Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

FORUM RULES: Users agree to these Rules when using Forum.

The site administrator reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the user agreement without prior notice to the user. It is the responsibility of the user to regularly review the terms of this agreement.

The user agrees to the following terms:

All information that you provide to us for your membership is correct.
You will not use your membership to spam, harrass, or exploit other members in any way.
Vulgar, Abusive, Racist and Sexist Language will not be tolerated.
Commercial-type sales postings will not be allowed.
No mass posting or flooding of the boards is allowed.
No Advertising of parts or cars; no Ebay or business/commercial ads (please use the "Classified" for ads Wanted or For Sale).
VIEWING MULTIPLE TOPICS ON SCREEN: You can choose to see more than 10 Topics at a time ... Log In and choose "Preferences" from the top bar on the Forum page. Scroll down and Change the "Default Topics Returned" parameter to 25 or 50, and save the changes. Since this setting is stored in your browser 'cookies' (if enabled), it seems to use that stored value even if you are not logged in. So, if you use a PC that you haven't logged into the forum from, the setting still seem to remain at the default.
EXTERNAL PHOTO LINKS ON FORUM: You can still use external photo links in your posts on the new forum. They follow the rules of any link in that they have to have the URL link qualified down to the full image file name (example: .jpg). The links will open in a new browser window, the same as an uploaded image attached to a post. Since an image attachment to any post does not display inline with the post, the results are the same. You can use multiple external links within a post. This link is from photos on a site from Don Clink's 'Deuce@75' albums:

http://donclink.com/deuce_75_1/images/dscn2950.jpg

Using links from photo sites such as Photobucket can help in "size" issue with uploaded attachment files. For best viewing in web browsers, photos should be around the 800x600 pixel range, and probably not more than 1024x768. Most cameras today store HUGE jpg image files, as the default settings are in the 7, 8, 10, and 12Mb image sizes. The image files that are then attached are very large, and the browser can't display the full image size without using the scroll bars. Use the re-sizing functions of your photo editing software to reduce the image to 800x600, which reduces the file sixe and the image load time in the browser. Don uses Google's free Picassa3 software, which is an excellent photo management product. All of the photo albums of the Deuce, Grand National, and Auburn that are links on the NORG site were built using Picassa's web creation functions. And it's free? (THANKS to Don Clink for the info!)
HOW DO I SHOW MY EMAIL ADDRESS ALONG WITH MY USERNAME? You can LogIn on the Forum, and select PREFERENCES. On this page Members can add optional information such as their City,State, Country; Occupation; Hobbies: list a Homepage; list AOL Instant Messanger Handle; Signature; "Make Email Address viewable to others;" and even change the number of Default Topics shown on a page. WHEN others click on your profile, they will see this information.

EFV-8 Club Forum / 1940 Ford Discussion / headlights

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion

<< previous || next >>

Posted By

Discussion Topic: headlights

Barney

04-24-2023 @ 4:42 PM

reply profile send p.m.

New Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Nov 2015

Hello electricians,

I have a fairly stock 1940 Ford with a flathead V-8. It is still a 6-volt system. I believe it's safe to state that when the low beams are selected, only the low beam elements are energized. Ditto for the high beams. Wondering if anyone care to comment on wiring the lights so both the low and high elements are on when high beams are selected. I'm guessing that too much heat would be generated which would probably drastically shorten bulb life. And / or it would draw too much current such that the generator could not satisfy the demand. BTW, I would probably not use the original headlight switch; probably use two separate switches.

There's probably enough light being produced; would like a bit more as my age is close to my car's age.
Thank you for any input,

Barney

carcrazy

04-24-2023 @ 7:54 PM

reply profile send p.m.

Senior
Posts: 1587
Joined: Oct 2009

You are probably correct on both counts. What you can do to make the headlights brighter is to use a headlight relay. These are claimed to provide up to 30% brighter headlights while providing up to 50% longer service life for the original headlight switch. One source for these is Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts, www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com. Follow the instructions that come with the part to wire it correctly.

Barney

04-26-2023 @ 1:24 PM

reply profile send p.m.

New Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Nov 2015

Hello Carcrazy,
Thank you very much for your input and link to a seller of a product of a probable remedy of this situation.
In appreciation,
Barney

TomO

04-26-2023 @ 8:00 PM

reply profile send p.m.

Senior
Posts: 7243
Joined: Oct 2009

Switching on the Hi beams when the low beams are on is probably not a good idea. The Hi beams are focused to light the road further away and would be directed into oncoming drivers eyes.

Before you spend a lot of time rewiring to install headlight relays, check out the voltage at the head light bulb with the engine running at about 20 mph (about 1200rpm). If it above 6 volts the relay won't help you. The bulb is at its brightest. Try new bulbs, incandescent bulbs loose brightness after being used for a long time.

If it is below 5.5Volts, Operate your dimmer switch many times and recheck the voltage. If it is higher, your switch is dirty. Sometimes just operating the switch will clean it, other times it is best to disassemble and clean the contacts and coat the contacts with bulb grease.

If operating the dimmer switch did not raise the voltage, operate the light switchmany times to see if that will raise the voltage.

Tom

JayChicago

04-27-2023 @ 8:48 AM

reply profile send p.m.

Member
Posts: 471
Joined: Jan 2016

Good advice from TomO, as always.

If all is well with the electrical system, the 6 volt headlights can be very bright. My headlights are as bright as my daily driver's. IMHO, adding relays is a Rube Goldberg fix to by-pass a problem. And if the source of the problem is at the headlight itself (bad ground there is common), that's downstream of the relay so problem will still exist. Why not find and fix the electrical problem(s)? May require recruiting someone to help you with the electrical troubleshooting.

If the headlight switch or the dimmer switch needs replacing, reproductions for the '40 are available from the usual vendors.

6 volt Halogen bulbs are readily available. They give a little brighter and whiter light. But they too, need a good 6 volt feed.

Barney

04-29-2023 @ 5:39 AM

reply profile send p.m.

New Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Nov 2015

Hello TomO and Jay,
Thanks for the comments. I totally agree about thorough grounding. This issue started after installing a new floor-mounted dimmer switch - probably Chinese. I'm guessing that's where I'll find the problem. I haven't heard Rube mentioned in some time; he's quite the character. The sealed beams are relatively new; only 2 or 3 hours on them.
Enjoy your weekend,
Barney

<< previous || next >>

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

Merchandise Questions

Membership Questions