'40 Ford Dome Light order

[WarbirdPhotog]

Hey all, question on the dome lights for the 1940 Ford. I guess I didn't document my disassembly as well as I should have with these lights, but they were missing the gaskets. So there's five parts, the metal housing with the bulb, the plastic light diffuser that's white, a paper gasket, a metal retainer, and the metal bezel. What order do these go in?

 

[Kube]

Lens goes against bezel. Then the gasket against the lens. Then the retainer against the gasket.

 

[WarbirdPhotog]

Lens goes against bezel. Then the gasket against the lens. Then the retainer against the gasket.

Thanks Mike! And when illuminated, because of how the bulb is angled slightly outward... Does it normally only appear half lit?

 

[Kube]

I'd never noticed one "half lit". Doesn't mean it didn't occur just that I'd never noticed that before.

 

[Karl Wescott]

As an aside... the housing is also used for the parklight on 1940-41 trucks and 1940-47 cabovers.

 

[joel]

Looking at the assembly, I don't think it has any choice. The socket+ bulb base occupies more space than the bulb. You might get more reflection if you used the fake chrome paint on the inside of he base. Guys used to do that with taillight housings.