C-7 lights in action
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C-7s are still fairly well represented in our immediate area. A nice break from the monotony of white mini-lites.
Each year I only put up one lit garland over our front bay window, and it has mini-lites woven through it. I'm not one to waste a bunch of time decorating only to have to take it all down again. I hang it on four hooks and drape it over each section of the window, put up red bows at each hook, plug it into a light-sensor timer and call it done.
You can just barely make it out in the background. I was going after the Corvair, which lives a couple of houses down from us.
Each year I only put up one lit garland over our front bay window, and it has mini-lites woven through it. I'm not one to waste a bunch of time decorating only to have to take it all down again. I hang it on four hooks and drape it over each section of the window, put up red bows at each hook, plug it into a light-sensor timer and call it done.
You can just barely make it out in the background. I was going after the Corvair, which lives a couple of houses down from us.
toploader55
Well-known member
Corvair.
Yikes... I remember the Monza and the Spyder.
Never really liked them. And as I recall, Had terrible heat in the winter on really cold days. I think it was like the VW Bug. As they had air cooled engines.
whirlcool
Well-known member
I think that's a 1961 Corvair. It's certainly an early one. It even has the original white turn signals.
I had a 1966 Corvair Corsa while in college. Not too bad of a car, the biggest problem was the dip tube seals in the engine. These are what gets oil into the valve train. They used rubber gaskets that would melt from engine heat. So most Corvairs leaked oil. Mine certainly did. I had the dip tube seals replaced by the Chev dealer for about $300 and in 6 months they were leaking again. And the oil is sprayed all over the bottom of the engine as well as misting the top of it. Every three or four months I would have to take the car to one of those do it yourself car wash places, paint the engine with Gunk and then spray it off. If your engine is not clean then when you turn the heater on the interior will smell like burning oil and you may even see smoke inside the car from the burning oil.
Last year I ran into a Corvair club show. Not a single Corvair there leaked oil.
I asked one of the owners how is this possible. He said in the early 80's someone came out with plasticized dip tube seals and once you install those, it will not leak again.
The Corsa I had was a fast little car. It had quad carbs on it and a turbo charger. But you had to keep those carbs synchronized. If they got out of synch the car would really run like crap, but in synch the motor just purred.
It didn't get great gas mileage, about 18 city, 21 highway. But at the time regular full size cars were getting 12-14 mpg. Except for the oil leaks it was a pretty reliable car, never had any breakdowns in it.
I had a 1966 Corvair Corsa while in college. Not too bad of a car, the biggest problem was the dip tube seals in the engine. These are what gets oil into the valve train. They used rubber gaskets that would melt from engine heat. So most Corvairs leaked oil. Mine certainly did. I had the dip tube seals replaced by the Chev dealer for about $300 and in 6 months they were leaking again. And the oil is sprayed all over the bottom of the engine as well as misting the top of it. Every three or four months I would have to take the car to one of those do it yourself car wash places, paint the engine with Gunk and then spray it off. If your engine is not clean then when you turn the heater on the interior will smell like burning oil and you may even see smoke inside the car from the burning oil.
Last year I ran into a Corvair club show. Not a single Corvair there leaked oil.
I asked one of the owners how is this possible. He said in the early 80's someone came out with plasticized dip tube seals and once you install those, it will not leak again.
The Corsa I had was a fast little car. It had quad carbs on it and a turbo charger. But you had to keep those carbs synchronized. If they got out of synch the car would really run like crap, but in synch the motor just purred.
It didn't get great gas mileage, about 18 city, 21 highway. But at the time regular full size cars were getting 12-14 mpg. Except for the oil leaks it was a pretty reliable car, never had any breakdowns in it.
I'd have to crack open one of my vintage car books to check subtle differences on Corvairs made before the 1965 model year.
I was thinking this one was a '64, since the original black license plates beginning with "M" would be from that period. If it's a '61, those are not the original plates, which throws into question whether this is a coveted "California" car. Allen, when did they start using amber lenses for the turn signals?
Too bad it's not festooned with C-7s. We'd still be on topic. I have more pictures, but won't post them here.
I was thinking this one was a '64, since the original black license plates beginning with "M" would be from that period. If it's a '61, those are not the original plates, which throws into question whether this is a coveted "California" car. Allen, when did they start using amber lenses for the turn signals?
