Improved 6 volt Lighting

[54 Kaiser]

I realise that a lot of people convert their Kaisers and Frazers to 12 volt. But there are many who try to keep the car true to the original and leave the electrics at 6 volt.

On my '54 Manhattan, I've found that the only real drawback to this is the fact that the sealed beam headlamps are slightly better than a large candle for night time driving. (My OWN age may have more to do with this than the Manhattan's.)

I did a lot of digging around on the internet and found a supplier of conversion headlamps - using the H4 Halogen bulb - in 6 volt. Better still, he doesn't charge an arm and a leg for them either.

I hope helpful links are OK here. The site is called Classic Garage. Home page is at www.classicgarage.com.

Direct link to the headlamps I bought is: http://www.classicgarage.com/ne7roh4hecul.html

This is a 7" Round Headlamp with a curved lens that is reasonably close to the original sealed beams. They charge $22 each WITH the 6 volt bulb for it.

Replacement 6V H4 bulbs are here: http://www.classicgarage.com/h460clearhal.html and they charge $10 each for them.

Both the headlamps AND the bulbs are half the price - or less - than I've found anywhere else.

They also have H1, H2 and H3 Halogen bulbs available for Fog or Driving lights. Also quite cheap. http://www.classicgarage.com/6vbulbs.html

Now, there IS a downside. Please read.

The original 6006 Sealed Beam lamp is rated at 50/40 watts. The new H4 Halogen is rated at 60/55 watts. If you replace the sealed beams with these new units, you will be running an extra 20 watts on the low beams and 30 on the high beams. This is an extra 3 amps and 5 amps respectively. The current ALL passes through your headlight switch. Keep an eye on the headlight switch and make sure it isn't getting too warm with the new bulbs.

If you can find some 6 volt headlamp relays, another idea is to put relays on the front bulkhead where the radiator is. Use the headlight switch to trigger the relays, and use the relays to feed power to the headlights. Feed the supply side of the relays with a very heavy wire back to the starter solinoid. You'll drop the current through the headlight switch (and the dimmer switch) to less than an amp and both should last forever. You'll also get a bit more voltage to the headlights and get even more light out of them.

The difference - for me - is like night and day. Where the old sealed beams were not all that bright and distinctly "yellowish", the new halogen units are very white, and at least twice as bright as the sealed beams were.

BTW: I picked up some NOS 6 volt headlight relays on eBay for about $12 each. A very good price and, they look like they belong on the car. (Because they are from that era.)

Hope this is helpful to some of you.

[Gordie]

Thanks for the great idea on improving the 6 volt lights on our cars.  Yellow lights and hard starting usually go hand in hand and can often be traced to a bad ground and/or wiring.  It is interesting to note that if Kaiser-Frazer had lasted one more year they would probably have changed over to 12 Volts.  Ford, Lincoln and Mercury went to 12 volts in 1956 as did Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth.  Cadillac and Olds went to 12 volts in 1952 and by 1955 Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac had also joined in.  It may have been one more big enginering challenge that called for the end of production in 1955.  At least we had ten great years to choose from!

[hollenway]

Gordie...

Here's a picture of a 54 Manhattan with the relay you mention.  It does indeed solve the problem.

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1074542318029945987PchQUa

[54 Kaiser]

Thanks for the great idea on improving the 6 volt lights on our cars.  Yellow lights and hard starting usually go hand in hand and can often be traced to a bad ground and/or wiring.  It is interesting to note that if Kaiser-Frazer had lasted one more year they would probably have changed over to 12 Volts.  Ford, Lincoln and Mercury went to 12 volts in 1956 as did Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth.  Cadillac and Olds went to 12 volts in 1952 and by 1955 Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac had also joined in.  It may have been one more big enginering challenge that called for the end of production in 1955.  At least we had ten great years to choose from!

I've also noticed that the instrument cluster lighting on my '54 is somewhat less than desirable. Even with new bulbs, the main cluster and the transmission shift indicator are almost impossible to read at night. Bulbs seem bright and voltage seems good so I have suspicions that the "tint" covers that are used in the cluster (not sure about the transmission indicator) have darkened with age and not much light gets through. Although the oil pressure idiot light, turn signals and to a lesser extent, high beam indicator are still relatively visible. Not sure if anyone else has experienced this.

