Marker Light Questions - (1951-1953)

[Jocko_51_B3B]

Did 1951 - 53 pilothouse marker lights come with silver reflectors behind the bulb? Or was the inside surface of the housing painted white (or something else)? And did they come from the factory with amber or clear bulbs?

 

 

[ggdad1951]

I believe painted white and had clear bulbs.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I have buried in my stash a NOS one and it's silvered.

Edited October 1, 2019 by Dodgeb4ya

[ggdad1951]

2 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

I have buried in my stash a NOS one and it's silvered.

 

very possible they plated 'em, for a rebuild painted white works well.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I painted them white in both my trucks too.

Some day I'll install the NOS ones. See above pics of NOS Plated....

Edited October 1, 2019 by Dodgeb4ya

[Jocko_51_B3B]

My markers were in rough shape as you can tell from the pitting. I don't think that silver or white makes too much difference so I went with metallic  Rustoleum. I'm going to use the marker lights as turn signals too so I replaced the original 1156 sockets with 1157's which can accommodate two filament type bulbs. I got the 1157s (socket, wiring, and bulb included) from DCM. The only problem with the replacement sockets was that I wasn't able to be secure them tightly enough to the reflectors at first. Looseness caused the sockets to twist when removing or replacing a bulb. To fix that, I wrapped a turn or two of safety wire around the back of the socket to snug it down good and tight to the back of the reflector. Problem solved.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2019 by Jocko_51_B3B

[JBNeal]

I've had similar issues with sockets on other lights and I ended up applying a bead of clear silicon caulk to seal the socket to the fixture and hold it in place...I made the bead big enough that if I needed to service the light and apply a new bead, I would have enough excess to grab hold of and peel off

[RedHot71]

I have also bought the sockets for my marker lights from DCM.  They are 2 strand wires instead of like the 1 that is original.  My turn signal lights are mounted to the tops of my fenders, so is that where I get the other lead from for the 2 strand replacement sockets?  I bought new replacement lenses and gaskets and want to sort of clean up the front end a bit.  I had also asked previously about the new light switch I bought from DCM as well.  I bought the 12 volt switch since I just converted to 12 volt.  I was wanting to know what the different letters stood for on the original switch from the wiring diagram.  (B/D/R/H/A)  New switch has it spelled out for me.  (batt./tailites/stop/access./park) There is an extra unmarked screw which I figure is for a ground? 

[Jocko_51_B3B]

I haven't wired up my headlight switch yet, but if my B3B had turn signal lights on top of my fenders (it doesn't) AND the two wire marker light sockets, I would probably wire both sets of turn signal lights in parallel and use 'em both. 

Edited October 12, 2019 by Jocko_51_B3B

[RedHot71]

Thanks,  Good idea.

[ggdad1951]

On 10/11/2019 at 3:33 PM, JBNeal said:

I've had similar issues with sockets on other lights and I ended up applying a bead of clear silicon caulk to seal the socket to the fixture and hold it in place...I made the bead big enough that if I needed to service the light and apply a new bead, I would have enough excess to grab hold of and peel off

 Silicone is bad for metal contact....I never use it around metal.

AS for the color to paint, WHITE actually is the better choice over silver/metallic.  Many years of playing lighting engineer taught me this.

[JBNeal]

20 years later, and that silicon is still in place, nothing has rusted out, nor struck by lightning, nor attacked by bees, nor stampeded by unicorns... 

[Dodgeb4ya]

Acedic acid cure silicone will cause rusting of metals.

Neutral cure type won't.

[ggdad1951]

4 hours ago, JBNeal said:

20 years later, and that silicon is still in place, nothing has rusted out, nor struck by lightning, nor attacked by bees, nor stampeded by unicorns... 

 

then you used the 50/50 chance right stuff.  vs. those that don't and it eats the metal.  Safe answer is to never use it.