Pilothouse lighting

[pflaming]

MBFOWLER: Didn't some use the spot light for the same purpose, especially if it was mounted on the top of the cab, which by the way is another means for a backup light.

[Bradley S.]

Jeff - Here is a picture of the clearance lights on my B1F.  They have been on the truck since 1970's.  The steel base has a slight curvature.  Rubber gasket under the steel plate.  The lenses are glass.  They really look nice at night.

 

 

Merle - I have been getting my 6 volt amber light bulbs from The Tail Light King.

 

http://www.taillightking.com/

[Bradley S.]

 

Hope it worked this time.

[Jeff Balazs]

Bradley;

Thanks for the photo. That is the sort of set up I have been thinking about. I am going to have to keep my eye open for some period looking fixtures.

 

Jeff

[Bradley S.]

Jeff;

 

Try this website:

 

http://www.taillightking.com/

 

Then scroll down the menu on the left side to "Truck Clearance Lights and Lenses".  He has some nice ones for sale.

 

Brad

[pflaming]

Watch his prices, he wants $12 for a 52 Dodge taillight lens. I got two from my parts house for $4.00 each.

[Jeff Balazs]

Bradley;

Thank you for that link. Finding just the right fixture will make a huge difference between appropriate looking and slapped on.

My goal has been since day one to have my truck just look like an old work truck.......but be functional and safe on today's roads.

Wherever possible I like the idea of recycling period items for daily use. Some correct looking old fixtures updated with LED'S should fit the bill nicely.

 

Paul; I will.....but if I find the right items I don't mind paying for them. Time constraints and lack of local sources make options like this seem fairly viable.

 

Thanks for all your responses. As always very helpful.

Jeff

[Jeff Balazs]

I watched the greatest movie ever made again last night....."The Rounders".......

I noticed something about their Pilothouse I missed before. It definitely has amber parking light lenses.

 

Jeff

[48Dodger]

What I remember from my 4 wheelin days, is that back-up lights that are NOT regular rear marker lights (ie the white light that comes on with the reverse swith) are subject to Off road rules. Meaning they have to have the fuse removed while on surface roads. So if you are gonna do something with white lights during a back-up manuver, better have them associated with the brake lights in some way. I believe large work trucks do not have to follow these rules. White lights on the back of any vehicle is considered a hazard due to accidental blinding at speed, and or road rage driving. Something to look into.

 

48D

[Jeff Balazs]

Tim;

Certainly the ideal situation is that they worked like "modern" back up lights and came on when reverse is engaged.

This probably is not a big deal to the folks who live in rural area's ..... but here with the unavoidable crowded parking lots and parking structures it is a must.

I actually like the idea of even adding a beeper as it could make a positive difference in a lot of situations. I am just not sure how best to actuate a system like this on one of our trucks. If you add something like this it needs to be rock solid reliable and shouldn't rely on some fussy cobbled together mechanism. I will have to give some serious thought to this.

 

There are a lot of things to consider if you plan on really using an older vehicle like this as your daily driver. I hate to say it.....but just because something was good enough back in the day.......doesn't make it so now. Let's face it things have changed. Congestion on the roads. Typical vehicle speeds. And most definitely a greater number of drivers who lack the basic skills.....or the common sense......or any respect for the folks they share the roads with. When I started driving a little over 40 years ago.........literally no one tailgated here. If they did they got busted PRONTO! Now look at it.......

 

The more I think about it.......I don't think you can be too careful about details like the ones we have been discussing here. I know that some of what I am planning to do with my truck affects the originality of it.......but honestly it was meant to be used ..... and to do so today I think some careful modifications are absolutely necessary. One thing that came up in this discussion was the addition of a third brake light up on the cab. I hadn't got that far in my thought process......but I have to say that it is a great idea. And I think it can be accomplished in a tasteful way that does not detract from the look of the truck. To me this is a no brainer....I will be adding this.

 

Thanks again for sharing your ideas and thoughts on this topic

Jeff

[48Dodger]

Living in a rual area...I believe we need a back light even more! We aint got no street lights on our country roads, and no neon signs and such. I have a huge spot light in each of my dailys just for seeing those tricky areas when backing up.

 

48D

[Jeff Balazs]

Living in a rual area...I believe we need a back light even more! We aint got no street lights on our country roads, and no neon signs and such. I have a huge spot light in each of my dailys just for seeing those tricky areas when backing up.

 

48D

Tim;

Point taken. And night vision is one of those things that seem to deteriorate over the older we get.

I was thinking more about keeping others from plowing into the truck. Especially in some of the local parking lots. That and backing out of my driveway.......first house in the tract.

Jeff

[wallytoo]

jeff,

attached are some up-close photos of the clearance lamps. as stated earlier, they are glass lenses (amber), with chrome-plated housings and (old) rubber gaskets. i used rtv to help the gaskets work better.

also a pic of the dash switch. when it is rotated on, it lights up. edit: this switch is for the back-up lights, as noted previously. it's handy to have the light up switch to remind that they are "on".

the chrome housings have "KD 517" on them. the lenses have "SAE approved" and "KD [something]" on them. edit: the "something" is 517, so they appear to go together.

wally

Edited February 11, 2013 by wallytoo

[Dodgeb4ya]

here are some more clearance lights on some of my trucks. On the green truck they are "Do Rays" and the blue parts truck they are a no name light. You also need to decide how many and the orientation of them for your liking.

[Jeff Balazs]

Thanks guy's. Those are some excellent shots. This was just the sort of info I was looking for.

As usual this group is awesome. I can't imagine trying to put one of these trucks together without it.

It is really a pleasure to be part of it.

 

Jeff

[B1B Keven]

Jeff?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Do-Ray-NO-410-Chrome-Metal-Red-Glass-Clearance-Lights-/261166647968?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3ccebecaa0&vxp=mtr

[HanksB3B]

Those look nice Keven.  Pretty sure Jeff will like them, but are you allowed to run red lights on top of your truck unless you're  fire or police?

 

Don't think so..

 

Hank 

Edited February 11, 2013 by HanksB3B

[B1B Keven]

I honestly don't know.   

[B1B Keven]

The red lights have to be on the rear of the vehicle, if I'm reading this right.

 

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc25100.htm

[HanksB3B]

The red lights have to be on the rear of the vehicle, if I'm reading this right.

 

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc25100.htm

 

Unless you are in pursuit of Dorner...then all bets are off and DMV rules don't matter?

[Jeff Balazs]

Those look nice Keven.  Pretty sure Jeff will like them, but are you allowed to run red lights on top of your truck unless you're  fire or police?

 

Don't think so..

 

Hank 

I used to watch Sheriff John every day........does that count?

I do like them....but I am fairly certain they need to be amber here.

 

Jeff

[Dodgeb4ya]

Green clearance markers are on ebay too. Secret trucking communication color code or something like that back in the old days.