I messed with mine til I got them 'right'. I tried them low, like this: Then moved them higher, and rearward. Like this: The 2nd pic sits better with me, so that's what I'm going with. Whatever works!
And the centerline of the bucket more or less on the centerline of the grill shell. For fenderless/cycle fendered cars anyway... But hey, thats just my opinion...
Heres one that nailed it. Maybe not exactly HAMB friendly, but one of the best proportioned T's ever built, IMO.
I think it sets the whole attitude of the car. It's not if they are high of low. Set out or set back. It's that perfect spot that sets the attitude of your build. You just have to put them in different places till you you get that perfect placement. You will know as soon as you get it. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
One thing's for sure, every car used as an example in this thread has the lights in a different place. The placement varies as much as opinions on this thread! There is no formula, it either looks cool or not. Opinions vary!
It is a subject that does deserve great consideration but there is no single solution. I spent several days moving mine around and deciding what looked best. I found that I liked them about flush with the front of the grill and just a bit higher than the tires.
I came across this while "surfing the web" http://www.ehow.com/facts_7415682_flathead-vs_-overhead-valve-engines.html
Interesting thread! One thing I noticed is all the examples are fenderless. Any full-fendered examples? I have original A units, a pair of 33-34 Model 40 car buckets and a set of slightly smaller sealed-beam buckets. Which would look best? Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
For a forties style a bit too big, a bit too close, but low. A pinch of jalopy to foil the sinister look of a fenderless, lowered car. But as HOTRODPRIMER wrote, it depends on what era your aiming for.
Thats so wierd. Yet when I look through Tex Smiths books and '48/'49 issues of Hot Rod, the majority of the cars have 7" headlights...
On questions like this, I mock it up and look at it often from different angles. It can seem just fine and then you walk around from another angle and it just doesn't look quite right. Sometimes it takes a compromise. It has to look good at as many angles as possible. An inch one way or another can make a difference. Commercial H/L stands become the norm strictly because streetrodders are more prone to buy them. wasn't sure how much to shorten my 34 P/U bed so I leaned a piece of plywood against it. It was in front of the garage so as I worked on the frame I kept looking out side. I moved it a few times. When I finally liked what I saw it turned out to be 10".
Like HRP said, it depends on the car and era. I like them to be high or low but I often critique when they are too far forward. Even cars like this one can look good with unique headlight placement. All depends on the car!! I like Tom Branch's roadster, I think that's perfect for that car. But then Jack Carrol's '32 5w is my favorite coupe and his are high up. You gotta respect that the ones with high headlights are true to the era and where they legally needed to be back in the day. that supersedes anything to me. If that's where they were back in the day then it can't get much more perfect then that....period.
I got em high on my T coupe because of the chrome shocks out front. It was really the only place I could put them that weren't behind the shocks.
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