Taillights Unlimited             We can stick all kinds of neat crap on our bikes.
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Thomas Koehle found a bunch of NOS taillights from the fifties. "The red lens as well as the license plate lense are made off real glass, not plastic. See comparison with some other taillights I have in the stash. (The newfound is always the one on top.) They might fit an old style bobber bike, but also a retro-resto Chang."
"Once in a while someone can find really interesting stuff around here. Someone interested in getting one of the lights just send me a mail at rotxxyyzz@gmail.com"
 
Thomas Koehle has accumulated some interesting lights and reflectors since living in China. The lenses in the two-part taillights are embossed with stars. Also, have you ever seen any refelectors like these?
 
Here's another STOP variety.
 
Below: Apparently, Hudson, Essex and Terraplane used the Brown Bi-lite.
 
 
Below: Another sampling of obsolete taillights.
 
 
A Filite brand after-market assembly from the 1930s.
 
Unusual diamond shaped running light lens.
 
This would look spectacular on a Chang.
 
A generic after-market assembly from the 1930s.
 
Just a neat old assembly that would be perfect for a CJ.
 
This taillight is from a 1935 Dodge pickup truck. Wouldn't it like nice on a Chang?
 
A Yankee after-market assembly, NOS with original box. You kind of hate to actually use something like this even though it's perfect for a CJ.
 
This old Duolamp taillight is just plain neat. It has a metal STOP insert.
 
Here's an old Duolamp taillight from a Ford Model A. It has a metal STOP insert.
 
A nice old Yankee after-market lamp from the 1940s.
 
Interesting old assembly, early 1930s.
Art deco style lamp would definitely work on a bike... if you were so inclined.
 
Below: Another sampling of obsolete taillights.
 
 
This Model A Ford taillight assembly is complete with its original mounting bracket.
 
Oh man, this is a sweeeeeet taillight.
 
Below: Hupp built cars in the US from 1909-41. This taillight looks to be late 1930s.
 
One of the best ones yet.
 
Early thirties Buick assembly with STOP lens and integrated back-up light.
 
A Deitz light with a STOP lens. Very nice.
 
This is from a mid-twenties Lincoln. STOP is punched out, the opposite as seen in other metal inserts. It makes more sense.
 
Another one of these. This style of bezel and lens seems to have been the most popular.
 
The running light portion of this lamp has a "beehive" lens. This is fairly rare.
 
Now for something completely different. Instead of STOP, these babies say SLO.
 
Here's a military "blackout" taillight. This might look pretty cool on a re-enacting machine.
 
This is a big old NOS Dietz after-market taillight, circa 1940. It presently hangs on the wall in my shop.
Yankee was a major manufacturer of after-market taillamp assemblies. I have two of them on my tan bike. This dates back to the 1930s.
Tons of leftover lenses and bezels. I don't know how I managed to accumulate so many, but it's nice having a few spares. All the lenses are glass.
 
Even though some of these taillamps are over 80 years old, there doesn't seem to be any shortgae of them. They are often available for very reasonable prices, too.
 
The first one says STUDEBAKER and STOP when it lights up. The second one is attached to a license plate bracket.
 

These lenses are frequently seen on eBay. If you're thinking of getting one for use with a Whitney Model A taillight lamp, be advised that the bezel doesn't fit this lens properly.
 
And here's yet another STOP variety.
Pre-war Buick. Cool.
Below: DUOLAMP assembly with insert. It's from a Model A Ford.  
 
How does a Model A taillight look when it's lit up at night? Fantastic.
Take a look at this old timer with turn indicator arrows as well as the taillight. It probably dates to the early thirties, perhaps older.
This is the predecessor of the lights still being sold by NAPA. It's virtually identical to the taillight on one of my sidecars except that it has a glass lens, not plastic.
Sure, it says DODGE. Does that matter?
Some old taillights used metal STOP inserts rather than embossed lenses. Nowadays, locating the correct size can be a challenge.
Here's an example of how an arched STOP light was used in conjunction with a round taillight.
Below: This arched STOP light is similar to one directly above. They existed in many varieties.
Wouldn't this look sweet on the back end of a CJ?
The top portion of this light has a blue glass STOP lens.
Circa 1925
1930s aftermarket STOP lamp

Imagine how cool this "TRILIN" taillamp would look on your bike.
Gerald Gardebled found this interesting fixture from a PLA truck.
This Chinese-owned CJ in Beijing uses a set of them.
Another Chinese-owned bike with a similar type. (It also has a reflector below it.)
 
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