Head lights

[Wm Steed]

I used a 8v battery in my '36 Ford V8 for many years with no ill effects to the radio, heater, ignition system or bulbs. If you are going to use a 8v battery you should use a voltage regulator in lieu of a cutout and adjust the regulator so the generator is putting out 8v.

I went to the 8v battery because at the time the '36 was my daily car which I drove all over the Western US. Heading out to work in the morning after a sudden snow storm, is not the time to find out that your car won't start. Regardless of what battery you use, clean/tight terminals with maximum amps to the lights without high resistance in the system is the answer to good head/tail lights....Bill?

[notdavidspade]

I've made a set of wires for headlights for my 41 from marine grade (tinned throughout) cables and new connectors for the headlights.  I've since bought a complete original type harness from YandZ and don't have a need for it any longer.  Let me know if your interested, I've got about 50 bucks wrapped up in it not including soldering it up and making it nice.  I'll sell it for 40.  Thanks!
Steve in FL

[plym_46]

Switching to 8 volts is a band aid, at best, and can cause more problems than it fixes.  Automotive engineers used 6 volts for years and it worked.  The real reason for the switch to 12 V was they could use thiner  read cheaper wire.  Go through you car make sure your connections are clean and tight, make sure your grounds are clean and tight.           

6 volt lamps are rated for the same wattage as 12 v, 35 low and 55 high, 6 V requires 2x the current flow to produce that wattage so good wires ad gllod connections are a must.

Suppose you switch to 8 volt, and your battery fails, where do you get an 8V battery if you need one in a hurry????  So either fix your 6 V system or swithc to 12V.

[39 Coupe]

This isn't a real good way in the long run to have brighter lights, but I did it for many years in my 39 Plymouth and it worked very well for that.? And the 39 is the year before the introduction of sealed beams====why they could be any shape, even square.? Talk about dim lights with separate bulbs and rather dim reflectors.?

Anyway, this easy fix actually gave me bright enough lights to pass the Florida vehicle safety inspection which they had at one time.? Couldn't drive the car without passing it, so passing it was a must.

Install an 8 volt battery and have the voltage regulator adjusted to match.? Brightens all the lights considerably.? Also cranks the motor much faster.? I was told it would make all the bulbs burn out faster.? That didn't happen.? Never lost a bulb.?

I was also told it would make the points burn out faster and make the car hard to start even though cranking very fast.? That did happen.? I had to replace points regularly.? And a car that was very easy to start became very difficult to start.? Was why when Florida dropped their safety inspection requirement, I went back to 6 volts.

Anyway for a quick fix, converting to 8 volts does work.? Although I don't really recommend it.

[plym_46]

As far as the dash lights go, you may have a few possibilities.? The first one is a toggle switch to the right of the steering column on the underside of the dash.? We have found these to be hit or miss in P15's perhaps the P12 was also this way.? Some cars had them snd some didn't.? Some that had them had two position some had three.? the two position switch is off and dim, the three position is off, dim and dimmer.? Keep in mind these little bulbs are only reted at 6 ot 8 candle power so they are not going to be real bright even in the best of coditions.? So check you dash for a switch, if you have one try whatever positions are present.? Secondly, if you have ever dusted you light bulbs at home, you probably do it 2 or 4 times a year.? Now think of those poor little dashboard lamps laboring away in a much harsher envirnment for the past 68 years, think they mught be a bit dusty???? pull them and clean them.?

Also you can get a brighter bulb that will work in those positions, I think it a 12 cp deal? I believe they are #88 bulbs.? Some one also said he used 6 V flashlight bulbs from radio shack.

My preference is for a dimly lighted dash, on my road cars I have them set for barely on.? So the plymouth set up doean't bother me.

But look for the switch, clean the bulbs or upgrade to brighter if you need bright lights.

[Wm Steed]

Todd is right about the corrosion in your electrical system causing a problem creating dim lights.

The easy solution to this problem is to make sure all of the connections are clean and tight, especially the ground straps. Many of the older cars, prior to about 1960 did not use a "bonded" system. A bonded system has ground straps/cables, engine to frame, frame to body and engine to body. When you remove most of the electrical connectors  you will find that the terminal are very dark, this being corrosion which impedes the flow of current. Clean the terminals and apply a thin coating of a dielectric compound. If the wiring is in poor condition corrosion will be present in the wiring which will impede the flow of current. Rewiring the entire chassis may be necessary if the wiring is in poor condition.

Now to the simple cure of dim head lights....... To be applied once the wiring/terminals are corrected.
Wire the head lights up directly to a head light relay, using the wire from the switch to activate the relay in lieu of supplying power to the lamps. Putting a relay in the system will make the lights into real eye ball burners. The relay will also take a big load off of the switch, dash and tail lights.

As I recall, GM was one of the few manufactures to use head light relays in the early cars. In 1953 I bought a '36 Ford coupe that still had the original head lights. I grafted a set of '40 Chevy head lights onto the car in place of the original Ford pods. The doaner Chevy had a head light relay so I used it with a separate switch to eliminate the column mounted Ford switch. The lights on that Ford are real eye ball burners.....Bill

[TodFitch]

You have sealed beam lights on that car. The modern 6v number for those is 6006.

However just switching out the bulbs is not likely going to help much because you have 68 years of corrosion in your electrical system. At the very least, replace all the wires from the ammeter through the headlight and high/low beam switches to the headlights with new wire of appropriate gauge. In the late 1970s I owned a 1957 VW Beetle which had a 6v electrical system with the same sealed beam lights. The car was less than 25 years old at the time and the headlights weren't much better than candles. I rewired that car using on gauge heavier wire than the factory used and got rid of all the corroded old terminal strips and cleaned up the switches. With the same battery, generator and headlight bulbs I could then actually see the road.

For my thoughts on the needs of a slightly older system see: http://www.ply33.com/Repair/lights

[Carmen]

You guys have been great I got and have use the tips you have posted here in helping me with my 41 P12 four door. Now for another.

I took my car out last night for the first time driving in the dark, just wanted to see what it was like. Well it was dark.  The head light work but are not very bright. What is the modern light that I can use to help me see better at night. Now I do not plan on driving my car every night  but on those times that I do I want more light on the road.

Also what about the panel lights? I can barely see the gauges.

Thanks

Carmen