Head Lamp bulbs 32/50 candle power

[Keith]

Head Lamp bulbs, 32/50 candle power
Question on installing the 32/50 candle power head light bulbs.
1. Is the low beam filament on top with the high beam on the bottom
2. How does one know which is the high beam filament vs the low beam, both by appearance and size look the same. The bulbs go into the socket either way.

3. When aligning the headlights the Ford Service Bulletin says 37" from the ground 25' out from the screen or board. Should the center of the beam be 37" off the ground or should the top of the beam be 37"?

[Bob C]

The 32/50 bulb I have are marked TOP.

[JoeCB]

Bob, thanks for posting. So is the filament that is higher in the bulb the "low" beam ?

[nkaminar]

Center of the beam. But take it for a night test drive and adjust to your liking. I think you will want an alternator for the increased power requirement or drive very little at night.

[Badpuppy]

You may be disappointed with the output. 50 CP translates to 36 watts. The generator can produce about 100 watts but only at the top end. Less output means dimmer bulbs. Maybe not much more light than 21 CP (18 W).

[Badpuppy]

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Originally Posted by JoeCB

Bob, thanks for posting. So is the filament that is higher in the bulb the "low" beam ?

Center filament reflects straight outward. Filament above tilts beam downward.

[Kurt in NJ]

I used to crank the generator up to 18 amps to make the 50 cp bulbs bright then I got halogen bulbs that were brighter and used less power.

[ndnchf]

A much better option is the focused beam LED headlights bulbs. Excellent illumination with a clearly adjustable upper beam edge. They only draw a few amps so your generator's 3rd brush can be set very low and still show a slight positive charge with the lights on. This makes the generator and battery very happy. I run them and LED tail lights in my '31 pickup.

[Bob Bidonde]

Original standard equipment headlight bulbs were dual filament & both filaments produced 21CP. An optional 21-32CP bulb was available for brighter lights. When the upper filament was illuminated, the light beam is deflected downward. When the lower filament is illuminated, the light beam is straight ahead. Look carefully at the factory light diagrams & you can see some dots representing the bulb filaments. In the case of the 21-32CP bulb, the 32CP filament is the straight ahead beam, so it is the bottom filament.

[JayJay]

The 32/50 bulbs that I have are not marked “top”. Yes, the off-centerline filament is the low beam, and it mounts upwards. With the lens off, I use a welding helmet to view which filament is lit when the switch is in the low beam position and adjust accordingly. Depending on the bulb on occasion I have had to rotate the socket 180 degrees in the headlight in order for everything to match up.

[nkaminar]

And the parking bulb, at the top, is in no way near the focal point, so it just puts out a soft light an is not directed in any direction.