How to wire up 1940 rubber CMP tail lights

[Lynn Eades]

Hi Guys, I am looking to wire in some old original black rubber CMP tail lights.
They have a nickel plated fitting (I'll call it a barrel) in the back that pushes in and turns, like most bulbs of the day. the nickel body has a small knurled nut that unscrews. This is where the wires enter the lights. There is an internal insulator with two tubes for the wires. I cannot see a way that it dis assembles.
My question is, How am I supposed to fix the wires into the small metal holes?
The end of the metal bits are also the contacts where the sprung loaded pins touch when the barrel is loaded into the main body of the light fitting.

Bob C. are you familiar with these old lights?

I haven't done any photos. I was hoping someone (cab 11 and 12 experts) knew what I am talking about.

[rob love]

All the ones I have seen used a plug that was similar in shape to the candelabra base of the light bulb. I'm not sure if that's what you are talking about, so photos would be best. I know I have re-wired these in the past.

[Lynn Eades]

Hi Rob, these are the lights.
The insulator part appears to be permanent in the brass (nickel) body.
It looks like the only way to hook the wire in is to solder it in, but as the ends actually contact the sprung pins in the light body, it seems wrong to me.
I have wondered if there was a crimp or soldered termination, but the holes are too small to allow it.
I have another type that the insulator drops out of an alloy body, giving access to screws that clamp the wire. I would however like to use the originals.

[Lynn Eades]

A couple more of the item in question. Anyone familiar with them?

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Lynn

Interesting question.... I beleive every rubber light I have came with the pig tails installed....... now I am curious....

will be in the barn tomorrow and pull out the parts bins to check and photograph.

Stay tuned.

Bob C

[Lauren Child]

Funnily enough, I picked some of these up as trailer connectors. Looking at them I'd have to go with soldering, but you're right it looks really finicky.

I'm surprised there's not a crimp to hold the wire for strain relief, and to waterproof the back.

[rob love]

Your connectors are a lot more machined and solid than the original connectors I am used to on the CMPs. They are normally a stamped metal housing.

[Lynn Eades]

Thanks folks.
Rob, although these are made in England, I believe these are original to the early CMPs. (I might learn more about how little I know)
Bob, you must be the man!
Lauren, I see it the same. They make little sense

[rob love]

I'll check the stock room at work tomorrow. I know we have a coupel bins of the rubber lights. I'll see what we have for connectors.

The connectors must be used on something a little more modern. I picked some short harnesses with them on at a surplus store about 6 months back . I can't rmember if they had a British or a Cdn NSN.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Lynn

Your lights are very different than what I have..... your smust be the Deluxe models

Mine are all one wire.....and all have the original pig tail....bulb is single filament.

Is it possible that you have a model for dual filament bulbs therfore two wires??

[Bob Carriere]

Wonder what your specific lights were for????

[rob love]

The bren gun carrier used a double pin base on the rubber lamp on the back sign IIRC, as well as the convoy light. The UC part number of C01UC13987 translates into NSN 6240-21-854-7650 which is trade number bulb #82. The description for it is OUBLE CONTACT BAYONET BASE,B9-G,G-6 BULB,1.438 IN. LG,TRANSPARENT,WHITE,6.500 V,1.020 AMP,500.0 HOURS LIFE C01UC13987

These are two pin bulbs that only had one filemant. One wire was ground and one was power. The base is spec'd as a "bay15d". The giveaway is that for dual filament bulbs, the locking pins will be on defferent levels for indexing purposes, so as to ensure that the brighter filament will serve it's purpose. (ie turn signal is brighter than the running lamp). On a single filament bulb, the two locking pins are on the same plane since plarity does not matter.

Could it be possible that you have found a stash of carrier lamps? Photo below is a bin of the rubber lamps and leads at my work.

[Lynn Eades]

Bob and Rob, I would suspect the double pin lights are carrier because the carriers were all earth return to the switch in the instrument panel.

I have 3 that are two pin. (I bought these in 1992!)These have the cut out for the number plate light (which would be correct)
I have two that are single pin, and have a solid rubber body, and nothing written on them. It make sense that these are the CMP ones with no earth return. These I dont have the connecters for. incidentally the bif. rivets are fitted the other way around to yours.
As it happens, I have some alloy bodied connectors, (single and double)that disassemble, and that are easy to wire (they have a screw for locating each wire in opposite sides of the insulator (double pin))

I just wanted to know how the wire is supposed to be connected in the nice nickel type connector, as per Lauren's ones.
I am beginning to think that the British made the carrier ones and were copied by Ford of Canada for the CMP.
Maybe without the flash and difficult to wire, nickel connector?

It is after all logical, that the British made bright and shiny fittings for military use, that are complicated, but almost impossible to use.

Hopefully my British friends are asleep.

[rob love]

The terms "British" and "obscenely over-engineered" are symomymous. You only have to look back to my thread on funnels to see an example.

They were in the process of having the hell hammerred out of them, but still took the time and resources to make a connection that required machining and 15 parts to make a lightbulb work.

[Lynn Eades]

Aghhh, but then there are the Germans.
Think of British carrier track: Basic links and pins, with a high wear rate.
Think of an American Halftrack Rubber and wire and lasts until it breaks.
Think of the German Halftrack: 450 grease nipples, Torrington caged roller bearings, lasts for ever (until they had to retreat, and no one had time to grease them)

I just derailed my own thread

[Richard Farrant]

These lamps were original designs by Flexible Lamps under the trade name Rubbolite. Not really 'over engineered', they were commercially available items not specifically military I think.
As with other components on WD vehicles build in Canada to British War Office spec. they were reproduced there.