Chrome light rings

[Rooneytoons]

Seen these headlight clusters on the trusty flea bay and now have a question to ask are the chrome rings an aftermarket product


It looks like there's small tabs which you bend over to hold the ring in place

[62champ]

Believe they are early '50 Commander/LandCruiser headlight rings. Later in the year they made the whole housing chrome.

Early:



Late:

[Rooneytoons]

I have a set of both non chrome and fully chromed , I just assumed they were chrome ones that had been painted and the small bit of chrome left un painted , but it looks like my thoughts were wrong

[unclemiltie]

You can remove the stainless rings on the painted ones and have them chromed. It is the same basic casting for both.

[Rooneytoons]

You can remove the stainless rings on the painted ones and have them chromed. It is the same basic casting for both.

I'll be taken a look at the non chrome ones now thanks for the info

[studegary]

The designer, Bob Bourke, wanted them to be painted body color. The dealers and public wanted them in chrome. As stated, it was a running change on all 1950 models, except for the cheapest/base version.

[Rooneytoons]

Bugger I must have the poverty set as there's no rings on my painted set

[StudeRich]

That COULD be because you have a Champion with the smaller Headlight Rims and Parking Lights. I can't tell what you have from that tiny Pic.

[Rooneytoons]

It's a commander I have

[Rooneytoons]

So are they an aftermarket product ???

[RadioRoy]

No, they are not after market.

The early production 50 Commanders and Champions had painted headlight bezels/doors and the later production 50 Commanders and Champions had chromed bezels/doors. The switch happened around mid - year production.

The headlight bezels (which are actually called headlight doors) can be changed with only a Phillips screwdriver, so dealers and back yard customizers can change them at will.

The little stainless steel rings around the parking light lenses should be on the painted headlight doors, but not on the chromed headlight doors. Again, anyone with a screwdriver can remove the little rings around the parking light openings.

Around the same time that the headlight rings were changed from paint to chrome, the grille inserts were changed from chrome to non-plated. One theory is that the same chrome plating dollars made more sense on the headlight rings than they did on the grilles. Around that same time, a new, low cost Champion model was released and called the Custom. The company saved money by eliminating lots of little things on the Custom, like the chrome on the headlight/taillight bezels, passenger sun visor, hood ornament, interior arm rests and such.

This was only on the Champion cars. There was no "poverty" version of the Commander. If you have painted headlight doors and no little ring around the parking lenses, then someone removed them.

[61LaRk4dr]

I have a pair of the smaller Champion headlight doors that are painted and have that chrome ring on the bottom. The have tabs on the back as mentioned before. BTW that is a beautiful Land Cruiser

[Rooneytoons]

Thanks for the replays guys so is the ring around the parking light lens the same size on the champion as the commander ??? 61LaRK4dr its a starlight coupe I have

[unclemiltie]

The stainless steel rim on the commander (and land crusier) is unique to the commander body. The champion has a smaller lens

[Rooneytoons]

The stainless steel rim on the commander (and land crusier) is unique to the commander body. The champion has a smaller lens

Bugger that narrows the search down for a pair then