C500 Headlights

[Carl1]

What are the correct headlights? Thanks, Carl

[hemigeno]

They should be General Electric brand with the wide diffuser spacing (about 3/16ths vs about 1/16th for the later style).  I have a couple pictures somewhere of the correct style that I can post on Monday if no one else posts any before then.  A lot of the NOS bulbs that were sold over the counter back then were TungSol brand, but those are definitely not the right bulbs.

Hope this helps,

Geno

[nascarxx29]

I know the ones on my old daytona were GEs.With the numbers 1 and 2 on them I recall

[BigBlockSam]

They should be General Electric brand with the wide diffuser spacing (about 3/16ths vs about 1/16th for the later style).   

how do you know that . simply amazing.

[hemigeno]

  They should be General Electric brand with the wide diffuser spacing (about 3/16ths vs about 1/16th for the later style).   

how do you know that . simply amazing.

The only way I found out was asking questions just like Carl did - someone had to tell/show me also   

[BigBlockSam]

asking questions just like Carl did - someone had to tell/show me also   

 

i ask questions and try to learn . i just don't retain info like i use to. thats why i write everything down now. my brain is a little burn't 

[69_500]

Ah come on now Gene, fess up. The only reason you know what headlights they are supposed to have is because you drove all the way to Carlisle to search the swap meet 2 years ago for 1. 

Okay so maybe I'm the only one who found that funny. I drove all of the way there that year to buy a carb, that I already had at home on my shelf. Wasn't a good year for part buying.

[hemigeno]

Ah come on now Gene, fess up. The only reason you know what headlights they are supposed to have is because you drove all the way to Carlisle to search the swap meet 2 years ago for 1. 

Okay so maybe I'm the only one who found that funny. I drove all of the way there that year to buy a carb, that I already had at home on my shelf. Wasn't a good year for part buying.

Danny, thanks for reminding me about that...         I'll say it wasn't a good year for parts buying.  That single bulb was all I bought all weekend long - and it cost about 1% of what I spent to get/stay out there.  It was a good trip, if for no other reason than I got to meet a bunch of DC.com guys.

I found out a lot about bulbs, etc. from talking with Frank Badalson.  The guy is (very literally) certified as an expert in bulbs - except the experts don't call them bulbs, they're lamps...     Anyway, both Frank and David Patik pointed out the difference in the diffuser spacings on the early vs. late GE bulbs ---  err, lamps.

Here are some pictures showing the difference.  The first is a later-style Low Beam I swiped from an eBay auction, so it's a little smaller scale than I would like, but you get the hint.  The last two are from my Daytona parts stash - the middle pic is a Low Beam and the last pic is a High Beam.  The correct Low Beams have the "2" at the top that Dave was referring to, and the High Beams had the "1".  I tried to highlight the diffuser spacing so everyone could see what I was referring to.  Frank had told me once before when GE quit making the wide diffuser lamps, I just flat don't remember when it was - but I think it was in the early/mid 70s.

[Carl1]

Thanks for the great info Gene. Anyone have some to sell? Thanks again, Carl

[hemigeno]

Try checking with Hank Filipiak, "h1965" on eBay.  I think he might have a few of the wide diffuser ones left, but they were getting very scarce last time I checked with him. 

Believe it or not, I have 3 of the original lamps/bulbs from my Daytona, but I am not sure how many are still working (never took them out or checked them).  That used headlamp I got at Carlisle 2 years ago was PERFECT for the one I was missing -- down to the core/casting number at the top and the date code stamp on the back.  I found it in a B-body headlamp bucket, and I looked at hundreds of bulbs that weekend.

If you can't find new ones and want to install old/used headlamps, try asking any guys who live around you and deal in a lot of sheet metal.  One guy I talked with at Carlisle last year said he had piles of old bulbs he had removed from fenders before selling them.  They might let you go through their piles to find some good useable ones, but don't expect them to burn very brightly.  Not a real good solution for night driving...

