What are the 1935 and 1936 headlight differences

oz40

Senior Member
To the 35/36 gurus here on Fordbarn...What are the 1935 and 1936 headlight differences?? thankyou
 
Hi Everyone. Um, oz40, they're shaped differently, they have different shaped lenses with the 36 being much more bulbous. Never tried swapping them but the fenders are not shaped the same either.

If you have the '35/'36 book from the V-8 Club there are a bunch of photos in it.
https://www.earlyfordv8.org/Shop.cfm?id=18&pid=2
If you look at this page you can see a couple of photos, they're not great quality because it's a digital image of the book cover.

Lucky, I have one of each handy so I just went out and took a couple of shots. Black is '35, Blue is '36.
 

Attachments

  • 35 1.jpg
    35 1.jpg
    58.8 KB · Views: 133
  • 36 1.jpg
    36 1.jpg
    40.8 KB · Views: 121
  • 35 2.jpg
    35 2.jpg
    48.8 KB · Views: 112
  • 36 2.jpg
    36 2.jpg
    34 KB · Views: 103
Last edited:
Also, apart from the different lenses, the bolt that protrudes from the bottom of the bucket, for mounting/aiming the headlights , is shorter on a 36 than the 35 version
 
So body shape, slightly different.
Different lense.
Also with short and long mounting bolts.

Is there differences in the headlight stainless trim ring,,,as I have seen some thin versions also?..
 
The body or bucket of the headlights on '35 & '36 passenger cars is the same. Also the same bucket as used on '38-'39 trucks, and maybe some other years. As already mentioned, the mounting bolt length is longer on '35, but the bolts could be changed to suit the application. The stainless trim rings and lenses are also different as mentioned, but again could be changed from one to the other. I see many '35's at shows wearing '36 SS trim rings and lenses where owners are not concerned about correctness or being judged for points.
 
Last edited:
The 35 passenger bucket interchanges with the 38/9 pickup. The 40/41 truck headlight bucket is the same dimensions as the 35 bucket and has a factory seal beam which makes a nice interchange if you want to run seal beams without having to put a seal beam kit on the 35 bucket. The 36 bucket has that much shorter bolt and a "soapdish" mounting piece. I never tried mounting a 36 bucket with the shorter bolt to a 38/9 pickup headlight stand and I do not know if that would be an issue.
 
Hi Everyone. Um, oz40, they're shaped differently, they have different shaped lenses with the 36 being much more bulbous. Never tried swapping them but the fenders are not shaped the same either.

If you have the '35/'36 book from the V-8 Club there are a bunch of photos in it.
https://www.earlyfordv8.org/Shop.cfm?id=18&pid=2
If you look at this page you can see a couple of photos, they're not great quality because it's a digital image of the book cover.

Lucky, I have one of each handy so I just went out and took a couple of shots. Black is '35, Blue is '36.
My brother used 40 big truck headlight buckets on his 36 because they used seal beams.
 
A little additional information to what's been given. As mentioned, the same basic bucket (with the long '35 style mounting bolt) was used on trucks larger than pickup until 1941. They were also used on the COE trucks all the way to 1947. The buckets were equipped with sealed beams beginning in 1940 but this version was only adjustable by moving the entire bucket. A new version (with the same basic bucket) was equipped with an internal mechanism for adjusting the sealed beam within the bucket was used on the 1941 trucks and the COE until 1947. Either of the sealed beam versions work well if you want sealed beams with stock appearance and aren't concerned with total originality.
 
Reviving this topic. Will a 35 lens fit into a 36 bucket, using the 36 stainless trim ring? I like the flatter lens of the 35.
Thanks
 
Reviving this topic. Will a 35 lens fit into a 36 bucket, using the 36 stainless trim ring? I like the flatter lens of the 35.
Thanks


NO. The 1935 lens does not fit the 1936 rim, or visa versa. A 1935 lens/rim combination should fit a 1936 bucket fine.
 
Back
Top