Spot light lens for FT 58

Pre-XK
1

Hi can anybody confirm what lens should be in the FT 58 spot lights ? I ask because one of mine is broken and I am trying to source one, the broken glass is fluted, but the ones available seems to be from the FT 57 spotlight being fluted also

Thanks
Mike

2

As far as I know, Mike, the two models are essentially the same except the shape of the lamp body. The 57 is hemispherical and the 58 is parabolic, but all other parts are interchangeable. I have a pair of each on my cars, but I haven’t opened them up to do a piece-by-piece comparison, but I’m sure the lenses, reflectors, and rims will match. I’ll see if I can check them today.

As a spot lamp, the lens will be clear, as a fog lamp, the lens will be vertically fluted. The vertical fluting diffuses the beam further to the left and right, making them more effective in foggy conditions. That’s the theory anyway.

Peter.

1 Like
3

Well thanks Pete
That all makes sense, now I just need two rims for the fog lights that got damaged in transit
Thanks for the help much appreciated
Mike

4

Show them to a good chrome plater. They are made of brass, which can be worked back to original shape.
It’s amazing what my guy did with some brass rims of mine.

5

Hi Rob
I have bought some panel beating hammers so will be having a go at tin bashing along with a little heat to see what I can achieve one of the rims has a deep crease but I have nothing to loose
M

6

Mike
Not that I know anything about panel beating - however the Chrome companies would remove the chrome first, then anneal (heat it up and let it cool slowly) the brass, before any hammering takes place.
Regards
David

7

Hullo Mike,

Brass is a different animal to body steel in the way it responds to straightening and panel beating. The major problem is that brass fatigues quickly because it cannot take bending cold more than a few times. The manufacturing process has bent it once, the impact twice and the repair will be a third. Sharp bends like the bad rim will crack further than the edge split. I have done many big and small lamp recoveries for my cars, as an amateur, and am pleased with the results. After buying good replacements for damaged ones, I eventually repaired them. Now I have spares.

A few suggestions if decide to have a go:

  • Make some accurate templates of the front and back circles about a few mm smaller. Thick cardboard is good enough. The mm smaller helps to identify the out-of-round spots when you are close.
  • Get the circular edges close to round first.
  • Work on the smaller deformations first to get practice.
  • Keep the panel beating hammers away, but you can use them as dollies, particularly the rounded ones.
  • Get a few small and very small hammers. I have several eg ball pein, cross pein, tacking, nylon and rubber face.
  • Only use very light blows. Even if it is reluctant to go in the shape you want, a heavy blow will stretch it locally. Then you have an extra job to dress out the bump.
  • Gather a few different dollies. I have brass and aluminium rod and flat. I shaped the ends to suitable curves and eliminated all corners and edges. Try not to use steel - it is too hard.
  • have patience - lots. That bad one could easily take a week or so with a few hours a day.
  • Cracks and splits need to be silver soldered as a butt joint when the two edges are aligned and with no gap.

Have a talk to a good electroplater first about what they can do and decide from there.

Peter

8

Thanks Pete
Good advice, I have one of them somewhat close, but the other has a large crease which I am pondering how to go about how to remove but I am going to have a go !

9

Great. Keep at it. The professional lamp restorers have a range of special tools. As you said before, you have nothing to lose. Annealing the severely distorted spots by heating to just short of red heat will bring back a better degree of malleability.

I also have a steel roller as used by arty people. I use it to ‘iron out’ shallow waves and undulations in headlamp shells. These should not be hammered out, but ‘teased’ back to the contour. I often place a bit of thin rubber on the brass first to avoid local bruising or overstretching/stressing. Bicycle inner tube is a good thickness.

I’m trying to find a pair of bulb holders for these lamps (and a pair for the P100 headlamps) but they are more rare than hen’s teeth.

Peter

10

Peter, do you have a photo of what the bulb holders look like? I was visiting a friend recently who has a mystery pair of bulb holders very similar to those that fit a PF 770 headlamp. However, these bulb holders take a globe-shaped bulb, not the standard Lucas bulb used for the Mark V or XK120 application.

11

I’ll see if I can do one today.

12

I’m fairly sure you can anneal brass much like copper, way back in the memory banks I think you smear normal bar soap on the item and heat until it goes black. Caveat, this is going back to my apprenticeship days in the mid ‘60’s so might be best to google this.