The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Blue Dot Tail Light Lens?

Can anyone tell me the relevance of the Blue Dot Tail Light Lens and were they on a 1946 3/4 Ton PU?

Thanks,

John

Blue Dots are not factory items, they are an aftermarket item. They are pretty cool and do make the light more noticeable.

they are exactly what it says, a small clear blue dot that you glue on to the lens it makes the lights glow purple, it was the COOL thing to do back then. It's still pretty neat. They would be an era correct thing to do.

They actually were factory items on some years of Packards and Cadillacs during the '30s. That's where the customizers and hot rodders originally got the idea from.

Thanks all...great site...great info...as always...

John

Glue?

All the blue dots I ever installed required drilling a hole in the lens.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=660374&highlight=blue+dots

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=644274&highlight=blue+dots

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184213

At one time blue-dot lenses were illegal in many states because specific non-blue colors were required on certain lenses (tail/stop lamps in certain states).

I could not find a website with information on each state. However, here is information in the states of a few posters in this thread. Many discussion boards have posters stating that a blue dot can cause for a vehicle to fail inspections (if the inspector catches it). It looks like many states ignore the old laws or allow antique vehicles to have blue-dot lenses.

OK in Florida if the vehicle is old enough.

OK in Washington state if the vehicle is old enough.

OK in Illinois if it is antique vehicle

etc

whatever, they are fastened onto the lens in some manner, I was explaining the principle of the blue dot. I have no idea how they are actually installed as I personally have never used them, just looked at them. Had a roomate once in the navy that was all into lowriders, that is actually where I first learned of blue dots. 4 or 5 times a day I learned of blue dots, along with something about a binks agitator cup spray gun to get the best pearl paint job.

I was always fascinated with blue-dot tail lights when I was a kid. Personally think that they are overused on old cars today, but that's just my opinion.

Anyway, usabilityfirst.com explains the effect as
CHROMOSTEREOPSIS:
"a phenomenon of visual perception: different wavelengths of light focus at slightly different depths in the eye. Thus, it is difficult to focus on an image that combines two colors because each color is fuzzy when the other color is in focus. This is especially a problem for images with red and blue."

This image shows why we don't have blue tail lights with red dots!

I always thought the blue dots were factory on old Fords.

Every one has their own opinion on blue dots and mud flaps and Coon tails and such, but
I've got a buddy that has a '50,3200 that we got road worthy a few years ago. He wanted
blue-dots so that's what he ordered when he got his new L&R tail light from Chevy Duty.
The first day he took the truck out I followed him down to the gas station, which was a
few miles across town. We made about a dozen stop lights and I couldn't see the brake
lights come on one single time. At the filling station I told him he didn't have any
stoplights. He said he had them the other night in his garage so I cupped the lights and
had him stand on the brakes, yep, he had lights, but you couldn't see them at all in the day
light because of the blue-dots.
Haven't had a chance to see what they look like at night cuz we tore the bed of'ner right
after that and it’s sat that way for a couple of years now.
As fer me, wouldn’t have them, the tail/stop lights are poor enough on a stock AD.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

My only experience with blue dots was on my '70 HD. I loved the purple brake light. You might try this with your '50 Denny.

I noticed a difference between glass and plastic lenses when I was using them, glass seemed brighter. As for brightness, I used a larger size wire for the 6V lights on my Dump truck and they are as bright as the 12V on the panel.

Not mine Richard, I wouldn't have them. It was my buddy's truck.
Denny G

Denny, I have a freind that would agrre with you on the blue dots. He tell me all the time he can't see my tallights, day or night, especially with the stock type bulbs. But then again, my Dad says the opposite, that they look brighter to him.

I was referring to dim tail lights in general. There is a fix for that style of tail light that can make them brighter than a 12v 1157 bulb. A similar fix may be possible on the '54-'55.1 lights as well but I haven't tried on that style yet.

I think the best fix Tiny is to just stay away from the "blue-dots".

DG

I've got a blue dot in the tail light lens of my panel. Of course, it also has a 21 CP brake filament too! I've always been a sucker for the blue dots. I think they look cool.

