Thread: '31 v/s '32 Headlight bar

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My wife had bought me a "31 headlight bar for my car a couple of Christmas' ago, since then I bought a '32 grille to put on my car and guess what, the bar don't work. Stupid question: So does a '32 headlight bar have that much of a different angle so that it goes around the grille? In pictures they look the same.

Welcome to "headlight bars annonymous"!!! My name is Brian, and I know more about this than you will ever want to hear. Yes---there is that big a difference. Sometimes you get lucky and can elongate the holes in your fenders and fender support brackets enough to rotate the headlight bar foreward and clear rhe grill/insert with the headlight bar. Most aftermarket headlight bars for this application are "V'eed" which means they are bent to a bit of a peak at the center to clear the grill/insert. The aftermarket bars for this application are not advertised specifically for 30/31's, but they are---they do not fit a 28/29 fender package---different angle at the ends where they contact the fender. I have a post going on this forum about my headlight bar saga---If ya want to know anything else---ask me!!!

Thanks again Brian. You're always helping me out.

Don't think I can make this '31 bar fit no matter what. Guess I'll go order another bar. I just wanted to make sure that there was a difference before I ordered.

Want to buy a brand new '31 bar....LOL!

According to two different dealers, I need to purchase a '31 headlamp bar with a "V" in it to fit around the grille. According to them, a regular '32 bar will not work.

Anyone seen someone that carries these?

A 32 headlight bar will not fit on a model A of any year. The fenders have a different curvature on a 32, and the relationship between the position of the headlights front to rear compared to the front of the grillshell is different. The headlight bar sets farther foreward on a 32 than on a model A, and the fender support braces on the inside of the front fenders, which the headlight bar bolts to (thru the fenders) is in a different place on a 32.

The "V" headlight bars that I have found so far are double the price of a regular one. The cheapest I have found so far is $206.

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33869

Thanks. I've seen that thread, but the title of the thread threw me off...LOL!

When I built my car I bought the stainless dropped headlight bar from Macs. It was described as a headlight bar for the 30-31 Model A using a 32 grill and shell. I installed it without the headlight buckets in it for easier installation. I also had to loosen one of the fender brackets to get it to bolt up. I tightened up the bar to the fender bolts first, and then retightened the loose fender bracket to the frame. It went together pretty easy, and was able to spring itself as I tightened up the fender frame bracket bolts.

Nice looking car a30coupe. What kind of brackets did you use before you bought the headlight bar?

I have the round bar type fender brackets. I do not have the stamped channel style brackets that were used on the late '30 & '31 Model A's.

I mean, what did you use to mount the headlights before you put the bar on?