headlight relays

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kursplat said:
going to need something bigger than the foot dimmer, maybe one of these on the dash?

Mad-Scientist-Light-Switches-Industrial-Novelty-davesgeekyideas-2011.png
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HAAHAHAHA...(PESPECTS kursplat)

That whole series parallel duty cycle thing...

To the OP. is this a 'budget build'?

If not I suggest http://isispower.com/ :D

P.s. relays (exclusive of control circuit total resistance) are mechanically
dependent on ' point contact area'---
I.e., the center of a stranded copper current circuit should roughly approximate the O/D of the application specific relays contact points.

"Field Effect"...
 
lol...thats a cool picture......i definitly dont think this would be a good idea using a single light either....i did this relay upgrade on my charger several years back when i saw it on mad electric... all 4 lights would light up when i hit the switch.......on the dart however...i didnt think about it blowing up and cracking the housing!.....this dart project im working on is definitely a budget build...I wont sacrifice good quality parts to get the effect i want though...it has to perform and last over the long haul...so there are places i wont go cheap on
 
i was also looking into running e code....the best ones out there are the cibie, bosch, and hella

from what i found is the difference between the bosch and hella are not too much....and the cibie was much better....better in the high beam low beam separation than the bosch or hella....
So im thinking cool...im not going to drive much with the high beams on...especially if the lights are bright enough....and....the bosch
e codes can be bought for half to 1/3 of the price....and... for just an improvement at all....i was willing to go from dark brown headlight switch controlled light to the relay controlled white light of the h4 e code....not having the best....the cibie lens ....by itself is $75 per side...not shipped.....was going to be ok....I was set on the bosch e codes.

i found out that bosch and hella e codes......are all flat lens lights.....and the cibie is convex and rounded......i just cant find it in myself to run a flat lens on my 69 dart....gonna have to go for the expensive job....:wack:
 

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Agree that Bosch, Hella, and Cibie are the three readily accessible major-brand lamps worth looking at; they're well made of quality materials. But even if we disregard the off-brand junk (there's a lot of it!) and look only at these three good brands, there's a pretty large range of performance; they're not all equivalent. You're right that the Hella and Bosch have too much vertical separation between low and high beam (set the low beams where they're supposed to be and the high beams are too high…pull the high beams down where they're supposed to be and the low beams are too low). See here and then here and also here for comparisons. Also be especially careful with Bosches; there's a glut of super-cheap Bosch 7" round H4 headlamps on the market right now. They're actually motorcycle headlamps, not E-codes, they're surplus from Harley-Davidson production after they quit using that headlamp. Because worldwide motorcycle headlamp specs are pretty lax, these are not a good choice whether you're on 2 or 4 wheels. Quick ID, the word "MOTORCYCLE" and the marking "SAE M" on the lens, without any E-mark. An E-mark is an uppercase E followed by a number, in a circle -- such as (E1) or (E4). The number doesn't directly signify anything about the design or performance of the headlamp; see here and here for explanation.

And yeah, the Cibie is pretty much the only good H4 with a convex/domed optic lens for a period-correct appearance on a sealed-beam era American car. There's one decent convex/domed clear-lens option, too, from Harley-Davidson; see here.
 
i have found an abundance of relays in chrysler minivans at the boneyard that i will be using for this, however i cant find any amp ratings for them. does anybody (probaly ssdan) have a reference for chrysler relay numbers? ones that i have are: 5234471, 5234606, and 5600607. anybody have any info on these?
 
I thought about going to the junk yard as well to pick up my relays....

Why i didnt:

1i wanted perfect clean new contacts with no voltage drop

2. I wanted bosch or tyco (for quality)spst relays......spst has (X2 87 pins) as opposed to an
(87pin and an (87a pin-which does nothing)......here is why

The spdt (most relays).....will make me have to tie the headlights
together like the diagram shown in the first post (and like the factory
did it)....i didnt want to do this....i wanted each headlight to have its
own pin to connect to on the relay......the spst does this....it has X2
87 pin outs and they make connection to the battery when the relay
is live at the same time


pin 87 for left headlight
the other pin 87 for right headlight

each headlight is now direct from the relay

3. unless you buy new relay sockets you are at the mercy of whatever pigtail your junkyard relay came with (assuming you used the old pigtail)
while this isnt bad...it does restrict you to that wire size...new sockets...new 1/4" terminals will allow you to run as big of wire size as you order it in...mine was #10-12 and i ordered some #14 as well.....MUST USE packard terminal crimpers for these....old mopars use these from the factory anyway so they are handy. when replacing the special terminals in by bulkhead connectors i bough some of these.....and for my old fuse box

#10-12 http://www.theelectricaldepot.com/tyco-180384-2-250-1-4-push-on-12-10-awgbag-of-1291.html

#14-16 http://www.theelectricaldepot.com/tyco-42238-2-250-1-4-push-on-16-14-ga-wirebag-of-449.html

relay socket (I believe you get 5 per pack so i ended up with 15) http://www.theelectricaldepot.com/5-socket-harness-relay-connector5-each-446.html

relay i used 30/40amp SPST http://www.theelectricaldepot.com/standard-relay-12v-30-40-amp-spst-bracket-mount1-each-435.html

10 to 12 gauge wire

i didnt like the bases that allpar.com shows in their write up of this job so this other stuff i bought is another option of the same thing...same specs.