I did have the stock AD brake lights on my previous truck, replete with the tiny bulbs. I never saw the back of my truck at night until I sold it, they weren't too bright.

Standard 6v stoplight bulb in the AD is a 1129 Chris, which is 21cp.

DG

Oh, I always had those little ones in both sockets, I think they were 3CP, or 6CP or something. Operator error seems to be the root of many of my troubles!

Any car or truck built in the last 18 years will have larger,brighter, and lights positioned higher on the vehicle than our trucks. People are conditioned to expect those break lights to be high, bright, and large. With so many drivers on there cell phones while driving, well you can see the argument for upgrading to LED lights. It's incredible how much more visible they are.

LED Brake lights


Front park lamps

A very good addition to rear lighting is the light "bar" that is an available accessory for pick-ups. Anyone worried about being seen from behind should/could invest in these. They even have the turn signals built into them. Then u could have both worlds. Be cool and be seen!!!! Blue dots are definitely cool. Bikes, trucks, cars, grannys wheel chair!!- doesn't matter.

Here in Ind. a cop could write you up for blue dots as the law states red tail lights. The only thing that could display blue lights was a school bus.

IMHO, Blue Dots make the lamp harder to see during the day and our tail lamps are already dim enough. ...they do look cool on a hot rod tho.

So did mine. The socket holder in the original lamps was flat so you couldn't use the bigger 21cp bulb. The new lamps I got from Brothers have a stepped socket holder and use a larger bulb for the brake light.

I've noticed the opposite. The plastic lenses seem to be brighter then my original glass lenses.
I just can't do LEDs on an antique so I also ended up upgrading to a 21cp bulb and coating the interior of the lamp with plastic foil and it seems to shine a bit brighter. The difference between running light and brake light is much more noticeable.
Eventually I'm going to add an antique "stop" lamp as a third brake lamp. Something that only comes on with the brakes and looks period correct.

I might try that wire upgrade you mentioned.

What is an, antique "stop" lamp[b][/b]

Something like this:

http://beedspeed.com/product_info.php?cPath=76_90_270&products_id=4464

You see them on Model A's, T's, and other old cars, and bikes!

Yep. That or similar. The old '28-32 F**d tail lamps said stop on them and there are a ton of other antique types on ebay.

I thought about using two of the Ford lamps in black housings under the rear sill (I'm not using a rear bumper) and wiring the lower portion up as my turn signals.

http://cache1.bigcartel.com/product_images/30391373/large_460_28-model-a-tail-light-photo-1.jpg


Or I was gonna use something like this in the rear window.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HxDTsqwy9RY/Tfl3mlyW5yI/AAAAAAABmFE/QHkCzIQRrr8/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG

I think people install them for the look.I had them on my 1951 Chevy truck for many years.Took the old truck for a test run a couple years ago with the new 261 engine we built.I got pulled over at night by a Highway patrolman,he told me they were illegal here in Kansas.He give me a warning ticket,I took them off and installed the stock looking lens.

The blue dots actually look a pinkish purple from a distance.


Tim

They were popular when traffic wasn't clocking 80mph.
It drives me crazy how so many ignorant guys will put that "cool" looking crap over their brake lenses reducing the light emitted and raising the danger to their posterior. I'm sure in the laws somewhere it is stated how much light must be emitted. I'm all for freedom to doll up your truck anyway you want, but when it increases the likelihood of me running up your backside...

Unless the truck housing is considerably different in size from the car housing the 1129 is too long to fit without bending the bracket. I believe the stock tail light was the #63 and brake the #81. Bending the bracket to allow the 1129 to fit is the modification I referred to in the link in my post above. When I pulled my '38 out of the barn and drug her home it had #63s in both sockets. Talk about dim.

Wow... really?

The glass lens blue dots do not reduce the light that is emitted. They in fact, due to the different color, make the vehicle more noticeable, not less.

No need to call people ignorant.

We can disagree without name calling, can't we?

John

Really!
You misunderstood my post. I was not referring to the blue dot. My complaint was with the chrome razzmatazz that is used to cover 50+% of the taillight.
That in my estimation is not cool but rather "ignorant", ignorant of the danger it poses to themselves and other drivers.