The Ford Barn

mgambuzza · 06-30-2021, 10:41 PM

So since I've bought my 1930, I've been waiting to tackle some of the lighting gremlins or anomalies. Parking lamps - one seemed brighter than the other. Low beam one was brighter than the other, I thought just a simple bulb replacement - you probably know where I'm going next....

Parking lamp - the passenger side had a standard bulb, single filament - all seemed fine, but the drivers side - ugh. There was a dual filament bulb jammed into the socket and only lighting the low wattage element. Of course it wouldn't come out as the dual knobs were getting jammed up with the single terminal on the bottom of the base. After the glass sheared off, I was able to use a pliers to rip out the base. Of course in this process it sheared off the terminal - luckily found it. Soldered it, reinserted into the socket, used a proper bulb and voila - equal wattage on both sides.

The headlight fortunately was a different issue. I discovered the driver side had reversed the wiring on the high/low so that when Low was selected the High beam was illuminating, and when High was selected both elements were glowing. Reversed the two center terminals and the second issue was corrected.

Doing this also gave me relief as although the wrong bulb was in the parking lamp, and the headlamp mis-wired, they did replace the reflectors and they were in fantastic shape. Now all I need is a dry day/night to test out all the modifications and life will be that much better. Just another night in the garage.....

nkaminar · 07-01-2021, 06:15 AM

halogen and LED bulbs are alternatives to look into for your parking and headlight bulbs.

Badpuppy · 07-01-2021, 09:05 AM

Stay away from halogens and 50 CP incandescent headlamps as they overtax the 6V generator. 12V OK since they draw half the current.

LEDs are great all around, but headlamps won't focus.

Nice work, so far.

JayJay · 07-01-2021, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgambuzza

The headlight fortunately was a different issue. I discovered the driver side had reversed the wiring on the high/low so that when Low was selected the High beam was illuminating, and when High was selected both elements were glowing. Reversed the two center terminals and the second issue was corrected.

If you find you have this situation all you have to do is pull the bulb out and rotate it 180 degrees. The Model A headlight bulb does not have offset pins on the base. You don't need to horse around with the wiring.

JayJay

mgambuzza · 07-01-2021, 06:43 PM

I knew it was too easy or good to be true. While driving home tonight it was getting dark, so I turned on my headlights. It was a very short drive, but when I pulled in the garage, I didn't see the headlights. When I looked at the front, the drivers was off and the passenger side was extremely dim (worried a short). I looked at the ammeter and it was showing huge draw. Shut down the switch, disassembled the drivers headlight and the screw on the back side is smoking hot, and the wiring inside was wrapped around the socket and extremely hot. With the bulb pulled on the drivers side turned on low beam and passenger came on normal, then dim. Disconnected the drivers side and the passenger is solid no issues. Will likely have to pull socket to see where potential short is(I remembered seeing somewhere these sockets can be troublesome). It does appear to be a newer socket. Maybe rewiring with extra heat shrink to ensure no short circuits??

nkaminar · 07-01-2021, 07:28 PM

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Resistance causes heat. Aside from making sure there are no shorts, make sure contacts are shinny and tight. Use some electrical grease to reduce the chance of renewed oxidation at the contacts.

For my car the sockets at the rear of the headlight bucket have been wired around by putting modern plugs and sockets inside the bucket. Grounding is another problem with the headlights. My headlights have a ground wire to the back of the bucket.

mgambuzza · 07-03-2021, 12:26 PM

Problem solved - two issues - thanks for the advice all!

Issue 1 - socket - the exterior metal was a bit twisted, the wiring was partially melted (probably from shorts now and prior), and the two terminals for Hi/Low were more wobbly than a spinning top. I'm sure that was a big contributor to potential shorts. Ordered a new bulb socket, received this morning, rewired and voila - rock solid performance. I did slide in a thin cardboard surround towards the bottom of the socket so to help prevent those centers from shorting against the side - wish there was a better design.

Issue 2 - the one brighter than the other was from the one headlight reversed (so high element was illuminated when low beam selected). Flopping the bulb corrected the issue and prevented me from doing any unnecessary rewiring (thanks for the advice).

So now - we'll see how well things work, but at least I'm several steps better than what I was previously. Feeling much better with the newer socket, improved wiring, proper bulbs, and wiring alignment.

MikeK · 07-03-2021, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayJay

If you find you have this situation all you have to do is pull the bulb out and rotate it 180 degrees. The Model A headlight bulb does not have offset pins on the base. You don't need to horse around with the wiring. JayJay

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgambuzza2

Issue 2 - the one brighter than the other was from the one headlight reversed (so high element was illuminated when low beam selected). Flopping the bulb corrected the issue and prevented me from doing any unnecessary rewiring (thanks for the advice). . . mgambuzza2

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this "fix" creates another, serious problem. The brighter lamp filament MUST be on the bottom and the dimmer one on the top. This makes the driving beam shift up higher, farther out on High and shift lower, less glaring to oncoming traffic on Low beam.

Simply flipping the bulb to correct a wiring error will give you a headlamp that shifts the high beam pattern lower rather than higher!

Original lamps with unequal CP ratings for the two filaments were marked "top" on the shell for a reason. The reflector flips a light source slightly below center up (hi beam), and a source slightly above center down (lower or dipped beam).

