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Hi:

Does anyone know how to make the headlights on a six volt system brighter, or are there other bulbs one can use to accomplish this?

I have a 49 Chevy 1/2 ton panel truck and will keep the 6 volt system. What can be done to make the headlights and taillights more visible, or brighter? Thanks for the help :punch:

On the front,,just make sure all the connections are clean and tight,,especially the grounds.
For the taillights,,alot of people are going for the latest trend,,those L.E.D. things.
Theyre good when theyre good,,when the little "bulbs" start burning out,,you have a taillight full of junk thats not worth repairing and have to start over again. I just recently threw a set away. 90.00..........
I'm stickin with my 1.29 1157 light bulbs.
So,,,,clean connections,,good grounds,,and you'll be just fine.
Marty

Panelit,

I'm not sure there are fancy lights available for a 6 volt system, but using a headlight relay that was fed by a nice large gauge wire (fused) straight from the battery might perk them up somewhat. Mount the relay close to the lights and switch it with the current feed from switch to lights.

I think there is a thread in this forum running now about higher candle power taillight bulbs...dig around a bit and see what pops up.

Stuart

I'm with Marty on this one. Cleanliness is next to, well you know the rest! I spent all of the winter taking everything apart on this '50 that I’m working on and one of the areas that I paid special attention to was the 6v electrical system. I repaired or replaced any bad wires and I took all of the connections loose and cleaned all with a small wire brush. Check all of your grounds, take them loose and clean them, any oxidation at a connection has some resistance and there for some voltage drop. Add enough of them up in a circuit and it can be significant enough to dim your light a bunch.
After hearing all the stories that some guys tell about 6v systems and dim lights I was expecting something akin to gaslights. One of the things that surprised me the most was that the headlights are just as bright as a 12v light would be. At night out here in the country when I'm cruising by myself I light up the road like any normal set of headlights would, whether I have the dims or brights on. You get used to seeing headlights on the newer vehicles equipped with the halogen bulbs and a sealed beam simply isn’t going to throw as much light. That’s why ya don’t see them anymore on newer cars, simply advances in technology.

Now the tail lights are the normal brightness that one would expect from period taillights, a bit small but plenty bright. If you noticed, they kept adding more bulbs and larger reflectors to the taillights as safety design progressed. The stoplights could be a bit brighter but I think once again they are correct for the period. If one were really concerned that they couldn’t be seen and wasn’t looking for originality than maybe additional lights could be added to the rear.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

6 volt systems take heavier gauge wire & better connections then 12 volts. Denny is right 6 volts should be as bright as the 12 volt equivalent. I believe halegen bulbs are available in 6 volts. Relays are a good idea like Stuart says. They are rare in 6 volts but you could use horn relays.

grounds and a fat wire ran off a relay.

Thanks for the suggestions, when I install the new harness I will make it a point to follow your recommendations.

I believe the light output of the 6 V headlights is only about 70% of what the 12 V ones put out. This does make a difference.

Not really doubting ya Fred, but is that a gut feeling or did you read that somewhere? I'd like to know that for sure, I think you might be right although the 6v headlights on my '50 seem adaquate for all of the driving I've been doing. They might not reach out far enough at 65 or 70 mph.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

you can get halogen 6V bulbs that are the same watts as 12V, Panelit, brighten things right up

check wattage Denny, I think the 6V are 40/45 or so, the 12V are 50/55, and either V in halogen are 60/65 .... the 6V lights are fine, but weren't meant for the speeds roads allow now

Bill

Great Bill, I have this “show me the numbers” disease that I contracted when I was a kid. I’ll take your word for it; I just went out to the garage and found a H6054 Halogen that’s rated at 65/35w. I don’t have a 6v or 12v handy, they are out in the barn but I’ll take a look soon as the sun comes up.
Don’t know why we didn’t think just to look at the wattage on the box Fred, or maybe that was where you got your info from????
Anyway, that pretty much kills that urban legend that I was trying to start, that a 6v is as bright as a 12v, which is as bright as a Halogen.
I stand corrected!
Just so I can file it away for future reference, where have you seen the 6v Halogen’s bill?
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
it was in a technical article that I read lately. I am racking my brain to remember which one it was. I subscribe to four publications and usually pick up two others. It is kind of like an addiction with me!

Red58's wattages are close to what I remember reading. I think today we have gone over the top with some of the lights on cars. Some of them that may be aftermarket I consider dangerous to oncoming drivers.

6V halogen sealed beams are big with the old Brit and VW folks, jc whitney has'em, and I'd expect any auto parts store that has regular 6V lights could get them - I used the small, non-sealedbeam type years ago for a 37 Ford I had, adapted to the original reflectors, worked great

there's some 'modern' light [xenon?] on some newer cars that I think oughta be outlawed, waaay to bright oncoming, and a very artificial blue, dangerously distracting and irritating

Bill