Find of the Day!!!! Tilt Ray Lights with Odd Visors

[1937hd45]

If you were in the hobby 30-40 years ago this would be considered "JUNK" not so today, this could be "Wall Art" for a "Man Cave". The visors are made by New England Mfg. in Whitehall, N. Y. never seen anything like them, only one bulb behind the lens, how does a Tilt Ray tilt in the first place? I'm guessing the headlight bar is late 1920's Cadillac, how close am I? Door is 11 1/2 diameter. The Visors remind me of old parking meter faces, could they be some Taxi ID light accessory?  Bob 

Edited November 23, 2020 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[padgett]

Gee a mechanical tilting platform is how Low becomes High beam on my '11 CTS.

[1937hd45]

Anyone have any helpful information? 

 

Bob 

[CHuDWah]

2 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Anyone have any helpful information? 

 

Bob 

 

 

Tilt Ray was used by Guide Motor Lamp Co to refer to its head lamp that used a two-filament bulb.  It "tilts" by lighting one filament for low beam and the other for high beam, driver-controlled by a dimmer switch.  Guide supplied headlights for several OEM makes and I think for aftermarket.  It was acquired by GM in 1928 so your Cadillac guess may be correct.

 

I'd guess the visors are aftermarket but no clue what they are supposed to do.

[1937hd45]

Thanks! Just a marketing gimmick, I was expecting some mechanical shifting or tilting of things. Guess the visors could pinpoint the light some how. Too bad they have suffered from poor storage. 

 

Bob 

[3makes]

Bob, Perhaps you were thinking of Miro-Tilt headlights which had a tilting mirror in the reflector behind the bulb. It was a magnetically actuated small mirror moved from a switch on the floorboards at the driver's feet. Early 1920's Franklin's used them and perhaps other cars.

[28 Chrysler]

The visor was the type that was used along the coast during WWII. The Tilt Ray lens angled the light down and out to light up the road not the trees.

[Larry Schramm]

1924 Cadillac Victoria coupes had a set up that would move the light so you would have "high & low" beam. 

 

They also had a four wheel brake set up that when you would turn a corner and step on the brakes, one of the front wheel brakes would not activate. Keeping one of the wheels turning so you would not skid in a straight line.  Kind of like 100 year old antilock brakes. 

[zipdang]

My 1958 Citroen 2CV van has a dash knob you rotate to physically tilt the headlights. Hard to flash your high beams with this setup.

[Frank DuVal]

On 11/23/2020 at 4:51 PM, 1937hd45 said:

Thanks! Just a marketing gimmick

No, how most every high low beam in a single headlamp assembly works!👍

Two filaments, obviously can not occupy the same space, a physics law, so the two locations are at different focal points on the reflector. 

[1937hd45]

Semantics in the AACA is something I gave up on about 40 years ago. Bob