1957 Parking Lights Advice
The parking lights on my 1957 are showing there age and I am trying to figure out the best way to restore them. The housings are painted black, although I see from a tech board search that it appears they should be cad plated. On the housing there are the two posts that are used to attach the lens. Out of the 4 posts, I have only one left. The posts were rivited into the housing and I have not seen any replacement parts for these posts. As for the sockets, the connections are sketchy and the wires are brittle... Is there a restorer out there to work their magic on my lights? Should I give up on them and settle for a reproduction? A combination of the two? Other ideas? I am heading for judging so I would like them to be as correct as possible. Thank you. Thank you.
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Susan,
Someone that judges 57's should step in here and give you the standard deduction for reproduction parking lamps. If there is no deduction and the repos are perfect, that is the way to go. CC has them listed for $249.00pr. They also list some parts available for the 53-57 parking lamps such as the Lamp Socket with wire. Page 110 for Corvette Central 53-62 catalog.
Repairing your lamps with chrome plating and or cad plating it will be expensive.
Choose your poison carefully!
JR -
Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Susan,I used the CC lamp sockets with wires or (Lelectric Limited), all good stuff, I just used the wires with bulb base socket with my housings. If you can find the early 50's Buick housings as they are basicly the same or very close match but the lamp sockets are single wired you would have to change the sockets.......
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Adam, Are these the Buick versions? I bought a pair of these advertised as "Corvette" a few years ago.
They're stamped F57-B58. Lens is dated 1957.
Rich
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
rich; they are most likely back-up light assemblies from early to mid-50's GM cars. i've gotten them off caddys, olds and chevys. they have but one wire in their harness as the ground was effected by the assembly being bolted to the metal body. they are supposed to be black when installed on the 53-57 vettes although the u shaped attaching bracket is cad plated. the 53 caddy pair are on one of my 57 vettes. i have a pair of CC repos on my 56. i found no problem with the repos. mikeComment
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Mike, would the Caddies be the reverse or parking lights?Comment
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Rich, yes thoes are Buick style , GMC truck or Olds , I did find that the GMC trucks from late 40's are cad plated with only one wire hook up & will work.... I would just mount yours & get some black out paint to hit some or all of the assy as like the factory did, if you can handle doing that to a nice clean finished housing,
I chickend-out on mine
as they were cad plated & bright when i did them a few years ago. All of that pictured will pass all levels of judging, especially the trim rings, nice parts...........
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Thanks Adam, do you know the best way to address the missing posts on the housing or the replacement rubber that protects the wires going through the housing?Susan,I used the CC lamp sockets with wires or (Lelectric Limited), all good stuff, I just used the wires with bulb base socket with my housings. If you can find the early 50's Buick housings as they are basicly the same or very close match but the lamp sockets are single wired you would have to change the sockets.......Comment
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
thanks for the photos! Just what mine look like...Comment
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Thanks all. Given your input, I think I will replace the sockets and the wiring with new ones; drill out the rivits and replace them with a screw grinding off the head and epoxy the screw to the housing to recreate the posts; paint the housings; get new gaskets, Any idea on replacing the rubber nipple that is at the base of the housing to protect the wires??? Any better approaches? thanks!Comment
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Susan, I think the idea of replacing the studs by your method is a good idea. But maybe some silver solder using a propane torch would be better than epoxy for the studs.
If you're getting new wires, I think they come with new rubber grommets. From the Zip website: Part# E-613
Rich
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Re: 1957 Parking Lights Advice
Rich, thanks! of course welding would be better... Merry Susan Christmas. SusanComment
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