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EFV-8 Club Forum / 1940 Ford Discussion / 1940 Ford fog lights

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1940 Ford fog lights -- page: 1 2     dbredman 03-06-2012 @ 7:59 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 7 Joined: Jun 2010 Mike - need some info on 1940 Ford fog/driving lights.Did they only come 6" dia. or also 5" dia.? I know that Unity brand is correct and will be so marked on the housing, but should "Ford" also be on the housing somewhere? Also, is there a specific Unity model that would be correct ( F-1, F-2,ect. )? Would there be a raised portion on top of the light with the Unity name on it? Finally, are the brackets painted and what color, or would they be chrome plated? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bruce kubes40 03-07-2012 @ 6:22 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3366 Joined: Oct 2009 Bruce, hope the following helps: Supplied to Ford by the Unity Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois, these lamps were installed only at the dealer level. Lamps were available as a kit that included a pair of lamps, one switch, and wiring. A single lamp was also available as a service part. So, while the “normal” installation would include a pair of lamps, a customer could in theory request a dealer to install only one lamp. Lamp bodies and lens bezels were chrome plated brass. The only manufacturer’s identification found on the lamp body surrounded the base. “MADE FOR FORD MOTOR CO BY’ appeared in the body to the left of the base while “UNITY MFG. CO. CHICAGO U.S.A.” appeared to the right. A special two piece slotted brass screw closed the door within a groove in the lamp body. As a result it held the door securely to the lamp body. This screw also appears in the first picture of this section under the lens and head lamp door. The related hardware consisted of numerous pieces: • Cadmium plated brackets held the lamps to the front bumper arms. In fact, all hardware was cadmium plated. • Cast into the bracket that was secured directly to the lamp base (integral of the lamp body) was “9002-S”. • Cast into the lower bumper arm clamp was “9003”. • Threaded into both the lower clamp, as well as into the lamp base, was a square head bolt. It “locked” the long bolt in place thus maintaining proper positioning of the lamp. Domestically, lenses were available in two different shades — clear and amber. A third lens, that had a clear center section sandwiched between amber upper and lower sections, was intended for export usage. Lenses were prismatic glass with five horizontal rows. Cast upon the very top center of the lens was “TOP”. Cast upon the bottom center of the lens was “9165”. Directly below that were cast “UNITY MFG. CO.”, “CHICAGO”, and finally “U.S.A.” A 32 candle power single filament bulb was secured to each silver plated reflector. A gun blued metal cover snapped over each bulb. A hole in the lamp body, internal reinforcement plate, and lamp base were fitted with a rubber grommet. Through it a cloth covered wire, either green or black, was routed. The switch appeared to be little more than a proper dash lamp rheostat with the addition of an integral fuse. The switch was secured to the lower lip of the instrument panel to the left of the steering column with a pair of 355073 S screws and 34902 S lock washers. Similar to the dash lamp rheostat a small arrow was on the very end of the knob. The knob was usually tan in color but switches with maroon knobs have been found in original lamp kits. Since the lamps were installed at the dealer level the routing of the wires from the switch certainly would have varied. However, installation instructions included in the kits advised a 5/16" diameter hole to be drilled into each fender near the bumper arm. A rubber grommet placed within that hole protected the wire subsequently routed through it. In reality, it is most likely that the wire was routed instead through the bumper arm grommets to eliminate the labor required to drill the advised holes. Once the wire from the right lamp was within the engine compartment, it was advised to route it to the vicinity of the left lamp wire (also present within the engine compartment). There, a three-way connector would secure not only the lamp wires but also the power wire from the switch. The power wire was to be routed from the three way connector along the existing wire harness and into the passenger compartment through “any convenient opening”. The power wire was attached to the “F” terminal on the switch. Another power supply wire was attached to terminal “B”. It was advised that the opposite end of this wire be attached to the battery terminal of the headlamp switch. An additional wire was attached to the “T” terminal on the switch with the other end going to the tail lamp terminal of the head lamp switch. Installed correctly, it was not necessary to have the ignition on to operate the road lamp(s). A proper installation resulted in the road lamp(s) and tail lamp(s) being lit simultaneously. This message was edited by kubes40 on 3-10-12 @ 6:35 AM kubes40 03-07-2012 @ 6:22 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3366 Joined: Oct 2009 Another photo: kubes40 03-07-2012 @ 6:23 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3366 Joined: Oct 2009 One more photo: deuce_roadster 03-07-2012 @ 7:38 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 I LOVE reading this level of detail. This bodes very well for the new 40 book when it becomes available. Thanks for your attention to the little things Mike. kubes40 03-07-2012 @ 11:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3366 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks for the kind words. I am truly trying my best. I am confident I will make omissions and mistakes but am really striving to keep both at an absolute minimum. dbredman 03-07-2012 @ 7:51 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 7 Joined: Jun 2010 Mike, Thanks for the info about the fog lights. With that much info about fog lights, I can hardly wait to see the whole book.Now that I know what I'm looking for, my next qestion is, do you have any idea where I might find some? I have never seen any on E-bay or Fordbarn. Does anybody reproduce them? Again, Thanks - Bruce kubes40 03-08-2012 @ 6:12 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3366 Joined: Oct 2009 To my knowledge no one has ever reproduced them. They can be found now and then on eBay albeit rarely. The switches are even tougher to find. 39 Ken 03-09-2012 @ 4:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 380 Joined: Oct 2009 Kube, Good info as usual. I'm doing a set of Drakes repos on my '39. Is the wire routing for these the same as '40? How faithful were the Drakes to the originals? Also, when you do your restorations, do you drill the hole in the fender as per the instructions or do you route through the bumper grommets? Thanks, Ken alanwoodieman 03-09-2012 @ 6:08 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 864 Joined: Oct 2009 39Ken I have an instruction sheet for installing road lamps in a 39 Ford, this sheet is by appleton and show the parts supplied and the installation of this kit. send me you e-mail and I will send you a copy if you would like to have one. Alan alan48@charter.net

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