Sealed beam adaptors

Peter J

Peter J

Well-known member
I know it's not for the purist but on my 31 in highschool, I had a set of sealed beam headlights that were not behind the original lens like the adaptors sold today. Id like to install them on my 29 if they still exist. Does someone still make these where the sealed beam is exposed?
Any ideas or hot tips appreciated.
Thanks, Pete
 
I know what you mean, my pal Jerry had a set years ago, but have not seen any in years and best bet is probably swap meets and luck. I personally found a set of sealed beam sized "bullet" type headlight cans from the 30's. They even have a small neat chrome bullet light on the top of the can. Not original, but I like their looks, and I really like the sealed beam lights.
 
I have a set of sealed beam adaptors taken out of a '31. Something tells me these would also fit the '29. I can send you pix and measurements if you're interested. $45. with the sealed beams installed.
David
 
My '31 tudor has a set on it and I was hoping to find another pair as the chrome on mine is pretty much gone. Have looked on a few after market sites but have not seen any yet. I was told JC Witney and possibly Sears sold them back in the day.
 
I found a nice set on ebay about 6 years ago. I bought them for the nice buckets, but it was the complete headlights with the headlight bar and Stewart Warner horn for about $95.
 
Thanks Guys,
I thought I'd get stoned for asking. I sent a pm to cabroletgalaxie, maybe I might get lucky. I ran sealed beams on my 31 and never had a problem draining my battery as some folks warn.
Pete
 
I have a set on my '28 Speedster. It has the 28-29 style headlight buckets. Also have a set of sealed beam adaptors on my '31 S/W with stainless 31 style buckets. The setup looks Ok on the Speedster but gives the Slant aa "bug-eyed" look. I am too cheap to buy good reflectors to change out the Slant.
 
In November of this year I offered a pair of 1930-31 original stainless steel headlamps with the old style sealed beam conversion kit for $70 plus postage. They had been in dead storage for the past 30 years. I provided my eMail address for response as I am not computer savvy enough to respond to fordbarn notifications. No response! Still available.

barnstuf@comcast.net
 
Found a nice set from a fellow Fordbarner who is currently digging himself out of a snow drift.
Thanks Guys!
 
I presently have that type on my car. They work great, but I don't like the look. "Bug-Eyed" as Ken Parker put it. I was thinking of changing to the behind-the-lens adapter, but have heard that the extra lens diffuses the light too much. Any opinions on that?
My alternative is to return to original reflectors, etc, but none of those parts came with the car, so I would need to find good used or buy new.
 
Bob
Agreed. Too much glass between the light and the road. That was why I was looking for the old 'bug eyed' setup. Heck, if I don't like them, I can always change back. That's the fun part of this hobby.
Pete
 
My '29 Town Sedan came with some sort of sealed beam buckets when I bought it in 1960. I was grateful for how well they worked, and, when I realized they weren't original, I still thought they looked cool. When I had the car restored, some years later, I decided I still liked their looks and kept them. Here's an early photo and one on the way home from Williamsburg, where my wife took the ladie's driving class.

I installed the sealed beam kits behind the glass lenses on my mom's 30 coupe. Bad idea; lots of light but it's going every which way.

Steve
 

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Has anyone tried the halogen replacement bulbs for the original bucket? There is an ad in the back of the Restorer that claims they make them for both 6v and 12v, they fit in the original socket with no modifications and they put out twice the light of an original bulb. They also claim the current draw isn't much more than the original bulb, so there's no danger of over current or heating up the wiring. They offer the bulbs for the headlights, but also for all of the rest of the lights on the car. There's no actual website for them, but they have an 800 number (828-2061) and an e mail (HIRSCHBILL@aol.com).
 
Really what you want is all original sockets and reflectors. They just work and they are cheap and available. Repro parts can cause you grief.

Sealed beam lights work, but they do not look right. It is way easier to just put in direct replacement halogen bulbs.

Get the direct halogen replacement bulbs from Australia. Classic and Vintage 35W bulbs work fine with the original generator. My brother has been using them for more than 5 years. Same bulbs and the generator he rebuilt in 1970. My brother has been running with the charge rate up since. He just runs his headlight during the day some to compensate for the higher charge rate. He only gets 5 to 8 years on a battery. The smarter thing would be to put a band regulator on the gen, but it is not needed if you pay attention to what your car wants.

The hirsch bulbs are made in India and are not set with the filament in the correct position as they seem to be randomly placed. This means they will not focus and never give you a good light you can drive by at night. There is a visual difference in the quality between the Hirsch bulbs and the CVB bulbs with the CVB bulbs being clearly much better constructed.

My brother and I discussed these bulb issues with both the Hirsch company and CVB. CVB is not happy because people are getting the cheaper bulbs that do not work and telling everyone they do not work. So people assume his bulbs are the ones they are talking about. We explained to the guy at Hirsch that deals with the India companies what the issues are with their bulbs so I do not know if his company will correct the issues.

Still the India bulbs are cheaply made, probably by some kid being paid $.50 a day in a polluting factory. The CVB bulbs are made in a quality control factory to exact standards by people probably being paid a fair wage in safe conditions.

Anyway, nothing wrong with putting on your sealed beams if you want. Direct replacement halogens are also a very effective solution.
 
I got the conversion kit that Macs sells, that includes new reflectors and modern halogen bulbs (made in Germany). For good quality replacement bulbs, they are available at WalMart, Pep Boys, etc. (takes the same bulb that my Explorers take.)

There are a couple of things I considered: 1) I have the original reflectors in case I want to go back. 2) During the "driving" season here (Alaska) it just doesn't get dark enough so that it really makes a difference from the cockpit, makes a big difference for other drivers to see you. (A lot of our "highways" here require headlights on at all times.)
 
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