Wanted: Sexton Lights

[rob love]

I opened a crate of those last year here at the museum. They did need the reflectors polished a little bit (they tarnish) and the wiring replaced as the covering was cracking from old age, but it's always hard to beat NOS.

[Colin Alford]

Tom,

The early Sextons with 3-piece differentials used the same headlights as Ram Tanks (similar to Canadian Mk 1* Universal Carrier headlights but with a threaded fitting to attach the wiring conduit rather than a bushed hole on a Carrier light).

Late Sexton IIs used US pedestal headlights attached near the outside edges of the superstructure.

I just did a quick search for war-time images of early Sexton IIs with one-piece differentials. While many of the images are out-of-focus, or there are visual obstructions, my initial interpretation is that they used the same headlights as Ram Tanks/ early Sextons.

The only images I found with headlight brackets similar to your example, are post-war images which might indicate a post-war modification.

I suspect that fitting a CMP-type headlight to your existing brackets would place the headlights too high and not fully protected by the curved guard.

I don't have access to any Sexton parts lists, but I suggest additional research to determine the correct war-time headlights/headlight brackets for this vehicle.

I can attempt to find some images this evening.

Colin

[rob love]

I guess I am kind of lucky because there is a Sexton sitting about 30 feet from my desk. And on the other side of the wall, so maybe 4 feet as the crow flies, there is a 1943 original copy of the Sexton manual, book serial number A1251.
I am going to lazily post some photos of the relevant pages, but if the public demands it, I can try and for a bit better photos. Scanning is out as the book is bound.

[rob love]

And here is the vehicle itself. The lamps on it are the cmp truck lamps as typically found on the market. Very possibly the headlamps Brian Asbury has are the correct ones for a Sexton, which was why I mentioned them.

[Colin Alford]

Rob,

Thanks for posting those images from the parts list.

I do have access to a Canadian Master Parts List for Tank Type Vehicles (which is un-illustrated).

Using the headlight part numbers of C-4942 and C-4943 from your Sexton list, the Master List shows that these numbers are correct for Ram I, Ram II, Ram Command/O.P. and Sexton "Up to Veh.#1300 Ser.#S-234801"

With the Sexton that Tom is working on being number 1164 and WD number S234665, I believe that the type of headlight and bracket as illustrated in the Sexton parts list would be the correct type for both Tom's project, and the Shilo Sexton.

I suspect that both vehicles had their headlight mounts modified post-war to suit available types of headlights. While the current mounts on these two vehicles are different from each other, and the early CMP headlights appear to fit well, they seem to sit higher than if they had the original mounts.

While headlights with the two side mounts (UC Mk1*/Valentine/Ram type) are relatively available, it will likely be very difficult to obtain original mounts for them.

Colin

[Colin Alford]

Gents,

I had a mental image of the mounting brackets being relatively complex but apparently I was remembering the Canadian Valentine mounts (pictured).

[Colin Alford]

Here are some images from the Ram I and II parts list. This mount appears much simpler than the Valentine mount and more similar to the mount Rob pictured from the early Sexton parts list. On Ram I and II, the headlight mounting brackets were welded to the 3-piece differential.

The master parts list shows that the Sexton headlight mounts were the same as Ram up to Sexton #84.

Rob,

Does your Sexton parts list detail any changes in the headlight mount after veh 84, and does it give any indication of how the mount attached to the hull? (I realize you may not get back to the parts list until Monday).

Colin