Pre 1939 Cars with Headlight Bulbs

[desoto1939]

This topic is for the guys that have 1939 Car and Trucks and back.

Since we use the lightbulb in our headlights and not the Sealed beam unless you converted to sealed beam style.

These vehicles used a special socket that has three pins. These sockets are very easy to find in swap meets and even at Hershey which is a huge swap meet.

There are two types of bulbs the 2330 and the 2331 these headlight bulbs have a flange with three holes that match upto moutning pins on the headlight socket and then the two contacts inside the socket for high and low beam.

So be very careful. The 2330 socket looks the same as the 2331 but the dirrecence is how the contact match with the bulbs.

The 2330 is setup so that the low and high in the bulbs goes up and down, but the 2331 is setup so the high and low go left and right.

Don Axelrod is the only vender now that is carrying these two light sockets. He had to get special run made.

So here is my advise. If you have these bulbs either the 2330 or the 2331 in you head light I would suggest that you pickup a set for spares.

I bought a pair from him at Hershey this year for $35 and that included shipping. These also come with the pigtail wires.

Best be prepared for the future

His address is Headlight Headquarters, 35 Timson St, Lynn, M 01902.. You can also search him on the web.

Just passing along this information for the old car and truck member.

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[TodFitch]

The type you describe is called "pre-focused" or "pre-focused base". The pre-focused type bulbs were used on Plymouth from, I think, 1935 through 1939. Prior to that a double contact bayonet bulb was used.

 

The old miniature lamp guides will list the base on the pre-focused bulbs as "D.C. Pf. (A)" (Double contact pre-focused A) or "D.C. Pf. (S)" (Double Contact pre-focused S). The 2330 is a D.C. Pf. (A). The 2331 is not listed in my 1970 GE lamp guide but the 2338 has the same bulb shape, is also for 6v and the same candle power but is a D.C. Pf. (S).

 

Classic and Vintage Bulbs in Australia make quartz halogen versions of these. You will get about 40% more light for the same power with quartz-halogen. But not long after I purchased directly from the manufacturer they got a US distributor which did two things: 1) Meant you could't order from the manufacturer anymore. And 2) had to pay about 3 or 4 times more for the same bulb.

[RobertKB]

My '38 Chrysler has the same type of headlights as your '39 Desoto. When I first got the car it had been converted to sealed beams but I had a pretty rough '38 Dodge for a while (behind the Chrylser in the first picture) with the original lights in it so I just switched them over. I like the original style better on these cars because of the larger lenses. I fortunately have spare parts for the lights.

 

 

 

[desoto1939]

Robert:

 

I know what you mean about the conversion setups to go to sealed beam.  I have two conversion kits for my 39 Desoto. One with painted headlight rim and the other with Chrome Trim rims.

 

The conversion headlight door as they are called do not do anything for the fron of the car.  They are just big and bulky looking.  Since we really do not drive the car at night I have not chnaged over to sealed beam.

 

Thinking of going to the Halogen bulb with the flange.  Also there is a gentleman in the West Coast that will take the reflector after you have had it nickel plated and buffed and then will put on a plastic coating just like they are doing with the modern cars.  The reflection is stated to be better than the silver plating and sinc e it is a highly reflective plastic coating it will never get dull like the silver plating does.

 

I would like to go that route first but need to find another spare headlight reflector. I have three spares and two have been buffed out with still good silver and the other would also need to be buffed out.  So if i can get a very dull reflector then I would give it a go.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[TodFitch]

. . . Also there is a gentleman in the West Coast that will take the reflector after you have had it nickel plated and buffed and then will put on a plastic coating just like they are doing with the modern cars.  The reflection is stated to be better than the silver plating and sinc e it is a highly reflective plastic coating it will never get dull like the silver plating does. . .

That would be Bill Atwood at

 

Uvira, Inc.

310 Pleasant Valley Rd.

Merlin, OR 97532

Telephone: +1.541.956.6880

Fax: +1.541.476.9096

email: uvira@terragon.com

 

It is actually a glass coating over an aluminum deposit. I had my reflectors redone at least 20, maybe 30 years, ago and they are still in great shape. Between the quartz-halogen bulbs, the reflectors, and new wiring I am not afraid to take my car out at night. They are not up to modern standards, especially compared to the HID lamps in my newest (10 year old) car. But they are enough to get by. For my full blow by blow, see: http://www.ply33.com/Repair/lights

[RobertKB]

Bill at Uvira did my reflectors as well and you can see from the second picture of the car (Post #3) that they look great. They were done 10 -12 years ago. Not sure how I initially found out about him but I talked to him on the phone and he is a great guy. He likes the old cars and at the time did mine for cost. I believe Uvira kind of pioneered the process that Todd mentions above. I highly recommend going with Uvira as they will never tarnish like the silver coated ones did and will do again if resilvered.