Morris Minor Owners Club Potteries Branch

Lighting

Various lighting arrangements were used on the Minor and are listed below:

Head Lamps:

September '48 > September '50		Small 5" 'low-light' headlamp units with integral 'pilot lamp'
September '50 > December '52		Larger 7" wing-mounted headlamp units Split-type securing ring (screw at bottom)
December '52 > April '71		One piece securing ring. Sealed beam units fitted from September 1966
October '53 > Jan/Feb '55		Separate 7" headlamp in steel shell. Fitted to early rubber winged GPO vans

Note

High headlamp wings were fitted to North American export cars from 1949 on

 Side Lights:

September '50 >  August '61		L489
August '61 > October '63		L488
October '63 > April '71		L632

Rear Lights:

September '48 >  March '49		'Central screw' single lamp with reflector on opposite side of car (L482)
March '49 >  June '49		Flush circular lights incorporating stop lamps (L488)
June '49 >  December '54		Triangular 'helmet' type (L471)
December '54 >  October '56		L549 lens. Larger unit with reflector (chrome ring but painted base).
October '56 >  October '63		L549 lens. Fully chromed base.
October '63 > April '71		Larger units incorporating Indicators.

Direction Signaling Equipment:

Trafficators were fitted to Morris Minors from the start of production in 1948 until August 1961

This picture shows the 'high' position of the Trafficator on the Four Door Saloon.   The Traveller and Commercial variants also used this 'high' position.
This picture shows the 'low' position of the Trafficator on the Tourer & Convertible.   The Two Door Saloon variant also used this 'low' position.

After August 1961, the Trafficators were deleted and a new lamp unit (Lucas L488) was fitted in place of the old sidelight unit.  

This new unit used a twin filament bulb enabling the low wattage filament to provide the sidelight and the high wattage filament to provide a flashing white light as a direction indicator.

The rear of the vehicle however did not change, but the wiring certainly did! 

Under the bonnet, there was a Lucas DB10 relay unit fitted on the offside inner wing which flashed the rear brake lights in time with the front direction indicators.

This action was completely independent of the rear sidelights and braking action.

For example, if the vehicle was indicating left and braking, then the left lamp unit would flash the red brake lamp in time with the front direction indicator and the right lamp unit would light up as a conventional brake light.

After October 1963, the front lamp unit was changed to a Lucas L632 which incorporated a white sidelamp and an orange flashing indicator.  The rear lamps were changed to a larger lamp cluster (Saloons & Convertibles) incorporating an orange flashing lamp for the direction indicator.  On Travellers and Commercials, an additional orange round lamp unit was fitted above the existing red side/brake light unit.  This arrangement continued until the end of production.