Too bad it's not festooned with C-7s. We'd still be on topic. I have more pictures, but won't post them here.
firedome
Well-known member
Think it was the 62's that had the twin grille bars...
neighbor had one... my brother had a 64 Monza Spyder Turbo Coupe named Pierre... fun car, but they all leaked oil!
neighbor had one... my brother had a 64 Monza Spyder Turbo Coupe named Pierre... fun car, but they all leaked oil!
firedome
Well-known member
Ya,...back to C-7s...
we still love them for the wonderful color saturation in the vintage bulbs, and just last night we added all the tinsel... the crowning touch at night, the tree just shimmers and glistens.. so beautiful! But putting it on is the ultimate nightmare for us anal retentive types... you almost have to do it one strand at a time, plus we had a dickens of a time just finding the stuff: around here at least it's only found at Christmas Tree Shops, our favorite Chinese-made Kitsch emporium.
we still love them for the wonderful color saturation in the vintage bulbs, and just last night we added all the tinsel... the crowning touch at night, the tree just shimmers and glistens.. so beautiful! But putting it on is the ultimate nightmare for us anal retentive types... you almost have to do it one strand at a time, plus we had a dickens of a time just finding the stuff: around here at least it's only found at Christmas Tree Shops, our favorite Chinese-made Kitsch emporium.
tennblondie78
Well-known member
I have some vintage C-7 lights, but I'm a bit afraid to put them on my silver tinsel tree (not aluminum, sadly...) because they get so hot. Is the heat they generate not a problem? I have a set of LED C-7 lights on there now, and I hate them. They are the dimmest, most pathetic looking lights I've ever seen, and I hate the colors.
firedome
Well-known member
I dunno...
but we had people in the neighborhood that had C-7s on aluminum trees. Not sure what the flammability potential of the aluminum (?) "needles" is, not to mention conductivity, hence all those rotating color wheels that usually tended to be used with them.
but we had people in the neighborhood that had C-7s on aluminum trees. Not sure what the flammability potential of the aluminum (?) "needles" is, not to mention conductivity, hence all those rotating color wheels that usually tended to be used with them.
polkanut
Well-known member
<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: 12pt;">Here's a kinda blurry pic of the vintage GE® C-7's gifted to me by Hans (Norgeway) and his partner Donald. The star, candoliers, and timer are also vintage, and were estate sale finds. The timer is an Intermatic Model A221-4 circa 1961-62.</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: 12pt;">P.S. Please note that pic #1 is reversed. </span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: 12pt;">P.S. Please note that pic #1 is reversed. </span>
I have several sets of C-7 lights; the oldest being a Noma 25 light my parents bought in the early 50's. It has red & green wire with the red wooden balls to hold them on. The bulbs in this and most of the other sets (mainly GE) are GE Cool Brite. We replaced the solid colored bulbs with these when we got the artificial tree in '73, so as not to damage the needles. I do have one Noma set with 7 lights that have the solid colored bulbs, and some loose ones. Unfortunately I don't have any of the original bulbs from the Noma sets.
Red Wooden Balls
For decades we had a long set with tandem cloth cords and the red wooden balls. I don't know what happened to it. That was the only string I would have saved. That wood ball system made stringing lights a breeze!
For decades we had a long set with tandem cloth cords and the red wooden balls. I don't know what happened to it. That was the only string I would have saved. That wood ball system made stringing lights a breeze!
I've still got a short NOMA string with the wooden balls, but I didn't know they had any function. I thought they were just decorative.
When I was a kid in the sixties and seventies the solid colored C7's dominated the local market for both tree lights and house lights. I'd notice a few places with C9's, but they were so uncommon that they stood out. I've always liked the way they look, so much so that I can't imagine Christmas without them, so I put them up outside my apartment every year. It's a pain in the neck, but the neighbors seem to like them.
As for the tree lights, I still use them, but I have to run them through a variac dialed down to about 85 to 90 volts to bring the heat down. I like to have the lights on in the evening, but I don't want them drying out the branches around them, and they really will dry them out at full voltage.
