History Night Lights - tail lights, dashboards, hood ornaments

That looks like one of the classic Fitzpatrick and Kaufman Pontiac ads from the late 50s-early 60s!

 

An actual F & K ad

 

Taken through the windshield of the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, after a late night photo shoot in North Long Beach. 35MM SLR set at 1 or 2 sec exposure from the dash.

(coming home from late night photo shoot at a North Long Beach garage)

Hello,

I used to go all over California to take photos and write up stories for the street rod, various motorcycle and chopper mags. I would take either my 40 Ford Sedan Delivery when I was going to car shoots or my modified, Harley Sportster if it was a chopper/hot bike photo shoot. Sometimes I would take the 65 El Camino if I knew I needed a shot from the rear bed for an action shot. Since discovering that technique for clear action shots of bikers and hot rods, it was hard to do out of the rear of the 1940 sedan delivery, safely.

The above photo was taken one night after a late, late night photo shoot about a car/motorcycle build in North Long Beach. I normally would set up a daytime shoot, but this one was a continued, detailed bike build and a car “details” only shoot. It started in the late afternoon and went on into the night. The drive home was not too exciting and I had some film left on the reel, so I decided to shoot from the dash of the 40.

First it was an instant, then a second, time exposure, then finally a two second time exposure. The best was the one second exposure for this shot. The others were trashed. In the background, is a drive in movie entrance marquee. I have no idea which street this was on as time has obviously gone by… the 35mm film camera was held against the window and dash for support and a triangular base. (Note: the drive-in movie marquee may have been the Los Altos Drive-In Theater on Carson St. near the Long Beach Airport. Sometimes I took a different route to get home to the coast.)

Those old film camera days were something. Any shot taken took a week or so to shoot the long 36 shot film leader and then wait for the color developing. Once home, then the surprises were shown on a light box and loupe for magnification. Then if it looked good, a Kodak Carousel Slide viewer was used to project the color slide on a pure white wall for a life-sized color photo.

Jnaki

Despite the countless times we tried a night shot from the back of the El Camino, the lack of a secure base, like a tripod was necessary. I was strapped in place, but the movement just caused too much error in the film. If a secure place, like a dashboard is available and your hot rod is stopped, or at least moving straight without any blips, your shot may come out ok.


In the El Camino, my wife drove and I got secured (nylon aircraft straps with clips into the motorcycle tie down rings) in the back of the El Camino to get some perfectly clear action shots of riders or cars. No more blurry "panning" for the action shots. The subject was always in focus, while the background was in motion. Someone mentioned that I looked like a Godzilla monster strapped down so people could see the display. But, it kept me from falling out of the moving El Camino bed. And I was secure enough to take wiggle free photos.

Here is the actual "action" photo of the said 1934 Ford Phaeton shot from the back of a moving El Camino. My wife was driving and I was in the back bed area, hooked up to the tie down brackets. Several different cameras strapped over my neck, allowed different photos and angles. Coordinating the speed of both cars was the key to "in focus" photos with the blurry action background showing up. Now, there was no need to “pan” the camera as the hot rod drove by. (Also a hit or miss set up)

The depths we went to get a great magazine photo shoot and acceptable magazine article. But, it was worth it.

 

Not the best pic, but the only one I can come up with on short notice.

 

My tail lights.

 

.Four buddies..:


-Dave

 

The avatar ('62 Holden wagon) doing it's best Christine impersonation...



Cheers,
Harv

 

All I've got.

 

57 Ranchero taillights with a 64 Galaxy taillights put on top of it . I removed the center backup lense in the 64 taillights. I cut a replacement lense from 2 flat round red lenses .

 

Didn’t Chevrolet offer a kit for the 4 way flasher on the 64 pickups. Mounted under the dash.

 

My old wagon, a friend modified the hood ornament when he saw how pitiful the original incandescent bulb lit up the airplane. Always has been my favourite part of the car.

 

Late night cruise.

 

A couple dashes.

 

My '57 with LED parking lights
KK

 

What a beauty!

 

Woah Bob...Ur gonna get a ticket.......

 

That was Ruth (my Fairlane). Bob won’t go that fast.

 

Blue dots on Frenched tail lights in my V8 Corvair

 

Oh ...duh! I see clearly now. Had a pal back in the day with a 56 soft top 312 that would burry the peg. Love to have that today...or your Fairlane.

 

Tom Davidson photo.