Transtar park/turn lights

[52-fan]

When we got back from the Studebakers of Arkansas meeting Sunday the skies were gray and Joe had the lights of his 57 Transtar on. I had never noticed that the park/turn lights stay on with the headlights. Anyway, I thought it looked cool so I snapped some pictures before he backed it into the garage. Now I want to get some similar shots with a better background.



1952 Champion Starlight, 1962 Daytona, both w/overdrive.Searcy,Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[Skip Lackie]

I like the look, too, but suspect that it didn't come that way from the factory. I believe 1968 was the first year that Federal rules required the parking (and the newly required side lights) to stay on when the headlights were on.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[52-fan]

You're right about not being stock. Originally this truck had the lights that mounted on top of the front fenders. Joe liked these better and wired them like the newer vehicles.


1952 Champion Starlight, 1962 Daytona, both w/overdrive.Searcy,Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[Skip Lackie]

Those parking lights that appear to hang suspended in the voids of the grille were a stroke of styling genius anyway. Leaving them on all the time makes them even better.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[tutone63]

quote:Originally posted by Skip Lackie

I like the look, too, but suspect that it didn't come that way from the factory. I believe 1968 was the first year that Federal rules required the parking (and the newly required side lights) to stay on when the headlights were on.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

So, on my 63 Lark, and my 66 chevy, the parking lights stay on with the headlights...does this mean that they are not stock? I guess I always thought that the parking lights have always been integrated into the headlight switch. (to be in the 'on' position if the headlights are on)


1963 Lark Custom, 259 V8, TT, 4 doors, 2 tone paint, and garaged for the winter...I can't wait til spring!!

[Skip Lackie]

quote:
So, on my 63 Lark, and my 66 chevy, the parking lights stay on with the headlights...does this mean that they are not stock? I guess I always thought that the parking lights have always been integrated into the headlight switch. (to be in the 'on' position if the headlights are on)

That's what I am saying. Amber sidelights became mandatory in North America on vehicles made after Jan 1, 1968. My recollection is that the same rule required parking lights to remain on when headlights were on, as protection against vehicles with a burned-out headlight. All of the pre-68 cars I've owned, including a 67 Vette, 62 Chev, and 64 Daytona (the last two of which I still own) had parking lights that went out when the headlights were turned on. All of the post-67 vehicles had parking lights (and side lights) that stayed on.

Converting the parking lights so that they'll stay on is a trivial exercise on most vehicles. It was a common modification on many cars at the time. At one time, JC Whitney even offered kits to "update" those pre-68 vehicles that were a little more difficult to convert.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[52-fan]

You've got me wondering now. I'll have to ask Joe what he did. It is possible that the lights staying on is related to the late 60s tilt column that he has in the truck because they are also the turn signals.


1952 Champion Starlight, 1962 Daytona, both w/overdrive.Searcy,Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[StudeRich]

If this Truck is a modified all bets are off! [:0] It sure did not come from the factory that way!

An Interesting thing I learned on my '62 7E13 1 Ton Dually Transtar, it's in grille parking lights have the 2 conductor side by side Male/Female twin disconnects like all sizes of Trucks with the in grille Parking/Turn Lights, BUT the disconnect plug was factory miss-matched to its harness counterpart so that the turn signal contacts are disconnected so the fender-top class "A" Turn Signals are the only ones working. The 1/2 Ton Trucks USE the in grille turn signals, so they would be connected. They definitely took the easy way out of that one![^]


StudeRich at Studebakers Northwest -Ferndale,WA

[Nitram]

quote:Originally posted by Skip Lackie

I like the look, too, but suspect that it didn't come that way from the factory.

Your correct. My bone stock wiring on my 57 Transtar has the park/turn lights going off when the headlights go on.

Sure would love to have em stay on. How would you rewire them to stay on?


