Cowl lights

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When did Pierce discontinue the cowl lights on Series 31 & 51 cars ?

Can a 1919 Series 31 touring have cowl lights ? or even a 1920 Series 31 ?

Thanks,

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The cowl lamps were discontinued after the Series 5 cars which came out in 1918.The Series 31-51 cars of 1919-1920 had the second smaller bulb in the upper part of the headlight reflector which served the same purpose as the former cowl lights.This was no doubt done to clean up the body lines.

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That’s what I thought, but I’m looking at a 5 pass. touring listed as a 1920 Model 31 that has the correct dash but cowl lights molded into the cast alum. cowl. It also has the vents on the top of the hood. Is this someone mixing up parts, or did the factory send out some of these this way……everything on the car looks like its factory stock….including paint and upholstery. ??

Can’t figure this one out ???

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Richard,

More pictures of the 1920 31 Touring in the Pierce-Arrow Museum at Gilmore are coming to you in an email. Ours has the optional bracket headlights. Mixed parts or wrong year & model do apply per your description.

Dave

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In those days it was not unusual to have an older body transferred to a newer chassis.There is a 1917 C-4 out there with a 1910 Studebaker-Garford body on the chassis.It is quite possible this car has a C-4 body on the Series 31 chassis.You would need to check the history of the car.

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The parts catalog for Series 31 and 51 cars indicates that they could be ordered with cowl lights.

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Thanks for this info. How about the hood vents…..could they be ordered too ?

I’m considering buying this car and want to be sure its authentic….not a pile of misc. parts….

Really appreciate all the knowledge out there !!!

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Every picture I have seen from the period of a Series 31-51 car does not show one with the cowl lamps.These plus the hood vents and Tally O bulb horn were deleted.Not having a Series 31-51 parts catalog in my library I cannot speak if the lights or hood vents were special order.The bracket

headlights were optional and perhaps for some markets a sidelamp might have been required such as for Great Britain which would have required fender mounted sidelights that stayed lit when the headlights were on.The best way to answer these questions is knowing the particular history of the car you are considering.It would have been very possible for a person to purchase a new Series 31-51 chassis and have the dealer transfer the body from a Series 4 onto the new chassis.I believe the Woodrow Wilson car has the body from the previous 1914-1915 Series 3 onto a new Series 51 chassis.This was a very common practice in those days.There is a 1937

Packard Twelve with a 1917 Pierce Arrow body and that body had been on two

chassis before going on the Packard in 1937.It is imperative you get the car’s history.

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A Series 31 or 51 can have hood vents on the top, however, it is unusual.

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Here is an old photo of a 1918 which is on eBay at the moment which has cowl lights. Not a very clear photo but maybe it will work on upload–

Cheers from The land of OZ —Jak.

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The 1918 Pierce Arrows would be the last of the Series 4’s and the beginning of the new Dual Valve Series 5’s.The Series 5 would be the last to be fitted with these cowl lights as standard equipment.The 38 and 66 were not in the Series 5 line but only the 48.The Series 31-51 cars incorporated quite a few changes.

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