VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Early Guide Fog light

At a furniture/household goods auction today, and I bought a Guide Fog light which was sitting in a box of old motorcycle parts. The Chromed Brass Bucket is about same general shape/profile as a '32 headlight bucket, but only about 7" OD and 5" deep. Yellow lens says Guide Fog Lamp. Innards are similar to my '31 headlights, i.e. chrome rim, cork seal, silvered reflector, and a different type of hooded bulb in an unusual 2 wire socket. The unit also has a cast steel/iron standard adjustable mounting bracket, bolted to bottom of bucket, and having 2 cast hook type gizmos to fit and tighten over a bumper support brace I assume. I am thinking this is likely for a later model than '31/'32, although I may put on my '31 Coach anyway (only had one in auction unfortunately). Tried to post some pictures in member photo area, but got a "full" message? May try posting in member project area. Anyone familiar enough with these accessories to tell me what I have and what years/models it was for?

on the lens , does it say fog light OR passing light ?

WHAT SIZE IS CAST INTO THE LENS.........6 11/16 OR 7 7/8 or ??

mike

is the a Guide number in the bucket ?

Send me a picture. I have a UMS book that shows all the Guide lights offered in 1940.

Lens says "Guide Fog Lamp", and since overall trim ring OD is 7", I'm guessing lens is likely 6&11/16". The bucket tapers to a point at back (like a '32 headlight) rather than being fully rounded like some later ones. I see some '35/'36 Chevrolets which have what looks like this model on them. I also checked eBay this pm, and see a pair very similar on there for $150, but indicates they fit all GM cars, 30's-40's (Buick, Olds, Pontiac, etc). So I'm thinking a mid-thirties GM accessory suited to several models and years. As far as I know, an accessory fog light was not available in '31?

I dropped you an email with photos attached. Thanks for offer.

guide did have a fog light that they brought out in 1935 called the ** de luxe **, the lens should be 6 11/16 cast right into the lens. They came in yellow lens and clear . The pot is pointed , like a 33--35 headlight.

My 1940 gm parts book shows under section 9.774 fog lamp and parts ( guide lamp )
lens amber 5 11/16 od 1929--1936.....920299
lens amber 6 11/16 od 1937-1938 ....921415
lens clear 6 11/16 od 1937--1938....923069

guide also offered a 6 11/16 light called the de luxe it had a clear lens and on the inside of the lens was a green decal with guide in center of the lens.

I also see listed near bottom of page fog lamp and parts ( unity mfg co ) lens amber 6 3/16 listed as used 1937---1940

also listed in same section is PASSING LAMP AND PARTS
#985573 . this may be ??? the GUIDE SUPER RAY DRIVING PASSING LAMP WITH 7 7/8 LENS. It has a guide super ray emblem stamped out and painted attached on the inside of the light. The back of the pot is rounded.

mike

Chevgene, thanks for your help. Chevgene tells me based on the pictures I sent him the "Guide Fog Lamp" I have is for '37-'38, which he also tells me is the first year Chevrolet offered them as an accessory. Due to their method of attachment, I figure they could have been retroactively added to many earlier models using an accessory switch on the dash.

The same lamps was also offered as an accessory for other GM cars at that time.
The version Guide sold as a universal lamp used the same body but used a flat clamp to attach it to the bumper bracket.

I bought 3 of those lights just to get those particular and special mounting brackets.

The 1935 first issue of those lights called the du luxe in GUIDE ADVERTISING in magazines shows those lights and those brackets.

mike

I cleaned up the '37 Fog Lamp and bolted it to the front bumper bracket of my '31 Deluxe Coach today just to see what it looked like. The way the bumper support brackets are made, the fog lights can be placed anywhere from directly in front of the frame horns all the way to the outer edge of fender. Does anyone have fog lights installed as an accessory on their '31 and willing to post a photo. Down here in the maritimes we get as much fog as sun, so these types of lights would have been handy back in the dasy.?

IF it were min I would mount it about in line with the left frame rail. Check the candle power (number) of the bulb. You wil get the best light with a 32 CP bulb.

That's about where I put it for now, just slightly left of frame horn. I plan to take it to a monthly car guys meeting for "show and tell" and see if anyone has a matching one they want to part with. It is always enjoyable to find these old parts in places you would never expect, like a household goods auction.

There were two different mounting brackets. They each wrapped around the bumper brace and bolted together.

One bracket stood upright, there is one attached to a light on ebay auction now.

Other bracket , cast inside underneath is number 919558 and the light is mounted down very close sideways and also bolts hold it together

which one do you have.

I have 3 of those 6 11/16 lens lights ; 2 yellow lens, one clear lens .

mike

The bracket for mine is about 1.25" round at the mounting point for the 2 piece bumper clamp, has a 4"x1/2"? stud protruding from it, and curves upwards perhaps 80 degrees as it rises to the base of the bucket, where it flattens out and bolts to the bucket. Raises bucket perhaps 3-4" above bumper bar. Looks like it was designed so bracket could be in line with bucket, or offset left or right of bucket, or bucket forward or backward from bracket. The bolted connection on mine is pretty solid connection and does not want to move easily, so if I keep it I will try to free it up and see if it also has tilt adjustment like '31 Headlights (carriage bolt in a slot).

The GOOSE NECK STYLE as its called, mounting bracket would only raise the fog/driving light 3" from the top cutout of the bumper bracket to the 2 1/4" round mounting end that the light sits on.

The beauty of the goose neck style mounting bracket is that it brings the light down lower visually and the light is not just hanging out there like something just stuck on. You can easily position the one or a pair of lights to the left of right, forward over the bumper or rearward towards the grill.

the goose neck has the following number cast underneath
919558. If it doesn't have this number its not the goose neck style

mike

It is the gooseneck type, cast steel/iron, with no sign of a casting number, but it is painted black so number may be hidden. It measures about 4.25 inches high from top of mounting clamp to underside of bucket, and has about 3" offset which can be set left,right,front or rearwards. I freed up the bucket mounting point today and it is in perfect shape, has a 3/8" carriage bolt locked in place to bucket, a 1.5" dia mounting surface at top of gooseneck and a 1.125" dia x1/4" thick steel "balled surface" washer fitting in a 3/4" dia hole in cupped mounting surface, allowing for a great deal of adjustment of bucket. A very nice "ball joint" of sorts. Fits very nice on bumper, and for my '31, is a nice fit in the area of the front fender where it swoops up to top of fender, a few inches left of springhorn. looks like it belongs there!

all 4 of the gooseneck mounting arms I own have the number cast inside. *I used blackboard chalk and magnifying glass to read it.

mike

I will have a closer look sometime. On eBay today, I see several of the different types of mounting brackets you mention for these. There is posted presently a single unit very much like mine (type in Guide Fog Lamp), asking prive $60, except the bucket on it has all the particulars stamped into the top of the bucket, including lens diameter. No such stamping on mine, only at back tip where it says Guide, Made in USA. This may suggest mine is one of the earliest ones.