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I have a 1933 Standard 8 with dismal headlamps. What bulbs might work better or any other "fix" that could make night time driving more safe? And where available?

There is nothing you could install that would suffice to modern expectations. The best thing for safe nighttime driving is to install a pair of 6V sealed beam driving lamps, somewhat older style depending on what you can find, unless you can adapt to 12V modern LED lights which draw less amperage...speaking of, make sure your electrical system is ready.

If it hasn't been done already, have the reflectors resilvered - it can make a HUGE difference. Using lamp black or similar to remove tarnish on old reflectors may help but you'll never match the lighting you'll get with fresh reflectors. If you can find a plater to do it, consider Rhodium plating as it has nearly the same color reflectivity as silver and does not tarnish. And of course make sure the electrical contacts are up to snuff and you have good, solid and clean grounds!

Several years ago Bruce Blevins of Motor City Packards started a club project to accurately reproduce the 3003 bulb that fits 1933 and 1934 Packards. The bulbs sold for $40 apiece plus shipping.

He had 1000 bulbs produced and the entire profits ($30,000) were donated to the restoration of the Packard Proving Grounds.

I believe he may be sold out, but you could contact him directly to be sure. He is listed in the PAC National Directory. Some folks bought many extras just in case we ran out. You might find them on eBay from time to time.

At one time there was a company called Uvira in Oregon that had a process for coating headlight reflectors with an aluminized film that was sealed with glass and provided better reflection than silver.
Not sure if they are still doing this or not.

Hi Russ:

If your lights are really bad then you need to look at the whole system.

Bulbs are the easiest to check: Hold them against a bright white surface. If they are yellowed they are definitely worn out. Bulbs typically lose 50% of capacity with age.

Next is the wiring. Using a voltmeter check the voltage between the bulb base and the negative battery post with the headlights on. If there is more than .2 volts you need to run a grounding pigtail to a good chassis ground. This is called a voltage drop and denotes a bad connection. Also, check the voltage differences across all the main connections you can find. More than .2 volts is a questionable connection.

Another place for trouble is the switch. You can buy 6 volt headlight relays to take the load out of that switch.

Of course the wiring and connections to the lights can also be poor and there are connectors in the light bars and pigtails in the sockets that are troublesome. I think Blevins used to sell a kit for that.

One other option for the reflectors is vacuum plating. This is the same as a sealed beam reflector. Pay careful attention to the seal to prevent tarnishing.

The last 10th series car I did surprised me with very good headlights. It had good bulbs, new wiring, a good switch, and good socket pigtails; so results can be had.

Hope this helps

Hi Russ:

One very important note.

Underneath the dash is the fuse box.

There are two fuses: One is for the cigarette lighter only and the other is for everything else.

There is a limp in resistor which provides limited lighting in case there is a short and the fuse blows. If the fuse is blown the lights will be very dim.

Check the fuse and the connections.

Also, there is a leg of the harness going over the right glove box. This is for interior lights on closed cars.
Cut the wire and install an inline fuse. If there is an interior short the car can catch fire.

Hey, GROUP:

Some very helpful info here. Thanks and thanks to any others willing to contribute. What about installing a 6V sealed beam behind the glass of my large Packard lamp. Would require a different pigtail, etc. but would my glass lens allow the light to project or does the light need to reflect off the reflectors to be optimal? And amperage draw? for this? So much to know and a newbie on electrics here. Russ

Russ - there are very precise mathematical relationships between the location of the filament and the prismatic features of the lens that follow optical laws to give the desired lighting. Just speculation but I'd think that a sealed beam with it's own lens behind the existing lens would give a very ineffective light beam.

Really, if you have new or good 3003 bulbs, good reflectors, and good clean electrical connections and grounds, the original lights should be quite satisfactory.

Hello Russ:

I spoke to Bruce about your lighting issues and told him of your "idea" to mount modern 6V sealed beams inside your existing lamp buckets.

His response is unprintable here and to paraphrase it was along the lines of blasphemous or heretical to do that conversion.

Having owned a 1934 Super 8 I would agree with Bruce's assessment.