Quartz adapter kit

[Gary Gregory]

I was running the old style Sealed Beam head lights...which worked great but hated they way they looked. Bought the Quartz kit from Snyders and its about half as bright as the Sealed Beam with almost no lights on low beam...got them grounded to the radiator frame. Should i run the ground to the car frame or is this normal for Quartz?

[Purdy Swoft]

The radiator rests on rubber shims and is not a good place for a ground. Iwould ground to the frame on clean metal. I've used the quartz kit with reflectors from Brattons and the lights are just as bright as a modern car and focus perfectly. I figure that the Snyders kit is probably the same. A 60 amp alternator was recommended with the kit that I used .

[Gary Gregory]

Thanks Purdy..you're right..forgot about those rubber pads under the radiator.

[CarlG]

I've got a ground wire on both headlights that can trace their way back to the same frame bolt where the battery is grounded.

[Purdy Swoft]

I have run headlamp ground wires down through the conduit and grounded to the frame under the nut that holds the front hood latch on both sides . That way the ground wire is completely out of sight .

[Mike V. Florida]

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12 volt or 6 volt sealed beam lamps? They do sell 6 volt sealed beam headlights. Could it be possible your car is 6 volt still and the new lights 12 volt.

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I have run headlamp ground wires down through the conduit and grounded to the frame under the nut that holds the front hood latch on both sides . That way the ground wire is completely out of sight .

Once again, Purdy is the man ! Wayne

[Gary Gregory]

Im running a 6 volt alt ..the kit is 6 volt also....

[Gary Gregory]

Mike...yes they make 6 volt sealed beam.

[Kevin in NJ]

I am assuming you mean the kit where the modern light is put in behind modified reflector

The quartz kits can put out a lot of light, but it is just useless because it is not focused. A lot of light is lost blinding the oncoming traffic and the tops of the trees.

Your good bet is good reflectors in a system with a good circuit. The light bulb can be an original type or better a direct replacement halogen bulb as sold by Classic and Vintage Bulbs. These bulbs can be focused.

I suggest you reference the article done recently in one of the Model A club magazines where they tested the focused light intensity of the different bulbs. Unfortunately they did not test either of the direct replacement halogen bulbs currently on the market that I am aware of today.

[Gary Gregory]

Yes..its a modern halogen kit with reflectors..

[Synchro909]

By connecting to the radiator, you should have a reasonable earth. Electricity will always take the easiest route and with the radiator surround, the stabilising rods at the top and the bolts through the bottom mounts there should be a good enough route.
That said, since you are running 6 volts, any voltage drop in the circuit will have a huge affect on the brightness of the lights. How were the sealed beam units connected? Did the sealed beam units use more current than the halogens? I suspect they did so a bad connection would have caused an even bigger reduction in brightness which leads me to think that your problem lies in some change you made to the connections.
Would connecting the halogens the same way as the sealed beams help? (assuming they are not now)

[Gary Gregory]

I cant recall just how the sealed beams were connected.....the whole car was a mess of wires so i ordered a complete harness. The old sealed beams worked great but were butt ugly.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Gary Gregory

Im running a 6 volt alt ..the kit is 6 volt also....

Just checking. Would not have been the first time something like that happened.

[Gary Gregory]

Think I'll try a different ground..that would the simplest thing to try first.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Gary Gregory

Think I'll try a different ground..that would the simplest thing to try first.

You can use your volt meter to check the ground wire for voltage drop. With the lights on if the ground circuit drops only .1 volt or less, you won't benefit from a different ground. Connect to the light ground terminal and a good ground, such as a clean head nut, then switch the meter to a low DC reading and check the voltage drop.

[Gary Gregory]

Thanks Tom !

[TerryH]

I've had the quartz halogen kit installed in my A for about 8 years, and I don't get oncoming drivers blinking their lights at me, and the road in front of the car is lit up much better than my stock lights ever did. The same folks that continually run down these lights also tend to claim that somehow alternators never really work either. In our club here in S. Calif., many owners run both with great success.

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by TerryH

I've had the quartz halogen kit installed in my A for about 8 years, and I don't get oncoming drivers blinking their lights at me, and the road in front of the car is lit up much better than my stock lights ever did. The same folks that continually run down these lights also tend to claim that somehow alternators never really work either. In our club here in S. Calif., many owners run both with great success.

I installed the kit from Brattons with the Quartz halogen bulbs . this kit came with reflectors and they focused perfectly and are as bright as modern cars. I use this setup with a six volt 60 amp alternator from Dave Wilton. This setup has been working great in the Coupe that My daughter now has since the mid 90s .The first set of aluminized reflectors and 35w halogen bulbs that fit original sockets would never focus. I used the aluminized reflectors with original generator running on twelve volts. The 35w halogen bulbs were bright but did not compare with the quartz halogen bulbs and couldn't be focused because the reflectors were not shaped correctly . They have came out with auminized reflectors that are said to be correct this time but I have had no desire to try them . There is a lot of confusion about which halogens work as seen in Kevins post .

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I installed the kit from Brattons with the Quartz halogen bulbs . this kit came with reflectors and they focused perfectly and are as bright as modern cars...

I have this same kit on my PU, and have the same results as Purdy.