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Posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.62.94] on Friday, December 11, 2009 at 23:11:30 :
In Reply to: Re: All you have to do is ask...... posted by Marty [174.7.23.230] on Friday, December 11, 2009 at 21:09:02 :
The parts books use the description "Tail and Signal Lamps". The "Signal" in this description was "stop signal" (brake lights).
As far as I know, the WDX-WM300 tailights were only just running lights and brake lights, as Kaegi mentions, whether single (drivers side) or dual (driver and passenger side). Turn signals were separate lights altogether.
I believe dual tailights could be either equipped from the factory or dealer installed depending upon how the truck was ordered, at least from 1949 and on. This is what I gather from the supplement that I scanned. However, sometimes certain parts were available, but happened to not make it into the parts list for some reason. This was one thing the supplements covered - parts that had been overlooked when the parts list was printed. The other thing supplements did was to update a parts list with new changes without having to reprint a whole new list with mostly repetitious information. Supplements also corrected mistakes and listed parts that were changed or superceded. So it was entirely possible, though not proven, that dual tailights were available before 1949 on Power-Wagons. This theory is supported by the old existing part numbers that had been around and used somewhere prior to 1949 according to the supplement.
Turn signals first started appearing in the 1953 Power Wagon parts list as a MoPar accessory. They were available as a package with their own wiring harness. Being that they were shown as MoPar accessory, that would make one think that they were dealer or owner installed only. But also in the same parts list, they start to show up in group 8 with totally different part numbers from the MoPar kit parts listed in the front of the book. This would make it appear that a truck could be ordered from the factory with turn signals that were integrated to some extent rather than just being a MoPar add-on.
I do not have a good photo, but around about 1953 somewhere, trucks start appearing in literature with front turn signals mounted on formed sheetmetal L-brackets which in turn mounted to the side supports of the radiator cowl. This location mounted the signal slightly higher than the headlights. I have taken radiator cowls off of parts trucks that had factory holes in the cowl sides supports (part numbers 1095 441 and 1095442). These holes were for those special turn signal brackets to mount to. (I have not located the bracket parts or numbers in the lists yet). I believe when these holes and brackets are found, this indicates that the truck came factory equipped with turn signals. Of course, later photos show the signals mounted to the side holes in the grill on the extended grill 251 engine equipped trucks. The special brackets then ceased to be used.
Junior
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