Body / Glass: 1941-42-46 Champion headlight bezel interchange with 42-42 M bezel??

[TXCR13]

The 1942-48 M pickup headlight bezels look very similar to the 1941-42-46 Champion bezels. Anyone know if they will physically interchange?
I need a pair for my 46 Champion. The Champion repops are $175 each and I would like to do a little better price wise than that if I can.
I am not overly concerned about originality.
Thanks.

[nvonada]

They are the same. There are two types of bezel, one is cast and the other stamped. They look identical from the outside. Used ones show up on e-bay all the time. Some are badly corroded to the point of the edges crumbling. If you care about the chrome you will probably be money and hassle ahead buying repops rather than finding good cores and getting them redone.

Pictures of mine here:

http://stude.vonadatech.com/wp/65-2/

Nathan

[TXCR13]

Nathan-
Thank you very much sir for the valuable information. Much appreciated!

[skyway]

This may not be a real clear description, but in addition to cast and stamped, I thought the tops of the truck bezels were longer (as in front to back) than the car ones?
Always wondered if they would, nonetheless, interchange?

[nvonada]

I have compared them visually but I have to admit that the bezels were installed on vehicles and I did not measure depth. It seems odd that Stude would make two different parts that are almost identical when they control the shape of the fenders but they did weirder things. If the depth is different the headlights would probably not sit right in the bezels. Might be able to correct with some washers behind the headlight buckets but why borrow trouble? Maybe worth a call or two to verify. You might try posting on the ASC forums too. Most of the prewar experts hang out here too but not all.

[rkapteyn]

The "M" series headlight bezels do not interchange with the 1941/42 cars.

[skyway]

"but they did weirder things."

Agreed; sometimes weird, sometimes wonderful, and occasionally both weird & wonderful!

[TXCR13]

The "M" series headlight bezels do not interchange with the 1941/42 cars.

What are the differences between the two headlight rings??

[rkapteyn]

What are the differences between the two headlight rings??

The 1941/42 rims are less deep.
The distance between the front to back at the top is longer on the "M" trucks.
The 1941 cars used a die cast rim and in 1942/46 they used a stamped stainless steel rim.
Dimensional they are the same and will interchange.
The "M" trucks were die cast also but many were painted because chrome was in limited supply.
After WW11 they went back to chrome plated rims.

Robert Kapteyn

[dannyo]

Steve, i think i still have at least 1 for the car, got a lot of trucks but thay are not right , pm me i will give you my email address so we can send pics of what i have dannyo.

[TXCR13]

Bezel interchange.

The "M" series headlight bezels do not interchange with the 1941/42 cars.

You are correct, the truck bezels I referenced will not fit the '41-46 Stude Champion car. I had both the truck and Champion bezels side by side today and they are physically different.

[TXCR13]

[QUOTE=rkapteyn;1037271]The 1941/42 rims are less deep.
The distance between the front to back at the top is longer on the "M" trucks.
The 1941 cars used a die cast rim and in 1942/46 they used a stamped stainless steel rim.
Dimensional they are the same and will interchange.
The "M" trucks were die cast also but many were painted because chrome was in limited supply.
After WW11 they went back to chrome plated rims.

Robert-
Thanks for the info, you are correct that the truck rims are longer front to back, by about 5/8". Because of that, the retaining screw at top the truck bezel will not reach the "fork" of the Champion headlight bucket it needs to hang on. The screw is in the right location, as are the two retaining screws at the bottom, but again, the bezel is too deep. Even if you could use longer screws and hang the bezels on the Champion buckets, the headlights would then be too recessed back from the deeper bezels and would not look right.
Don't have any idea if truck headlight buckets will fit the Champion car, or what the bezels would look like if they were then installed on the truck buckets in the Champion.
Hope this information is useful to other owners.

[TXCR13]

Steve, i think i still have at least 1 for the car, got a lot of trucks but thay are not right , pm me i will give you my email address so we can send pics of what i have dannyo.

Thanks, Dannyo. PM sent.

[rkapteyn]

If you need a second one, I have a stamped steel one chrome plated.
Robert Kapteyn
studebaker@mac.com

[TXCR13]

If you need a second one, I have a stamped steel one chrome plated.
Robert Kapteyn
studebaker@mac.com

Tks, Robert. I have sent you an email.