The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 12v Headlight Relay Installation

I’m posting this to get some of our Stovebolt experts to share their opinions on installing 12v headlight relays and their associated wiring.

I have a 1952 1/2 ton converted to 12v with an 63 amp alternator and would like in the near future to add headlight relays, so my questions are as follows:

1) Would you buy a pre manufactured kit and if so, what in your opinion is the best kit and place to buy?
2) Where would you get power from?
3) Where would you mount or hide the relays?
4) What headlights would you use (I presently have GE 6014’s and like the look of stock headlights)?

I’m looking forward to your valued opinions. Thanks in advance to all.

On my 1954 Chev I just converted to 12V and gutted the regulator box to mount 3 relays - Low beams, high beams, and horn.

Since I want to be able to turn on head lights anytime, power will come from my new fuse box which is powered from the + side of the ammeter and will
show discharge when the lights are on and the engine is not running.

I bought pre-wired relays on Amazon.

Headlights : The 6012 is 50/40 watts High/low beam.
The 6014 is 60/50 watts high/low beam. 
The 6012 is difficult to find any more. The 6014 was used as a replacement for the 6012 over the years and can still be found. Mostly on eBay and Amazon. 

The H6024 is the Halogen replacement for the 6014 and is rated at 65/35 watts. 

There is no reason to buy somebody's expensive kit- - - - -60 amp 12 volt Bosch type relays are cheap and plentiful on Ebay and most of them come with the plug-in sockets included. No, you don't need a 60 amp relay for headlights, but the wires they come with are bigger and have less resistance. Run a HEAVY (like 10 gauge or bigger) main power source from the battery cable connector at the starter to the radiator core support. Fuse it if you wish- - - -a 40 amp maxi-fuse should work well. This is going to be where the relays get their voltage, so no switch will be needed. Use new connectors at the headlight bulbs and connect them to the relays with 14 gauge wire. Run the same size wire from each headlight connector to a good ground like the frame- - - -don't rely on front end sheet metal with years of rust accumulated to provide a good ground. Use the signal from the dimmer switch to trigger the relays, one for high beam and another one for low. Connect the relay coil grounds to the same place you ground the headlight bulbs. If you want to hide the relays, just put them on the forward side of the core support, with the wires going through a rubber grommet. If you really want to see well, use LED headlights, not conventional incandescent ones or even halogens. The relays will handle the current load without a problem.
Jerry

Thank you both for your input.

Jerry, do you know if they make LED’s that look similar to the original lights? I looked on EBay and only saw those ultramodern one’s with built in blinkers and blue halos, etc.

Real good stuff so far. Thanks

Phil

I'm running 7" LED headlights on both my motorcycles that don't have all the funky stuff- - -just plain clear lenses. They look and mount exactly like stovebolt headlights, so I'm pretty sure they would work. They really light up the road. The light is bright white, not the yellow/orange of halogens.
Jerry

Hello Jerry -

Your comment doesn't make sense to me ...." Run a HEAVY (like 10 gauge or bigger) main power source from the battery cable connector at the starter to the radiator core support"
Connecting the main power source to the radiator core support would be a dead short to ground - right?
There was no mention of this being a positive ground system.

A little common sense goes a long way. Try it sometime. The core support is near the headlights, right?

Mount the relays near the headlights at the core support, not back at the firewall inside a phony voltage regulator. Power the relays with the heavy-gauge wire you ran to the area NEAR the core support. Does that make more sense? "Good grief, Charley Brown!"
Jerry

Hello Jerry,
That's the problem with the upcoming generation - no common sense
There are those that don't understand electrical - and saying run a wire from the battery to the core support - well....I wouldn't put it past some one to actually
connect it that way !

We each have out own opinions and ideas on where and how to mount relays - to each their own - right?

Rick

I understood, I must be the older generation. Oh No! When did that happen?