I did buy my h4 sockets separate and they were ceramic (for halogen heat) and sealed........so this whole set up cost me the same as what you get from www.danielstern.com . it is close to the same same but i liked this style a little better (where the relay mounts to the car instead of the base mounting to the car).....the h4 pigtails came with 12 gauge wire, which is what i used for the headlights

now for the self fusing harness wrap to replace the older stuff...and some contact cleaner to clean the terminals along with di electric grease to make them moisture proof...and cibie headlamps....the only quality ones i could find
 
A tip for the do-it-yourselfers.. Lets assume the those original harness connectors at the back of the bulb are in good condition.
You'll find 2 wires each of the 3 terminals at the left side connector. To clip them about 1.5 inches, strip the insulation for your butt conncetors and combine them ( doubles the wire gauge into each terminal ). New wire attached there.
This aint gonna work at the right side so, While you're on a parts yard cut yourself a second left side connector to use on your right side bulb.
I found this a lot easier than finding heavy, quality female spade terminals to replace those originals.
 
This is something I've been wanting to do. But unsure where the best place to mount the relays. Can you who have completed the upgrade post pics of how/where you mounted yours? Thanks.
 
I recently relocated headlight relays from previous location near /6 alternator on passengers inner fender to front bulkhead forward of battery just above large opening where lighting conductors pass through it.

This location was too congested, and messy:
100_1479.jpg


In process of rerouting under hood wiring, new location of headlight relays, and new fused power distribution block on left inner fender eliminates messy looking pigtail fuse holders. When completed all conductors will be rewrapped in vinyl tape to look factory.
001.jpg
 
I was just reading about this today on the Mad Electric web site. Installing relays and a volt gauge in stead of the amp meter is high on my to-do list now.

Ted
 
Careful with the advice on the Mad Electric website. Their headlamp relay method is halfassed (uses original wiring, which is too thin even when new and perfect), for example. Read back through this thread for ideas and links to better, more thorough ways of doing it.

As for the voltmeter swap, there are other options for that, too. See here.
 
subscribed,,,,,been wanting to do this dont ever seem to get to it,,keep the info comming,,,thanks
 
HemiPar said:
This is something I've been wanting to do. But unsure where the best place to mount the relays. Can you who have completed the upgrade post pics of how/where you mounted yours? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I made my relay enclosure from a late A plastic glove box liner.
It's mounted on the right inner febder near the alternator.
Today it contains only 2 light and a hrn relay. Still space for the elec' fuel pump and a/c clutch relays.
A relay panel from a parts yard would be a lot easier than starting from scratch.
 
Thanks Redfish. I hope to do some yard searching when it warms. up. Any idea what to look in?
 
HemiPar said:
Thanks Redfish. I hope to do some yard searching when it warms. up. Any idea what to look in?
Click to expand...

No. Other members have adopted relay banks from Jeeps, Ford trucks, etc..
 
I mounted my relays under the battery tray. easy to adapt since that's where the headlight wires run past anyway.
 
Up-date:

Last week I finished relocating lighting and choke relays installed last spring to driver’s side of engine compartment. I used existing headlight conductors for trigger circuit as they were in good shape, and a few years ago I had replaced all connecting brass along with new bulkhead connector. From lighting relays mounted on front cross member I ran three #12 gage conductors one of which is a ground in separate runs to each bulb all powered from an under hood power distribution block.

003-1.jpg
 
That looks great.

Where did you get the sockets that have the mount on them?


wjajr said:
Up-date:

Last week I finished relocating lighting and choke relays installed last spring to driver’s side of engine compartment. I used existing headlight conductors for trigger circuit as they were in good shape, and a few years ago I had replaced all connecting brass along with new bulkhead connector. From lighting relays mounted on front cross member I ran three #12 gage conductors one of which is a ground in separate runs to each bulb all powered from an under hood power distribution block.

003-1.jpg
Click to expand...
 
The relays are Hella purchased from slantsixdan, he included the sockets. They are interlocking so that they can be ganged making for a nice tight installation.
 
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