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Anybody have a good brand name for a headlight switch, pull type, 2 position, six volts?

I was driving the '46 ton-and-a-half (any time I've got my druthers, I'll drive the '46) to Georgetown this morning just before dawn, still dark enough to need lights, and the dang headlights and everything that works through the headlight switch went dark. I was able to limp off the frontage road and into a parking lot in about 500 feet, but it sure put a crimp on my gettin' to town when I needed to.

The parts store has sold me Borg Warner switches before, but I'm tired to swappin' out headlight switches every two years or so.

This makes the third time the connection at the fused end of fuse receptacle (not at the hot end of the fused receptacle) is the apparent culprit. This connection is always hot, but I know it is not grounding. Even so, after time and use, this is the connection that shows definite excessive heat, appears to burn just enough to fail (and let out what little smoke is built in), and render the head lamps, parking lamps, clearance lamps, dash lamps, brake and tail lamps dark every time. BUT, the fuse is not blown, and I am not reading excessive amps once the replacement goes in. Therefore, I lean toward switch quality.

Any recommendations?

Those are about all the same anywhere you get them unless you could find a N.O.S. They should last a lot longer than that. I put relays on my headlights. It takes the load off & gets brighter light.

Relays should definitely put an end to that problem -- good idea.

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Taking the stress off a weak switch is the right place to use a relay. But you may have to shop a bit to find 6 volt relays.

I suspect the new switches are being made to 12-volt specs instead of 6-volt.

If you can't find 6-volt relays another alternative that might solve the problem without relays would be to convert to 12-volts.

Its too much current (amps) that I suspect is causing the problem, and converting to 12-volts would roughly cut the current required by the headlights in half.

Of course running 12-volts you might be tempted by high power lights, and then you'd need the relay solution again...

Hey if you go up north of waco there is a place called midway auto parts that has some old chevies there and you could get yerself a headlight switch out of one of them. Mine still works on my 59. (its a boneyard)

How about 6 volt horn relays. I bet that would work.

I don't know about the earlier models, but the AD headlight switch is darn near indestructible. A 12v system will draw half of the current as an equivalent 6v system, which helps longevity. The only place I've seen problems with these is the dimmer rheostat - the coil can be broken, but it seems to be a rare problem.

My dad's '51 had a terrible headlight problem - they wouldn't turn on, would flicker if they did, etc. I replaced the original headlight switch with another original that I'd rehabbed, and all is well. The '51's switch looked solid, so now it's in the rebuild pile.

Pry apart a complete used original, polish all the contacts, apply your electrical grease of choice, and reassemble. Ready for another 50 years of trouble-free service. They're built far heavier than the generic replacement switches.

Also I would look for corrosion inside crimps on wires and around riveted terminal connectors. I've had corroded connections get quite hot without drawing very high amps. Unlike a short, the fuse won't usually blow and the heat will be confined to a smaller area.