Steerable Headlight

Discuss all things Model T related.
Forum rules
If you need help logging in, or have question about how something works, use the Support forum located here Support Forum
Complete set of Forum Rules Forum Rules

Topic author
Dan Hatch
Posts: 4110
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:31 pm
First Name: Dan
Last Name: Hatch
Location: Alabama
MTFCA Number: 49974

Steerable Headlight

Post by Dan Hatch » Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:28 am

Saw this on AACA web site, thought it interesting. Anyone ever seen one of these? Dan
https://forums.aaca.org/topic/338922-st ... -roadster/

User avatar

perry kete
Posts: 1563
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:46 am
First Name: Dennis
Last Name: Seth
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1922 Coupe 1927 Touring
Location: Jefferson Ohio

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by perry kete » Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:44 am

The only car I remember with a steerable headlight was the "Tucker" the center light would turn with the wheels.
1922 Coupe & 1927 Touring

User avatar

Mark Nunn
Posts: 1105
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:01 am
First Name: Mark
Last Name: Nunn
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Runabout
Location: Bennington, NE
MTFCA Number: 50321
Board Member Since: 2017

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by Mark Nunn » Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:50 am

perry kete wrote:
Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:44 am
The only car I remember with a steerable headlight was the "Tucker" the center light would turn with the wheels.
Pilot Ray headlights were used on many early high-end cars.


Herb Iffrig
Posts: 1513
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:47 am
First Name: Herb
Last Name: Iffrig
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1911 Torpedo, 1918 TT Hucksters
Location: St. Peters, MO

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by Herb Iffrig » Wed Apr 14, 2021 8:09 am

I seem to recall an article in one of the MTFCA or MTFCI club magazines years ago that had an article on steerable headlights. It would take a lot of digging for me to find it.

User avatar

DanTreace
Posts: 3299
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:56 am
First Name: Dan
Last Name: Treace
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: '23 cutoff, '25 touring, '27 touring
Location: North Central FL
MTFCA Number: 4838
MTFCI Number: 115
Board Member Since: 2000
Contact:

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by DanTreace » Wed Apr 14, 2021 8:48 am

The Model T was the boon of specialized accessories, and self-turning headlamps were among them!

Here are two types, one turns both lamps, the other just a single lamp to assist on dark night turns. These are 1920-21 developments.

Imagine the second one, you are approaching a T with this moving one eye-ball headlamp, and it turns, you wouldn't know which way that vehicle was coming at you. :lol:


Auto turn.jpg
auto turn close.jpg


Howes.jpg
Howes single turn .jpg
The best way is always the simplest. The attics of the world are cluttered up with complicated failures. Henry Ford
Don’t find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain. Henry Ford

User avatar

TWrenn
Posts: 3389
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:53 am
First Name: Tim
Last Name: Wrenn
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: '13 Touring, '26 "Overlap" Fordor
Location: Ohio
MTFCA Number: 30701
MTFCI Number: 24033
Board Member Since: 2019

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by TWrenn » Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:29 am

Was at a professional restorers place not long ago, he showed us a 30's (I think) Cadillac that had them. It was gorgeous, for sale for over $500K. Yes, thousand!!
Also two other cars in the same building had them. I think one was a Lincoln, in the 1920s. So these are nothing new. Been around longer than most people, including myself, know.
They are really cool. Today's engineers don't have anything on those "back in the day".


Dallas Landers
Posts: 2786
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:26 pm
First Name: Dallas
Last Name: Landers
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 26 Rpu, 23 TT, 24 coupe,
Location: N.E. Indiana
MTFCA Number: 49995

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by Dallas Landers » Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:57 am

20201219_170739.jpg
All I have are these! I know, not quite the same. 😳The grandkids love them.


rays22t
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:37 pm
First Name: Ray
Last Name: Maciej
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 touring, 1925 roadster
Location: Royalton, MN.
MTFCA Number: 28154

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by rays22t » Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:07 am

Would be nice for spotting deer - off season of course! Ray


Erik Johnson
Posts: 850
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:25 pm
First Name: Erik
Last Name: Johnson
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by Erik Johnson » Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:57 am

The 1915 Ford with the steerable headlights in the original post as well as on the PreWarCar website belonged to Roger "Bill" Dickinson here in Minnesota.

The first time I saw the car was about 45 years ago when I was a kid. The last time I saw it was two years ago at Bill's estate auction. It is my understanding that a lot of the auction items, especially motorcycles, went to foreign buyers.

If you want to see more and better photos of the car, click on this link:

https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/lot-item/66z/


Dropacent
Posts: 3384
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:39 am
First Name: Tim
Last Name: Morsher
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1925TT, 1926 Martin-Parry bodied wagon, 1927 mercury bodied speedster
Location: Norwalk Ohio

Re: Steerable Headlight

Post by Dropacent » Thu Apr 15, 2021 12:36 pm

The Tucker was mentioned above. It may have been the original intention, but none of the 50 or so production cars had them made that way. I think I read where a later restoration made one move. Fuzzy though on this.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic