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1938 headlights

Started by Matt 12861, May 31, 2010, 07:39:24 AM

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Matt 12861

I have a set of the outside buckets for my 6519, what goes inside?  I have a 38 LaSalle that has sealed beams and the only thing headlight related in the box of parts I got with the car is a rusted out bucket that looks like it is for sealed beams.  Over the years of watching stuff on Ebay, it looks like the car originally had a lense and mirrored back and plain old bulb.  If I was going to put sealed beams in it (at least for now to get it on the road), is it a special adapter kit made for Cadillacs or was there a later year bucket that would fit?  The reason I think a later year would fit is while searching thru various parts I found a late sixties VW bug headlight bucket that may have worked except it would've stuck out an inch past the trim ring.    Thanks for any help on years or info.
Matt
Matt Givler #12861

Terry Wenger

Matt:

Your car originally had the bulb type headlights consisting each of a bucket, silver plated reflector, lense and a door, plus gasket etc. In the forties conversion kits to use sealed beam headlights that were introduced in 1940 were common. I don't think that you will find many today unless they are on another Cadillac or possibly other GM car or if someone has a conversion kit they re
moved to convert their car back to original. I don't know of any parts to make the conversion. If you can find the original parts and have the reflectors plated, they do a good job of lighting especially with the halogen bulbs that i think are available.

Terry
CLC 1800
Terry Wenger CLC #1800
tewv16@sbcglobal.net
1932 355B TSD
1939 7557
1940 60S
1941 60S
1947 6267 Conv.
1949 6207X Coupe
1963 60S

Otto Skorzeny

#2
How about cutting the the VW bucket down to size?

Keep looking. I read an article where a guy found a large flashlight at Walmart and used the reflector inside to improve the light output on his 30s Packard tail lights.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

John Washburn CLC 1067 Sadly deceased.

Matt,

I can probably help you out.

Did you get my earlier message???
John Washburn
CLC #1067
1937 LaSalle Coupe
1938 6519F Series Imperial Sedan
1949 62 Series 4 Door
1949 60 Special Fleetwood
1953 Coupe DeVille
1956 Coupe DeVille
1992 Eldorado Touring Coupe America Cup Series

Tom Beaver

Matt,

You can get the internal headlight cans or buckets from:
Headlight Headquarters
Don Axelrod
35 Timson Street
Lynn,MA 01902
781-598-0523
He has the complete assemblies as well as parts, clips, etc.  I got a pair of complete assemblies from him for my 38 LaSalle which had been converted to seal beams sometime in the past and with most of those parts missing.
The reflectors will need refurbishing.  UVIRA Inc. in Oregon, vacuum deposits and seals aluminium directly onto the headlight reflectors (instead of re-silvering).  This produces a micro thin layer of pure silica glass over a flash-evaporated pure aluminum coating.  The silica glass seals the reflectors to prevent tarnishing.

UVIRA
310 Pleasant Vally Rd.
Merlin OR 9753-1137
541-474-5050

Tom Beaver

markl

Tom,
Great tip on the outfit that does the "re-silvering".  I'll be asking them, but in your case (I assume you used them), did they go over the original plating, or was it necessary to remove it?
That takes care of all my unresolved issues except one; Does anyone know of an outfit that can polish the original lenses?  I wouldn't expect perfection, but there is enough pitting and abrasion that they are somewhat cloudy.  I would think it would be somewhat akin to polishing a mirror for a telescope.  Perhaps someone reading this post has attempted this type of restoration themselves. 

Matt,
My apologies for hijacking your post, but if you come up w/ a set of the original lenses and all the internals, this may be of interest to you as well.  I've noticed that on my 37, the original lenses for the non-sealed beam units seem to have a smaller radius of curvature than the sealed beam that would replace it.  So regardless of how they might perform, the sealed beam lamps are noticeably "flatter" when viewed from the side that the units that came on the car.

Mark Lowery, CLC#25216

Tom Beaver

Mark,

To have UVIRA refurbish the headlight reflectors you must first buff off the remaining coating of silver and then have a wash coat of nickle applied to the underlying polished brass.  Aluminum won't stick to the silver or brass base metal.  I believe the cost to have the reflectors aluminized is $65/pair.  Talk with Bill Atwood, the president of the company, for all the details.  He is also an old car buff who has a quite unique 37 LaSalle that he drives.

As for polishing the original headlight lenses, I'm sure you could do it but I have never tried.  You might talk with one of the glass shops, especially one that can fabricate old auto glass, they could probably tell you what polishing compound to use and how.

Tom Beaver

harvey b

Hi guys, i have a 37 caddy i am putting back to original with the reflectors,i am having mine chromed?,any thoughts on this,good or bad :-[.i am not planning to drive after dark unless iget caught out in it?.there is no one handy to "silver" them,i had some other parts to chrome and threw them in with them,dont have them back yet.Harvey b
Harvey Bowness

Tom Beaver

Harvey,
According to my notes from talking with Bill Atwood the reflectivity of UVIRA's process is 90%, chrome is 65% and silver, when it is new is about 95%.  However, silver loses about 40% of its reflectivity in the first year because the silver tarnishes from reaction with chemicals in the air.  The aluminum does not tarnish because of the silica glass coating and chrome probably wouldn't tarnish much either.  Since the old headlight bulbs were none to bright in the first place I opted to have my reflectors aluminized. 

Tom Beaver