S1 Tail Light Restoration

[Zeusguy]

Hello, I’m in the process of restoring my S1 tail light housings and bulb holders and trying to be as accurate as possible to the original finish. Question, should the bulb holders be Cadmium, Chrome or … plated.  Better yet, has anyone seen new replacements?  I’ve searched the internet with no luck:(.  Thanks for any recommendations.

Scott

SoCal

[GavinT]

Is this for the Carello lights?
I'd try Lotus Supplies or perhaps your local auto-elec.

There are also generic bulb holders available but you might want to measure them to make sure.

[Serge]

I could not find replacements, and have subbed them for a modern replacement. Housing needed a minor mod to fit them.

Serge

[jbcollier]

Very, very , very occasionally I have seen them on ebay.  You could try a Lancia specialist.

[Nockenwelle]

There is currently one on offer on ebay.it that might fit. Certainly not cheap.

https://www.ebay.it/itm/323290339482

[Zeusguy]

In the absence of readily available bulb holders, I decided to try and restore mine.  I'm sure many of you already know this but I just discovered the rust dissolving properties of white vinegar.  The below picture shows what a couple of my holders look like after soaking 3 days in vinegar with periodic scrubbing with a wire brush.  If you have time, white vinegar may be the way to go with a rusty project.

Scott Edrington
Escondido CA, USA

[gideon]

If you have time, white vinegar may be the way to go with a rusty project.

Molasses or Evapo-Rust are a bit safer for delicate parts because they work by chelation.  There's a video by Project Farm on youtube comparing them here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dzlE9-9DVE

[Richard48Y]

It would seem strange with the tooling cost of the time if they do not interchange with other more common makes/models lamp holders.
So Fiat, Alfa Romeo,
Is there a part number on the stamping?

[Zeusguy]

Bulb holder part number is Carello 58.