purchased two GE 4030 Sealed Beam 6volt headlight bulbs

[desoto1939]

I went to a local swap meet held by the South Jersey AACA club on Sunday. There were a lot of venders.

 

I was able to purchase two GE 6volt 4030 sealed beam headlight bulbs. Refer to the attached pictures.

When looking at the front of the bulbs you will notice that there are NO alignment TIT molded into the front glass part of the bulb.

 

Starting in 1940 the sealed beam bulbs did not have the aiming tips.  The aiming tips started with the 6006 6v bulbs that were starting to be manufactured around 1955/56.

 

Mopar used the 4030 bulb from 1940-1948 as standard equipment and then in 1949 -55 they used the Autolite Bullseye bulb.

 

I came home and cleaned up the bulbs and tested them on my 6 battery tester and both low and high beams worked.

 

So I am ready, if I ever want to convert my 39 Desoto over to sealed beams, but the conversion trim is totally different than the original rectangular trim.  But at least i have the correct period correct bulbs and I also have the correct adapter and conversion sealed beam internal components for the car.

 

Oh, and I only paid $5 for the two bulbs. Not to rub it in or not.

 

Just wanted to provide some education if you have a mopar car/truck from 1940-48 so tha you can have the correct period headlight bulbs installed if you are going for points judging.

I did a presentation at the National Desoto convention on headlight so this is how I can document what is and is not period correct.

 

see the pictures below.

 

Rich hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com   

 

 

 

[Ivan_B]

Good for you. I got one of those NOS conversion kits, as you might recall... And have one spare bulb 😅

[Dan Hiebert]

One of those things that if you don't know it, you don't notice it.  But once you do...  I have bulbs with the alignment nubs on them on the car now.  Sold as replacements for the GE4030, albeit with the nubs.  A while back, I had an original bulb, and a later one on it, didn't notice the lack of the nubs on the original until someone herein pointed that difference out.  Then I couldn't unsee it.  I put a pair of later bulbs in so they would match and am casually looking for a pair of 4030s.  Although I prefer the look of the "nubless" bulbs, it's a good bet the vast majority of folks out there wouldn't notice.  We had the car in many shows with the usual contingent of nit pickers in attendance, none of them ever pointed that out.  

[Sniper]

I wonder how hard it would be to grind off those nubs and polish the lens so you can't tell they were ever there?

[Ivan_B]

It is definitely doable, but you would know that you are a fraud 😁

 

52 minutes ago, Dan Hiebert said:

Then I couldn't unsee it.

 

That's right, once you've "mastered the force", there is no going back... You'll be going to all them antique car museums and arguing with the staff that their exhibits are full of nonsense 🙃

Edited 12 hours ago by Ivan_B

[Plymouthy Adams]

from a purist standpoint...yes you would know right off...but as a driving characteristic....give me the nubs and the alignment capabilities assured with them present...you can get close with a wall and x feet from it....but I assure you, hard to beat ole Hopkins at the task.  

 

 

[Booger]

thats just strange looking...but I do love the Morris Minor

[desoto1939]

But here is the big issue.  AACA permits the cars that are being judged for Junior 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies and also Senior 1st along with Grand National cars that should not have the lens with the nubs that they can pass the judges with these nubs.

 

AACA standards are that are car is to be represented as if it just came off the showroom or dealers lot or backlot.

 

I have brought this to the attention or the CEO Mr maskowitz about this issue. He could care less and stated that they do not know every car. Two years ago at the Hershey fall car show there was a 1951 Chrysler Royal 6 that had a recent Senior Grand National badge attached to the front of the car, BUT this car also had the incorrect headlight lens with the three nubs.  Next to this same car was a 1950 Desoto that had the correct Autolite Bullseye bulbs and then down the row was a 1953 DeSoto that also had the correct bulbs.

I pointed this out to Mr Maskowtiz. My point is that if the car is a Senior Grand National winner to me that tells me that the car has been judged by the most experience judged and have gone over the car with a fine tooth comb.  Also since it is a senior Grand National the car owner then can increase the selling price.  But a poor guy that does purchase the car would be paying top dollar for the car and would have incorrect parts on the car.

The AACA judging standards have gone down hill so do not always thig that a judged car is correct and also far from being perfect.  I also offered to come to the Hershey AACA headquarters and do a presentation on Headlights and also told this to Mr Moskwotz but he and the AACA have never answered my opportunity to educate them and to update their judging manual. But there profess to be the experts on judging of restored cars.

 

Just posting the facts that I know and have first hand knowledge of seeing AACA judged vehicles.

 

Rich hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Ivan_B]

2 minutes ago, desoto1939 said:

My point is that if the car is a Senior Grand National winner to me that tells me that the car has been judged by the most experience judged and have gone over the car with a fine tooth comb.

That's an excellent point. However, people will cut corners whenever they can and all sorts of classic car establishments are no exception

For example, I just got a pair of 10" Trico wipers for my car... Not identical pair, but at least the same wiper model manufactured in either different years or at different plants. The first time I went with Anco, and then realized that this was not correct for my car because it required an adapter. Now, I am a crazy purist working on my own car, so I can afford nonsense like this. People pedaling classic cars or stuffing auto museums could care less if it is no cost-effective to do something.

[Ralph D25cpe]

Enjoyed reading this  thread....