Headlight bar differences

[Car Pit]

Hello all,
During the course of my restoration, someone informed me that I had a 1928-1929 headlight bar on my 1930 Tudor. I recently had the car painted and am reassembling. I'm trying to determine if I should continue with my existing bar or find someone to trade for correct fit.

I am not concerned about the aesthetics of an incorrect bar, but does the incorrect bar position the fenders in the correct location relative to the other supports and radiator?

I noticed a fair amount of load on this bar when I removed it, but I didn't know if that was by design or due to incorrect geometry at the contact points. You can see in one of the images that when one side is unbolted, the gap between the fender and light bar is several inches.

[Brentwood Bob]

Your fender braces might be bent. the passenger side is closer to the radiator than the driver. Bob

[Kevin in NJ]

You should have a curved bar. Some early 30 cars had a bar that was a U shape instead of the curved round bar. They had the license plate holes built in the front.

You may find my hints on fenders helpful.

Fender hints

[CarlG]

A 29 headlight bar on a 30 car will set the headlights about 2 inches higher than they would be using the correct 30 headlight bar.

My 31 pickup (in my avitar) had the "wrong" headlight bar on it when I bought it. I replaced it with a correct one when I had it off to pull the engine last year. INMHO, it looks much better with the headlights down where they belong.

[hardtimes]

Hey Car Pit,
I've got several , i.e.- '29/ '30 light bars. I can take picture for you, if that will help. Let me know.

[Purdy Swoft]

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Originally Posted by Car Pit

Hello all,
During the course of my restoration, someone informed me that I had a 1928-1929 headlight bar on my 1930 Tudor. I recently had the car painted and am reassembling. I'm trying to determine if I should continue with my existing bar or find someone to trade for correct fit.

I am not concerned about the aesthetics of an incorrect bar, but does the incorrect bar position the fenders in the correct location relative to the other supports and radiator?

I noticed a fair amount of load on this bar when I removed it, but I didn't know if that was by design or due to incorrect geometry at the contact points. You can see in one of the images that when one side is unbolted, the gap between the fender and light bar is several inches.

The bar pictured above is for 28-29 cars and early 30 trucks and station wagons. They can be bent and installed on 30-31 cars but the lights will be too high and look funny.

[peters180a/170b]

The correct headlight bar is cheap enough and plenty around . Do the correct move and sell the incorrect one and put the correct one on. OR get use to hearing it for as long as you own the car....you have the wrong head light bar on....

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by peters180a/170b

the correct headlight bar is cheap enough and plenty around . Do the correct move and sell the incorrect one and put the correct one on. Or get use to hearing it for as long as you own the car....you have the wrong head light bar on....

amen !

[connecticut mike]

I ran into the same issue. When I bought my '30 coupe it had what I was later told was an early '30's bar - inverted U-shaped center section. It had been repaired by brazing in at least two places and was held together with a hose clamp when I got the car. I later bought what I was told was a '30/31 bar with the round center section at a meet and had it painted along with the other pieces of my taken-apart car.

The "meet" bar didn't fit well. Like you experienced, there was strain on the fender braces from trying to make it fit. I purchased another 1930 bar and compared it to the "meet" bar. The "meet" bar is 5/8 inch shorter than the other, has a slightly different contour and bend, and the end flanges are at a different angle than the most recently purchased bar. Another difference is the size of the headlight mounting holes - 5/8 inch vs. 1/2 inch. I hope this information helps you.

Can any Barners confirm that my "meet" bar (the shorter one with 5/8 inch headlight holes) is a 1928/29?

Mike

[foxfire42]

I too have a light bar (that appears to have the same contour as a 30/31) until I compared it with a "real" 30/31. The 28/29's are normally distinctive enough to easily tell it from a 30/31 so, what is this light bar?

[Car Pit]

What is the proper length for a 1930 light bar?

[Car Pit]

Considering the comment that the fender braces are likely bent, I went online to see how much replacements might be. I read there that the braces I have are likely not for a 1930 model either, because they are forged, not stamped. Sure has me wondering how much more of my car is from an earlier vehicle.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Car Pit

Considering the comment that the fender braces are likely bent, I went online to see how much replacements might be. I read there that the braces I have are likely not for a 1930 model either, because they are forged, not stamped. Sure has me wondering how much more of my car is from an earlier vehicle.

If yours is anything like mine was when I bought it, just keep on wondering! I still keep finding things that "aren't quite right". I have come to the conclusion that over the past 80+ years that whatever would fit and work was what got used. Even with "restorations" from 20-30 years ago.

[Bob C]

Early 30's used the forged brackets so they may be correct for your car.

Bob

[darrylkmc]

Originally Posted by Car Pit

Considering the comment that the fender braces are likely bent, I went online to see how much replacements might be. I read there that the braces I have are likely not for a 1930 model either, because they are forged, not stamped. Sure has me wondering how much more of my car is from an earlier vehicle.

Car Pit,

Early 1930 Model A's could have either Pressed Steel or Forged Fender Braces. My Canadian Phaeton has Forged Braces. And are not the same as the '28-'29 Forged Braces.

Attached are some photos of the Early 1930 Forged Braces, I did not take these photos, they are courtesy of Ahoogakev.

Darryl in Fairbanks

[Kevin in NJ]

Replacements are likely to be bent too.

On my website I explain how to get the brackets set up properly.
I found that after making the brackets fit the light bar and fenders they were almost dead on the same as a pair of NOS brackets I bought later.

All you need is a good pair of eyes and some stuff to bend the brackets/ headlamp bar.

[oldmodelaguy]

I have the 1930 model a headlite bar with the headlites and they are in excellent shape lites work and have 6 volt bulbs I can send pics its off of my 1930 tudor sedan gary 614-378-1342

[Purdy Swoft]

The forged front fender braces used on early 30 model A's are not shaped like the 28-29 forged braces. The 28 forged braces will not fit the later fenders. I've seen a lot of 30 model A's with the early headlamp bar. I've often wondered if Ford may have used up early headlamp bars on later model A's if they ran out of the correct headlamp bars. I discussed this with a guy at a car show. The guy said that he knew that the headlamp bar was wrong but at the time it was the only one that he had. The guy said that he had to use a porta power to spread the ends of the headlamp bar to make it fit.. The early headlamp bar isn't a drop on fit with the later model A.

[mot]

the headlamp bar should fit without any force to pull it into place
in other words, you should be able to just set it in place and bolt it in
any force needed to fit it will cause problems down the road
before you paint the car,you MUST adjust the fender brackets to fit correctly
again no force need to bolt them to the brace and the headlamp bar must fit correctly
otherwise when you go to assemble it you will have paint damage and further down the road ,fender damage
do it correctly now or pay further down the road
as for the different length and curvature bars
they are from a 33-34(?) pickup,and wont fit the Model A correctly as they are about 5/8 shorter
heres a photo of the two side by side,the truck is the one on the left
tom

[Car Pit]

I repeated the experiment last night with the bar shown in the left photo of the original post. The gap between the passenger fender and the light bar is about 8" when both bolts are tightened on the driver's fender. I haven't tried bolting to the passenger side alone yet.

I also have less than an inch of clearance between the light bar and the radiator, so adding the grill guard is out of the question. It barely fit before painting took place, but it definitely doesn't fit now. But that's not nearly as concerning as paint and fender destruction.

Since my painting is complete, it looks like my options are to buy a new bar and hope it fits, or to modify the existing bar.

Thanks for the input.