VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Watch my tail?

I have seen several different types of tail light lens for '32's. :eek: :eek:

What are the correct tail light lens? Brand?, style?, and emblem?, Glass?, plastic?,?? :confused: :confused:

GATOR, The correct tail light lenses for the 32 cars is All Plastic with CHEVROLET BOWTIE SCRIPT. The filling Station sells them for 25 dollars each and they are really nice.

Thanks Don, do you know the brand name on the lens? :cool2:

Genuine Chevrolet. You would only find a brand name on some replacements. Later glass lenses might say "Guide" or "Stimsonite" starting (guessing at this point until I can check the parts book) in 1933.

GATOR, On the 32 lenses, The glass ones were aftermarket lenses. :) :) :) :)

Gator, I know that the Cowl lights lenses were made by Stimsonite. Other lenses might of been also! :p

Bruce, My TRICO sidemount mirrors are stamped trico. Do you need a pair for your car?????? :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow:

Stimsonite was a patented process for making a glass lens more reflective, not the name of the manufacturer.

"Stimsonite" appears on the 1932 Chevrolet glass cowl light lenses, and the original tail light lens was "celluloid", not plastic. :eek: :eek:

The thing I find with the celluloid lenses is that they get hot and fade out easily and get brittle and seem to warp also. :) :) :) :)

According to several internet sources, "Stimsonite" appears to be a company. See the following:

"Stimsonite Corporation.......Stimsonite is the leading manufacturer of raised reflective pavement markers used in highway delineation in the United States, and offers a broad line of reflective highway safety products for use in all areas of traffic control and roadway safety."

Here is their coporate name and information:

Stimsonite Corp
7542 N Natchez Ave
Niles, IL 60648
USA
Telephone: 847-647-7717
Other Telephone: 800-327-5917(Toll Free)
Fax: 847-647-7717
Email: marketingcommunications@stimsonite.com
Web Site: http://www.stimsonite.com

While other sources indicate that "Stimsonite" is also a brand name:

"manufactures industry-standard Stimsonite® brand raised reflective markers both for surface-mounted and snowplowable roadway applications."

A couple of things caused the celluloid tail lamp lenses to have an early demise. Owners frequently used a higher candle power bulb in place of what was original which increased the temperature. Another source of early failure occurred when the stop lamp become stuck in the on position for what ever reason.

I have seen Stimsonite in other places including some British (Butlers, English Ford) and Italian lenses where the Stimsonite part was attached to another manufactur's lens. Just like the '31 Chevrolet cowl light lenses they appear to all have a similar pyramid shape molded into the innner side. The information that is was patented is from a book on depression and other collectable glassware.

In the parts department I have so far found: Glass lens with white bow tie and on one end of the outside surface it says CHEV-LITE and STIMSONITE. Around the edge of the inside surface it has patent numbers, GUIDE No. 919037, and the number 1711. The other lens has CHEVROLET in white letters, the lens and gasket are riveted to the rim, on the outer side it has CHEV-RAY and STIMSONITE, it is the shorter of the two but has the same oval shape. I'm not sure but think the first one is 1933, the other 1934.

Next, a round 3'' dia. glass tail light lens - STIMSONITE - no other markings, it's on a 1931`Olds but the owner says it is not the correct light. And a 1" dia. reflector inserted in the rear deck emblem of a 1950 Morris Oxford.

Sounds like maybe the glass is better to use for day to day. :eek: :eek:

Save the original for ?.

I have seen repos with and w/o the word 'Chevrolet' and some with a 'bubble' area on the bottom and some flat.

Which replacement lens looks the most like the original? :confused: :confused:

I have some that are in a box from this time period, but they are glass repalcement lens. :(

The correct celluloid tail light lens for 1931-32 has the "bubble" on top of the lens.

See, I don't know my bottom from my top. :cool2:

The glass replacements must have come out real fast in 1932 or 1933 for the '32 cars. :eek: Maybe the celluloid ones had problems fairly quick. :confused:

Replacement lenses will look sort of genuine if you have the correct rim with the bow tie shape in the middle. I have some repacement rims with the straight bar that is like the ones you see on replacement (J.C. Whitney, etc.) hubcaps.
I found a reference to Stimsonite in a 1960 issue of Floyd Clymer's Automobile Topics. It says that GM will renew license agreements with other manufacturers for the use of Stimsonite products. But it does not say that GM held the patents, does not identify the other companies, and does not mention a Stimsonite Corporation.

Is the bowtie shape on the lens also? :confused: I thought it was only on the metal bracket that held the lens on.

In the middle of the bowtie is there suspose to be the word 'Chevrolet' written in white letters? :confused:

Gator, look at d2d2's profile, you will see the right lens and door for 31 and 32!

The lens is celluloid like every one has said and the bow tie is blue with Chevrolet in the bow tie. The Door also has the bow tie stamped in it!

The Filling station has the right lens that you need. I was just looking at them a month ago. They have retooled them and the letters are much better then they have ever been, they almost look like originals now. My Dad has had them in his roadster for years (25) and never had a problem. <img border="0" alt="[santa]" title="" src="graemlins/santa.bmp" /> <img border="0" alt="" title="" src="graemlins/rudolph.bmp" />

Once I thought I was wrong but I was mistaken. I wonder which came first, the invention and patent, or the corporation, and who owned what. Today I have looked through boxes of parts, mostly lenses, but other thing like a window crank from a '54 Opel. I brought it from a junkyard to see if it fits a '31 Chevrolet. It does. From the rear bumper of a Volvo 544, two red plastic reflectors, 3 1/2" dia. with aluminum rim, says A ' G ' A and STIMSONITE. And a plastic red lens marked DESAH on top and a 1" Stimsonite reflector at the bottom, 7 1/2 x 2 3/4 rounded at one end and arched at the other. And a red glass lens 3 1'4" marked Yankee 256 Reflex and similar pyramid pattern as Stimsonite, both unidentfied.

Thanks 32confederate, the photo of d2d2 tail light helps a lot.

Here is a photo from the Fillingstation.