Flipping just two wires to correct the problem properly is not that difficult.

mgambuzza · 07-05-2021, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeK

The brighter lamp filament MUST be on the bottom and the dimmer one on the top. This makes the driving beam shift up higher, farther out on High and shift lower, less glaring to oncoming traffic on Low beam.

Original lamps with unequal CP ratings for the two filaments were marked "top" on the shell for a reason. The reflector flips a light source slightly below center up (hi beam), and a source slightly above center down (lower or dipped beam).

Thank you - that is one of the best and logical descriptions yet!

Before all the changing, I would say this was completely hosed up, as one of the lows was to the left and the other somewhere else - almost like Marty Feldman. No wonder while driving I would've been better off using kerosene lamps than the headlamps. On both sockets it appeared they have been spinning around, with wires wrapped around the circumference of the socket, probably trying to work on the headlamp adjustments. With this information I'll be sure to have it correct and be well on the way to proper illumination.

Thank you for the added reference!!

06-30-2021, 10:41 PM	#1
mgambuzza Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 173	Tonight's Sorting Out Episode - Lighting So since I've bought my 1930, I've been waiting to tackle some of the lighting gremlins or anomalies. Parking lamps - one seemed brighter than the other. Low beam one was brighter than the other, I thought just a simple bulb replacement - you probably know where I'm going next.... Parking lamp - the passenger side had a standard bulb, single filament - all seemed fine, but the drivers side - ugh. There was a dual filament bulb jammed into the socket and only lighting the low wattage element. Of course it wouldn't come out as the dual knobs were getting jammed up with the single terminal on the bottom of the base. After the glass sheared off, I was able to use a pliers to rip out the base. Of course in this process it sheared off the terminal - luckily found it. Soldered it, reinserted into the socket, used a proper bulb and voila - equal wattage on both sides. The headlight fortunately was a different issue. I discovered the driver side had reversed the wiring on the high/low so that when Low was selected the High beam was illuminating, and when High was selected both elements were glowing. Reversed the two center terminals and the second issue was corrected. Doing this also gave me relief as although the wrong bulb was in the parking lamp, and the headlamp mis-wired, they did replace the reflectors and they were in fantastic shape. Now all I need is a dry day/night to test out all the modifications and life will be that much better. Just another night in the garage.....

07-01-2021, 06:15 AM	#2
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,897	Re: Tonight's Sorting Out Episode - Lighting halogen and LED bulbs are alternatives to look into for your parking and headlight bulbs. __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past.

07-01-2021, 09:05 AM	#3
Badpuppy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Guthrie, OK Posts: 1,145	Re: Tonight's Sorting Out Episode - Lighting Stay away from halogens and 50 CP incandescent headlamps as they overtax the 6V generator. 12V OK since they draw half the current. LEDs are great all around, but headlamps won't focus. Nice work, so far.

07-01-2021, 06:43 PM	#5
mgambuzza Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 173	Re: Tonight's Sorting Out Episode - Lighting I knew it was too easy or good to be true. While driving home tonight it was getting dark, so I turned on my headlights. It was a very short drive, but when I pulled in the garage, I didn't see the headlights. When I looked at the front, the drivers was off and the passenger side was extremely dim (worried a short). I looked at the ammeter and it was showing huge draw. Shut down the switch, disassembled the drivers headlight and the screw on the back side is smoking hot, and the wiring inside was wrapped around the socket and extremely hot. With the bulb pulled on the drivers side turned on low beam and passenger came on normal, then dim. Disconnected the drivers side and the passenger is solid no issues. Will likely have to pull socket to see where potential short is(I remembered seeing somewhere these sockets can be troublesome). It does appear to be a newer socket. Maybe rewiring with extra heat shrink to ensure no short circuits??

07-01-2021, 07:28 PM	#6
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,897	Re: Tonight's Sorting Out Episode - Lighting Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Resistance causes heat. Aside from making sure there are no shorts, make sure contacts are shinny and tight. Use some electrical grease to reduce the chance of renewed oxidation at the contacts. For my car the sockets at the rear of the headlight bucket have been wired around by putting modern plugs and sockets inside the bucket. Grounding is another problem with the headlights. My headlights have a ground wire to the back of the bucket. __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. Last edited by nkaminar; 07-02-2021 at 08:17 AM.

07-03-2021, 12:26 PM	#7
mgambuzza Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 173	Re: Tonight's Sorting Out Episode - Lighting Problem solved - two issues - thanks for the advice all! Issue 1 - socket - the exterior metal was a bit twisted, the wiring was partially melted (probably from shorts now and prior), and the two terminals for Hi/Low were more wobbly than a spinning top. I'm sure that was a big contributor to potential shorts. Ordered a new bulb socket, received this morning, rewired and voila - rock solid performance. I did slide in a thin cardboard surround towards the bottom of the socket so to help prevent those centers from shorting against the side - wish there was a better design. Issue 2 - the one brighter than the other was from the one headlight reversed (so high element was illuminated when low beam selected). Flopping the bulb corrected the issue and prevented me from doing any unnecessary rewiring (thanks for the advice). So now - we'll see how well things work, but at least I'm several steps better than what I was previously. Feeling much better with the newer socket, improved wiring, proper bulbs, and wiring alignment.