ADade Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 I have a recently acquired 1914 B37 restored in about 1959 or 1960. It's a beautiful car, but the restorer lacquered all the nickel to keep from having to polish it. Might have been a good idea at the time, but now after 62 years the lacquer is very yellow and unsightly. I'm doing most of the refinishing, but I'm stumped when it comes to the cowl lamps. Anybody know someone who (either as a business or a hobby) knows how to refinish these? See Photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 No picture of the car? Really? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 (edited) This is what the cowl lights looked like on the B-37 we offered on back in 2010. No bail on the outside. Edited February 21, 2023 by dibarlaw spelling (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 1 hour ago, dibarlaw said: This is whet the cowl lights looked like on the B-37 we offered on back in 2010. No bail on the outside. Yes, as per dibartlaw's comment, above This is what the Cowl Lamps on my (former) 1914 Buick B-37 looked like- Painted black, and without a Bail. @ADade, yours seem to be from some other car/year/model? Many years ago (1961?) I used BRASSO/SILVO to remove the lacquer from one of my trumpets to get that "darker" sound, e.g. Miles Davis. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADade Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 It's entirely possible these aren't like the original lamps, but the car (with these lamps on it) took a national first place Junior and three national first place senior trophies in the 1960's, so it's apparently not a big deal. In any case, I don't intend to show the car -- it's a driver. I'm looking for recommendations on who could strip these lamps for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADade Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 Morgan - no picture? Not yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nat Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Paint remover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 6 hours ago, ADade said: It's entirely possible these aren't like the original lamps, but the car (with these lamps on it) took a national first place Junior and three national first place senior trophies in the 1960's, so it's apparently not a big deal. In any case, I don't intend to show the car -- it's a driver. I'm looking for recommendations on who could strip these lamps for me. @ADade, not trying to be picky or argumentative - just sharing... ... and there are many things not every judge would be aware of, as far as authenticity- I've observed that per some judges I've had on many of my judging teams- No problem - enjoy driving and touring! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADade Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 The lights are both kerosene and electric, so there's wiring involved. Looking for opinions here. If I were to fill a small bucket with lacquer thinner and submerge the whole light, would it damage the wiring or the reflector silver? Just trying to brainstorm here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 ADade Maybe a dumb question, but are you certain the lights are nickel, and not actually brass? Many early collectors also lacquered over brass to reduce the constant need to polish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADade Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 Everything on the car is nickel and everything is lacquered. I just finished stripping the top half of the windshield and I'm working on the headlamp brackets. It all looks the same. Did you see my post about the thought of submerging the lights in lacquer thinner? I'm a little hesitant because of the electrical connections and the reflector silvering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADade Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 Not a dumb question at all, by the way, Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADade Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 (edited) Here's a photo of the car (on the right) in 1959 before restoration was complete (no top, no interior), but you can see the cowl lights aren't brass. Funny sidelight -- although the two kids (my wife and her brother) appear to have their hands on the two cars' fenders, they're actually holding their hands about an inch above the paint -- not touching it. Their father would have killed them had they actually touched the paint! Edited February 21, 2023 by ADade (see edit history) 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock10 Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 If it's lacquer, lacquer thinner will remove it. So would other solvents. I would work on a small area. Maybe leave a dampened rag on it for a while. I would be hesitant to immerse the wires and connectors. Don't know what it would do to the insulation. There are also lacquer specific strippers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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