Headlamp Bracket
A while ago I covered the reconstruction of a Solar 800 Headlamp.
https://poppapope-steamcar.blogspot.com/2023/03/finding-things-to-do-waiting-for-boiler.html
At the time I decided to electrify it and after shining it up, I put it aside until I could figure out how to mount it on the front of the car.
Taking a cue from Grier, I focused on getting some type of mount that attached to the point where the front of the frame and the front leaf spring came together.
When I got the frame kits from STW, the studs provided for bolting the frame to the chassis were about 1/4 inch too long. At the time I took the easy way out and used some larger nuts as big spacers to eat up the slack. Coming back and looking at it, I decided to try for a bracket that would fit on the front edge of the assembly and was made of 1/8 inch steel. This way it would clamp over the existing plates and I could remove the "spacer nuts" as the clamp would use up the excess.
So - Where to get a bracket?
I scoured Ebay, Etsy, Model-T sites, Brass Era sites over a couple of months. I never found an 8" Headlamp bracket that I could use as a starting point. I studied the blog entries on Grier's blog,
https://210doghouse.blogspot.com/2018/03/front-headlamp-mount-part-1.html
where he modified one to mount on his Lyka.
After assessing my welding skills (none) I went on a hunt for someone to help me out. I talked with a couple of fabricators here in Denver, and found that unless I was doing a large project they did not have the time. So I looking into the local "Steel Yards" to see if I could find anyone there. In the past I have found that many suppliers of material, wood, steel, plumbing, etc have people woring there who are craftspeople and will do small jobs.
I found a place - Altitude Steel - in Denver that was willing to supply and fabricate my little bracket.
(Shameless Plug)
I gave Jake some sketches on graph paper - napkin cad - and he was able to get my bracket built in a very timely manner. It turns out that my measurement on a crucial portion was off by a 1/2 inch, and he graciously modified the initial bracket to fit. (no extra charge). I will use him again for any other steel projects, on the car or off.
Here is the bare steel bracket, as delivered, only some minor cleanup on the two rods that insert into the headlamp was needed. It all fit, but I wanted a little play to make removal easier. There are a pair of bolts (set screws) in the lamp to lock it all down so I am not worried about it rattling away.
The bracket -
Rough Fit - I opened the bolt holes a bit to allow minor side to side adjustment.
Primer and Paint - Automotive Gloss Black with Gloss Clear Coat.
Fit to the front mount - I was a little concerned about getting everything tight again, especially the original use of the bolts which was to afix the chassis to the leaf-springs. However, the bracket was just tight enough to snug everything down.
And a fit with the Headlamp -
Well, that's it for this week. I have not heard from STW about any lights at the end of the tunnel but I know that reports of how busy they are on the production floor mean that mine is not the only project behind the 8-Ball.
It is the end of September now, and fall-winter here in Colorado means that painting and finishing get more difficult as well as your fingers get stuck to bare metal!
So - I have set my target "First Steam-Up" for our Memorial Day - the last Monday in May, 2024.
Unless of course - I get a surprise package before then.
Regards to all.
Thanks for reading.