60-63 Spotlight Installation

[markeb01]

For those with an interest in adding a Unity spotlight to a 60-63 series truck, following is what I recently learned going through the process.

The first task was accurately producing the template from the image that is currently circulating. On my computer, printing in landscape mode at 83% of full size produced a template that perfectly aligned the mounting screw holes in the template to the special 141 LH outside bracket. This resulted in a template measuring exactly 7 3/8” inches long from tip to tip.

In mocking up the location of the outside bracket, it immediately became apparent the template and the 988090 instruction sheet conflict on placement. As shown below, the instruction sheet places the bracket almost dead center between the rear edge of the fender extension and the rear edge of the hinge pillar.



The template moves the bracket forward about ½” from the centered location.









In addition to the visual difference, the bracket didn’t fit well in the template location and rocked back and forth diagonally. Moving it ½” to the rear and down just a tad, it perfectly matched the contours of the body. It just didn’t seem prudent to tighten down a very rare pot metal casting on an uneven surface. Over a period of several days I kept coming back and mocking up the bracket in various locations, and calculating the angle where the shaft would enter the interior of the truck. Each time the centered location fit best and matched the instruction sheet location on the outside, and also where the shaft entered the interior of the cab. After a proper amount of anguish I decided to follow my instincts and the instruction drawings rather than the template.

Per the instructions, using the bracket I marked and center punched the body for the mounting screws. I then drilled the holes starting with a 1/16” bit and finished up with a new 1/8” single flute bit. A gasket was cut to fit from solid rubber stock and the bracket screwed in place. I didn’t have the Unity ½” drill bushing and was not very enthusiastic about trying to cram a ½” drill bit through an angled piece of sheet metal held in position by a precious piece of pot metal. As an alternate plan my son machined up three drill bushings from Oilite bronze. Each bushing has an outside diameter of .690 with inside diameters of ¼”, 3/8”, and ½”.

With the ¼” bushing held in place with the bracket set screw, I used a ¼” transfer punch to mark the body.



I then drilled the body with an 8”long ¼” bit.



This was followed by the 3/8” and ½” bits. When I got to the 3/8” bit, I realized why the template moved the bracket forward. There is an errant piece of sheet metal between the outer body and the inner skin, about 3/4” into the body cavity. It’s a non functional flap of metal with about a 45 degree downhill angle from the upper rear to the lower front. It barely interferes, just enough to catch the edge of the bit making it a pita to drill through to the inner body using the spotlight bracket to hold the alignment. To avoid damaging the bracket, it was removed and the interfering lip was ground away using a rotary file. Once that was out of the way final drilling was completed without further incident. The edges of the holes were cleaned up and painted and the spotlight installed. Here it is in the upright and parked positions.





I'm going to speculate the bracket itself was originally designed to go where I installed it. The instruction drawings show it being mounted there, and it best fits the body profile in this location. In the instruction line drawing, the template appears shorter, even considering the perspective angle. Perhaps an earlier version of the template was shorter, and subsequent installation complaints resulted in a revised template moving the bracket forward to clear the inner obstruction. Moving it forward ½” will indeed clear the obstruction.

If I knew about the internal obstruction ahead of time, I might have gone with the template layout. It would have been less work, but I never could get past the concern of distorting or breaking the bracket because it didn’t fit correctly.

As soon as I can obtain a new old stock or mint original right hand outside bracket the passenger side will get a matching light (any leads appreciated). I’ll go through the grief again with the inner panel and put it in the same spot so both sides match.

I didn’t have the special 8205 LH inner bracket, and don’t really want one. On a restored truck it would be a rare and desirable feature. With all the other changes in my interior it seemed to me the truck bracket would look a bit too industrial, so I opted for the standard rubber angle spacer and locking collar. I wanted to improve on the appearance of the factory clamp, so my son fabricated a new one from polished aluminum. Comparing this photo to the installation instructions shows the location where it enters the cab appears identical.