[nascarxx29]

Im not sure if I still have a batch of GE headlights.In those blue and yellow boxes.I bought them back sometime for my old daytona

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Ah come on now Gene, fess up. The only reason you know what headlights they are supposed to have is because you drove all the way to Carlisle to search the swap meet 2 years ago for 1. 

Okay so maybe I'm the only one who found that funny. I drove all of the way there that year to buy a carb, that I already had at home on my shelf. Wasn't a good year for part buying.

Nope I found that funny as well.   Walked up to my car on Sunday to find this guy sitting in front of it clutching this dirty headlight like it was the holy grail or something

[hemigeno]

Ah come on now Gene, fess up. The only reason you know what headlights they are supposed to have is because you drove all the way to Carlisle to search the swap meet 2 years ago for 1. 

Okay so maybe I'm the only one who found that funny. I drove all of the way there that year to buy a carb, that I already had at home on my shelf. Wasn't a good year for part buying.

Nope I found that funny as well.   Walked up to my car on Sunday to find this guy sitting in front of it clutching this dirty headlight like it was the holy grail or something

                               Et tu Brute??



 


For what that headlamp cost me, it WAS the Holy Grail.  Ok, so I'm easily amused as well... 

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Oh yes, that image has been permanently burned in

[Carl1]

Thanks Gene, Hank had two low beams. Anyone have a couple high beams?

[69_500]

I'll ask a buddy of mine who has quite the collection of NOS parts, and odds and ends to see if he has any headlights.

Gene I just don't understand why you didn't just drive the D500 over that weekend. I mean might as well have made it worth the trip.

[hemigeno]

I'll ask a buddy of mine who has quite the collection of NOS parts, and odds and ends to see if he has any headlights.

Maybe I should send my remaining parts shopping list over to you, Danny!

Gene I just don't understand why you didn't just drive the D500 over that weekend. I mean might as well have made it worth the trip.

Yeah, like I needed a truck with a 19,500lb. GVWR, getting 7.5mpg (on it's best day), and with the turning radius of a battleship to haul a single headlamp bulb.  That's really practical - but it sounds just like something I'd do...   

[69_500]

Well I hear that some of those headlights are pretty heavy. 

What all else are still looking for on the Daytona? I don't think he has too many Daytona specific parts, but he does have a lot of stuff. Never know. I know he has quite a few NOS pieces though, and many other parts he picked up over the last 30 years at swap meets.

[hemigeno]

I'll send you a PM. 

[Carl1]

Hi Guys, I'm still looking for a set of highbeams lamps, can anyone help?
Thanks, Carl   cb1413@telus.net  604 590 1413

[Ghoste]

but don't expect them to burn very brightly.  Not a real good solution for night driving...

For anyone going to that much trouble to score a correct "lamp", I doubt that night vision for driving is high on the list. (that isn't a flame btw)

[69_500]

I would suggest to continue to look at swap meets. I think that Gene scored yet another headlight at Carlisle this year. However this year it wasn't the only thing he bought.

[maxwellwedge]

Deleted - Hit the button twice. 

[maxwellwedge]

GE were used most of the time but I have some low-mile cars with the odd Westinghouse (maybe one or two mixed in on 4-lamp systems) and even a Tung-Sol. I even had some 'Cuda's with Westinghouse Fog lamps. All had perfect dates for the various vehicles.

Don't forget - After the vendor fiasco's of the 1950's that put Chrysler in a sea of hot water they changed their vendor philosophy to 2 vendor's minumum - 3 ideal - One main and the other(s) as back-up.

Look at radiators. The number next to the part number is a vendor number assigned by Chrysler. If you look at a bunch of 054's you will see different vendor numbers as well as slightly different fonts, pentastars etc. People who have seen radiators with a soldered on plate with the part number instead of stamped right into the tank think these have been screwed with. In fact - they are just another vendor and that vendor's way of numbering that rad. Most Chrysler parts had date codes on them as well. Most feel this was for identifying a bad bunch for Warranty - Recall reasons.

