QuestionHi Dick!
You have helped me find stuff for my '36 Plymouth before, so here goes. My '36 would greatly benefit from having a conversion to sealed beam headlights. I can't find anything on the Internet, nor on Hemmings as another expert suggested. Do you know of anyplace else to check?
Thank you, Mike.
AnswerI typed out a very long answer to this, but the all-experts site seems to have lost it, so here goes again, as long as my fingers hold out. I hate when that happens!
The big improvement in headlights that came with sealed beams was primarily because they were sealed, and the bulb filaments were permanently fixed in relation to the lenses, so once aimed, they stayed bright, focused and correctly aimed for the life of the bulb.
When your car was new, the lighting was adequate for the speeds of the day, but the silver coating on the reflectors tarnished quickly, and the bulbs often shifted in their mountings and moved out of the optimum focus point. In addition, the lenses were not well sealed, and any coating at all inside the lens quickly ruins the lighting pattern and efficiency.
Shortly after the introduction of sealed beams (in 1940), the market was flooded with aftermarket conversion kits, to allow installation of sealed beam headlights in pre-1940 cars. However, that business has long since dried up, and probably none are now available. The last vendor to have them that I know of was J. C. Whitney.
Unfortunately, those kits were really tacky - cheaply made and poorly styled - they really ruined the appearance of the cars - in my opinion. It is possible that somewhere someone has one of the kits stashed away, but other than eBay, I wouldn't know how to go about finding it, and I doubt you would be happy with the result.
There is another way to go, and that is to have your reflectors re-silvered. There are places that provide that service - one of them is "The Silver People". You can go to their web site at www.thesilverpeople.com or contact them at info@thesilverpeople.com
There is another company doing this but using aluminum plating coated with a clear quartz that avoids the tarnishing problem. The company name is UVIRA. That is a much better process., A google search turned up the following, amongst others: Uvira@tarragon.com
I also recommend you read the material on http://www.ply33.com/Repair/lights
Pay special attention to the discussion of wire sizes and corrosion on all connections.
For tail light improvement, contact C&G Early Ford parts for replacements for your tail light and stop light bulbs - these run hotter than stock, but if you have glass (and not plastic) lenses, that is not a problem. You will need to upgrade your wiring size to carry the extra current.
Dick
