Stumped on the name of these headlights..

[car crazy]

I was always under the impression that these period headlights were called "Woodlites", but I now know Woodlites are completely different..This is the second Hudson I've seen this style headlights fitted on. Were these period accessory headlights, or a Hudson offering?  Anyone know the name of the headlights?

Edited May 14 by car crazy (see edit history)

[mechanician]

E&J model 20

[Mark Wetherbee]

I took a pair of them to the Luray pre-war meet and had to explain that to about 50 or more people who asked… I think I read somewhere that the only car to use them from the factory was the Kissel Goldbug but they are very popular with the speedster crowd. 
 

Woodlights are more wedge shaped and are even harder to find and more expensive, they have matching sidelights that I have only seen one time on a show car at Hershey.

Edited May 14 by Mark Wetherbee (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

10 hours ago, car crazy said:

I was always under the impression that these period headlights were called "Woodlites", but I now know Woodlites are completely different..This is the second Hudson I've seen this style headlights fitted on. Were these period accessory headlights, or a Hudson offering?  Anyone know the name of the headlights?

Check out this E & J Model 20 thread:

 

[car crazy]

Thank you all-mystery solved!

Edited May 14 by car crazy (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

11 hours ago, Mark Wetherbee said:

I took a pair of them to the Luray pre-war meet and had to explain that to about 50 or more people who asked… I think I read somewhere that the only car to use them from the factory was the Kissel Goldbug but they are very popular with the speedster crowd. 

 

So those were YOUR headlamps that I have been seeing photos of all over the place! Somewhere I saw someone ask who had them and did they sell or not?

 

I don't know whether the Kissel was the only automaker that offered these as a factory option or not, but I do know they were a fairly popular after-market option back in the day. They don't show up very often in era photos, but sometimes do so. It seems that a lot of people kept them when they junked the cars as I have seen a lot of them at swap meets years ago.

Personally, I have a sort of love/hate for them. While I think they are neat, and they look great on some cars, to me they look terrible on other cars. I do think they look fantastic on the Goldbugs, something about the shape and flow of the design fitting in so well with the Goldbug body. I have seen several model T speedsters with the E&J 20 headlamps. To me, generally they look just wrong on most T speedsters. Expensive headlamps on a cutdown T speedster is sort of like lipstick on a pig. A couple exceptions to that have been Mercury bodied boat-tail roadsters! On those, again, the body shape seems to really fit with the lamps, and the Mercury bodies were the top line for model T speedster bodies.

How good they look on other cars, to me, depends on the artistic flow of design. Some cars they look great! Other cars, not so much. But that is me.

[Mark Wetherbee]

They do look good on some of the aftermarket “speedster” bodies on a T, but you’re right on the money that they usually look like lipstick on a pig on the typical T home made speedster. 

[ron hausmann]

All- 

    These E &J Model 20 lights were not offered as a “factory option” by Kissel. Based upon my research however, they were offered as a “dealer option” at at least the Indianapolis and Hollywood Kissel dealerships. My Kissel Goldbug was sold in Hollywood and another in the picture below was likely sold in Indy. But that’s the extent of what I know on these sources.

    As to performance, these E & J’s are really very poor illuminators. They don’t throw much light with original bulbs. However, who cares when they look so good.

    Ron Hausmann P.E.

[bruffsup]

Somewhere I have a period  photo of a Canadian made Brooks steam bus with those headlamps which appear to be an original fitment . 

[ron hausmann]

All,

    Here are pictures of a Kissel Gold Bug with Woodlites. 

    There are several Kissel Gold Bugs also which mount these lights.

    Ron

[8E45E]

1 minute ago, ron hausmann said:

All,

    Here are pictures of a Kissel Gold Bug with Woodlites. 

    There are several Kissel Gold Bugs also which mount these lights.

    Ron

 

Something tells me they might look better on that Kissel inverted.

 

Of course Woodlites are not designed to cast their light beam in an inverted position, but they might look more integrated with the grille outline that way.

 

Craig