[img=left]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/360197307_8639ee4a46_m.jpg[/img=left]
~Nitram~
57 Transtar

[StudeRich]

You plug the Parking light wire into a instrument light terminal on the Headlight switch. Most Stude. Hd. Lt. Switches have an extra terminal, if your truck does not, use a two to one three-way connector.

The other option is to connect the Parklight wire to the low beam headlight wire at the Light, but you need a radio shack Diode between the two with the flow arrow from the Hd. Lt. to the Pk. Lt. to prevent the Parking light only mode from trying to light the headlights, they work like a one-way gate.

quote:Originally posted by Nitram

Sure would love to have em stay on. How would you rewire them to stay on?

StudeRich at Studebakers Northwest -Ferndale,WA

[Skip Lackie]

quote:Originally posted by StudeRich

An Interesting thing I learned on my '62 7E13 1 Ton Dually Transtar, it's in grille parking lights have the 2 conductor side by side Male/Female twin disconnects like all sizes of Trucks with the in grille Parking/Turn Lights, BUT the disconnect plug was factory miss-matched to its harness counterpart so that the turn signal contacts are disconnected so the fender-top class "A" Turn Signals are the only ones working. The 1/2 Ton Trucks USE the in grille turn signals, so they would be connected. They definitely took the easy way out of that one![^]

My '59 4E40 is wired the same way. Plugging the connector in correctly would allow them to work, though the flasher might need to be changed. And maybe the wiring wouldn't be big ehough . . . .

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[Skip Lackie]

quote:Originally posted by StudeRich

You plug the Parking light wire into a instrument light terminal on the Headlight switch. Most Stude. Hd. Lt. Switches have an extra terminal, if your truck does not, use a two to one three-way connector.

The other option is to connect the Parklight wire to the low beam headlight wire at the Light, but you need a radio shack Diode between the two with the flow arrow from the Hd. Lt. to the Pk. Lt. to prevent the Parking light only mode from trying to light the headlights, they work like a one-way gate.

StudeRich at Studebakers Northwest -Ferndale,WA

Rich-
I appreciate that you're trying to do this without cutting and splicing wires, but I think a better way would be connect the parking light feed wire to the tail light feed wire. This would obviate the necessity to install a diode.

And connecting the parking lights to the dash lights might make the parking lights dim with the dash lights (depending on where the rheostat is in the circuit). On the other hand, most of us run the dash lights on bright, anyway . . ..

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[52-fan]

I asked Joe about his wiring last night and he didn't remember how he hooked up the park/turn lights. The truck not only has a GM column, but also a later heavy duty light switch so that is no help for the stock guys.


1952 Champion Starlight, 1962 Daytona, both w/overdrive.Searcy,Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[mbstude]

Interesting... I didn't know the earlier style (curved) bumper would fit on a truck with the bucktooth grille. Doesn't look bad.

Matthew Burnette
Hazlehurst, GA

[tutone63]

Okay, so...'ahem' I earlier posted that both my 1963 Studebaker Lark and my 1966 Chevy had parking lights that stayed on when I turned the headlights on. Well, after reading Skip Lakie's post saying his pre-1968 cars had Parking lights that turned off, I had to go and check my Chevy, just to see if my memory was faltering. Well, lo and behold, they TURNED OFF when the headlights came on.
Oh, well, I said to myself, just a skip in memory. Sorry guys.

But I KNOW that my Lark parking lights stay on with the headlights!

Well, two days ago, I took pictures of my Lark in the snow, just because I thought it would look good with the white backdrop. (of course I waited til the sun went down, so they turned out WAY too dark) Well, I turned the headlights on for the pictures, you know, for effect or something.

I downloaded them onto the internet today and what did I see??



What the Heck!?! No parking lights on! (no they are not burned out)

I am not that old...what is going on here! Oh well, I guess.

(by the way, my door is not out of alignment, my wife just didn't close it all the way the last time she rode with me...which was the last time it has been driven this year)



1963 Lark Custom, 259 V8, TT, 4 doors, 2 tone paint, and garaged for the winter...I can't wait til spring!!