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MG MGA - Blue dot inserts

Hello, I am intrested in the installation of blue dot inserts in my tail lights. Has anyone done this. It appears more complicated now that I have them in my hand. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Neal Turner
neal turner

Neil, the blue dots need to be inserted through the lens and doing that in a glass lens is very difficult. Time to spring for some cheap plastic lens, those are fairly easy to bore a hole in to mount the blue dots. An old hot rodders touch from the 50s. Personally I like the look but think that the light isn't as alerting to following motorists as the all red lamp and a bit more difficult to see at night.
Bill Young

Blue dots were used during and after WWII to identify Diplomatic vehicles. They were illegal but trendy in the '50s and '60s, even to this day, especilally in California.
Russ
Russ Carnes

Illinois changed the law in 2004 to allow blue dots up to 1 inch dia. on antique vehicles. The law was backed by SEMA. I have antique plates but do not run blue dots. I wonder what would happen if I had the blue dots and drove my car in California (or many other states for that matter)?
Chuck Schaefer

Chuck, I suspect that like most places it would be ignored unless you did something else that aroused the suspicions of the police then that would become "probable cause". Missouri requres a front and rear plate, but I ran my car for almost a year and a half without the front plate and no one ever noticed, even one officer that pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket. Even most inspectors here in the states would probalby ignore blue dots. Wonder what an MOT inspector would say?
Bill Young

I have not heard of these "blue dots" before. I guess they haven't arrived in the UK yet! What exactly is the purpose and why would anyone want to fit them to an MGA?

Neil
Neil McGurk

Neil, I haven't heard of them either. I think that they would illegal here in UK to show a blue light on the rear . The police will even stop a car showing blue on the front as emergency services use that colour.
Bill - aren't the rear lamp lenses plastic anyway ? - they are on mine. Only the indicator lens is glass.
Cam Cunningham

Blue dots were originally small blue glass inserts with a chrome mounting ring which are inserted throught the lens in line with the bulb for best effect. Most of the lens' in the early days of blue dots were glass and it took some specalized techniques to bore the hole in the lens for the blue dot. With plastic lens' then it's a lot simpler. I wouldn't think that one would mount cleanly in the lower lens as used on a 1500, only the upper more flat lens as on a 1600 was the one I was thinking about and I thought most of those were glass. Here are some blue dots with some installed already for you chaps to see what us Yanks are talking about. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/ProductSummary.aspx?free_text1/22/2010%2011:41:33%20AM=blue+dots&deptId=0
Bill Young

Oh, link didn't work. You can use their internal search for "blue dot" from there and find them. Photo as well.

Bill Young

I was about to ask the same as Neil and Cam. Looks like the sort of bling the girls in Blackpool wear on their fingers when out on the Golden Mile!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve - What are you doing going along the Golden Mile looking at girls' fingers!!
Cam Cunningham

Actually they aren't all bling. When following a car with bluedots, especially a car with a 6-Volt electrical system, the brakelights appear much brighter. This is due to the blue mixing with the red. Being different from the reast of the cars, it really caught your attention "back in the day". Almost like LED brakelights catch you attention today.

They were popular in the 40's and 50's maybe even earlier here in the States. They were really popular with the Hot Rod crowd and they served some practical use at one time.
Chuck Schaefer

This thread was discussed between 21/01/2010 and 22/01/2010

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