TESTING the Woodlites on a 1929 Cord L29. Are they bright?

I have been asked several times about the aircraft styled Woodlites headlights, color lights, and tail lights on my 1929 cord L29. The question is how much light do they cast? In this video we put them question to the test and answer that question!
Please like and subscribe. Thanks!

[@ymg200]

This car is a beauty!

[@stephenholland5930]

What a wonderful automobile, Joel. Love the colour scheme.

[@danbernstein4694]

Wonderful! My grandfather had a 1930 L-29. I wish I had seen it.

[@dodge7560]

1:Wonderful car.2:I never thought the Woodlites could shine so well .Thanks Joel.

[@plantearly]

Nice production, thank you! I just watched an episode of Jay Leno's Garage and they valued a 1928 Ruxton with Woodlites. Jay said the headlights were notoriously useless, or words to that effect. I was curious, and you've certainly settled my curiosity. OH, and the Ruxton Woodlites look identical to yours. Thanks again1

[@HemiJoel]

Thanks for the comment, Scott. It would be interesting to see if Mr. Leno actually drove the car at night, and did a fair comparison of properly maintained Woodlites against other headlights of the era. I have found that the internet is full of negative comments about the performance of Woodlites, all from people repeating what they have read. I think it is all based upon a negative report in a magazine many years ago. But then again, the internet is full of people asking about how to improve the performance of their ancient 6 volt conventional headlights as well. It's all about making sure the lights get proper voltage.

[@davidmazza3898]

This is a great video, everything written about this car and the lights seems to be bogus. The lights work well a no the car doesn’t seem slow or underpowered or difficult as a Mack truck to drive! It seems smoother and less busy at 50-55mph than my Packard 902 with similar weight, engine size/output and more surprisingly I think the cord had an even shorter final drive ratio and yet the engine isnt buzzing at all 50-55. The Packard on the other hand with 4.69 rear axle feels out of rpm at 40-45 and possibly due to the long heavy drive line vibration is perceptible. More videos on the cord please! I’ve been enamored with the l-29 since I first saw on in person! Thank you!

[@HemiJoel]

David, I'm glad that you like the video. The Cord actually does drive very well. The ride is firm, but not choppy or harsh. It corners exceptionally well, especially for a car of its era. The driver feels very much in control, it doesn't roll or undulate. The steering is very precise, but it is fairly heavy, as is any large, front engine car without power steering. When the car is rolling at 5 or 10 mph+ , the steering is easy enough for one handed driving. I was told that this car got highway gears installed, but I don't know the ratio. I have had it up to 73 on a good road and it felt and sounded perfectly happy. But I don't like going that fast due to the complete lack of safety equipment. I think the L29 gets a bad rap because the examples tested are worn out, or improperly adjusted, and same for the Woodlights because of old, corroded wiring and switches, and so forth. Thanks for the comment! Joel

[@duesenberg1000]

Nice ride Joel! Light looks good

[@SM-ke6jq]

I watched some of your other videos and this car is absolutely stunning. The Woodlites totally make this car. The undercarriage is as pristine as the top-side, and it's great to see a car in this condition actually being used. That said, I think I'd be so nervous to drive it down a dirt road with all those rocks hitting the underside . . . but that's just me. I am certainly glad you don't have such a hang-up.

[@trevorseals6588]

You won’t find another video like this lol, rare car with rare light option

[@scottturney140]

Do they have a high beam setting?

[@HemiJoel]

Scott, they do have a high beam and low beam, but the low beam switch is nonfunctional, so I only tested them on high.