Here’s a shot of the interior mounting. It's hard to get a decent photo because the handle is so shiny:



The spotlight I obtained still retained the factory wiring and electrical terminal in excellent condition. As seen in the photo above, per the instruction sheet, I drilled a 5/16" hole 3/4" down from the bottom of the handle hole. After several failed attempts to thread the wire under the dash, inspection with a mirror revealed the only path through is a gap at the very top of the dash. I stripped the piano wire out of an old choke cable, bent a very small 90 degree end on it, and crimped on a male electrical terminal that fit the female spotlight terminal. I joined the connectors, and after about 5 minutes managed to feed the piano wire through the gap. After pulling all the slack, the original wire ended up about 6-8 inches from the fuse panel. Terminal 26 on the Ron Francis fuse panel was empty, to be used for an electric clock. A quick jumper connected everything, and I switched out the fuse from 10 amps to 15 amps.

That’s about it. The figuring took a lot longer than the actual installation. For anyone considering this, just take your time and don’t put undue stress on the external bracket during the drilling process. It would also be helpful to tape a paper towel over the door seam under the bracket, along with covering the upper front portion of the door. The drilling generates a lot of filings. I used a shop vacuum held above the surface to remove them, but it would have been nicer to not have filings resting on the paint in the first place.

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Edit - and here are the vehicle code links for California and Washington state, pertaining to owning and using vehicle mounted spotlights:

California: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24404.htm

Washington: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.37.180

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Edit 6/24/2010 - here is a thread for those interested in how to repair a Unity spotlight:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=403869

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Edit 6/24/2010 – Passenger side bracket and inside bracket information.

Here is a bit of confirming information for anyone looking to install both left and right hand spotlights on their 60-63 Chevy or GMC truck. Although the inner and outer brackets are shown in the early installation diagrams, no part numbers are specified. The left hand outside bracket is confirmed as part # 141. Inside the casting displays the markings 141 and Autolite, long associated with Ford. Unfortunately I failed to photograph the back of the bracket.

The passenger/right side bracket is part #141R, and the back of the casting is marked 141-R and TEACO. I have been unable to find anything about Teaco or their association with Unity. Here are views of the front and back of the passenger side bracket. It does have a few cosmetic nicks and scratches after kicking around the Unity factory for 4 or 5 decades:





And here is the bracket installed:



Oddly, the Unity records list the 141R bracket as being designed for the 1966 Ford Bronco. Assuming the bracket truly was designed by Ford, prior to GM using it in 1960, I assume it must have been for some 1940’s - 50’s Ford product. Research to discover the true origin of the bracket has so far proven unsuccessful. Unity lists no application other than the Bronco. Here is a photo reduction of the 1966 Bronco template they sent.




The inside brackets are 8205 (driver side) and 8206RH (passenger side). After a lengthy delay in shipping I was in such a hurry to get them installed, I again forgot to photograph the backside for markings. I didn’t notice any, but don’t remember specifically looking either. Unity part numbers noted are as listed on the invoice.

Here is what they look like installed, providing a very strong installation along with a clean custom appearance. There is a set screw directly underneath each bracket to lock the outer tube in place.





Unity no longer has stock of the 141R bracket, and will not produce any more. Kanter Auto Products also does not have this bracket, although Accessoryland does have one or two at the time this is written, and perhaps another set of inside brackets.

http://www.dandrfoods.com/accessorylandparts/unity.htm

[astrochimp]

Great write up!

Also good to see transfer punches used- they can make life easy.

David

[aerotruk63]

Thank you markeb01.

The bracket in his picture is the GM outer bracket #141L cast by Autolite.

This is a picture of the GM inner bracket #8205L cast by Autolite.
Thank's to member ( creep ) for the picture.
Take note of the stubbier interior control handle for GM Factory/Dealer installed spotlights as compared to the standard handle from Unity.





Full instructions from "1963 Chevrolet Custom Accessories Installation Manual" The spotlight is model CH for Chevrolet. Has ribs cast into the head.
The spotlight for GMC is the S-6 225 smooth head.

[aerotruk63]

Unity offered their own, non GM factory, bracket. Kit #31.






Instructions by Unity




Notice the difference in the templates. First the Unity template. Second, the GM dealer template

[aerotruk63]

Parts exploded view.

