grant.r33d wrote:Hi Guys
How can some split screens have indicators above the headlamps and others have them built into the headlamps. Ive seen some photos of 55's, Some with indictators and some without!
Pine wrote:Hi Grant
I am by no means an expert as far as split buses are concerned, but the following explanation, to the best of my ability:
- Indicators were fitted to split buses, only ABOVE the headlights, the earlier versions had a metal 'backing' for a 'nipple' type indicator, and later splits had a large oval plastic indicator lense, almost looking the same shape as the headlights.
- If you see a split bus with 'no' front indicators, it will most probably mean it is an early 50's bus with semaphore arms on the sides to indicate change of direction, and round tail lights
- Customizers often fit the indicator bulbs inside the headlights, but to the best of my knowledge it was never done so in the factory
One sees both 1946~66 VW Type 1 Beetles & 1950~67 VW Type 2 Kombis, with customised headlamps incorporating orange 21W bulbs, to act as direction indicators.
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... %2D037%2DC
A VW Beetle, customised in this way, is featured on the New Zealand Veedubnuts forum:
Beetle ~ Head lights with indicators
http://nzveedubnuts.com/viewtopic.php?t=855
On his Internet website, Matthew Lancaster, in Great Britain, describes & illustrates this customisation process, to a 1950~60 VW Type 2 Kombi (having original semaphore indicators), whereby orange bulbs, are positioned on the inboard side of the headlamp units:
http://www.baronvonkronken.com/
Howto section of drop-down menu
followed by
Fit Indicators to an Early (Semaphore) Bus
I have major concerns about this practice of incorporating orange bulbs, into vehicle headlamp housings! Owing to the large headlamp reflector & clear lens, the result is one of a diffuse orange region surrounded by white (i.e. reflected daylight), which is less effective in attracting attention, than a dedicated direction-indicator lamp unit, with localised, intense, uniform colour, isolated from other light sources. Direction indicators, incorporated into headlamps are even less noticeable, when either the side-light bulbs or headlamp bulbs are illuminated.
In my opinion, direction indicators with an orange prismatic lens and conventional 21W bulb, are more effective in attracting attention, than an otherwise identical lamp, having a clear "white" lens with orange-filter 21W bulb. Hence, although clear "white" lenses were standard, for Italian specification vehicles, I regard the custom modification of adopting the latter configuration, as a retrograde step which compromises road safety. Sadly, this seems to be an accepted styling feature, of many modern cars.
The following university-based research, highlights the reduced effectiveness of inboard direction indicators:
Position Of Car Indicator Lights Affects Safety, Science Daily, 29th March 2007.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 105449.htm
« People find it harder to make rapid decisions about which way a car will turn if its amber indicator lights are inside the headlights (i.e. nearer the middle of the car) than if the indicator lights are outside the headlights, according to research published today in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology »
« The indicators on cars are critical safety features that enable pedestrians and other road users to predict where a car is likely to go in the next few seconds. The difference in reaction times is enough to make a significant impact on safety. »
« "Several modern cars position the right indicator to the left of the right headlight and the left indicator to the right of the left headlight, and this study shows that this design feature could reduce their safety," says Andrew Bayliss, who carried out the research. ..... »
