Seeking knowledge through photos-may I please see lit dashboards?

[Billy Kingsley]

I was reading through the Our Cars & Restorations section and saw a great photo of @keithb7's 1938 Plymouth dashboard all lit up. I realized that I have only seen a handful of old cars with their dashboard lights on. Less than 10! I don't even know when lights on the dashboard began. I think that is the first one I've seen pre 1972. 

Would you folks be willing to help me learn more? All I ask is that you label what kind of car it is. I do not know enough to be able to identify them on sight...most of my knowledge is on the outside of the car or truck. 

Thanks! 

[C Carl]

Good idea, Billy !

This is the only picture I have of any of my cars with the instrument lights on. And it wasn't very dark yet. I wish I could do better, but I will take some pictures in darker conditions when I get my car back. This is my unrestored 1927  Cadillac sedan. The inlay is a Cadillac patented process, used only in 1927.    -    Carl 

 

 

[Ozstatman]

Billy,

 

Think there's a old thread from a couple of years back that shows old dashes lit up. Maybe a search would find it? Or the original poster, or someone else who posted on the thread, will be able to reference it? I'd name who I think was the original poster but hestitate to do so in case I'm mistaken. Memories not as good as it used to be!🤔

[Fleek]

 Brass is Best usually includes a pic of the dish lighted in his post for his cars for sale. I love that feature. Check out his posts in the "Cars For Sale" section and you will see some great dashboards lighted.

[John_S_in_Penna]

My car, which dates to 1916, has a lighted dashboard.

However, the instruments aren't lighted from behind;

they are illuminated from the front by bulbs on little

stanchions projecting out.  Locomobile's arrangement

is probably typical of most other cars.

 

This picture, taken during the day, doesn't show the

dashboard lit, but you can see a projecting light arm

at the top, just to the right of the clock:

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[keithb7]

1953 Chrysler. 6V system. Hi-beams on.

 

[Brass is Best]

Here are a few, you can see more on my website: www.petersmotorcars.com Enjoy!

[Pfeil]

1958 Pontiac Bonneville

Edited July 10, 2020 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[Brass is Best]

Probably the first car to have a dash lamp would be a Stanley Steamer. The lamp was just that an oil lamp. It was used to watch the ever important water level for the boiler.

[Billy Kingsley]

These are all great! Please keep them coming, or a link to the older thread would be cool too.

[Guest]

1965 Corvette

[Ozstatman]

13 hours ago, Ozstatman said:

Billy,

Think there's a old thread from a couple of years back that shows old dashes lit up. Maybe a search would find it? ......!🤔

Billy,

 

Found this thread  on a search. Sure, it's not what you're after, but it's a start. Will keep looking.

[Ozstatman]

Quote

 

Billy,

 

Another link with some lighted dashes in there.

[Mark Huston]

Here is the lighted dash of my 1929 Studebaker President FE Brougham.   6 volt electrical system.   Plus a view of the lights for the back seat passengers. 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Mark Huston (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

Here's my '41 Buick at night:

 

[sleeve-valve]

Here is a picture of my 1959 Ford Custom 300 dash and 1939 Buick Special dash.

 

[J.H.Boland]

Our '40 Packard dash.

[neil morse]

Here's my '41 Buick Super -- if you think it looks a lot like the photo Matt posted of his Limited dash, you are right.  They are identical.  Keep in mind that both Matt and I have substituted LED bulbs for the original 6v incandescent bulbs.  With the original bulbs, the lighting is much dimmer.  It's interesting to me that the dash lights on the Buick are on a separate switch unlike later cars where the dash lights automatically came on with the headlights.  The switch also has three different levels of illumination.  With the original incandescent bulbs, this meant a choice  between "dim," "even dimmer," and "WTF, are those things even on?"  With the LED bulbs, the intensity is not adjustable -- it just a choice between off and maximum brightness.

 

I think that back in the day there was a belief that it was "unsafe" to drive with your instruments illuminated too brightly -- or even illuminated at all.  A friend of mine told me that his father taught him NEVER to drive with the instrument lights on because it made it hard to see out the windshield.

