Upgrading headlight circuit

[ppeters914]

What I would call "smart" upgrades:

 

2. Install relays on the starter solenoid line and your headlights. You don't need HID's, you need full battery voltage at the headlight.

 

My $12 Sylvania halogens illuminate the road better than most anyones setup, at least to my eyes. But I know how to lay out wiring so things work at their best. ie: relays placed at the correct point in the circuit, properly sized conductors AND grounds.

 

To clear this up, what I am saying is, the average Datto with $12 halogens and stock wiring is lacking in the lighting department. It's not the bulbs alone. It's the way the circuits were designed 40 years ago. Modern style wiring circuits make an enormous improvement in the lighting - without changing the bulb.

 

I pulled the above out of pages 'n' pages of another thread. Searched the forums for more, but nada. I did find various ways described on other forums & sites, but wondering what specifically you're recommending one buy and do to accomplish this?

[spiffinspudater]

To add onto this, I would like pictures... like of the actual wire and relays.

[banzai510(hainz)]

install this and your done

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Headlights.shtml#OnLineOrdering

 

cant get any ezer than this and you dont need a wiring diagram. A MORON can install this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

pay the 40$ and your harness will be there plug the connector into where the old harness went to the light. Wham!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

I dont know what your trying to ask over and over again. Just buy this harness. Most are all chinese made nayway even if its aanother brand.

[dat521gatherer]

funny that it doesnt show a pic of the brightness of the bulb before and after. i thought there was a easy mod to bypass the switch or something. something about the wiring harness sucking up a couple of watts of power and the same mod to reduce the heat in the light switch circuit. i think there may an old nwde post on this. searching can be a pina to find what you want. sometimes it's just easier to re-ask the question.:D

[spiffinspudater]

We have a saying in the Air Force, it is called ARMY proof. Most of the gear we come across has idiot proof labels, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people still seem to mess them up. Anyway, thanks for the link. I will look into that.

[dat521gatherer]

nobody ever talks about how you can adjust the volt reg to make your lights brighter. besides reading the book i've never even heard of anyone attempting to adjust one or knowing how. it's clearly in the factory book though. there's two sets of points in those things. unless you have the transister type which never work well for me. i've came across many original points style volt regs and they work fine after many decades.

[ppeters914]

Okay, Hainz, okay, but I did try to search first. Almost the same thing got posted on the roadster forum right after I asked here:

 

I just saw the solution for headlamp wiring. Victoria British sells a headlight harness kit, part #10-679 for $29.95. Look under TR6. This is not a Lucas part, no need to refill the smoke reservior Laughing The only draw on the original wiring will be to run the relays, less than 1 amp.

 

I had one in my hands today. Nice quality, 14 ga power wire. To install, you unplug both headlamps, plug the new harness into both lights, plug the original headlamp wiring into another plug on the new harness, ground 2 wires, run 2 more to the battery, mount the 2 relays, DONE.

 

You may have to remove the terminals from the plastic plugs to get them through the grommet on the headlight buckets, but that's all.

 

Easier and cheaper than making your own by the toime you buy wires, plugs relays and terminals. It comes with a bright yellow cover sleeve over the harness, cut it off or lrave it on, add half a roll of black electrical tape and it will look stock.

 

Red arrow plugs into stock headlight harness plug, blue arrow to headlight, the two red wires to the battery, and there is a ground for each headlamp.

 

 

Now no one should have to ask again. :D

[banzai510(hainz)]

yeah thats pretty much it,

 

I hook the the power at the starter lug to keep all the connection out from eye distance. Like you go up to a Datsun and there are 8 miilion wires commong from the top positive side of the battery and a Bungy as a battery hold down,looks horrible.

 

and at 29$ that even a better price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

you can get a knife and cut the yellow sleeving off(ping Pong writting on there) an retape it black and say you made the harness yourself

 

 

Spiffandspater

When I was in the Airforce we called it. "The 2 % rule"

You got to be 2% smarter than the wire harness!!!!!!!!!!!

[ppeters914]

Like you go up to a Datsun and there are 8 miilion wires commong from the top positive side of the battery

 

Like this?

 

 

Or this?

 

 

Lovely, eh? :rolleyes:

[datsunaholic]

Well, the bottom one I can believe... if it were a twin-engine boat. Though I can tell it isn't. Boats don't have sealed-beam headlights.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Ppeters

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

remember the 510 usues a neg ground as the switching.

Im not sure on the TR6 or British cars but Victoria British sell alot od datsun stuff so make sure to the the switched ground harness. But there is a connetor end that can have a jumper added to make it a switch grnd harness incase its a postitive power switch harness

[240ADAM]

Hey the top pic is my wagon, well my old wagon anyways someone else has to deal with it now. Haha

[ppeters914]

Hey the top pic is my wagon, well my old wagon anyways someone else has to deal with it now. Haha

 

I shot those at Canby this year. What's funny about the bottom one is that he had the alternator rebuilt to put out 120A and it's still barely enough. Forget all who and what he is running. Gotta remember to take notes at events so I can match pics with names.

 

At least yours is/was pretty clean. Where'd you get those battery terminal connectors?

[]2eDeYe]

It amazes me that more people don't use a distribution block for power supply. Running all those wires like that is asking for a fire...burn baby burn :D

 

You should be able to pick up those battery connectors at any good auto stereo place. ;)

[datzenmike]

Lucas is also known as "The Prince of Darkness".

 

nobody ever talks about how you can adjust the volt reg to make your lights brighter. besides reading the book i've never even heard of anyone attempting to adjust one or knowing how. it's clearly in the factory book though. there's two sets of points in those things. unless you have the transister type which never work well for me. i've came across many original points style volt regs and they work fine after many decades.

 

Other than the factory recommended setting of around 14.5 to 15 volts this is not a good idea. Everything in the car is made for 12 volts. Pushing 17 through them will fry stereo components or damage them, the battery might overcharge and heat up, all other bulbs will have a shorter life. My 78 would have had 30 year old wires that travel from the battery to the fuse box, at least 6 feet, and back and then to both lamps. The longer the wire the more the voltage loss, a smaller gauge wire is worse than a larger one.

 

I would run a 10 or 8 gauge wire with 70 amp fuse, to 30 + amp relays as close to the lamp as possible. The stock wiring would be good enough for the relay trigger. I used 8 gauge and 30 amp Bosch relays, on each of my 250 watt (that's 20 amp draw each at only 12 volts ) runway lights. Had to solder the connections or they got hot.