Randy B
True Classic
I always liked the looks of the European type turn signals on the 79' & newer model cars with aluminum bumpers. Having missed out on the recent set that was for sale here, I decided to put together a set of my own. I had originally hoped to find the original tractor lights thru my local tractor part dealer. However, that didn't pan out. They had one light at an exorbitant price and could not locate it's mate anywhere in their system. Armed with a few additional part numbers I was able to locate the following lights from a tractor parts house in the UK (www.malpasonline.co.uk).
These lights appear to be an aftermarket knock-off of the original Italian lights. I think the construction is a little "lighter", but still a decent light at 1/3 the price of what the local parts supplier wanted for an original light. I did upgrade the supplied wiring with 16 ga. wire and added a dedicated ground wire.
Having the support brackets made for the lights was the next challenge. I took hand sketches to a small fab/machine shop and worked out a solution. The brackets were cut from 1/8" aluminum material and welded together. The mounting holes were countersunk so that the original hardware could be re-used. And the last step was vibratory deburring. The brackets came out ready for primer and paint.
The brackets were rigid and they bolted right up to the existing holes in the bumper. I would have been able to use the original screws if I didn't strip the heads out of half of them trying to remove the original turn signal brackets.
I think the euro turn signal conversion is an improvement. If any one is looking for brackets, the shop said they would make additional sets for $65.00 including shipping to the lower 48.
These lights appear to be an aftermarket knock-off of the original Italian lights. I think the construction is a little "lighter", but still a decent light at 1/3 the price of what the local parts supplier wanted for an original light. I did upgrade the supplied wiring with 16 ga. wire and added a dedicated ground wire.
Having the support brackets made for the lights was the next challenge. I took hand sketches to a small fab/machine shop and worked out a solution. The brackets were cut from 1/8" aluminum material and welded together. The mounting holes were countersunk so that the original hardware could be re-used. And the last step was vibratory deburring. The brackets came out ready for primer and paint.
The brackets were rigid and they bolted right up to the existing holes in the bumper. I would have been able to use the original screws if I didn't strip the heads out of half of them trying to remove the original turn signal brackets.
I think the euro turn signal conversion is an improvement. If any one is looking for brackets, the shop said they would make additional sets for $65.00 including shipping to the lower 48.
