project 1980 Austin Princess

[vulgalour]

I think the Cortina pie dishes are too small, I've no idea on the Galaxie lights (which I love, btw) and chaseracer's suggestion are half the size needed, though there are American suppliers for 7" LED trailer lights which are boring but would likely fit the bill.

 

You can turn the lights upside down and swap side to side, I've done it before, but it looks stupid.

[chaseracer]

...chaseracer's suggestion are half the size needed...

 

Ah... oops.  Sorry, Angyl - I misread the dimensions.  Lucky I don't work on Mars expeditions...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter#Cause_of_failure

 

[vulgalour]

Skizzer:  I'm considering debumpering again, it can be done in a reversible way.  That should give me the extra depth required.  I'll measure things, it's all just an idea at the moment and if I can't find a 7" light solution then it goes no further.

[chaseracer]

Just a thought, but: coach tail-lights?  FPB7 of this electronic parish is the fount of all PSV knowledge.

[KruJoe]

How about cutting the existing lights in half, leaving the inner (reverse) light as they are, and flipping / swapping the outer bits (orange / red)? Maybe you could have a play with a spare set. You could build your own bit-wot-holds-the-lenses.

That would make a parallelogram at each side, which would fit with the lines of the car much better.

Here, I found a purple parallelogram for you.

Now you can't say I don't care.

[STUNO]

Noooo. Round lights will look terrible on the rear of that . I have always disliked the standard lights as they are too small and too low, But big round ones are not a good idea on such an angular rump. That said I don't know what would look good without a lot of research, guessing that a split with some lights in the regular position and others on the boot lid may look better. Try something in that direction and see .

[vulgalour]

Turns out Cortina pie-dishes might actually be the ticket as they look about the right size, far bigger than I thought. They're also really easy to get hold of and have all the relevant bits in them.  Swap the indicator in them for a fog light and it's a really tidy end product, I hope.

 

[vulgalour]

Remembered I had a spare rear panel in the shed and measured it.  Available space is 6", which isn't enough.  Oh well, at least I know the size limit now.

[Inspector Morose]

Plaxton panorama elite are the only round lights getting anywhere near that dimension but are pretty rare and pricey now. A lot of coach builders use trailer lights for cost and ease of replacement.

 

I don't think round lights will suit the back of that at all, it'll clash with the angles of the boot lid gaps and the general sharpness of the rear. If it were me I'd panel over, cut horizontal slots and fit LEDs behind. Would work better with a bumper less rear too. What do I know? It's your car, do what pleases you!😀

[mouseflakes]

Do you have Can you do a mock-up of how this will look?

 

Would look like a Renault 10 driving backwards. It's just as well there's not enough space as I think it looks  a bit very plop.

 

 

I really like the standard Princess lights - part of the Princess character.

[oman5]

Viva hc rear lights would suit it

[ruffgeezer]

Sorry Angyl, I know you are a designery type, but round lights on an angular rump are just going to look gash.

[mouseflakes]

Why not ask Moira Stewart if she's still got her old 504 Coupe in the lock-up? The rear lights off that might suit the Princess.

 

[vulgalour]

In my head, it looked much better than that ^ so I think we dodged a bullet there.  I would have made a mock-up before committing any funds, obviously, but now I don't even have to do that.

 

The horizontal slots with LED strips makes a lot of sense, it smooths out the rear end and while I haven't yet done a mock-up of that, I suspect it'll be more in keeping.  I'm of the Ed Roth and George Barris school of thinking, which means I do tend to make bad decisions at the theory stage.

 

Another strong contender is Holden Gemini.  The rear panel on the Princess is flat and tucks in at the bottom a little, just like on the Gemini.  These look about the right size to work, and if they were recessed into the rear panel a little they wouldn't look quite so chunky-sticky-outy.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GEMINI-TC-TD-TX-TAIL-LIGHTS-/331347913508?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d25dfeb24&_uhb=1

 

 

I daresay it'll take me forever to find lights that are an improvement on the originals and then I'll stumble on some quite by accident one day.

[vulgalour]

I've looked for Peugeot 504 rear lights to no avail, seems the only way to get a set of those is to buy a Peugeot 504.

[mouseflakes]

I've scaled them to fit - but they look a bit short. If they're bigger than this in reality then they'll be too tall. Anyway, I've phoned Moira and told her she can stop searching for the keys.

 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Just finished reading through all of this. Your car has taken you on quite a journey!

 

Cars like this are never truly finished

 

Also I'm afraid I'm in the standard lights camp. Not because I think it should be OMGCOMPLETELYSTANDARDCONCOURSWANKWR but I can't think of any other lights that would work so well

[chaseracer]

Would look like a Renault 10 driving backwards...

 

You say that like it's a bad thing...

 

[Skizzer]

Skizzer:  I'm considering debumpering again, it can be done in a reversible way.  That should give me the extra depth required.  I'll measure things, it's all just an idea at the moment and if I can't find a 7" light solution then it goes no further.

 

Ah, fair enough.  

 

Quite like the HC Viva suggestion, btw.

[Timewaster]

This runs the risk of ending up a right old Frankenstein kit car look.

 

Doesn't worry me, it's your car after all, but that photoshop of the 7" brake lights looked something from thereifixedit.com

[vulgalour]

yeah, the 7" thing is happening now because I've only 6" of usable valance.  So I'm looking at other solutions, like Vivas, 504s and Colts.

[Des]

SD1 lamps? 

[mouseflakes]

Sticking with the circular theme from the A40...

 

Saab 95...

 

[vulgalour]

I hate SD1 rear lights when they're not on SD1s.  Like the SAAB idea, those stick nicely to the impossible-to-source theme.

[Felly Magic]

Morris Marina tail lamps?

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Pity there's no way to hide the lights completely. I think that would look ace with a completely smooth rear.

 

Maybe smoked lights below the valance, possibly not legal. Or lights sprayed to match the colour of the car flush with the rear panel - I'm sure I've seen this done but unsure how successful it would be.

[Bren]

Would look like a Renault 10 driving backwards. It's just as well there's not enough space as I think it looks  a bit very plop.

 

PRIN2.jpg

 

I really like the standard Princess lights - part of the Princess character.

Square lights suit the princess - the round ones make it look like something out of close encounters of the third kind.

[fordperv]

hey vulg what about mk1 escort/pre facelift mk1 capri tail lights

 

 

 

i also saw this earlier when i walked the petrol station with a few mates and thought of you, there was a couple of them there the same colour scheme

 

[vulgalour]

I'd really like a full width light that wraps around the corners, in an ideal world, rather like that found on the Ford Aircraft Carrier Zodiac, but the sides are the wrong profile.

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

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