RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: AndyL on November 07, 2014, 11:01:34 AM
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Does anyone know if the rubber parts for the 3" plastic lensed rear/brake lights are available as an individual spare, or do you have to purchase a complete lamp assembly?
Andy
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Are they the Lucas L581 lenses and units that I sold 2 weeks ago complete . Strange but no-one seems to be listing rubbers , or indeed light units . They might be a Wipac unit you are looking for but you haven't said
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Sorry. Yes i was referring to the Lucas lights as fitted to the British cars sometime around late '59 onwards.
They're harder to source than the earlier glass lensed units. Odd!
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I have sold two pairs in the last two weeks but they are rare . I bought them and had to buy new bulb holders as L581 backplates are usually single filament units . One pair did have the rubber back rubbers , can't think why they aren't made
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Lucas specialist at Beaulieu used to sell the rubbers for most of the common units. That was back in the day and I recall they were something like £2.50. No idea if that trader is still with us. Always wore a sporting cap.
The obvious place to look is Land Rover folk as the unit was on there for a time, though not always with the same lens and with a cut out for the number plate. I have some rare LR lenses to sell mand had wondered about making them whole. Buyers really have got very lazy and tend to want whole units or nothing.
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I have the original bases. A little tired, but serviceable. I have about half a dozen plastic lenses, some new in box, some were good used, and one or two which have a bit of scuffing.
Someone has patterned these, but they come with plastic lamp holders, and the lenses don't have the Lucas legends on. Haven't seen them up close and personal so to speak, so can't vouch for quality, however if not too expensive, they may be worth having for the rubbers.
In two minds whether to use the 3" or go with the L488 glass units, which are common as muck and I think look nicer anyway. The 3" units work better with the LED units I tried, as the lamp sits up higher in the base and thus the side mounted LED's do the work they're supposed to.
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Yes, the plastic unit is bigger and stands proud. However the glass unit is much neater to look at on the car. The Isetta does not have the advantage of parking lights. However if you found some suitable period lights to clip on then you can add to the lighting in a way that would still be better even with glass rear units. It has the benefit of extra lighting but offers the full width of the car rather than about half the width, or the illusion of being further away than it is. Depends if you like accessories and can find some funky units.
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I faced the same dilemma last year when I found out that Thumper was wearing non original rear lamps, they were Butler ones. All the evidence seemed to suggest it would have had the older glass type so were easy to find at an autojumble plus Richard helped me out with a pair of good coloured lenses. As has been said, they do give the car a nice smooth appearence. Here is a pic of mine.
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I have all the parts to put in L488's although my relectors are very shabby and would require refurbishing or replacement.
I believe the original cars used a specially shaped rubber backing piece/gasket for the reflectors which contoured well with the curves of the bodywork.
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Bobs's are the L488'S , but these are the the L581's
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Agreed. I do have a complete set of the L488's though, brand new old stock, so I think I'll use those.
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Andy you've lost me . Didnt you start this topic by saying you wanted rubbers for L581's ?
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Although these are LEP I'm sure they are the same
Ebay item: 161413357146
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yes but at £54 quite dear if you only want the rubbers ;) . I have not quite figured out the pmg/lep/wipac/lucas story as obviously some types cross over . Being modern replicas these are unbranded anyway
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http://www.brit-car.co.uk/product.php/95530/716/stop_tail_lamp_80mm__n_plate_illum
Not sure if they have got the price right on these?!
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Sorry. I meant to put that I do have a complete set of L488 lamps. I've corrected my original post
Basically I was in two minds as to the best thing to do, but I think I will go with the glass lenses if the rubbers aren't very easy to find.
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The flat rubber is only part of the rubber. There is a bit, with ribs (ask Richard?), that goes over the rear of the unit originally.
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The ones in my pic , blow them up , are the only rubbers that I am aware of and could not accommodate any others . There is a rim to it that seats the lens
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My car had been retrofitted with some funky reversing lamps at some point in its lifetime (see pic). The conversion looked neatly done, with the lights located either side of the rear numberplate, and only someone very familiar with the marque would know they weren't standard items.
The lights are chrome plated, and I think they're cast from mazak (uck!).
The car had all the original rear light rubbers in place, only the lenses were absent. However, they had all gone hard and brittle so were useless.
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I had a set of lights like that. I assumed they were Citroen. Nice styling.
Sorry Richard, to oblique there. I think some of your sales product range come ribbed, and even in flavours.
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;)
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are the afore mentioned light rubber's standard Lucas ?
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Which ones? Richard's sales stock are not. Very high quality though. The covers for the rear of the exposed plastic unit. I would guess they are. Such a rubber would not be needed if the unit was going into an internal, or protected void. I assume, therefore that it normally did mount into a void or the rubber would be all in one. Of course on the Isetta its very exposed.
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Plasman the rubbers on my photo are definetly completely standard backing rubbers marked Lucas L581
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The rubbers were twin part. The parts that covered the terminals on the underside were in fairly good nick, surprisingly.
Strange the way some rubbers react. The door rubber on my car had gone as hard as nails, it broke off in chunks like a fresh biscuit! Yet the window rubbers weren't too bad considering the way the car had been kept.