Acetylene Headlights on a 13-14 T

B

bdtutton

Senior Member
Hello,
I am getting closer to purchasing a brass era T and I am trying to figure out a few things before I go through with a purchase. I am looking at some very original 1913 and 1914 cars. If I purchase one I plan to add LED brake lights and turn signals, but am wondering if I need to upgrade the headlights too.

Here is the question....If I get a good acetylene tank how well would a good set of acetylene headlights work? Are they as good as stock headlights on a model A? Are they good enough to occasionally drive home at night? Has anyone tried using acetylene headlights in the real world?

Thanks....Bryan
 
If I read the article on the MTFCA forum correctly, if you use the .75 CFM acetylene burners the light output would be about the same as the standard 6v model A low beam lights. It would not be anything I would want to drive in traffic with, but I could get home if needed.

If I find that I needed to drive a model T with acetylene lights very much at night I would think about fabricating some mounts for some detachable LED headlights. They could be stored away under the back seat until needed.

Thank you for the information....
 
Gas lamps expand the driving day for me especially during the hot summer. Most of my drives are on low traffic 35-mph divided thoroughfares that are lit up with street lamps. A very important aspect is to make the Model T visible to the other drivers. The kerosene square lamps are an important part of the visibility package and I light up the works as soon as it is dusk or low light just like the modern cars.

The acetylene headlamps seem to attract the attention of oncoming traffic from a considerable distance. I see them giving me the second look as they pass. Probably because the flames wobble a little and the lights seem to be moving around.

I feel my '25 Touring and '35 Cabriolet 6-volt headlights are a little bit better but not much. They both have rather poor side visibility issues and I feel safer with the acetylene and kerosene setup.


It's been six years since that thread. Time flies for sure....
 
That is a good thread on gas lights.
I had just started driving with them
at that time but still have the Victor
on my running board. :)

Came in from a drive and kicked the
Victor up on the shop door to show
the burner shadow at the top left.

Mirrors invert the images.
 

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