[markeb01]

Thanks Aerotruk, you are definitely the man when it comes to spotlight information.

[aerotruk63]

What I like about this site is all the contributors to so many subjects. I learn off this site every time I come on. I especially like contributors like you who realize that we visualize better than we sometimes are able to read or explain. Someday soon, I'll be drilling my two trucks and have gained by this thread, the confidence to so. Thank's again. Norm

[tcb-1]

Unity still has any spare or repair part you'll ever need and everything is still made in the States as well. I rebuilt several over the years.

great info!

[aerotruk63]

Unity bracket #31R and #31L pictured below, bottom matching pair. Correct for 60-63 Chevrolet/ GMC from Unity, not factory/dealer. Dealer could have purchased the kit from Unity outside of GM & installed. Bob from Accessoryland said these were a universal bracket, so they must of had several applications. My 64 GMC firetruck had them mounted above the roof drip rail, inline with the windshield pillar.
The triangular bracket center in photo below is 187R. 64-66 application. It mounts at the base of the windshield pillar crease, almost at the cowl.

[aerotruk63]

Update: If you find bracket#31, make sure there's a thick tapered rubber gasket in the box. It is necessary for the installation on 60-63 cabs. Unity no longer lists #31 for the truck application as they do not make the tapered gasket anymore.

[markeb01]

Interestingly, the #31 & 31RH looked exactly like the brackets on my 54 Chevy sedan back in the 70's, so I checked and they are the same part number. On the sedan they went through the doors however, which is not a great arrangement. Slamming the doors has a tendency to jar the spotlight head, which damages the parking nub in the handle over time.

Knowing what else this part was used on might prove helpful in finding additional number 31 brackets. This would have been used from 1949-1954, and probably on Pontiacs as well. Here's how they looked on the sedan:

[aerotruk63]

Unity Bracket Kit #31 fits....

Buick
1953

50-70 series post ----- ----- 225gm-u-i 250gm-u-i ----- 31 31rh
buick
1953

estate wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
buick
1954

50-70 series post ----- ----- 225gm-u-i 250gm-u-i ----- 31 31rh
cadillac
1953

all models post ----- ----- 225gm-u-i 250gm-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1949

regular & hard top convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1950

regular & hard top convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1951

regular & hard top convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1952

regular & hard top convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1953

all models except station wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1953

all models except station wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1954

all models except station wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1960

all models cowl ----- ----- 225k-u-i 250k-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1960

corvair car door ----- ----- 225b-u-i 250b-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1961

corvair car door ----- ----- 225b-u-i 250b-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1962

corvair car door ----- ----- 225b-u-i 250b-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1963

corvair car door ----- ----- 225b-u-i 250b-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chevrolet
1964

corvair car door ----- ----- 225b-u-i 250b-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chrysler
1953

all models except estate wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chrysler
1953

c60-2/ c56-1-2 cv cpe/ sp cl cpe door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chrysler
1954

all models except estate wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chrysler
1963

all models door ----- ----- 225k-u-i 250k-u-i ----- 31 31rh
chrysler
1964

all models door ----- ----- 225k-u-i 250k-u-i ----- 31 31rh
de soto
1953

all models except estate wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
de soto
1953

de soto door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
de soto
1953

s16/ s18 door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
de soto
1954

all models except estate wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
de soto
1954

closed cars door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
de soto
1954

convertible & hard top door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
hudson
1952

all except jet door ----- ----- 125v-4535-u-i 50v-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
hudson
1953

all except jet door ----- ----- 125v-4535-u-i 50v-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
hudson
1954

all except jet door ----- ----- 125v-4535-u-i 50v-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
oldsmobile
1949

small reg. & hardtop convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
oldsmobile
1950

small reg. & hardtop convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
oldsmobile
1951

small reg. & hardtop convertible door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
oldsmobile
1953

90, 98 all post ----- ----- 225a-u-i 250a-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1949

regular & hardtop convertibles door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1950

regular & hardtop convertibles door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1951

regular & hardtop convertibles door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1952

regular & hardtop convertibles door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1953

all models except station wagin door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1953

all models except station wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh
pontiac
1954

all models except station wagon door ----- ----- 125a-4535-u-i 50a-4515-u-i ----- 31 31rh

[Revoh]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Unity bracket #31R and #31L pictured below, bottom matching pair. Correct for 60-63 Chevrolet/ GMC from Unity, not factory/dealer. Dealer could have purchased the kit from Unity outside of GM & installed.

