Spotlight through 49-52 Chevy A-post

[KaptainKustom]

Hi,

New guy here from Finland. I’ve been building a mild, period correct ’50 Chevy over the years, planning to get on the road this summer. Nothing really fancy yet, just to get rolling after a while…

I’ve found many pictures of ’49 – ’52 Chevy Stylelines and Fleetlines that seem to have real spotlights installed through their extremely skinny A-pillars. I haven’t found any details of this though.

In the 49 – 52 Chevys (except for convertible and ht) it’s a little tricky, since the face of the post is actually notably narrower than the spotlight bracket, even if the rain gutter is cut off the way. Would be nice to know how exactly people have mounted them. I don’t know if there is instructions or template to mount them this way on these cars, or if it’s purely a custom approach.

I know there are spotlights for these cars that are meant to be mounted through the door. Also saw a couple of cars that had them mounted through belt line. But I would like to know details about the through post installation, since apparently some people have accomplished to do so.

Could someone provide some detail pics or information about this?

Thanks!

[Quentin Hall]

Gday and welcome. Yes the GM factory accessory Spotlights were Guide S18s I believe and they were door mounted . My 53 Eldorado came with two S18s incorporating the mirror hence the factory mirrors had to be removed and templates were provided to fit them on the door.  I have a 46 Cad convertible and I’m pretty sure it has a Guide S16 ( larger diameter) mounted in the A pillar. It was also a factory specified install but probably done by the dealer.
A pillar installation would have been a purely a custom application with most other brands like Appleton, Unity, etc.

Barris sort of pioneered and trademarked the dual a pillar look with the heads turned down.  So first determination will be dictated by the brand of spotlight you are using to get the look you want. Appletons are Very expensive. But they are sort of the custom kings of Spotlights.

[Rik Hoving]

Hi Kaptain Kustom,

 

Have you checked out Tobias thread on his Chevy. he just installed a pair on his coupe. Perhaps he can make a few more detail photos for you.

Kustom Styles 1949-53 1952 Chevy Coupe Project

Enjoy the beauty of Customizing

[KaptainKustom]

Thank you for the replies!

I hadn’t noticed the latest page on the Tobias’s Chevy thread. Cool, that’s just what I’m after!

[Torchie]

Thanks for the replies Gang.

I steered him here from a post he had over on the hamb where he was just getting the usual less then helpful responses.LOL

Truthfully I had forgotten about Tobias’s build as well.

Here’s a pic of the Dummy Spotlights that he started with  KaptainKustom. I suspect that he just used the buckets and then mounted them on the Appletons handles to get them to work correctly. Barry Mazza did much the same thing on his lastest build that was posted here on the CCC site.

Hopefully Tobias will weigh in with more details..

You should post up some pictures of your car as well.

Torchie

Torchie

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[Anonymous]

Hi, I also would be very interested seeing some photos of your chevy Kaptain kustom.

Here is how I installed my Spotlights.

Hope you understand my not so perfect English.

I used kustom Kraft Dummys and installed them on the a pillar just obove the beltline with two M3 screws right through the post and safety nuts from the inside. I had to trim the Drip rail back where the bracked is mounted. I also had to grind the bracket a little bit to get the right angle. Now the bracket is right between the remaining Drip rail and the middle slot of the windshield rubber. I wanted to make sure that it can not touch the glass so there are about 4mm space between the glass and the bracket. I cut the stainless corner piece and glued it on the rubber after that. I want to fill the slot between the stainless corner piece and spotlight bracket with some kind of silicone. On the inside i mounted the handles of appleton 451s (wich are the same as 552s) wich i cut in half and mounted them with two screws on the pillar. BTW i think this way it doesnt matter if you install real working appletons or 50/50 like me. And you don’t even have to cut the garnish molding because they come through the part on the pillar where the headliner goes down. I will make some detailed pictures later.

They were the first spotlights i ever installed and it is really tricky and i hope i nailed the look. When im looking on old pictures i believe i did it right.

 

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

is

[Anonymous]

Had these pictures already on my phone. It was before i installed the stainless quarter piece but i think they show pretty good how i did it. If you want more detailed pictures you can send me a message and i can make a few more.

[KaptainKustom]

Thank you very much for all the great information! Maybe I’ll try the installation this weekend. Or maybe I chicken out and attack some other area. 🙂

My car lacks all the front end sheet metal amongst other things and is located in a pretty small carage, but I can post some kind of picture and tell my plans…

[KaptainKustom]

It’s been a long time since the last time. My car has been a driver for some time now. It’s still pretty rough, but I like it. I moved and don’t have a garage now, so bigger improvements have to wait.

 

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