Lowlight conversion for series 2

[ianmack]

My '54 series 2 with bronze dash and cheesegrater grille needs new front wings. Having a lowlight grille I'm considering a conversion to a lowlight front end. I know new lowlight wings are available in fibreglass and I'm just working out what else I will need. Five inch headlamps were originally Lucas 'owl eye type' but can also be found as repro parts or motorcycle accessories.

There is a cover panel which protects the lamp rears from under-wing muck. Can these be bought? If not they should not be too hard to fabricate. What else do i need? Presumably fittings for securing and adjusting the headlamps but my parts books stop at 1952 and don't cover early cars.

Has anyone got a project lowlight with the front end apart who could post a photo or two of the grill and light fittings please?

Has anyone done this already and have I overlooked anything? Thanks

[panky]

I know the front part of the inner wings will need cutting to make room for the headlamp bowls but that's as far as my knowledge goes

[RobThomas]

Ian. I used to make the front 'cowls'. Not too hard to fabricate in ali. I may even have some steel ones left over. Do you have all the bits to mount the headlights? They will be hard to find.

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[ianmack]

Panky, thanks, and I'll keep the offcuts in case I ever want it back to standard look.

Rob, thanks for the photo. If you have any panels I'm interested. The grille panel is bare, if your car is still apart any chance of a photo of the fittings behind it? If I go for motorcycle five inch lamps I will probably have to fabricate supports.

[ianmack]

Rob, looking at your second photo I see yours has the early short bonnet. Mine has the later long type so I hope its not different at the front edge. Is that an Alta head? Ian

[RobThomas]

Ian. Front panel didn't change so you are OK. Yes, it is a '49 with an Alta.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[RobThomas]

One side of the chrome ring has a rubber insert that swivels on the pin stuck in the outer edge of the lamp hole in the front panel. The inboard side of the chrome has a similar swivel but on a bracket that can slide fore-aft along the track welded to the inboard edge of the front panel and is clamped by a 2BA nut+bolt (I think that was the size?). The up-down is adjusted by the long screw thread in an obvious way although the thread is 180 degrees out in those pics. It enters the bodywork through a small hole below the lamp aperture, from the front.

[colin addison]

I recently bought replacement headlights for my MM from a local accessory shop in Headcorn (Kent). They are 4.3/4 inch diameter as also used on Stags, Jags etc, anything with 4 headlights. Also they are made in UK!! Something like £25 quid each, with replaceable halogen bulbs which are more convenient than sealed beams.
Colin

[ianmack]

Rob, thanks for the photos. I havent got all the light fittings but if I dont use original lamps I will probably be fabricating them.

Colin, thanks, what make were the lamps you bought?

It looks like this is feasible without any insurmountable difficulties.

[smithskids]

You definately need the quartz headlamps. I had sealed beams in for about 15 years but with todays cars having much brighter headlamps you can't see so well in suburban lighting. I could see ok in the country on the sealed beams but not in suburbia. It's not much problem to make the quartz units fit.

[RobThomas]

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[IslipMinor]

Just had a thought about what the minimum centre height for a headlight has to be, and whether retro fitting 'low light' wings could cause a problem with an MOT (if used). The answer is that if the car is first registered on 1 Jan 1956 or later, then the minimum height of the headlight centre has to be 500mm, but if earlier than that, there is no minimum specified.

So 1954 is fine, but what is the centre height of a low light headlight?

[colin addison]

The headlights are marked Saturnus or Soturnus, strange lettering and they are UK produced, and they are of course 5.3/4 inch dia.
The centre height is 510mm on mine.
Colin

[ianmack]

Thanks for all the advice.

Rob, the inner slotted headlight brackets are missing from my lowlight grille panel. Are yours spot welded in place? Is the cover panel rear flange the same shape as the front one? Have you a template or dimensions for cutting the blank sheet?

Thanks, Ian

[RobThomas]

Yes, slotted brackets welded on with 3 spots.

The cover panel follows the shape of the 2 edges of the existing bodywork. If you don't have the Lowlight hole already cut into your inner wheelarch then I guess you could do whatever shape you want.

I don't have a template and I made new ones by using the car to get the right shape. Do you have the facilities to make some if I got the dimensions? Big hammer and a tree stump?

[ianmack]

Thanks Rob, I'd like to do it like an original lowlight as far as possible so the dimensions you use would be much appreciated. I'm not the worlds greatest sheet metal worker but I have a big hammer and my neighbour has a tree stump.