Words & Photos: John Gunnell
Not all hot rod and kustom car headlight treatments rely on “chrome thingies” like shields, covers or eyebrows to have an impact. A little body putty or lead can change the shape of a fender and the way that a headlight fits into it. In other cases, just the creative use of paint can turn a headlight treatment into something really special.
Photo 1 in the gallery shows one variation of a headlight treatment that seemed very popular with hot rodders at the recent “Cheaterama” in Milwaukee, though there are several variations on this theme. This one has the headlight bucket painted body color with a chrome-plated parking light fixture on top of it.
In Photo 2, we see another variation of the hot rod headlight treatment. In this case, the headlight bucket is painted, but so is the “scoop” holding the parking light lens. In addition, this scoop is built into the headlamp bucket, instead of being screwed to it like the chrome light fixture was. In Photo 3, you see a similar setup, except that the piece with the parking light is bolted on.
Another variation of the classic hot rod headlight is the all-chrome style shown in Photo 4. The headlight bucket is chrome plated, as is the chrome parking lamp fixture. The latter piece has a cool art deco-like design and appears to be screwed to the chrome bucket. There is also a white plastic trim piece attached to the front of the fluted fixture.
In Photo 5 we see the “blue collar” version of the hot rod headlight, with a rusty and weathered look that rat rodders prefer. This headlight is bolted onto an International pickup truck and is definitely intended to have an “I-worked-hard-all-my-life” look. This kind of treatment will save you money, too.
“Frenching” is the act of recessing or molding a headlight, taillight, antenna or number plate into a car body to give a smoother look to the vehicle. Frenched headlight kits are available on eBay or through Speedway Moors (www.speedwaymotors.com) for $130-$165. Photo 6 shows a shoebox Ford with this treatment. Photo 7 shows a slightly different style Frenched headlight on a 1953 Pontiac. The headlight in Photo 8 is sort of semi-Frenched. It is not recessed, but the chrome headlight door has been eliminated for a smoother look. Also note the smooth-looking aftermarket headlamp lens.
A somewhat wilder headlight treatment is seen on the Nash shown in Photo 9. Paint and decorative flames were added to this layout to accentuate the custom design. Paint was also a major part of the 1957 Chevrolet headlight treatment shown in Photo 10.
