MTFCA Forum

Could anyone tell me what year thhttps://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/download/file.php? ... w&id=52637ese headlights were used? Thanks in advance!

These will fit a 17-25 T. The light bulb sockets are missing but the vendors have replacements along with lenses, reflectors and etc. These don’t appear to have the small hole next to the socket hole for the socket adjustment screw. Not sure about that. Maybe the 16-18 were a little different? Others might know for sure.

I think these may be for the 2 bulb setup.

those lamp buckets are not common. Not truly rare either. The prevailing opinion for when they belong seems to change every decade or so in the fifty years I have been in this hobby. For some years about forty to fifty years ago, it was believed they were the one TRUE 1915 headlamp! However, hundreds of original era photographs show no sign of such lamps on any brass radiator car. Besides, too many of them survive to have been used on such a limited production time. For awhile "everyone" decided they were 1917. Same problem, too many lamps and not enough photos. Several other "trial balloons" were floated about.
More recently, a few of our better researchers have decided that these were used on the early starter/generator cars, beginning in very late calendar 1918 ('19 models) on coupes and sedans only. Followed for awhile on runabouts and touring cars. They were not used that way for very long, maybe a year. There are some era photographs that show them on sedans and coupes where the electric package became standard, and to a much lesser extent, the open cars where the electric package was only optional. The open cars without the electrical package continued to have the early style ignition switch on the coil box with a dimmer coil run off the combination horn/light switch on the steering column. Later in 1919 or early 1920, Ford reworked the electrical system a bit, all cars and trucks got the electrical package style ignition/light switch, and the coil boxes got their more familiar (to most non-brass hobbyists) smoother appearance. About the same time, the headlamp bucket went back to its earlier style with the bulb socket centered on the back.
Still seems to me to be a lot of those around? Maybe Ford foisted those off onto their dealers as replacements? A lot of the survivors do appear to be nearly new-old-stock?

Wayne, thanks for the response. These are like new so I would agree with you that they were replacements. I have had them for years and would like to give them to someone that could use them. Just taking up space in my parts shed. Thanks again.

There must be something about those early type lamps in the black era. Lang’s catalog shows Martin Vowells drawings for head light information starting in 1919 thru 25. Lang’s doesn’t show any of his drawings for 16-18. He always tries to be correct so maybe as you say there is no definitive proof yet. Or maybe? There isn’t any pics of the black era headlights in the Encycleopedia either other than 26-27. Or maybe I missed them. There are some different part no’s. for the early black headlights but still not real clear to me. But I not the smartest guy either.

These are double bulb buckets. I don't know the year either. But have parts for them. The center bulb socket suggests that the wiring of the headlight bulbs would be in series (I haven't checked that out). Anyway here are some pictures of the sockets