The Art of the Headlight location.

The ideal location is pretty subjective. One man's "perfect" might be another man's "wtf." Every car is different and so is every car owner.

What we usually do is one of us will hold a headlight in some location on the car and the other two will stand back and critique it......"a little higher or a little to the outside." Then we build the mounts to get the headlight at that positon.

When I did my 23 I wanted them low to match the cartoonish look of the car, but on my 27 I wanted them a little higher. Not sure if they are ideal, but I like them there so I guess that is what really matters.

Don

 

here's my 2 cents .

 

This thread goes along with another thread:

Proportion, Symmetry, Balance...Headlight Choice and Placement...PICS
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=714798




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Been working on mine for about a week now (in between other things). Having trouble with choosing stock 34 Lights or the guide 682-C's. Also placement. I like them a little farther forward but they hit the tires. Then I found tires with the correct width and backspacing and now I have a ton more room. I used pete&jake's shock/headlight mounts and at first I mounted the shocks on the front (like everyone does) but then I mounted them on the rear to bring the lights about 2" farther forward. Then I cut a 1/2" off the brackets to bring them in closer to the grille and I think I'm close.

 

That seems too low. Maybe it's the huge '34 grill shell that's doing it.

 

What seems too low? The headlights? Do they make a smaller 34 grille?

 

Jeez...it's tough...I think most of it's determined by the personality of the car.

This one is low and mean but usually I'm a fan of higher placement.

 

The lights seem low, but I think it's because of the grill shell. Plus, my eyes aren't used to a fenderless '33-34. That may be what it is. There's really nothing you can do. Any higher would look way wrong. Maybe, if the tires were taller? May also be the camera angle.

 

Here is a different angle. The grille is too far off the ground (I think) so I'm working on ways to make it lower. The tire's are 25" tall and the actual ones going on the car are 22.3". I think I like the larger stock headlights just no signals. I will have to put signals somewhere. I'm also going to be running a hood so it my look different all together. Funny how a tiny change can change the whole look of the car.

 

It really does depend on grill placement, what type of grill, how low the car sits etc. I thought my set of lights were low but it actually looks like they are above the centerline of the grill which would mean high I suppose but in relationship to the ground, they are fairly low. I also prefer closer to the grill than the tires.

 

Kool grille. top half of a 34 chevy on the bottom?

 

Yeah its two 1934 Chevy grills made into one as the bottom was totally rusted on one and the other was damaged beyond repair. I still need to fill the hole and flatten it a bit but it turned out pretty good.

 

I like the light positioning on my 26 T, a good balance I think. You could get 10 people to build 10 exact cars and place the lights in 10 different positions and 8 or 9 would look right. JW

 

There was alot of discussion earlier in this thread about what the LAW says about headlight placement. I'm sure some states have such laws and I bet they might even change state to state. Here in NY I carry a printed edition of the DOT Regulations book in each car I drive so when I get stopped by 'that cop' with the attitude about how low my car is, how small my windshield is...blah, blah, blah...I can simply ask that cop to point out which LAW I'm breaking. I have NEVER been issued a ticket for the design of any of my cars. The LAWS are less specific than most people (and cops) think. I run ONE taillight on my '31...AND it has a 5" high windshield. Sometimes design of a car requires a little education along the way.

 

Where do you get those headlight stands off the first car on the left or better yet what vehicle do they come off...

 

The headlight stands off of this....

 

Hey 'jarhead', It's a combination headlight stand and upper shock mount made from a 1930/31 model A headlight bar...

 

I like the lower look for this particular build.

 

That's a Model A light bar, cut apart and rewelded. Look at it closely and you can see how it's done.

My '27 T Roadster build: www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383

 

In my opinion,the lights are just about the right height,,but in my minds eye I can see them moved in closer to the grill. HRP

 

I did move them in about 3/4 of an inch closer to the grille so they won't get hit with the wheel.

 

Also I should mention that the grille is going to be painted black with a red insert till I get the funds to chrome the outside and keep the red insert.

 

Looks good. I like a lower light position myself. Looks meaner from the front.

 

In Oregon the lights can be no lower than 24" from the center to the ground. I like them on the lower side most times, but like previously said, it depends on light size and location.

Here is a car I built, 24 1/2" height and just forward of the grille an 1 1/2".

 

Thanks for the help and photos. I ended up with this on my car.

 

And that's right where the lights should be on a hot rod!

 

There is no minimum headlight height specified in the Oregon Vehicle Code. In addition, there is an exemption in the code for specialty vehicles, I.e. Hot rods.

 

Location and style of headlight can sure make a difference in how the cars look.

When I got my 32 it had these rectangular lights mounted way down on tabs on the front frame horns. At first thought it's different and see if it grows on me.



Decided it didn't look right for the 60's - 70's look I liked so I made a pattern out of cardboard and hacked new mounts out of a 1" thick piece of aluminum using a wood cutting bandsaw and 3 different size hold saws in a drill and then spent the next 3 weeks with sandpaper in my living room watching TV to smooth them out. Amazing how difficult aluminum is to work with without the right tools. Looked like the drill melted it's way thru instead of drilling nice clean holes. Still used the same rectangular lights but just up higher. Moved the blinkers to the old headlight mounting location.



Still didn't like the headlight shape and went with the smaller round lights. Didn't like the large original style lights and feel this is much better for the overall look I was looking for. Sometimes you have to try different things to find out what you like and looks right on the car your building. But in the end, it really comes down to what you like and want and not what others think you should have done to your car to fit in with the current trend.



Topstrap

 

I like them low a large and went to great lengths to get the look on my truck I built a couple of years ago. I even drew up designs and had cad drawings made.

 

Its all about flow and the vibe of the car. If one feature or the ride height stand out from the overall flow then you screwed up. You take one awesome feature from all your favorite cars, put em together and you can end up with a train wreck.