any idea's on these rear lights?

[rippo]

right i've had word back from maurice, he says the rubberlites were phased out about 1939 as you see a lot of morris's with them on. The lights on his ( in the picture) are in the correct place for an early bedford they were moved to the outside later, this ties up with mine as i have two holes in a similar place.

 

Thanks for all your help.

[Richard Farrant]

right i've had word back from maurice, he says the rubberlites were phased out about 1939 .

 

Rippo,

 

Thanks , the Rubbolite rear lamp is listed as correct rear lamp for the Humber Mk4 armoured car, and the parts book is 1943 I seem to recollect.

 

:tup::

[rippo]

Maurice did say it was down to what they had at the time. He does have a picture of them fitted to an early bedford which he is sending me when he finds it i'll stick it up when he does.

I haven't got it to hand at the moment but i'm sure my early MW manual lists the rubbolights for the rear, maybe i should put one of each on to be safe!! I've only ever noticed the metal ones on maurices and you know how keen he is. Then i notice two holes in my body in the same place and that got me thinking.There again i haven't got many pictures of the rears of mw's either.

 

So i'm still as confused as i was!! :banghead: But least i know the ones i have are something like.

:thanx:

[rippo]

I've found the picture, its in British Light Military trucks 1939-1945 by Mike conniford

 

 

it's not a great picture but those lights look more like the metal ones to me, and from the Z number its from the same batch as mine. I checked the manual I have which has my contract number on the cover and it dose give rubbolite No 5 or 5a as the rear lamps. just goes to show they fitted what they had.

 

Here's the two holes still in mine.

 

[Richard Farrant]

 

 

 

I checked the manual I have which has my contract number on the cover and it dose give rubbolite No 5 or 5a as the rear lamps. just goes to show they fitted what they had.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I was looking a a Vocab covering lamps and it stated that as there was a series of WD standard lamps available, they should be used if original types are no longer available, so there is no problem fitting the later ones. If you were portraying a time frame of 1944-45 for instance, there is every chance that later lamps could have been fitted.

[rippo]

Yesterday I was looking a a Vocab covering lamps and it stated that as there was a series of WD standard lamps available, they should be used if original types are no longer available, so there is no problem fitting the later ones. If you were portraying a time frame of 1944-45 for instance, there is every chance that later lamps could have been fitted.

 

 

Why then has that early mw in the picture got them fitted? I'm not convinced they are a "later light" probably an alternative to the rubber ones, as maurice said.

[Richard Farrant]

Why then has that early mw in the picture got them fitted? I'm not convinced they are a "later light" probably an alternative to the rubber ones, as maurice said.

 

By later, I mean they were introduced after the Rubbolite types. I know that Rubbolite rears were in used on army vehicles at least in 1936, but think the rubber shortages might have restricted the manufacture of them early on in the war. I am trying to pin down when the WD metal lamps came in, only way is to go through parts books, manuals and photos.

[rippo]

I think it may well just come down to what they had on the day. It must have been a bad week when they made mine as the cab floor is wood.

 

Now i've got that picture and i've the holes in the same place on mine for the lights, and i know the lamps are the correct type, i'm going to go with that. Also i question weather a rubbolite would fit when they are mounted. The mounting lug on a rubbolite (in the picture i have of one) looks alot smaller. So i don't think i would have cleared the body, maybe why they were fitted to the tool box instead? Also the rubber one's need less protection than the steel type. If i come across a rubbolite i'll try it and see it would fit.

 

Thanks for all your help.

Edited January 26, 2009 by rippo

[79x100]

Were Rubbolites black-out compliant ? They were certainly a pre-war fitting as Richard says and presumably needed adaptation once the black-out regs came into force ?

 

Rubbolites were fitted to India Office Contract Nortons from January 1937 onwards, whilst War Department machines retained the standard civilian pattern Lucas MT110 which was fitted with a small black manilla mask once hostilities broke out and was replaced by a new even smaller lamp known as the 'fag end' because that is about the glow it gave, from early 1941 onwards.

 

There is no doubt that from the fall of Singapore / loss of Malaya onwards, all efforts were made to save rubber for essential items.