D-lamps - Chrome or Black

[Aaron IIA]

I am just about to buy some D-lamps. My question is - are the D-lamps used on Land Rovers meant to be chrome or black.
Aaron.

[Bigbjorn]

I will ask the silly question. What the FH are D-lamps?

[Bigbjorn]

Well, never heard them called that before. Must be thousands of them languishing in sheds and wrecking yards from cars of 1920 to 1950 provenance. just used to call them tail lights.

[slug_burner]

Brian,

I am sure that there are plenty of tail lights about, not sure many of them would be D Lights:angel:

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Brian Brian Brian :(

They are called "D" lamps, because they the lens looks like a letter "D".

The tail lamps on the later series 1s were called "pork pie" lamps because they resembled a pork pie!

There are "D" lamps with a bar and "D" lamps without the bar. The later were required in the UK from the 1950s, after the Government over there specified a minimum area for the red of the tail lamp. The bar section was too small, even though the lamps had been used on the MG T* series and other cars such as Rover and Jaguar from the 1930's.

On a Land Rover the original specification was black.

For a supplier of reproduction D Lamps check out Vintage Car Parts in the UK. ( rear | lamps | Vintage Car Parts (http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/en/list+lamps~rear/) )

Diana

[Bigbjorn]

Diana, they were used on the ass end of just about everything from 1920 to 1940. They were just a bloody cheap tail light. Repeat, never heard called them called a D-lamp.

[master chief]

Hello All,the "D" type tail light was fitted onto a lot of english cars in the 40,s and 50,s.early holden utes also had them.
standard 80" and 86"-107" Landies had black ones.The only Landies that had chrome ones fitted from the factory were the 80" Tickford station wagons.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Diana, they were used on the ass end of just about everything from 1920 to 1940. They were just a bloody cheap tail light. Repeat, never heard called them called a D-lamp.
Brian I'm not doubting that you have never heard them called "D" lamps, or what they were previously fitted to. I remember that just about everyone used to make a copy of them including Hella.

What I do know is that they are commonly refered to today as "D" lamps to differentiate them from every other number sequence that Lucas ever made. You only have to go to Vintage Car Parts, Classic Bulbs, Holden's Classic Parts or even eBay to see that the current term used to reference them now is "D" Lamps.

Cheers
Diana

[Bigbjorn]

Brian I'm not doubting that you have never heard them called "D" lamps, or what they were previously fitted to. I remember that just about everyone used to make a copy of them including Hella.

What I do know is that they are commonly refered to today as "D" lamps to differentiate them from every other number sequence that Lucas ever made. You only have to go to Vintage Car Parts, Classic Bulbs, Holden's Classic Parts or even eBay to see that the current term used to reference them now is "D" Lamps.

Cheers
Diana

I don't buy from them, Diana, in fact, never eard of most. Too rich for this tight ass old restorer. I did put about a dozen of them in the back of the last vintage Dodge, original 1928 Standard Six,I sent off to a collector in Gippsland about five years ago. Some had the arliest plastic lenses, and some had red glass lenses. Glass lenses in vintage lamps are worth good money nowadays. Red Glass were made with gold chloride and are no longer available except as old stock or good used.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I don't buy from them, Diana, in fact, never eard of most. Too rich for this tight ass old restorer. ... ... Glass lenses in vintage lamps are worth good money nowadays. Red Glass were made with gold chloride and are no longer available except as old stock or good used.
Brian

Your quite correct, there are some very silly prices paid for NOS Lucas D lamp lenses on eBay. Have seen in the $50 to $60 dollar mark.

Interestingly the Vintage Car Parts site in the UK advertises replacements for £8.50 plus shipping D amp replacement red lens :: Vintage Car Parts (http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/en/1281~D+amp+replacement+red+lens-details/) they are specified as "glass" not just "lens" so I am assuming they are not plastic. Don't have a need for one just yet (have some spares) so have never ordered from them. And I do prefer to but from Anthony Pearson of Classic and Vintage Bulbs in Adelaide Page Title (http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/) if only to support Aussie businesses and to keep the dollars in country.

The other spares that I am interested from the UK are the springs etc which are frequently rusted or missing.

C Ya
Diana

[Bigbjorn]

Brian

Your quite correct, there are some very silly prices paid for NOS Lucas D lamp lenses on eBay. Have seen in the $50 to $60 dollar mark.

Interestingly the Vintage Car Parts site in the UK advertises replacements for £8.50 plus shipping D amp replacement red lens :: Vintage Car Parts (http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/en/1281~D+amp+replacement+red+lens-details/) they are specified as "glass" not just "lens" so I am assuming they are not plastic. Don't have a need for one just yet (have some spares) so have never ordered from them. And I do prefer to but from Anthony Pearson of Classic and Vintage Bulbs in Adelaide Page Title (http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/) if only to support Aussie businesses and to keep the dollars in country.

The other spares that I am interested from the UK are the springs etc which are frequently rusted or missing.

C Ya
Diana

Diana, for Lucas parts go to Kev. Baker KB Classic Parts, Witta, via Maleny. 'phone 07-5494-4221, fax 07-5494-4114. Kev has an enormous range of Lucas and other electrical brand parts. When he moved from Carina to Witta, he took 40 tons of parts up the mountain.

Red glass lenses are sometimes a tinted or painted red, but the expensive one are red glass.

Your transfer is supposed to move tomorrow.

[chazza]

"...on the metal ones you can get the chrome stripped and paint them black." NM

I have just bought some from AP, the quality is excellent, with red glass lenses. I was going to rub the chrome down with wet and dry paper and then etch prime before painting.

Has anyone succesfully painted over chrome before?

Cheers Charlie

[series1buff]

Charlie

Chrome is very hard and difficult to etch , but paint does stick to it Ok. I once had a 1941 Plymouth Army ute.. they had painted over the chrome grill with khaki paint and it lasted for 40 years without coming off ! You could try buffing it with a steel wool pad, as in washing type ...Zinc chromate should work maybe ...

Mike