Headlight reflectors?

Huckster

Huckster

Senior Member
Should I have my originals replated or just get repo's?
I have read about new ones do not fit well.
any opinons?
 
Originally, the reflectors were Silver Plated. On restored cars, I like to have the originals re-silvered if they are good and not corroaded, or cracked. They look right and there is no problem with fit.

Just my opinion.

Chris
 
I have silvered original reflectors on my sedan. When properly focused, they are very bright with original, well grounded, filament bulbs; certainly bright enough for me to see well with my marginal night vision. Many Repop reflectors have an incorrect parabolic curve, and reflect light poorly, so that even with halogens they are scarcely brighter than filament bulbs in an original reflector. My station wagon came with repop reflectors rigged for halogens. While they are bright, the difference from the silvered originals in my sedan would not be worth the price if I had to buy them, and they require the additional expense of an alternator.. I have heard that Aluminized reflectors are great, but I have no experience with them. I'm sure someone here will mention them. There is also the appearance of your headlight reflectors in daylight to consider. Silver through the lens looks distinctly different than aluminum or chrome. Once you notice that, you'll see it on every A you look at. I personally prefer that warmer original look of silvered reflectors to the more blue look of the alternatives.
 
Steve's Auto Restoration inc. ,Oregon 1-503-665-2222 [www.realsteel.com]. I had them do my orginial ones and very happy.A little pricey compared to some that have had them done here on Fordbarn. But its a rich looking silver plate job. They hold up well after 6 years.Go orginial !
 
The one thing to watch is that you truly have originals, ...and not 30-40 year old reproductions that look like they should be originals.
 
I'm with Pat on this. I drive with my original silvered reflectors and original bulbs and am happey with the light they put out. A local shop wants $55 to resilver each reflector and they say the turn around is 6 weeks.
 
pat in Santa Cruz said:
I have silvered original reflectors on my sedan.
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I rode with Pat to a club meeting this month, and the silvered reflectors on his car are easily as bright as the lights on my wife's modern car (a 2005 PT Cruiser). After all I'd read about Model A headlights not being up to snuff for night driving, I was pretty surprised.
 
pat in Santa Cruz said:
... There is also the appearance of your headlight reflectors in daylight to consider. Silver through the lens looks distinctly different than aluminum or chrome. Once you notice that, you'll see it on every A you look at. I personally prefer that warmer original look of silvered reflectors to the more blue look of the alternatives.
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Pat, I agree that chrome is distinctly blue, but if you are seeing silver as warmer than aluminum the silver is slightly tarnished with sulphide, Ag2S. I played with grinding telescope mirrors for many years, and have had both silver and aluminum work done. The spectral response of absolutely fresh silver is indiscernible from aluminum to the human eye in full daylight. How uncoated silver looks in a week is another story. Not visibly tarnished, but just slightly warmer (and at that point, less reflective than the aluminum). No new Model A ever hit the street with reflectors plated less than a few days ago, so yes, slightly warmer may be the "look", but it is the look of a tad bit of tarnish. The day you polish them with a treatment that removes the sulphide they will be absolutely white. Next month, likely not. In Henry's day there was so much sulfur in the air from coal everything that silver exposed to air could tarnish in a day. That headlight gasket was probably more for air than water!
 
Thank's for all the info i think i will go with the originals. just need to find out where to get it done.
 
Mike K, thanks for the information. I have thought for some time that the gasket was probably at least as much for air as for water, too. Given your experience with high quality silver reflectors, what do you recommend for polishing them?
 
I have been reading the Gus Wilson storys again, and there is a good story about headlights and reflectors in the August 1925 story (http://www.gus-stories.org/august_1925.htm) , I was just looking through the parts catalogue and the latest "improved" part caught my eye--rubber headlight gaskets to replace cork, and just having read the story it made me laugh.

"Not on your life!" Gus said emphatically. "Don't use rubber on any account. It would make a water-tight fit all right, but after a while the sulphur in the rubber would discolor the silver plating on the reflector. The cord will do the work well enough, provided it is not squashed down so that it does not have any spring left in it."​
 
I agree John, but only for a short time until they start to tarnish then you need to clean them with silver polish. I have very good lighting with the aluminized coated (Uvira) reflectors. They suggest cleaning with window cleaner as needed. I've had mine three years and they are still clean.
 
What type of silver polish should one use? I remember reading somewhere that some polishes are to harsh and wear away the coating instead of just removing the tarnish.
 
pat in Santa Cruz said:
Mike K, thanks for the information. I have thought for some time that the gasket was probably at least as much for air as for water, too. Given your experience with high quality silver reflectors, what do you recommend for polishing them?
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Pat, for silver auto reflectors I would use Weiman Royal Sterling Tarnish Preventing Polish, (in dark blue 8oz squeeze bottle, about $7 at ACE hardware) and nothing else. Use it with a microfiber cloth, sparingly, and keep using the same cloth area as it turns black. The black is actually removed silver:eek: and by using the same black cloth area you are burnishing the surface with silver against silver, significantly reducing the total silver loss from one polishing job.

I should add this: If you have your reflectors plated, make absolutely sure the plater knows you want pure silver, not sterling silver! Sterling plate is harder and more durable, but contains 7.5% copper. Sterling is much less reflective and tarnishes faster. Also make sure the plater knows you want a fairly thick plate, as it will be subject to frequent polishing. This will cost extra. Bite your lip and pay it. Side note- mirrors are plated by chemical (not electrical) reduction of silver salts.

Personally, the reflectors in my 160B are vacuum flashed aluminum with a silicate overcoat, identical to the anti-scratch coating put on eyeglasses, some polycarbonate plastic products, and hawked for too much money from shopping mall cart vendors as a miracle scratch protectant for electronics stuff. I have silver in my not very fine point anymore 40B. I would never go silver again. They gave up on it for telescope mirrors because of the tarnish problem and the fact that aluminum with proper overcoats exceeds silver reflectance by several % points.
 
Love my UVIRA aluminized on original reflectors. My reflecros were cracked so I had to solder then have fresh nickle applied before sending to UVIRA. As I have stated many times....I can see into the next century. Plus less horsing around with silver polish. And me thinks everytime you polish you take just a little more of the silver off.
 
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