Headlights for my '28

[jrd-28]

Another question for the assembled multitudes.


My '28 has the wrong headlights. These apparently were made for some truck or other. They have only a single filament bulb.



Doing a little reading, I think what I need is the two-bulb version. Where one of the bulbs is for partking, and one is dual-filament, thus giving me high/low beam. Like A-13000-SB in https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/P...hts/head-light ?


Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[wrndln]

28 headlights only had one bulb.

[Mike Peters]

1928 through Feb. 1929 were a one bulb headlight with fluted headlight lens. Just one, two filament headlight bulb. No parking light. Three position switch-off-low beam-high beam. What light switch do you have? Original 28-E29 switches are different than later light switches. You can install the later two bulb headlights, but you also need the correct light switch to go with it.

[Jembow]

Second that. I have the same situation. You need to change reflectors and light switch to get parking lights + low/high beam. Question is..do you need parking lights?

[Bob C]

Since the original bulb used until Feb 1929 was 3-21 CP I would think the 3CP
was more a parking light than a low beam.

[jrd-28]

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Thanks for the info.


A little more information, which may not be much help.


This car came with the wrong steering column in it. It had a column from a '30, but nobody had updated the headlight rod or switch to work with that steering wheel. So they removed the light switch entirely, and just had a toggle switch on the dash for the single-filament headlights they kludged on.


I'm trying to put the car back reasonably close to original. The PO had bought a light switch and wiring, but never installed it, due to the steering column issue. I *think* the switch I have is also wrong, as it appears to be 3 positions plus off. Also, there are 3 wires in each of the bundles which are meant to go out to the headlights.


It sounds like I should get a set of single bulb 2-filament headlights, and the correct switch. I see some on ebay that even look like they have the correct fluted lenses.



Thanks for the wisdom!

[Bill G]

Is your 28 a car or a pick-up? Cars had nickel plated buckets and truck headlight buckets are painted black.

[denniskliesen]

There is no need to change the headlights. If your existing headlights are single bulb all you need are 32/50 bulbs. You only need to keep your light switch matching your harness. Buy a switch from Bert’s in Colorado and ask for an original switch for a 1930. I have 3 repop switches and all of them either don’t fit or don’t work properly.

[Mike Peters]

Since you already have the two bulb wiring harness and switch, you could just install that with a single bulb headlight and not use the parking light wire, or go with a two bulb headlight, and use the parking light wire. No one will know but you. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but no one is making the correct one bulb light switch?

[jrd-28]

Originally Posted by Bill G

Is your 28 a car or a pick-up? Cars had nickel plated buckets and truck headlight buckets are painted black.

The ones on there are black. Body plus bezel. My bud, who knows more than me, concurred that they came from a trucks.


My car is a '28 Tudor. It looks like, aside from color and which bulbs are in them, the car ones are rather shorter than the ones for trucks. From the pictures I'm finding, they really don't look all that similar.

[jrd-28]

Originally Posted by Mike Peters

Since you already have the two bulb wiring harness and switch, you could just install that with a single bulb headlight and not use the parking light wire, or go with a two bulb headlight, and use the parking light wire. No one will know but you. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but no one is making the correct one bulb light switch?

Yeah, good point. If there are unused wires, who cares? Well, a judge at Pebble Beach would, but not me


When I opened up the switch, it didn't look like there were any stops. Is that correct? Can you just keep rotating the handle around?