I just installed the spotlights that have been in my garage for many years with these brackets with a little inspiration from markeb01's help. I didn't have those fancy inside brackets, so I used, a, um, towel hanger that I took apart and drilled out the bracket holes for a finished look.

Anyway, I'll throw a couple of pictures of them on here for posterity.

[aerotruk63]

That looks great, and the towel hanger bracket, ingenuous. Is that a flashlight mouted by the cowl vent?

[64fleetside]

I have a nice Unity I bought for my 64, but cannot drill that hole. What about the light rubbing the paint off when not used, or will it stay just off the cowl surface? I don't think I have ever seen one that was properly installed (like Mark did it) around here...they always seem to rub off the paint.

[Revoh]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Is that a flashlight mouted by the cowl vent?

Yeah, it's just an old magnetic metal flashlight. I have the truck lettered up with my granddad's old car lot name painted on the doors. He closed them in the early '70s. There are three things that actually came from the car lot--that old flashlight, the tissue dispenser, and the red glass jewels that hold the back license plate on. They're just little bits of history that probably I'm the only one that thinks are interesting, but I try to preserve as much of the past as I can.

[Revoh]

Originally Posted by 64fleetside

I have a nice Unity I bought for my 64, but cannot drill that hole. What about the light rubbing the paint off when not used, or will it stay just off the cowl surface? I don't think I have ever seen one that was properly installed (like Mark did it) around here...they always seem to rub off the paint.

Not that I have to worry about rubbing off paint (lol), but mine isn't going to touch anything unless I twisted it down there for some reason. You can cinch down the mounting brackets so it doesn't move around when you don't want it to.

I think I would have been less nervous drilling a '64. I don't think you have to go through the dashboard and worry about all those radical angles like you do on these curved windshield dudes.

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by 64fleetside

I have a nice Unity I bought for my 64, but cannot drill that hole. What about the light rubbing the paint off when not used, or will it stay just off the cowl surface? I don't think I have ever seen one that was properly installed (like Mark did it) around here...they always seem to rub off the paint.

They can be installed to keep the bulb/head from rubbing the paint. The end of the outer tube that fits into the handle is cut away, fitting into a stop cast into the handle. By adjusting the orientation of the tube to the desired “park” position and clamping it down with the outside bracket, the lamp rests above the bodywork.

The problem is, over time rough handling will chew the stop out of the handle allowing the head to settle onto the body. If the outer tube and handle are in good shape and not abused, the parking feature will last for decades. Here are photos of an outer tube and handle that have been damaged:

[oldblue1968chevy]

mark you wouldnt happen to have a tepmlate for 67-72 spotlight would you?

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

mark you wouldnt happen to have a tepmlate for 67-72 spotlight would you?

Sorry I don’t have that template, but post number 40 on the following thread shows a picture of one. Perhaps that photo along with all the pictures of installed spotlights will help with location:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=401853&page=2

[64fleetside]

thanks, maybe I can drill that hole...

[Revoh]

Incidentally, I'm missing the little ivory-colored end cap on the right handle. If anyone happens to run across one of those and wants to sell it, hit me up!

[markeb01]

You might try Bob at Accessoryland. He has all the bits and pieces and access to the Unity factory inventory. His website is no longer working, but he may still be in business. It's just him and his wife. If he's still around he's a great resource for vintage parts.

(563) 556-5482
10793 Highway 61 S
Dubuque, IA 52003

[MadnessBigBlock]

Hey I got spotlight mounting templates and instruction sheets for 55-59 60-63 64-66 and 67-72 trucks. If any of you need a template and instruction sheet just pm me and i can send you a copy to exact scale!

[1963c-10]

Got the light installed this weekend