VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 restrictions for road travel 1931 single tail light

can i run 1931 with only 1 tail light and no signal lights on road and not be hassled. have pioneer plates

Depends on the laws in your state.

Contact some of the local car clubs VCCA, AACA and see if they have a copy of the state laws for antique cars in your state. I would want to see it instead of taking someone's "word" for it.

The National offices of both should have some information on this also.

Also the tag office or the DMV should be on line in your state to read and copy the laws (and maybe carry a set with you if you get stopped by a rookie cop).

I think I would go on line first to your state's DMV.

Hey Lee check with the ladies at the deputy registrars office(our DMV)in the bank in Princeton if they don't know they can find out any vehicle related laws.

thanks. i will do some checking lee

Usually, with an antique plate or pioneer plate you can run with only one tail light since that is how the car came originally. However, as was suggested earlier, check with your local DMV and they will give you the answer.

Maybe you might think about not driving at night in your old car anyway.......

You could put some bicycle type red LEDs on the back bumper.

I've driven my '31 with only one taillight in Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Oregon and Washington with no problems at all.

I added a pair of modern lights to the rear my '31 because I didn't feel the one Tail/ Brake Light was enough. I had a lot of tailgaters and a couple of close calls. I now have bright brake lights and directional signals, (no more trying to shift, steer, and signal with two hands).

As Bill said, Ten lights in the back doesn't keep the idiots away.

Dan.

Gee, I just had a thought about the drivers back in 1931. They thought they were driving one of the safest and best engineered vehicles ever designed and produced for the general public ...and they certainly were right...THEN...

Oh! Boy! How times and drivers have changed. I wonder if Mr. Earl even had a glimmer of a thought that one day these discussions would be taking place, and in the venue that we are using.....let alone that someone would be driving a 1931 Chevrolet in 2004!

I purchased a '27 LaSalle in Pittsburgh, PA a few years back. It was registered with a sticker on the windshield to be driven from sun up to sun down. To drive around the clock it had to be modernized. I could drive it in Ohio as it was manufactured.
See you down the BACK ROADS.

Did the '31 have as an accessory the 2nd tail light like the '32?

I like the idea of a "light bar" that you can put on or take off as needed, if storage isn't a problem.

PS, Is there any way we can make the original light brighter? Besides keeping the lens clean and good bulbs and wires? Can we use some of the new technology like a 6v LED? or ????

Yes, a right hand tail light was also an accessory in 1931.

I've attached a pair of 50's style truck lights on the underside of my '32 bumpers for brake and tail lights. I believe I ordered them from Pro Chevrolet in Connecticut. Like the other ideas, it's not as per original configurations, but these lights are retro-looking so it blends reasonably well.

Also you could put a connector (like trailer connectors) between the lights and the frame somewhere convenient and unplug and stow them at shows and then re-plug them for driving.

Using a 'C' clamp or a spring type clamp or ? to attach lights to frame or bumper, maybe.

You might check in some cataloghs to see if you can find a bulb with a higher candle power. I know this has been done in some applications. However, in the evenings ( in N.Y. ) I put a reflective triangle, as are used on hay wagons, on the rear and haven't had any problems.

Good idea, rwolf, also some of the triangles collapse so they don't take up very much space.

I also live in minnesota. I have driven my 1932 with only one taillight for the last seven years or so. One of the places you could check is with the minnesota street rod assocation.(msra) They may be street rodders but they have a good group that fights for our old cars at the capitol.
There the ones that got the law passed so our collector cars don't have to run the front license plate.