which sidelights?

[JohnR2]

I can't decide which sidelights to use (March '58) the one left on there is a Wipac type with a plastic lense which I very much doubt is original. Do we think it would have had a domed or flatter profile?

[Dopey]

I use these (changing to LEDs but same lense)

[Wittsend]

'58ers & '59ers had the flat white glass side light lens. In those days you could fit stop & tail bulbs and the light doubled up as indicator lights. In those days indicators were still an option.

The lens fitted into a rubber rim holder with a metal (chrome) retaining ring - with 2 screws involved.


Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

The side light had a little flat recess in the wing to take the bulb holder.
When indicators were added, they just bodged a hole in the wing next to the side lights.

[JohnR2]

'58ers & '59ers had the flat white glass side light lens. In those days you could fit stop & tail bulbs and the light doubled up as indicator lights. In those days indicators were still an option.

The lens fitted into a rubber rim holder with a metal (chrome) retaining ring - with no screws involved.


Not the best picture, but you get the idea.


The side light had a little flat recess in the wing to take the bulb holder.
When indicators were added, they just bodged a hole in the wing next to the side lights.

presumably either sparco or lucas depending on what they had on the shelf?

[Wittsend]

Yes, if dealer fitted indicators, then it depended on what they had in stock

... and then POs could have done anything 


 

[Peter Holden]

The 58s and 59s plus probably a bit later were mostly fitted with Sparto "flat" lights with a few (our 58 being one) were fitted with Lucas L488 flat ones.  Our 59 had Sparto ones until very recently when they were replaced with L488s, the rear lights on this are still the original Sparto ones

Peter

[582LTR]

Always willing to be wrong, I was told (and fitted accordingly) the domed clear sparto lights as a single light in the wing. My understanding was that the flat sparto side lights were used if the domed sparto indicator was also used - two lights in the wing. Obviously lucas may also have been used depending on availability.

James

[Peter Holden]

Our 59 had flat spartos from the factory and the indicators were fitted by us in 1963.  They came from a Rootes group range of cars - believe they were free.

Peter

[Peter Holden]

Attached photo shows our 59 in 1967 you can see the flat sparto light

[simonbav]

Are you in that photo, Peter?

[Wittsend]

Can't you spot him

[Peter Holden]

Yes I am in the middle.  The photo was taken by our local newspaper just before we set off to go to Morocco on a Sheffield University caving expedition.  3 of us were still at school, we were in the lower 6th.  I learned to drive in that land rover and it is still in the family

Peter

[2DieselMan]

As per the attached photos I believe that the early SII's in 1958 originally had Sparto Plastic Domed Side Lens Very rare.  The Sparto Domed Side light lens were I believe replaced buy late 1958, early 1959 buy Sparto Flat Side Light Lens. 

If Indicators were fitted the Early 58 were Originally Sparto Plastic Orange Lens.  Sparto Plastic Orange Indicator Lens are basically unobtainable, they appear to have been replaced with Sparto Glass Orange Indicator, which can be found but are also quite rare.

[Peter Holden]

I know that YOD May 58 came with flat l488s and JEP September 58 came with pointy spartos and YNM Nov 59 came with flat spartos because I know enough of the history of them.  What was actually fitted as opposed to what should have been fitted is another story.

Peter

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

....What was actually fitted as opposed to what should have been fitted is another story....

In hte round, that's the story with many parts. If we ask 'what was fitted when', the answer in so many cases is a best-guess. By default the real answer is unknown.

The part actually fitted was the part the production process could get at the time. The idea that there's a 'correct' part is plain daft. In production, they thought, "In 20 mins I will be out of here." how could it be any other way?

Nigel with the facial-hair and the nasal voice can point to sub-section B paragraph 2 of a parts book. At best, he creates a falsehood. Hence, right or wrong, nobody cares anyway. Provided what's fitted is broadly not the automotive equivalent of 'Sticking digital displays on Big Ben' and looks 'right' that'd be near enough, and who would know or care anyway. What we end up with is a contrivance.

Mind, there's no curing some, a mate of a mate likes his Porsches, he measures original panel paint-thickness in microns.

It's all a pretence - and with that in mind, we may as well come clean.