30-31 Stainless commercial Headlight shells oddity
- Thread starter RonC
- Start date
Charlie Stephens
Well-known member
Re: 30-31 Stainless Painted Black Headlight shells
I haven't heard of this before but my guess would be this was done whenever a stainless shell was damaged. What makes you think this was done at the factory and not by an earlier restorer wanting black shells?
Charlie Stephens
I haven't heard of this before but my guess would be this was done whenever a stainless shell was damaged. What makes you think this was done at the factory and not by an earlier restorer wanting black shells?
Charlie Stephens
SLPreston53
Senior Member
Re: 30-31 Stainless Painted Black Headlight shells
Typically black headlight buckets and radiator shells were paint over plain steel. I'll bet yours were painted post-factory.
Typically black headlight buckets and radiator shells were paint over plain steel. I'll bet yours were painted post-factory.
Bruce Lancaster
Member Emeritus
Re: 30-31 Stainless Painted Black Headlight shells
Maybe not post factory. I once had a '32 black on stainless shell...this was about 40 years ago, before this stuff became valuable, too.
I am pretty sure this thing had been painted for commercial or truck use at the factory because of the finish on the stainless...it had a fine, very even cross hatching of grit lines all over it. The hatching seemed to be far too even to have been a roughing up to prepare for a hobbyist's paint job...I think this was a part removed from the factory machine polishing rig one or two steps before passenger car finish was achieved.
It would obviously have been more expensive than a carbon steel shell, so maybe it was an improvised response to a plant running out of commercial shells with plenty of stainless ones in stock...?
Maybe not post factory. I once had a '32 black on stainless shell...this was about 40 years ago, before this stuff became valuable, too.
I am pretty sure this thing had been painted for commercial or truck use at the factory because of the finish on the stainless...it had a fine, very even cross hatching of grit lines all over it. The hatching seemed to be far too even to have been a roughing up to prepare for a hobbyist's paint job...I think this was a part removed from the factory machine polishing rig one or two steps before passenger car finish was achieved.
It would obviously have been more expensive than a carbon steel shell, so maybe it was an improvised response to a plant running out of commercial shells with plenty of stainless ones in stock...?
RonC
Well-known member
Re: 30-31 Stainless Painted Black Headlight shells
The shell is unpolished stainless. The stainless virgin cross grain has never been buffed out. The shell is painted black over the stainless. It appears factory because the paint is "under" the riveted bracket.
The shell is unpolished stainless. The stainless virgin cross grain has never been buffed out. The shell is painted black over the stainless. It appears factory because the paint is "under" the riveted bracket.
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theHIGHLANDER
Senior Member
Vehicles were coming out of Ford plants like a sausage machine spittin weenies. If they ran out of shells it's quite plausible that plant management made the decision to keep going and use unpolished stock.
I went through this a bit during a Mopar muscle car restoration. A 4000 mile virgin had been found and one side of the car had a dominant amount of "anchor" stamped bolts, the other side with a "target" style logo on the head. Someone within the club staff sought to make that a judging standard. So by that rationale the line would have to stop if the left side ran out of anchor logo bolts? If we think Model As were built fast, imagine how fast those Mopars were being spit out of the plant in Hamtramck. But wait, we're out of anchor bolts!
Sometimes it's hard for a us singular enthusiasts to get our arms around mass production ideas. Horror of horrors, I have some nice stainless shells that I plan to paint black, and even an extra stainless radiator shell to be painted as well. Why not? It'll never rust and with a light wisp of etching primer 1st it should hold up really well.
I went through this a bit during a Mopar muscle car restoration. A 4000 mile virgin had been found and one side of the car had a dominant amount of "anchor" stamped bolts, the other side with a "target" style logo on the head. Someone within the club staff sought to make that a judging standard. So by that rationale the line would have to stop if the left side ran out of anchor logo bolts? If we think Model As were built fast, imagine how fast those Mopars were being spit out of the plant in Hamtramck. But wait, we're out of anchor bolts!
Sometimes it's hard for a us singular enthusiasts to get our arms around mass production ideas. Horror of horrors, I have some nice stainless shells that I plan to paint black, and even an extra stainless radiator shell to be painted as well. Why not? It'll never rust and with a light wisp of etching primer 1st it should hold up really well.