Halogen bulbs

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by jacob smith

The ej Whitney company suggested not to use Halogen lights with there system. According to there web page. They say it can be done but do not suggest it

http://www.ejwhitneyco.com/automotive.html

Yeah - they say that on their website, but when you talk to them . . . they have a lot of folks doing it. The problem is always heat - the more amps, the more heat . . . so they're covering their rear ends a bit.

In the end, you have to decide what you want . . . if your bulbs are pulling over say about 15 amps and your generator can only put that much out (under full load), then you'll be discharging the battery. Just make sure your amp draw and your charging systems are compatible. I want my charging system to have a reasonable amount of amperage buffer over what my running systems lights require - so either run lower-amp Halogen bulbs (and I heard they make them) - or run a higher amp charging system.

['36 5W]

The stock Ford lenses act as a diffuser and scatter light the same way modern floods do;
so you have to be careful using brighter bulbs (hence the remark of blinding oncoming
drivers.) Back in the day, the idea was to "flood" the ditches, as well as the dark road
ahead; better to spot wildlife "cross traffic".
Because of todays heavier, Oncoming traffic, found in metro areas, you will have to find
the "happy medium" when using those pretty oem lenses. (Or, as many owners did
back then, switch to one of the sealed beam conversion kits that came out at the time.
My '36 was converted back in the '50s).

[FIEND42]

Funny thing, when I bought the car it had the seal beam conversion kit installed which I got rid of since it changed the look of the car. I love the bug-eye lens, so I went back to stock. I ordered the bulbs from Speedway. Have to wait till spring to see how they work. Can't wait.

[38 coupe]

The halogen bulbs in my 37 sedan work quite well. They are not part of a kit. The bulbs I used are made with the correct base and focal length for 37-39 Ford passenger cars. The bulb type is American Pre-Focused.

I am aware of two vendors, Classic and Vintage Bulbs and Little British Car Company. Links here: http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/page3.html and http://www.lbcarco.com/

I used part number 170-957H bulbs. These are 6V 50/35W that can be used with a generator.

In addition to bulbs, check your reflectors and lenses. If the silver plating on your reflectors is poor and won't polish up, get the new reflectors. Also, in my experience the original lenses are a bit dark and brown. Drake, and maybe others, sells replacement lenses that are aluminum vacuum plated and sealed and also sells reproduction lenses. The lenses are not a perfect reproduction since the "rope" around the Ford script is cruder and the mold number is missing, but only a dearborn judge is going to notice. I put a new set of reflectors and lenses on my 37 and was surprised at the difference they made.

Please note that the picture of the 37 in my avatar was taken before I fixed the headlights.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

An Auto sparky in Nelson here in NZ advertises 6v QH bulbs for $60 a pair. Reckons standard gen can handle them. I've been tossing up whether to get a set.

GB

[tubman]

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Has anybody looked into LED bulbs? Seem to offer better light and lower power consumption. I think they are quite new. I found these on Amazon, but they have no reviews yet. It seems people like the 12 Volt versions.

http://www.amazon.com/INHDBOX-BA20d-...N%3DB014KK3HAA

[jacob smith]

My understanding is that the LED builds are not there yet. They bo not throw a beam of light but rather light up an area. Only what I have been told have not tried it