 

[hidden_hunter]

Much more basic interior in the 22 cad, though I do have TWO rear cabin lights! which were a massive pain to rewire

 

The 1912 just has a light for its speedo and that's it

[edinmass]

First photo taken during the day, a Model J Duesenberg with the check battery water level light coming on as it should with the analog timer. The second photo is at night in the woods with no street lights, and just the factory lights. 55 MPH @ 2100 RPM's. And the car will pull effortlessly  to 4500..............notice the correct milage on the speedo.....26k. Temperature outside was cool.......as indicated by the temperature gauge. I was riding shotgun.........twenty seconds later the tach was at 3 grand......a wonderful sensation driving in a J at night as the cars were meant to be used. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

Here's a really ornate dashboard, from a 1928 Gardner.

Gardner was a medium-priced car, but its 1928 dash

is far more ornate and artistic than those of expensive cars.

Sorry it's not lit.

 

Can you imagine if today's designers were discussing the

next year's cars:  "Let's skip all the plastic for a change.  Let's go

with a rococo theme for the 2021 dash!"

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Mark Wetherbee]

Here’s my 31 Pierce dash, not as fancy as the Gardner but...

[Ozstatman]

11 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Here's a really ornate dashboard, from a 1928 Gardner.

Gardner was a medium-priced car, but its 1928 dash

is far more ornate and artistic than those of expensive cars.

Sorry it's not lit.

 

Can you imagine if today's designers were discussing the

next year's cars:  "Let's skip all the plastic for a change.  Let's go

with a rococo theme for the 2021 dash!"

 

 

 

John.

 

I'm not usually moved to say this, but WOW!😲

[Laughing Coyote]

1961 Mercury Meteor 800

 

[Steve9]

1936 Dodge

[John_S_in_Penna]

This is an interesting topic.  Because car shows

are never at night, the only dashboards any of us has seen

are those of our own cars! 

[W_Higgins]

Of course I tend to be a bit biased, but I think Lincoln in 1960 had one of the easiest to read instrument panels of the era.  I never tire of looking at the prismatic selector dial:

 

 

[CHuDWah]

On 7/8/2020 at 4:50 AM, Billy Kingsley said:

I was reading through the Our Cars & Restorations section and saw a great photo of @keithb7's 1938 Plymouth dashboard all lit up. I realized that I have only seen a handful of old cars with their dashboard lights on. Less than 10! I don't even know when lights on the dashboard began. I think that is the first one I've seen pre 1972. 

Would you folks be willing to help me learn more? All I ask is that you label what kind of car it is. I do not know enough to be able to identify them on sight...most of my knowledge is on the outside of the car or truck. 

Thanks! 

 

 

Not lit but may be of interest as you mention 38 Plymouth - there are three variations.

 

Early P5 "Business" - pretty plain with no ornamentation except radio delete plate carried over from 37:

 

Late P5 "Road King" (renamed because customers objected to the nondescript "Business" name) - radio delete and ashtray like P6 Deluxe but only a single trim strip.  I think this is the best looking of the three:

 

And the P6 Deluxe - too "busy" for my taste:

[61polara]

[Joe in Canada]

1915 Ford sorry no dash lights that year. 

[Billy Kingsley]

Thanks to everyone who posted pictures! 

[1935Packard]

1934 Packard Eight

 

[Brill_C-37M_Bus]

1951 ACF-Brill Motors model C-37M 30’ military coach, with a 12v electrical system.  She has a standard Stewart-Warner panel, and while the gauges are all from the right time period, I can’t be certain these are the exact right ones. The backlight is just plain little GE 57 bulbs, which shine through slots in the sides of the gauges.

 

A bench test, the lights look similar in the bus, but I’ve never taken a photo of them at night.

 

 

 

-Steven

 

[Attitude928]

1977 Maserati Khamsin Dashboard, etc

[Ken_P]

1937 Packard 120, with LEDs in the dash

[Gary W]

Here's my 1937 Buick at night:

 

 

Driver's view

 

 

 

 

Passenger's view

[1937hd45]

 

Ed, Just an observation, but ever since I looked inside  the first J interior in the early 1960's the first thing I noticed were the parking brake lever and shift lever. Do you really need all that leverage. Knuckles ever smash into the dash? Bob