I've found some 6 volt LED replacements that will fit the existing mini-bayonett sockets that are rated in the 2 to 2.8 candlepower range. (Same or better than the incandescents.) These would have the advantage of rarely burning out compared with incandescents which is a treat compared to pulling the dash apart or trying to work your hands up to the sockets for changing the bulbs.

I'll report later on what luck I have and where the bulbs can be bought. They don't seem too expensive (Less than $3.00.) and come in red, blue, green, amber and white. (The blue is higher brightness than the rest and the green is a little dimmer.)

[Gordie]

I had a similar problem with the dash lights on my '65 Mustang.  I could barely read them even though they were 12 volt and a pretty shade of blue.  I removed the blue plastic covers on the dash lights and it made a world of difference.  Much brighter and I can read the instruments with no effort.  Another item that can trick you is the headlight switch especially if it has a rheostat built into it to enable you to dim the dash lights.  They tend to corode from the electricity going thru them.  Sometimes you can clean the coils and make the dash lights brighter and you can check if you are getting full power by running a test line across both sides of the rheostat.  Original headlight switches for our cars are becoming very hard to find and the old ones can certainly be a culprit if they are not letting all of the juice across the rheostat.  The instruments are so dim on my '77 Chevy van  that I carry a flashlight with me if I want to read them in the daytime.  They may have a similar problem but my newer cars get fixed after the Kaisers and Frazers!  We will look forward to your opinion on the digital lights.  Gordie

[JuliusPalmer]

I realise that a lot of people convert their Kaisers and Frazers to 12 volt. But there are many who try to keep the car true to the original and leave the electrics at 6 volt.

On my '54 Manhattan, I've found that the only real drawback to this is the fact that the sealed beam headlamps are slightly better than a large candle for night time driving. (My OWN age may have more to do with this than the Manhattan's.)

I did a lot of digging around on the internet and found a supplier of conversion headlamps - using the H4 Halogen bulb - in 6 volt. Better still, he doesn't charge an arm and a leg for them either.

I hope helpful links are OK here. The site is called Classic Garage. Home page is at www.classicgarage.com.

Direct link to the headlamps I bought is: http://www.classicgarage.com/ne7roh4hecul.html

This is a 7" Round Headlamp with a curved lens that is reasonably close to the original sealed beams. They charge $22 each WITH the 6 volt bulb for it.

Replacement 6V H4 bulbs are here: http://www.classicgarage.com/h460clearhal.html and they charge $10 each for them.

Both the headlamps AND the bulbs are half the price - or less - than I've found anywhere else.

They also have H1, H2 and H3 Halogen bulbs available for Fog or Driving led light. Also quite cheap. http://www.classicgarage.com/6vbulbs.html

Now, there IS a downside. Please read.

The original 6006 Sealed Beam lamp is rated at 50/40 watts. The new H4 Halogen is rated at 60/55 watts. If you replace the sealed beams with these new units, you will be running an extra 20 watts on the low beams and 30 on the high beams. This is an extra 3 amps and 5 amps respectively. The current ALL passes through your headlight switch. Keep an eye on the headlight switch and make sure it isn't getting too warm with the new bulbs.

If you can find some 6 volt headlamp relays, another idea is to put relays on the front bulkhead where the radiator is. Use the headlight switch to trigger the relays, and use the relays to feed power to the headlights. Feed the supply side of the relays with a very heavy wire back to the starter solinoid. You'll drop the current through the headlight switch (and the dimmer switch) to less than an amp and both should last forever. You'll also get a bit more voltage to the headlights and get even more light out of them.

The difference - for me - is like night and day. Where the old sealed beams were not all that bright and distinctly "yellowish", the new halogen units are very white, and at least twice as bright as the sealed beams were.

BTW: I picked up some NOS 6 volt headlight relays on eBay for about $12 each. A very good price and, they look like they belong on the car. (Because they are from that era.)

Hope this is helpful to some of you.

Yes wonderful idea indeed.. Thread is old bit it serves great information.. I am fortunate to find the post