Stephanie - You can run the C7's on your tree, but you need to make sure that all the bulbs have the little black cardboard washer around them to seal the socket against tinsel, and you'll want either a dimmer or a variac to reduce the current and allow them to run cooler. When run the way I described above I can hold any of the bulbs in my fingers for any length of time without being burned, which means your tinsel should be safe as well.
As for the tree lights, I still use them, but I have to run them through a variac dialed down to about 85 to 90 volts to bring the heat down. I like to have the lights on in the evening, but I don't want them drying out the branches around them, and they really will dry them out at full voltage.
Stephanie - You can run the C7's on your tree, but you need to make sure that all the bulbs have the little black cardboard washer around them to seal the socket against tinsel, and you'll want either a dimmer or a variac to reduce the current and allow them to run cooler. When run the way I described above I can hold any of the bulbs in my fingers for any length of time without being burned, which means your tinsel should be safe as well.
I know this is an 'in action' thread... But I'm strolling down memory lane..
The house in the picture is the house I grew up in... I so wished I had my own pictures instead of having to steal ones off of google street view...
Anyways.. My mom and our neighbor directly across the street always had a little... ... contest going... during Christmas time. They would always try to see who could outdo the other...
One year, mom made dad trim the gutters with clear c7 lights (Our back yard lead right into the largest park in the town, so the front AND back were always decorated). A few weeks later, Clarence was out climbing around his house trimming the gutters... He used colored lights. We never used colored lights. Always clear.
Well, mom fumed about that till the next year...
The next year arrives, Mom says to dad... "Don't put those lights up from last year... This year we're gonna use C9's..." ..... Dad rolls his eyes and goes to the store to buy lights...
Clarence was never one to 'waste' electricity (he worked for the power company) so he just laughed.. Instead he put up a new star... That Irked mom...
Anyways, we got the c9s on the roof and ... the house was ... Bright... .. Mom was happy.. so .. we got ready to go to bed .. I don't know how dad did it, but with him, anything was possible... Mom was gonna crawl into bed and she turned the ceiling fan on and POP everything went dead.... Dad went to the basement, reset the panel, she turned the fan on again and POP everything goes dead again... He reset the panel, this time the electric timer on the lights didn't kick back on, she turned the fan on and all was good... Until the next night.. Same thing happens... Dad figured it was the lights so he unplugged them and reset the panel. He said he'd deal with it the third day.. Well... That second night we get hit with a blizzard... The third day, mom demands him to fix the lights so we can have Christmas lights on with the snow... We get a 5' blizzard, and dad is on the roof un-screwing every other one of those C9 bulbs... .. When Christmas was over, those came down and went into the trash... Mom decided the c7's were bright enough.
This went on for years, until we moved... It got to the point that we had this HUGE star in the tree by the bay window on the middle level, we had this cascading tail that came from the star, the c7's on the gutters turned into c7's with icicle lights, there wire framed sculptures in the yard, the porch spindles covered in lights, the railings covered in lights, we had a swan mailbox that got lit up, all of the windows hand electric candles with flame bulbs, the backyard had the wireframes and railing lights, we had Wreaths all over the place, three Christmas Trees in the house that you could see from the windows... ... I mean it was always beautiful, never tacky but.. ... They always kept getting more... Mom and Clarence could never do the same thing each year.. There always had to be more... (We had to have the electrician come out twice to change the outside wiring.. The second time he came, they put two 20amp circuits in JUST for Christmas lights..)
.. Clarence bought pegged lights to line the driveway.. Mom saw that at supper time that night and she was PISSED.. She made dad search and search for something to line the driveway with and he finally found something and was out there putting the lights up in the middle of the night so Clarence wouldn't see him.
Christmas was always so fun when we lived in that house. It hasn't been the same since... And mom stopped decorating outside when Clarence passed away.. (That house was 3 houses ago.) I miss those times and I miss that house.
Anywho, thanks for the trip down memory lane.
The house in the picture is the house I grew up in... I so wished I had my own pictures instead of having to steal ones off of google street view...
Anyways.. My mom and our neighbor directly across the street always had a little... ... contest going... during Christmas time. They would always try to see who could outdo the other...
One year, mom made dad trim the gutters with clear c7 lights (Our back yard lead right into the largest park in the town, so the front AND back were always decorated). A few weeks later, Clarence was out climbing around his house trimming the gutters... He used colored lights. We never used colored lights. Always clear.
