Conversion to 6 volt, positive ground, LED headlights

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by Stephan

i tried this with high quality 6V LED and they flicker at idle speed. I was told by Octane Lighting that it is normal and goes away at driving speeds. That is true; however, i went to Halogen and they work fine although not as bright as the LED.

Has anyone else had this issue? At first i thought about going to a 50 amp generator, but, prefer not to.

I am using the original generator, and haven't experienced the flickering issue. You mentioned that Octane lighting said it was a normal issue. You might want to try: [email protected]m. and try a set of the bulbs I used.

https://www.ledlight.com/led-headlam...-polarity.aspx

You might want to check the out put of your battery, since a fully charged battery, should provide enough power tot he lights, when the generator is at idle. Do the lights flicker, when the car is not running and the lights are on?

[rjlester]

I will definitely try this conversion this summer. My 54 Meteor is all 6v, and while people comment that the bulbs are very bright for 6volt, I like the idea of having the lights on and less current drain.

The video is excellent and shows a huge difference in brightness, thanks!

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by fortyonerag

^^^^I have screw jack top mechanism on my 41. Its a very slow operation.

Last fall, I decided to see if I could improve on the time it took to put the top up and down. I installed a dedicated 8 gauge wire, from the starter relay, to a dedicated relay, for the convertible top. And another piece of 8 gauge from the dedicated relay to the top relay. I also took the top off the top relay and sprayed the points/contacts, with contact cleaner. I can now put the top up in under 60 seconds and put the top down in under 23 seconds.

Yes, the speed doesn't match the modern convertible top speeds, but considering I am working with a 70 year old system (for you, that would be a 82 year old system), the speeds are acceptable.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

I know this is a big ask, but is anyone traveling to New Zealand in the next few months?

Sample the beloved vintages of the Marlborough Wine Region in Blenheim, an agricultural town in the heart of New Zealand’s renowned wine hub. More than 20 wineries are just a hop, skip and a corkscrew away from Blenheim, where a stream of cafes and restaurants serve up tasty, artisan fare. One of the sunniest towns in New Zealand, Blenheim is the perfect destination for foodies and wine lovers who love to soak up the sun while sipping the fruits of a vineyard’s labor.

Yep thats our country. You do of course realise that LEDs are illegal as a retrofit in NZ and you won't get a WOF . The problem is that LED light scatters to much unless set up perfectly at the Focal point of the reflector ( Which is difficult to do in a retrofit ) I tried them (without telling my garage ) and could not pass a WOF with them as light still to high on dip in my 1934 -Karl

[koates]

Originally Posted by Stephan

i tried this with high quality 6V LED and they flicker at idle speed. I was told by Octane Lighting that it is normal and goes away at driving speeds. That is true; however, i went to Halogen and they work fine although not as bright as the LED.

Has anyone else had this issue? At first i thought about going to a 50 amp generator, but, prefer not to.

The problem with so called 6 volt LED bulbs is that they are rated at 5 or 6 volts up to more than 20 volts. So at the low end of the voltage scale on a 6 volt car at engine idle speed (generator not charging at idle) the LED will flicker or go quite dull. IT gets worse when the brakes are applied and stop lights come on lowering the voltage in the system even further. I have fitted these bulbs to two different cars, a stock model A ford and a stock 34 ford V8 with these same results. If your cars have been converted to 12 volts then the voltage problem will not exist. Also the focus of the LEDs is not correct and they scatter the light somewhat higher than a standard bulb which upsets oncoming drivers. Unless the reflector is specifically designed for the LED then this light scatter will occur such as with original Ford reflectors. For these reasons I dont like them in original headlights. Good for the driver but bad for the oncoming cars driver. I changed my 34 Ford back to standard bulbs. Regards, Kevin.

[JohnI]

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Originally Posted by rjlester

I will definitely try this conversion this summer. My 54 Meteor is all 6v, and while people comment that the bulbs are very bright for 6volt, I like the idea of having the lights on and less current drain.

The video is excellent and shows a huge difference in brightness, thanks!

I have a ‘34 ford with 6volt positive ground and a smaller generator. Might this still work? How many amps do they draw compared to the original 6volt bulbs?

[ndnchf]

The LEDs only draw about 3.5 -4 amps. I run them in my '35 Fordor. Very pleased with them and the generator is very happy.

[solidaxle]

ndnchf


What brand LED did you purchase?

[ndnchf]

Originally Posted by solidaxle

ndnchf


What brand LED did you purchase?

I got the LED lights from ledlight.com. The headlights are #62528, tail lights are #95634.
6v positive ground LED Compatible flasher 84787

[1oldtimer]

I did a post on the off topic part of the HAMB about the 7” round replacement bulbs.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...ights.1324784/