This is a tail light that came with my Dad's '24 roadster. The car does have cowl lights .. as well as an apparently add-on starter, lights and generator.
Does this look like it might be the correct tail light/lantern for a '24? It's about 9 1/4" tall, and a 3 1/2" visible red glass lens, and a side clear lens for the license plate:
Embossed on the inside of the red lens is "Jefferson 9H"
(Patent ??) dates stamped on the bottom of the oil reservoir:
Wick feed and everything appears to be very solid and workable:
I may look for a 2nd one and mount one on each side like some of the ones in the pickup / turtle deck posting thread started a few days ago.
Thanks,
Dennis
Not sure when the change was or which came first. Some were like the one you have. Others had a small red lense with a large clear lense facing the license plate. Either way, there was only one originally on the vehicle. It would have been mounted on the left side. I burn mine regularly using "Ultra Pure Lamp Oil". It burns much cleaner than kerosene and doesn't blow out as easily. Smells better burning too.
Its correct
Incorrect for a model year 1924 T.
The late '23-'27 tail lamp has large clear lens facing the license plate, and the tiny red lens facing the rear traffic.
Seems illogical, but police laws to see the license plate in certain states required Ford to change the tail lamp design for these last years of the T.
Photo of correct kerosene tail lamp for the non-stater T, late '23-'27.
Correct electric tail lamp for '24-'25 mounted on spare carrier.
Intersting on the larger lamp facing the license plate. The lamps like might would have worked by replacing the lenses .. if mounted on the right side of the plate. I have what appears to be the correct electric single lamp now, but will need to re-do the mount for the pickup bed.
Is my wick assembly missing a brass or nickle plated round thumb-shaped piece, around the wick support? I've not seen any like mine .. but several with the cover.
Dennis the large clear light w/small red lense is a Ford O lite, I might have one left I'll look, yes you are missing the round wick handle on the burner
One the other pickup threads, I saw a couple new beds that had these type lamps installed on the outside of the bed body, and I was thinking of doing that as well. I guess, if I did, I wouldn't need the inside/side light on either of them. I would probably be better off using smaller cowl lights. I was leaning towards electrifying them, and using as turn signals... and probably brake lights. I have an electric tail light now, with a clear lens. I may re-deploy that with a dual lamp. Can't have too many stop lights on these things! I'd like to have one that actually said "STOP!!!!""
Thinking things over, and reading the posts... I think this is one area that I really don't care if I'm 'kosher' or not on the lamps being proper for the date. I'd rather have good working stop and turn lights, that at least look somewhat period.
Might you have a pair of cowl lights .. that could accept red lenses? They may not have used such lenses in the cowl lights, in which case, I'd need to stick with lamps like mine. I have seen a few that don't have the side lights at all.
When I did my two tail lights I used a large red lens and a small white (Ford-O) and moved the mounting from the side to the back and to match them I took an standard tail light on the other side. Now you can have do it two ways,the licence plate (white) facing in or out.I changed both large lens to red (facing back) and the white to red and faced them out for clearance lights.
Bob
I have two of these on my Repro 20's camp trailer : they stay lite at 65 mph....amazing
!