The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Tail light conversion problems!!!!

I am now rewiring my '51 Chev 3100. A few years ago I bought a turn signal kit that mounts under the dash, a toggle switch type. I redid the front parking lamps with 12 volt ,1157 type sockets and now am working on the back. What exactly do I use in the stock type tail light to acheive brake , atil and signals? I can't seem to fit two large bulbs in that little rear light. It looks like the old ten pounds of sh-- in a five pound bag! Please , any help would be great/ Thanks

You can bend the flat bar that holds the sockets, half way between the sockets, and get enough room to put a #81 (6cp) bulb in the lower socket for the tail light and a #1129 (21cp) in the upper for the brake light. You can also use an adapter (GO HERE, scroll down half way to part number C7002X) to use the 1154 bulb (6v version of the 1157). The 1154 is 3cp tail/21cp brake. Another option for the bulb if you go the double contact adapter is to www.hirschauto.com and buy one of their halogen bulbs in place of the 1154. I'm using one of those in my 38 with the adapter and it does put out substantially more light than the 1154. They aren't cheap though. When it burns out I'll be going to the 81/1129 set up.

Tiny; Is the # 81 and the 1129 bulb a 12 volt? If so, that would be great , but I still need to figure out what to do for my signals. any ideas?

No they are both 6v bulbs. When you said you put 1157 "type" sockets in I assumed (I know, I know) you were still running 6 volts. The 1157 "type" socket will accept the 1154 6 volt bulb. There are most likely 12 volt equivalent bulbs to the 1129 and 81 but I don't know what they are.

Edit: Looks like the 89 and 1141 would be the 12v equivalent. <CLICK>

Let me rephrase my question; For those of you that have a 47-54 Chev pickup and use it as a daily driver, what did you do for signal lights on the rear? If you have a few pics and wiring diagrams and socket and bulb types, fictures etc, that would be great. Thanks

With respect to light bulbs, I have used 6v and 12v dual filament bulbs in dual filament sockets. The single dual-filament bulb socket in 1954 rear lamps was "ready to go" (a second lamp has to be mounted),and the front "parking lamp" socket was easily converted to a dual filament sockets.

With respect to the wiring, my wiring-setup would most likely not match yours (I have a 1954 GM truck signal setup with a 6-wire harness).

Have you checked out Cletis's Tech Tip on turn-signal wiring?