required, at least one shall be mounted at the left and one at the right side, respectively, at the same level.

(e)(1) Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1979, shall emit a red light. Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1979, shall emit a red or yellow light.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to commercial motor vehicles, as defined in Section 15210 or 34500. Stoplamps on a commercial motor vehicle shall emit red light. A commercial motor vehicle shall not be equipped with an amber stoplamp, amber taillamp, or other amber lamp that is optically combined with a stoplamp or taillamp.

(f) All stoplamps shall be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 300 feet from the rear of the vehicle both during normal sunlight and at nighttime, except that stoplamps on a vehicle of a size required to be equipped with clearance lamps shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet from the rear of the vehicle during those times.

(g)(1) Stoplamps shall be activated upon application of the service (foot) brake and the hand control head for air, vacuum, or electric brakes. In addition, all stoplamps may be activated by a mechanical device designed to function only upon sudden release of the accelerator while the vehicle is in motion. Stoplamps on vehicles equipped with a manual transmission may be manually activated by a mechanical device when the vehicle is downshifted if the device is automatically rendered inoperative while the vehicle is accelerating.

(2) For an autonomous vehicle, as defined in Section 38750, that is not capable of operation by a human driver seated in the vehicle, stoplamps shall be activated upon the remote or autonomous activation of the braking system, provided that this modification is consistent with, or authorized by, any applicable federal law, regulation, or exemption thereto.

(h)(1) Any vehicle may be equipped with supplemental stoplamps mounted to the rear of the rearmost portion of the driver's seat in its rearmost position in addition to the lamps required to be mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Supplemental stoplamps installed after January 1, 1979, shall be red in color and mounted not lower than 15 inches above the roadway. The supplemental stoplamp on that side of a vehicle toward which a turn will be made may flash as part of the supplemental turn signal lamp.

(2) A supplemental stoplamp may be mounted inside the rear window of a vehicle, if it is mounted at the centerline of the vehicle and is constructed and mounted so as to prevent any light, other than a monitorial indicator emitted from the device, either direct or reflected, from being visible to the driver.

(i) Any supplemental stoplamp installed after January 1, 1987, shall comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (49 C.F.R. 571.108). Any vehicle equipped with a stoplamp that complies with the federal motor vehicle safety standards applicable to that make and model vehicle shall conform to that applicable safety standard unless modified to comply with the federal motor vehicle safety standard designated in this subdivision.


(a) Whenever the load upon any vehicle extends, or whenever any integral part of any vehicle projects, to the rear four feet or more beyond the rear of the vehicle, as measured from the taillamps, there shall be displayed at the extreme end of the load or projecting part of the vehicle during darkness, in addition to the required taillamp, two red lights with a bulb rated not in excess of six candlepower plainly visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the sides and rear. At any other time there shall be displayed at the extreme end of the load or projecting part of the vehicle a solid red or fluorescent orange flag or cloth not less than 18 inches square.

(b) There shall be a single flag or cloth at the extreme rear if the projecting load is two feet wide or less. Two warning flags or cloths are required if the projecting load is wider than two feet. Flags or cloths shall be located to indicate maximum width of loads that extend beyond the sides or rear of the vehicle.

 

I remember seeing that purple glow as a youngster in the early 50’s on the “cool” cars back then.
They were 46-50 Fords that also sported dual pipes and some had lighted mud flaps also.
I recall a maroon Ford Crestline parked down the street that had the dots,skirts,curb feelers and the red plastic wind deflectors on the wing windows. I was hooked.

 

Legal In Idaho After Our Car Club Went Before The State Legislature...

 

Diamond holes saws available on ebay for $5 or 6 . Running water glass cuts easily

 

As hard as it is to find tail light lens for my car I won’t be trying to drill them. No repops that I know of, originals are hard to come by.

 

So, where does one get these and what's a whole "pie" cost?

 

I own the mould that makes those. I have the glass factory make them forme and I drill them out and put them in bezels to sell. I do sell just the plain dots but not many people what them. I only have a few red and amber thT have not been drilled out. I have green on order. Message me if you would like more info.
Thanks
"Ollie"

 

I don't make a big deal about making holes in glass bottles that are worth a nickel and are easily replaced.......
but for making holes in valuable, hard-to-replace, 3-dimensional, glass pieces, I embed them in plaster-of-Paris
for full support while I core the hole with a diamond bit. For a lens, it may be more practical to pour the plaster on one side only. Lay the lens on a patch of foil or plastic food wrap. Make a 'curb' from a strip of beerbox cardboard and shape it about an inch wider than the piece. Pour the plaster mix thick enough to cover the glass piece. When the plaster sets up, don't be skeered to dig a hole.

 

sounds like there might be an interesting story behind this comment ?