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I seem to be missing something. The headlights on the 1939 are not sealed beams and my units are disassembled but there seems to be no adjustment screws for adjusting the headlamps. The instructions talk about the lamps being pre- set and there are instructions for making sure the tires are properly inflated, car loaded with passenger and adjusting on a wall 25 feet away.
Was adjustment made by moving the headlight bucket itself by shims to focus?
The headlight replacement to a sealed beam 7" bulb will be simple enough if the lights can be focused by moving the buckets but trying to incorporate adjustment screws for focusing will take a lot more work.
Any hint will be appreciated.
Thanks
RJR

Don't you just loosen the big nut on the bottom of the fender and swing them around where you want them? Its a sort of spherical mount.

Just to get the nomenclature right, aim and focus are two different things; aim is done my moving the entire fixture to put the "hot spot" in the correct position. Focus is related to the position of the filament with respect to the curvature of the reflector which establishes the convergence or divergence of the beam. Your OEM bulbs were "pre-focused" in that regard so there is no focus adjustment with them, or would there be with sealed beams.

Gentlemen. Let us not quibble. If I can understand your respective comments, the original bulbs on the 39 and any 7" sealed beam which I may opt to install to replace them are " pre focused" and therefore all I can do is aim the beams to avoid blinding oncoming motorists and to hopefully allow me to see where I am going with higher output halogen or LED replacements.
Unlike modern cars, the "aim":will be accomplished by movement of the headlight buckets by " the big nuts on the bottom of the fenders"

Since my project car was dismantled by someone else years ago, I will endeavor to find the big nuts and swivel bracket to properly " aim" the lights. I assume the remaining instructions from the service manual regarding setting the lights individually with properly inflated tires, a level floor , proper ballast and 25' targeting will still apply.

I swore three projects ago to avoid any vehicle which had been dismantled by a third party....particularly when detailed service manuals and readily accessible vehicles of the vintage were unavailable for assistance. The
learning curve is too hard....and expensive.

I thank you both again. If it were not for the information offered freely by this Forum it would be far more difficult if not impossible to get these cars back on the road.
I will post pictures of the sealed beam conversion shortly.
RJR

I have some of the dome-shaped washers and possibly even the nuts but the washers seemed smaller than I remembered them. Anyone know the approximate diameter so that I can be sure what mine are to make them available? We're they the same between multiple years?

I went through this process on my '39 Six and did it 'by the manual' drawing the horizontal line on the cardboard at 25' away, etc., and it went quite smoothly. For the gentleman reassembling the car, one would HOPE that the 'last guy' would have put the washers and nuts back on the base threads. If not and they can't be located, I can measure the washers on my car and advise. I recall it being a bit of a trick getting the buckets secure enough that they can still be manipulated for aiming and not have them so loose as to 'lose' the adjustment position as one tightens them up. There was also some confusion with the positions on the light switch and the wiring, with one of the notches being the 'city' position and high beam was affected in, I believe, one light. If I recall correctly, it is a 4-position switch?? The 'smart guys' can jump in here and clarify this, but it is definitely worthy of note, as without any specs on the switch, one can think there are wiring issues when, in fact, there are not. Chris