MTFCA Forum

How many companies made a "drum" tail light similar to the light Ford sold in 1926-27?

I have read on the Forum that the 28-29 Model A truck drum light is nearly identical to the 26-27 Ford and Duolight tail lights. Are the parts sold by Brattons and others interchangeable with the Ford and Duolight tail lights.

I have one that is marked "Aprovelite Standard" that looks similar from a distance. Are there others?

I have a Duolight that has its own license plate bracket but no fender mounting bracket. Will this and others mount to the T fender mounting bracket?

Thanks for your help.

Dodge brothers used the same light just stamped db. One other brand as well I have seen but it slips my mind.

James

Many aftermarket mfg. of those drum style lamps made specific for the Ford. By putting the 'updated look' on the T, made your stand out from the crowd.

Some rather nice ones came on the Mercury and other speedsters. Some were rather plain, some had nickel rims or double rims, front and back. Would be hard pressed to name all the makers. Most made for the Ford came with a Model T style post to fit into the stock fender bracket, for direct drop in fit.

The drum lamps were most popular on all makes of cars starting around 1919 and into the thirties. Would guess the high point, 1920-1928.

Miss read the question! Thought drum headlamps.


For the rear tail lamp, the Ford accessory Stop/Tail, that was made by the same company that provided the Dodge Bros. lamp too.

So all the parts of the DB Lamp fit the Ford accessory.

None of the parts of the early Model A Duolamp fit the Ford T accessory, not even the license plate bracket.

The Ford '26-'27 is very much its own....only the DB is interchangeable , except the drum housing has D-B embossed instead of Ford script.

Hupmobile used the same light . All were made by hall manufacturing

Going from memory, I believe Hall Mfg made the drum taillights . Some have Ford, some DB and others with nothing on top. An older T fellow showed me at the centennial in richmond how he took plain lights, and made a clay mold of the ford script. He carefully put JB weld in the clay, applied it to the plain can, and Voile ! After careful painting you could not tell the difference. You can also hammer flat the raised DB logo, and do the same thing. This will get you a ford tailight at half price or less.

Would there be anyone making the inside reflector for the brake light..???

I don't have the proof in front of me but I do remember reading that Hall Manufacturing company made the combination tail stop light for Ford with their logo and also did the same for Dodge Brothers with the DB logo. other manufacturers use the Hall Manufacturing combination stop tail light with no logo at all.

Robert

Don't know of any parts being made today for the Hall mfg. Ford/D-B/or other.

The only pieces are the cork gasket set.

Years ago you could get both reproduction glass lens, but no more.

So you have to cannibalize an old Hall type for guts. Finding the red lens and the clear curved license glass lens is the hardest now.

Here is the red lens i.d. to help in swap meet search.

As for the 3 piece gasket set, the clear lens part is easy, just place inside the drum and lay the lens over and secure with the tiny L shape metal clips and round head stainless little screw.

That red lens so rare. So when I rebuild these, use the original method, that is to sandwich the red lens and stop stencil between the pair of new gaskets in the set. The sandwich of gaskets, lens and stencil placed in the rim, then the sandwich was locked with soft hollow rivets. Riveted outer rim to inner stencil. BTY, original stencils were painted white, seems odd but works best.

Have found approp. size alum Pop Rivets to work, run a larger twist drill into the hollow rivet after removing the nail. That enlarges the i.d. to allow a round head stainless screw to pass to mount to the drum. But also thins the wall of the Pop Rivet so you carefully fold over the end to lock the assembly together. The red lens, stencil , gaskets, and rim are all one now. So when changing a bulb, you don't drop anything out behind the rim!

Have gotten calls from those looking for a replacement red lens as theirs fell out onto the concrete when changing a bulb

Hall Manufacturing Company was the manufacturer of the light and they did make them for Ford, Dodge, Huppmobile, and possibly, others. The Huppmobile red lens that I have seen, had the letters HUPP etched into the larger, upper part of the lens. I stand corrected by the post below this one and have corrected my info on the HUPP lens. Because Huppmobiles were lower in production, fewer were made and I have never seen a complete light; only the red lens. Because the Ford light was an extra cost option that the majority of Ford owners evidentially thought was a frivolous option; only more than Huppmobile, but less than Dodge were sold. By far, more Dodge lights were produced and are most common, today, because unlike Ford, they were standard, rather than optional equipment, for at least 3 or 4 years. From my research, Dodge apparently used them as standard equipment from 1925 though 1928. There may have been even more years, and they were used on Dodge cars and light trucks. FYI, the Dodge light used at least TWO different license plate brackets and both were different from the Ford bracket, once again, making the Ford bracket, scarcer than either of the two Dodge brackets.

Thanks Terry.

Didn't know about Hupp!

The "HUPP" on the Hupmobile light was etched on the surface of the lens.

My dad had a 1927 Hupmobile Model A (six cylinder) sedan (first photo) so I am very familiar with the tail light.

I have seen a few of the Hupp lights at swap meets in various condition and they occasionally show up on eBay. They command good money if they are in excellent shape.

Second photo is from the web.

The body of the Hupp lamp does not have a company logo like the Dodge or Ford lamps do.

Eric J. , Thanks for correcting me on the HUPP lens. I have corrected my post.

There were also similar accessory drum lights available in catalogs like Western Auto. This accessory lamp is very similar to the Hall/Ford tail light, but it has a blue stop lens. The trim ring is also not quite as detailed as the Ford drum light.

Thanks very much Dan

I've seen plain Hall lamps too, with no inscription.

Thanks for all of the responses. Lots of good information and good pictures.
Dennis