Amber tail lamps

[2long]

I have always thought that the rear L549 on the TR2 should be amber, as they are not for brakes and correct for turn indicator color over here. It just took me a few decades to find a pair!

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

[Lebro]

Yes they are few & far between.

They can be identified by the part No. Moulded into the plastic

L549 is normal red L.549 is amber.

I use these with red led bulb in the normal position, & amber led in the upper part having replaced the reflector with a convex lens.

Bob

[stuart]

I always thought US market was red for both.

Stuart.

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

Brother's TR3A failed the UK MOT for 'tail lights that were not red'

The lenses are in the spares cave somewhere.

 

Peter W

[Don H.]

The existence of amber L549 lenses has been debated for some time. There are folks who believe they exist, and folks who don't. There are even photos out there of amber-ish lenses -- I have some.

 

My feeling is that the now amber-ish lenses weren't that way originally. I'd bet a nickel they're faded/bleached red originals.

 

Does anyone have a Lucas reference to the color being amber? Their parts manuals back then were works of art, and I don't recall finding an L549 amber anywhere.

 

Bob, I have a NOS in box L.549 lens here in front of me, and it's red. Lighter red than some other batches, but we all know that Lucas red isn't always the same color -- just try to match glass beehives sometime.

 

Is this one amber? The owner and I don't think so...

[james christie]

That's a sun faded red.......

 

James

[Don H.]

I always thought US market was red for both.

Stuart.

 

That's right, Stuart. The US went through a period of using amber + red tail lamps from say late 1970s-early 2000s. Before that almost all (domestic) taillamps were red for tail lamp, brake, and turn lighting, and nowadays they seem to have gone back to that.

 

Most of the codes read something like "no color other than red or amber shall be shown on the rear of the vehicle". That doesn't include back up lights, I guess.

[Charlie D]

From my spares box.

The LH lens is marked L.549 the RH lens is marked L549.

I've actually got two of the L.549 and both look the same colour.

 

The "dot" must mean something, and I'm sure it was not "We have just used a batch of cheepo red dye that will fade away within 20 years but never mind, all these TRs will be in the scrap yard by then."

 

Charlie

[Don H.]

Here's the L.549 lens in my parts bin.

[2long]

Seems a little silly to debate if they exist or not, as I have a pair mounted. The amber is not a faded red, and there is a red circular reflector in the center.

 

If there are any spares out there, I would love to have one in case one of mine gets damaged.

 

Cheers

 

Dan

[Don H.]

Pix, please, Dan!

 

The fact that it has a red reflector is unambiguous, and a great detail to note. All the amber-ish and lighter red ones I've seen (and including the L.549 in my spares box) have a white retroreflector mounted in the center.

[TomMull]

Seems a little silly to debate if they exist or not, as I have a pair mounted. The amber is not a faded red, and there is a red circular reflector in the center.

 

If there are any spares out there, I would love to have one in case one of mine gets damaged.

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

Seems a little silly to debate if they exist or not, as I have a pair mounted. The amber is not a faded red, and there is a red circular reflector in the center.

 

If there are any spares out there, I would love to have one in case one of mine gets damaged.

 

Cheers

 

Dan

This fellow is not one to update his web page regularly but he has had them in the past.

http://jollyrogersmotors.com/store/c/139-Lenses-Reflectors.html?pi=2

Tom

[2long]

Here they are with the boxes the vendor says they came in. Marked L.549 on both.

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

P.S. The part number differs also from the part number I have on another old Lucas boxed lens, which was 574635.

 

 

 

[Don H.]

Those are super images, Dan -- many thanks. I'm gonna save those in my interesting parts file, as I've never seen the part number for them, or a confirmed set of amber L549 lenses in fact. That particular part number shows up nowhere in the Lucas 400e Master Catalog, and definitely not in the equipment specifications for TR2-TR3 from 1955-60 (including Triumph Sports from 1954, too!) Note also the differences in lighting from country-to-country -- this was a big headache for Standard-Triumph in the day, as John McCartney, who worked for S-T export sales back then for many years, will tell you if you've gotten to know him on some of the other forums.

 

[2long]

Interesting info, Don, thanks. I had been hunting for years for a set because in my interviews with the daughter of the original owner of my car, she told me that her dad had ordered "orange" lenses from the factory after he got the car, because the local officials thought turn indicators should be orange and brakes red. Hawaii was not a state at the time. The car had red lenses on it when I got it in the 70s, but maybe it had the amber ones at some point.

 

Cheers

 

Dan

[Lebro]

But should not the tail lights always be red ?

Bob

[roy53]

Agree with you Bob.

Orange would be an MOT fail, although we do not need one of those now.

 

Roy

[Rodbr]

I have my trusty lucas Master parts list 1945 - 1960 CD

The listing for the L549 lists part number 53330D indicates this part listing no 574635.

This lens appears to have been fitted to many different chrome bases, description "Ruby; dished ; incorporating reflex""

 

Fitted to 53330 549 Stop tail and reflex lam p. C. P.R.; 12v. ; double contact; red lens, with reflex; two-screw fixing. A.C. Ca rs 16 1956-57; 'Aceca' 1955-60. Aston Ma rtin DB M k. lilA 1958. Austin -Healey 'Sprite ' 1958- 60. Elva 'Courier' (B.M .C. 1,500 c.c. eng ine) 1959-60. Fairthorpe 'Electron' and 'Electron Major' 1958-60; 'Atomota' and 'Zeta ' 1959- 60. Jaguar XK-SS Open 2-se ater (E xport U .S.A . only) 1958. Lagonda 3 litre 1955- 58. Lotus Mk. VII a nd Mk . VIII (F ord 100E engine) 1958. M .G . MGA and MGA 1600 1956-60. Morgan ' Plus Four' and ' Four Four' Series II (Ford Engine) 1959- 60. Morris "Minor' 1955- 56. Riley It litre (la te r) 1955. Singer ' Hunter' 1956. Triumph TR2 1955- 57 ; TR3 (Export Holland) 1957 ; TR3 1958-60.

 

ALL the above clipped from Lucas master parts manual not my interpretation.

 

BR

Rod

[mike ellis]

Just dug out my selection of lenses, they are all L549 bar one which is L.549 and is distinctly lighter though I wouldn't describe it as amber. In my view it is too even a colour to be faded. The reflector lens inside on the L.549 is clear while those on the L549s are red.

 

Fitting the L.549 to the car (3A) tonight and shining a torch the the L549 reflector shows red while the L.549 shows distinctly amber which is presumably from the white lens reflecting through the lighter red outer. I am not that familiar with the TR2 turn signal but is that also where it would show?

 

This subject has also been discussed elsewhere, this link is interesting http://www.jag-lovers.org/xk-lovers/library/telltales.html about a third of the way down.

 

Mike