This might make one of the dumbest ever posts, don't get me wrong I really like the look of the one fog light, but didn't most early 30's big and expensive cars have two mounted? Or did some have one, just on the left side for the driver? Just curious when this trend originated?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110818&highlight=fog+lights http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=394410&highlight=fog+lights
If you had fog lights or driving lights, you always used a pair. But if you had a passing light, then you had just one on the drivers side. Some cars, even today with the bombs, they use two driving or fog lights and one passing light and a spotlight. By the way, a spotlight could double as a passing light.
Not a goofy question. The big old cars of the 30's and 40's usually had a matching pair. But one is a very hip statement on a hotrod, especially a roadster, just kinda one of those things you have a feel for or not. I am working on mounting a unusual cyclops looking single behind my grille on my 59 Ford Ranch wagon. Because I like it, isn't that all that matters. ~Sololobo~
I read the other post and it didn't appear the question really got answered. jcmarz, your explanation seems to make sense. Though I have never heard of a passing light...Is this European in origin (and today done with the quick flash) to signify you are coming around?
I found this: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1939-1940-1941-1942-chevrolet-buick-cadillac-gm The Passing Lamp was a single lamp that mounted to the drivers side only and you would flip this light on when you would pass someone on a dark highway. Only one was used per car to light the road as you were passing without shinning light in the eyes of the person you were passing.
Yes, one fog light was acceptable. Ford Motor Company advertising showed single fog lights in many of their late '30s,early '40s ads. In the old days the clear lights were called both "passing" and "driving lights" as is the attached photos of my Super Ray Cross Country driving light. They were also allowed as a single unit back then. Super Ray, Trippe, Pilot Ray and some Guides were the high end lights.
Man, that one with a 110 watt haolgen was like lookng at the sun!! Thanks for posting the pic...sure miss that stupid car .
I recall in the early to mid fifties that a lot of late '40's cars had one amber fog on the drivers side.
huh i have been buying old singles and oddpair for theyeller bulbs yup to put in the high beam's of my four lite 50's and 60's cars .not hooked up ifn they are 6 volt .... never have had much use for the left over buckets ???? yet LOOKED AT A DOZEN OR SO AT THE BTTF SWAP LAST SUNDAY ALL WERE 15 -45 BUCKS finding 4001A high beams has gotten to be pretty hard to do have not seen a sealed boxed one in 25 years #4012 IS THE FOG LITE NUMBER
Not to be a large PITA on this again, back in the old days (1950-70s) most state laws and the instructions that came with your fog lights required you to wire them in such a way that they came on only when the head / driving lights were off. In essence, you were running with your parking lights on and the fog lights in front. A rear mounted red fog light is also commonplace in European countries. It helps keep you from being rear-ended by some jerk speeding up from behind you in the fog. So, mounting fog lights in pairs makes more sense than having just one, as they replace your headlights. And, people who see you coming still realize you are a car and not motorcycle (single fogs are often mounted VERY low on hot rods!) further off in the distance. Fog lights provide a wide soft light to help you see better in the fog and are not meant to be used at speed (it is foggy out, after all) or with headlights / driving lights on at the same time, as that essentially renders the fog lights useless. Gary PS Sometime later, all the BMWs in the world started running their fog and driving lights on all the time, probably because they thought it was cool. I think they were some of the first cars that came with them as standard equipment. Now everyone in the world does it without thinking about it or giving a shit if they are blinding the oncoming drivers - having their fog or drving lights ablaze in addition to their regular head lights. And of course, 99.9 percent of the time there is no fog, either.
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