Hey - if you want to avoid the controversy and the little whispers at a show use all GE - that's cool.

If you like a little controversy throw a Westinghouse in there! 

Just my

Jim

aka - The Daytona Bastard  .... An old handle someone from this site bestowed om me once :^)

[69_500]

GE were used most of the time but I have some low-mile cars with the odd Westinghouse (maybe one or two mixed in on 4-lamp systems) and even a Tung-Sol. I even had some 'Cuda's with Westinghouse Fog lamps. All had perfect dates for the various vehicles.

Don't forget - After the vendor fiasco's of the 1950's that put Chrysler in a sea of hot water they changed their vendor philosophy to 2 vendor's minumum - 3 ideal - One main and the other(s) as back-up.

Look at radiators. The number next to the part number is a vendor number assigned by Chrysler. If you look at a bunch of 054's you will see different vendor numbers as well as slightly different fonts, pentastars etc. People who have seen radiators with a soldered on plate with the part number instead of stamped right into the tank think these have been screwed with. In fact - they are just another vendor and that vendor's way of numbering that rad. Most Chrysler parts had date codes on them as well. Most feel this was for identifying a bad bunch for Warranty - Recall reasons.

Hey - if you want to avoid the controversy and the little whispers at a show use all GE - that's cool.

If you like a little controversy throw a Westinghouse in there! 

Just my

Jim

aka - The Daytona Bastard  .... An old handle someone from this site bestowed om me once :^)

I'll see what I can dig up as far as pictures of "survivor" cars but I don't think that all of the one's I've looked at have GE's. Most do, but not all. I could be wrong but I think that Phil (from the survivors tent) has headlights that aren't GE in his Cuda. But having only looked at it once I couldn't swear to it, and since its not a 500 or a daytona I didn't bother taking a picture of such details.

Speaking of the headlight situation, didn't you put all 4 GE's in the car when it was shown this year carl?

[pettybird]

OK so should MOST of the Mopar lineup wear GE's?  did chrysler buy the headlights for creative for the daytonas?  superbirds that I've seen have Westinghouse bulbs (the petty car has 3 out of 4, as does Steve Kay's, and a number of other cars I've seen.  who do you suppose bought them?

[maxwellwedge]

Hey Pettybird.
I was just saying GE is the big majority of what me and others have seen, then Westinghouse and the odd Tung-Sol. If the Petty car has 3 of 4 Westinghouse with good dates then I think that is cool. Excellent question on if Ma Mopar sent Creative lamps. They had to come from somewhere. Hmmm - I should check my Bird. Both of my 'Tona's have all GE.
Jim

After thinking for a  minute or 10 ....Didn't the cars ship with headlights in them? I can see some in the pics. The Daytona's anyway.

[pettybird]

they did...wonder if Creative repurposed them?

'birds didn't as they were shipped incomplete to Clairpointe.  Creative supplied the noses whole for them. 

if you could check the bulbs that would be cool.

[maxwellwedge]

I think Creative did re-use the lamps judging by other stuff they did on these cars. For instance - On the Daytona, every fender j-nut (u-nut?) is a different color - white, orange, green, red etc. They yanked the ones off the '69 Charger fenders, threw them in a box and then re-used them on the modded '70 fenders! I have checked with Roger Gibson on what he has seen on original cars and he has seen the different colored j-nuts as well. Take a look up in the wheel well to where the fender bolts protrude along the top if you car is original.

Heck, if they went to the trouble of saving them off the old fenders, they must have cherished the headlamps!

[69_500]

So far I can't find any pictures of a westinghouse headlight. I know I have seen them in multiple cars, but for some reason can't find the pictures today. The Daytona's were shipped with headlights from the factory to Creative, and I'd venture to guess they just pulled them out put them in a huge pile, then used them again. Chances are you could have an original set with multiple date codes on them. Depending on how big/large the pile of lights would be at a given time.