Well, mom fumed about that till the next year...
The next year arrives, Mom says to dad... "Don't put those lights up from last year... This year we're gonna use C9's..." ..... Dad rolls his eyes and goes to the store to buy lights...
Clarence was never one to 'waste' electricity (he worked for the power company) so he just laughed.. Instead he put up a new star... That Irked mom...
Anyways, we got the c9s on the roof and ... the house was ... Bright... .. Mom was happy.. so .. we got ready to go to bed .. I don't know how dad did it, but with him, anything was possible... Mom was gonna crawl into bed and she turned the ceiling fan on and POP everything went dead.... Dad went to the basement, reset the panel, she turned the fan on again and POP everything goes dead again... He reset the panel, this time the electric timer on the lights didn't kick back on, she turned the fan on and all was good... Until the next night.. Same thing happens... Dad figured it was the lights so he unplugged them and reset the panel. He said he'd deal with it the third day.. Well... That second night we get hit with a blizzard... The third day, mom demands him to fix the lights so we can have Christmas lights on with the snow... We get a 5' blizzard, and dad is on the roof un-screwing every other one of those C9 bulbs... .. When Christmas was over, those came down and went into the trash... Mom decided the c7's were bright enough.
This went on for years, until we moved... It got to the point that we had this HUGE star in the tree by the bay window on the middle level, we had this cascading tail that came from the star, the c7's on the gutters turned into c7's with icicle lights, there wire framed sculptures in the yard, the porch spindles covered in lights, the railings covered in lights, we had a swan mailbox that got lit up, all of the windows hand electric candles with flame bulbs, the backyard had the wireframes and railing lights, we had Wreaths all over the place, three Christmas Trees in the house that you could see from the windows... ... I mean it was always beautiful, never tacky but.. ... They always kept getting more... Mom and Clarence could never do the same thing each year.. There always had to be more... (We had to have the electrician come out twice to change the outside wiring.. The second time he came, they put two 20amp circuits in JUST for Christmas lights..)
.. Clarence bought pegged lights to line the driveway.. Mom saw that at supper time that night and she was PISSED.. She made dad search and search for something to line the driveway with and he finally found something and was out there putting the lights up in the middle of the night so Clarence wouldn't see him.
Christmas was always so fun when we lived in that house. It hasn't been the same since... And mom stopped decorating outside when Clarence passed away.. (That house was 3 houses ago.) I miss those times and I miss that house.
Anywho, thanks for the trip down memory lane.
sudsmaster
Well-known member
I had a '64 white Monza back in 1970. For about 2 months. I think I bought it for $300 and sold it for $270. It also leaked oil, and had a noisy clutch throwout bearing. I got both fixed, didn't cost much. But I was also told the front end needed work, and I believed it because it would tend to wander a lot on the highway. I put the biggest boulder I could lift in the trunk (in front, of course) but that didn't solve the problem. Since I didn't have the $$ to fix it, I sold it. Cosmetically it was in great condition. But I was just starting college and really couldn't afford a car anyway.
When I bought this house in '97, I found a vintage fake Xmas tree (probably at least 50 years old) with cloth covered C7 lights. The lights work but I was hesitant to put them on the tree. Also found a vintage ceramic Nativity scene - made in Japan - which is safely stored away. Haven't put up a tree for years. The fake one is OK - but just not exactly where I'm at today.
Maybe next year.
When I bought this house in '97, I found a vintage fake Xmas tree (probably at least 50 years old) with cloth covered C7 lights. The lights work but I was hesitant to put them on the tree. Also found a vintage ceramic Nativity scene - made in Japan - which is safely stored away. Haven't put up a tree for years. The fake one is OK - but just not exactly where I'm at today.
Maybe next year.
Corvair
"It didn't get great gas mileage, about 18 city, 21 highway. But at the time regular full size cars were getting 12-14 mpg."
Somebody's family I know had one when they were a kid, her mother was worried and told her father that she was nervous when they passed gas stations, shouldn't we be filling up?
"It didn't get great gas mileage, about 18 city, 21 highway. But at the time regular full size cars were getting 12-14 mpg."
Somebody's family I know had one when they were a kid, her mother was worried and told her father that she was nervous when they passed gas stations, shouldn't we be filling up?
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