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jays58s
Samba Member
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 2133
Location: Nor-Cal
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 Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:02 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| EverettB wrote: |
They don't have parking light holders at all?
This make me think they threw something together when it came into the USA.
It sounds like your lenses might fit the "56" lenses described earlier in this thread |
They have parking light bulb holders, but they're the normal 56-60 screw terminal style, not like the set that RareAir has for sale right now. Mine have none of these 55 only details being shown in this thread.
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EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 69798
Location: Phoenix Metro
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jays58s
Samba Member
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 2133
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:12 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| EverettB wrote: |
Hmm, they look like regular 56-60(?) buckets to me so not sure why they are dated 1955.
I'd ask janerick3 who posted in this thread - he seems to be the expert on the lenses and similar things |
It's definitely one of the main things that is throwing me off about this car. Part of me wants to leave them on because they've been on the car for who knows how long, but the other part of me wants to put ones on the car that it most likely came with originally. |
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janerick3
Samba Member
Joined: June 04, 2006
Posts: 1879
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 8:20 am Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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The 9N assembly is the earliest I know of with the '56-'58 style spring and parking light holders. I would guess the 22N assembly was a replacement for the original that was damaged early on, possibly in transit.
As for the lenses--it's possible they are the originals--I know they were in use in late 1955. Often 356s came with headlight assemblies that were several months older than the car itself--the realities of small-shop coachbuilding.
In any case, I would leave the headlights as is. They're part of the car's history. My '54 had mismatched headlights--likely the results of a September 1955 rollover.
_________________
Thanks,
Jan K. |
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jays58s
Samba Member
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 2133
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 12:27 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| janerick3 wrote: |
The 9N assembly is the earliest I know of with the '56-'58 style spring and parking light holders. I would guess the 22N assembly was a replacement for the original that was damaged early on, possibly in transit.
As for the lenses--it's possible they are the originals--I know they were in use in late 1955. Often 356s came with headlight assemblies that were several months older than the car itself--the realities of small-shop coachbuilding.
In any case, I would leave the headlights as is. They're part of the car's history. My '54 had mismatched headlights--likely the results of a September 1955 rollover. |
I guess I値l just leave them, I was just curious if the car originally had Euro headlights since it was purchased new in Germany and transported to the US sometime later on. |
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Second Air Force
Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2017
Posts: 268
Location: Midwest
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| jays58s wrote: |
I guess I値l just leave them, I was just curious if the car originally had Euro headlights since it was purchased new in Germany and transported to the US sometime later on. |
Check the wire harness in your headlight buckets. Our '56 was delivered new in Germany and had sealed beams installed sometime later. The wire harnesses had spade type sealed beam plugs installed and the splices on ours aren't too pretty--definitely not to factory standards.
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1956 Standard Sedan |
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jays58s
Samba Member
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 2133
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| Second Air Force wrote: |
| jays58s wrote: |
I guess I値l just leave them, I was just curious if the car originally had Euro headlights since it was purchased new in Germany and transported to the US sometime later on. |
Check the wire harness in your headlight buckets. Our '56 was delivered new in Germany and had sealed beams installed sometime later. The wire harnesses had spade type sealed beam plugs installed and the splices on ours aren't too pretty--definitely not to factory standards. |
I never did look closely at those, but I値l go look and post a picture. |
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janerick3
Samba Member
Joined: June 04, 2006
Posts: 1879
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:16 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| jays58s wrote: |
| Second Air Force wrote: |
| jays58s wrote: |
I guess I値l just leave them, I was just curious if the car originally had Euro headlights since it was purchased new in Germany and transported to the US sometime later on. |
Check the wire harness in your headlight buckets. Our '56 was delivered new in Germany and had sealed beams installed sometime later. The wire harnesses had spade type sealed beam plugs installed and the splices on ours aren't too pretty--definitely not to factory standards. |
I never did look closely at those, but I値l go look and post a picture. |
Pre-1956 US-market cars didn't come with sealed-beam sockets from Germany. Both my Nov '54 and Jan '55 parts car had Cole-Hersee bulb sockets w/cloth pigtails connected to the factory harness w/wire nuts.
_________________
Thanks,
Jan K. |
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jays58s
Samba Member
Joined: August 23, 2004
Posts: 2133
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Headlight lens years... any ideas on US ones? |
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| janerick3 wrote: |
| jays58s wrote: |
| Second Air Force wrote: |
| jays58s wrote: |
I guess I値l just leave them, I was just curious if the car originally had Euro headlights since it was purchased new in Germany and transported to the US sometime later on. |
Check the wire harness in your headlight buckets. Our '56 was delivered new in Germany and had sealed beams installed sometime later. The wire harnesses had spade type sealed beam plugs installed and the splices on ours aren't too pretty--definitely not to factory standards. |
I never did look closely at those, but I値l go look and post a picture. |
Pre-1956 US-market cars didn't come with sealed-beam sockets from Germany. Both my Nov '54 and Jan '55 parts car had Cole-Hersee bulb sockets w/cloth pigtails connected to the factory harness w/wire nuts. |
Mine are the exact same pigtails with the cloth covered wire and blue butt connectors. |
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