Sealed Beam Terminals

[RalphG]

I found an old six volt sealed beam that should work in my old cars but it has one of the three terminals missing.The one in the middle. I hooked up a couple of test wires from the Merc's battery to the remaining two terminals on the sealed beam and it lights up. So what was the extra terminal for?

[Newc]

Hi; LOW, HIGH, and ground. they are soldered on and can be replaced from an old light. Newc

[RalphG]

Originally Posted by Newc

Hi; LOW, HIGH, and ground. they are soldered on and can be replaced from an old light. Newc

Of course! I forgot about hi and lo beam. I'm thinking this one could be a good one to use in my "grille on the wall" project.

[corvette8n]

Hey Ralph, that would be cool to get that grill all lit up.

[Kurt in NJ]

I have salvaged those terminals off other bad seal beams and soldered them back on otherwise good ones

[RalphG]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Yes, I considered the soldering option. If I use it in the grille on the wall it won't be an issue but if I need a replacement for the Merc (car or truck) it would make a good spare. My problem with the grille on the wall is that in fact the wall is actually a sliding door. So any wire hook up to the lights could only be a temporary one for photo ops or special occasions. If I was to mount the grille up on the gable end of the shop it could be wired in more permanent. Just need to figure how to go with 110 ac volt lights in the grille and still keep that old Ford truck look to the lights.

[5851a]

I one ground a small hole in a glass globe with a drimmel to get wires out (Wife project). Maybe you could do the same and use some of those battery operated LED lights ect. Might be a lame idea as cutting that one and only globe took me a long time.

[J Franklin]

Move your Grille up above the door centered under the peak. That might make wiring easier.

[Ross F-1]

A #4030 sealed beam shows to be a Low beam unit, which only uses two terminals.

[rich b]

You could round up a couple of those early metal back sealed beams, slice the back open, and mount a light in there. I would think low voltage lights would be a better option than 110.

[RalphG]

Originally Posted by rich b

You could round up a couple of those early metal back sealed beams, slice the back open, and mount a light in there. I would think low voltage lights would be a better option than 110.

But it would be so easy to just tap into the existing electrical box up on the gable end to power the grille lights if I did mount it up there. Just thinking out loud. I actually like the low mount on the door as I think it shows up better.

[GB SISSON]

Plug a 6 v battery charger into your 110 and then wire the lights from there. On my first job at 15, the owner had a pocket transistor radio that was a miniature Sunoco gas pump. It ran 24/7 on the work bench and was on an old charger, eliminating the radio's battery.

[RalphG]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Plug a 6 v battery charger into your 110 and then wire the lights from there. On my first job at 15, the owner had a pocket transistor radio that was a miniature Sunoco gas pump. It ran 24/7 on the work bench and was on an old charger, eliminating the radio's battery.

Interesting idea. Might be the best option yet. If I get it done pictures will be posted.

[rich b]

[QUOTE=RalphG;1542423]But it would be so easy to just tap into the existing electrical box up on the gable end to power the grille lights if I did mount it up there. Just thinking out loud. I actually like the low mount on the door as I think it shows up better.[/QUOTE

I was meaning something like low voltage under cabinet "puck" lights or something similar that would be easier to fit into a headlight bulb due to their size. You would still power the low voltage system from you buildings wiring.

If you wanted to hang it on the sliding door; you use a cord reel with the locking ratchet removed to get juice to lights.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by RalphG

I found an old six volt sealed beam that should work in my old cars but it has one of the three terminals missing.The one in the middle. I hooked up a couple of test wires from the Merc's battery to the remaining two terminals on the sealed beam and it lights up. So what was the extra terminal for?

Did you check to see if it's the same diameter as the Merc. headlight?
If its smaller then its most likely for a tractor.

[rich b]

4030 is a regular 7" dual element headlight bulb. His has just lost one of the prongs.

[RalphG]

Yes, this sealed beam is for a car. Tried it on the six volt battery charger today and it lights up fine. Now I need to sort out the ratty old wiring in the grille to the headlights.

[RalphG]

I tested the 2 prong sealed beam light today using a vintage Carter battery charger. It lit up well. Should work for my purposes once I get some decent wires to the headlights.