Show us your Hella shine-down lights

[James Davies]

Same with mine shown above with the chipped glass. No gasket, just metal tabs bent over the glass.

Steve, I assume it will be more unnerving to fasten the plastic shine-down lenses with rivets you have to peen.

[Steve Harrison]

Ha James,..there's the rub!
I'm going to give away my secret right here...I saved the original rivet heads and plan to epoxy them back on, haha. Just a small dab will do ya,..and no one will ever see. All original look, with zero risk.
I started looking at epoxy in a different light a few years ago when my friend Lowell Sivey told me he uses it all the time in award winning restorations.

[James Davies]

Shine down from1953 coupe 50687. Hella logo with a squiggle on the chrome, unmarked glass lens.

[James Davies]

Shine down on 1953 coupe 50432, same the one above.

[James Davies]

Shine down from very original early 1953 coupe 502xx is the same as the above two - Hella and squiggle on the chrome, nothing on the reverse light lens. This one has a gasket around the reverse light lens.

[Steve Harrison]

James, you are the sleuth of the shine down.
You must have inordinate extra time on your hands, haha.
I know no other person who knows the 53 year better.
Who says the old guard is dying out with all the knowledge? I beg to differ.
Good on ya.

[James Davies]

Ha! The information accumulates, and occasionally I have to blurt it out once the evidence points one direction or the other. =)

Don't get me started on the differences in the early and late bulb holders. *I need therapy*

[paul vantol]

My light has the Hella logo, but does not have the K 1431 designation and it's a June of 1953 cabriolet.

[James Davies]

Thanks Paul! That's consistent with all the other cars up to that point that have Hella stampings.

The earliest car I know of with an original K1431 stamped chrome shine down is from October 1953. And I suspect they stayed that way through the rest of production for ones that had Hella stamps.

[Vincent Gillespie]

I was avoiding reassembling this post chroming, endless potential ways to screw up; broken tabs, hammer marks in the chrome, shattered lenses, temper lost, then revelation epoxy & the original rivet heads for the lenses, simply brilliant. Thanks.
V

[Victor Ingram]

55 shinedown, a Victor Miles exceptional restoration

[Jeroen van der Velden]

Restored original shine down that was on my 1956 coupe.
No hella logo on the chrome, K1431 on the glass lens.

[Jeroen van der Velden]

Trying to find out which of these plastic lenses are correct/original my 1956 coupe.
I have two clear lenses and two with half circles on it.
Are they both original? Are the clear lenses for early cars and the ones with the circles on it for later cars?

Thanks Jeroen

[Brad Ripley]

Shine done is clear.
Shine up has half-moon cast in.
BTW, most of shine downs I have dealt with DO NOT have logo nor K-number.

[Jeroen van der Velden]

Thanks Brad, i will clean the clear ones and put them in.

Jeroen