The Ford Barn

fredski53 · 07-11-2022, 12:29 AM

Thinking about installing a modern headlight switch on my Victoria.. I’m tired of fooling around with the old one. Has anyone done this before? Any photos of where you put the switch?

nkaminar · 07-11-2022, 05:36 AM

That was commonly done years ago when you could not find parts for the original switch and no one wanted to fool with it. You will have to find the old style switch that pulls out one notch for parking and two notches for headlights. Plus you will need the old style foot switch to change between low and high beams. Look on ebay. Consider mounting the switch with magnets so that you don't have to drill a hole in any sheet metal parts, or in the gas tank.

Or I guess you could strap it to the steering column with hose clamps. Or make a nice bracket.

When I started driving Model A's I removed the more modern light switches and went back to the original ones. I tried to return the car to original as much as possible, including returning to the standard wheels instead of the 16 inch ones. But, to each his own.

jack backer · 07-11-2022, 07:17 AM

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The model A electrical system switch saw the full load of the function it operated. Modern electrical systems use relays, allowing the function switch to operate in milliamps, with the relay handling the actual amperage required to operate the lights.Using the modern design I’m able to run my entire lighting circuit with a single toggle switch and use a micro switch as a brake light switch.

If you just want to use a modern switch in place of the original switch be sure the switch can handle the amps required to run the lights, I use the 30/31 steering column support bracket to mount an instrument cluster

07-11-2022, 12:29 AM	#1
fredski53 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: La Porte, IN Posts: 143	Install modern headlight switch Thinking about installing a modern headlight switch on my Victoria.. I’m tired of fooling around with the old one. Has anyone done this before? Any photos of where you put the switch?

07-11-2022, 05:36 AM	#2
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,897	Re: Install modern headlight switch That was commonly done years ago when you could not find parts for the original switch and no one wanted to fool with it. You will have to find the old style switch that pulls out one notch for parking and two notches for headlights. Plus you will need the old style foot switch to change between low and high beams. Look on ebay. Consider mounting the switch with magnets so that you don't have to drill a hole in any sheet metal parts, or in the gas tank. Or I guess you could strap it to the steering column with hose clamps. Or make a nice bracket. When I started driving Model A's I removed the more modern light switches and went back to the original ones. I tried to return the car to original as much as possible, including returning to the standard wheels instead of the 16 inch ones. But, to each his own. __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. Last edited by nkaminar; 07-11-2022 at 05:43 AM.