Can we talk headlamps?

[340wedge]

My information says that Chrysler used two manufacturers for headlamps, General Electric and Westinghouse. I saw a pic online of a NOS set of headlamps (7 inch for 1971 Duster) and they said General Electric on the bottom and had a #2 at the top of the headlamp. My car has two of these but I cannot believe they are the original headlamps. Were these factory or aftermarket, something you could purchase in stores as well during the 70s and early 80s?

 

[toolmanmike]

@slantsixdan will have the answer for you.

 

[slantsixdan]

My information says that Chrysler used two manufacturers for headlamps, General Electric and Westinghouse.

About 50 per cent GE, 25 per cent each Tung-Sol (which later became Wagner) and Westinghouse.

I saw a pic online of a NOS set of headlamps (7 inch for 1971 Duster)

Where did you see it? There is nothing such as a headlamp specifically for a '71 Duster; the original items were № 6014, a 60/50w tungsten 7-inch sealed beam used as OE and service replacement on virtually all vehicles with 7-inch headlamps (except commercial vehicles like trucks and buses, which used the heavy-duty version, № 6015 or 6016 depending on the lamp maker).

The lens optics (flutes and prisms) are not all the same on all 6014s even from a given manufacturer; they were revised and upgraded in the '73-'74 timeframe, for example.

and they said General Electric on the bottom and had a #2 at the top of the headlamp. My car has two of these but I cannot believe they are the original headlamps.

Certainly could be. The old tungsten sealed beams grow dimmer and dimmer with age, but they can keep on lighting up for yearrrrrrrrrrs.

Were these factory or aftermarket

Both.

something you could purchase in stores as well during the 70s and early 80s?

Yes.

What are you trying to do? Have factory-exact new headlamps? Have better-than-factory headlamps? Something else?

 

[George Jets]

There is one way to tell they are originals.

They shine a dim "Orange" glow when turned on.

New replacement bulbs shown here:

☆☆☆☆☆

 

[340wedge]

Thank you for the response, it was just what I was looking for. I was curious what headlamps I had and if they matched and saw they are both GE with the #2 at the top and saw NOS lights were the same. I want to buy a few matching ones as spares as I believe over the years they will be harder and harder to find. I couldn't believe they were what may have come on the car originally albeit my car is not a survivor per definition but is all original with 98K miles. I didn't think the headlamps would last 50 plus years but if they did that's awesome. I don't drive it at night so just having the "correct" headlamps is what I am shooting for.

 

[Dana67Dart]

How much night driving did the car get?

Think about your radio light bulb, my bet is 90+ percent are original.

But again it all depends on the amount of time they were on.

 

[Murray]

You can find old headlights at the wrecker on old p/ups.

 

[Mattax]

My information says that Chrysler used two manufacturers for headlamps, General Electric and Westinghouse. I saw a pic online of a NOS set of headlamps (7 inch for 1971 Duster) and they said General Electric on the bottom and had a #2 at the top of the headlamp. My car has two of these but I cannot believe they are the original headlamps. Were these factory or aftermarket, something you could purchase in stores as well during the 70s and early 80s?

There is nothing such as a headlamp specifically for a '71 Duster; the original items were № 6014, a 60/50w tungsten 7-inch sealed beam used as OE and service replacement on virtually all vehicles with 7-inch headlamps

I think you'll find the Service and Owners manual will show that a 1971 Duster came with 6012 lamps.
That will agree with National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 480-17 (available on-line) printed by the GPO in 1978. See Tables 5 and 6.

There are photos and descriptions of the various GE lens markings in that same publication.

These lamps are on my buddy's '68.

If someone wanted to play detective, its possible to determine if the lens pattern was in production during a time frame that matches a car's production date.

 

[slantsixdan]

I think you'll find the Service and Owners manual will show that a 1971 Duster came with 6012 lamps.

Maybe, but I'm medium-sure 6014 (60/50w) supplanted 6012 (50/40w) around 1970. Chrysler kept the same 6-digit part number for the US-spec sealed beam (152291) from 1967 (when 6012s were definitely OE) through at least '74 (when 6014s were definitely OE).

That will agree with National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 480-17 (available on-line) printed by the GPO in 1978. See Tables 5 and 6.

That's one source of my info on this question, too, and it has the 6012-6014 changeover on A-bodies occurring for '73. Here again, note the same Chrysler part number for 6012 and 6014 from

So why would "6012" still be printed? Well, in decades of trawling through stuff Chrysler printed, I've seen a lot of stuff that stayed the same for many years and didn't get a clean-break change (no new part number for the sealed beam, for example) that didn't get updated in a timely manner. And given the retention of the one part number, it's likely the changeover occurred over an extended period of time, varying by plant and supplier.

(Note the late 6012 and early-production 6014 from most makers look substantially alike from the front.)

 

[RustyRatRod]

Ok. Headlamps.