[302 Z28]

Took my 34 out this evening for the first night drive. Had my lights on and several people blinked their brights at me. I figured I must have crossed my lo beam lead with my hi beam lead. When I got home I shined the lights up against the closed garage door and flipped on my brights. The wiring was OK, but boy are those lights bright. I have both the lo and hi on relays and feeding them with #10 AWG wire. It really makes a big difference in the level of output. I highly recommend the modification.

Vince

[docvette]

Doc here,

KEWL!

Well worth the effort installing the wire and relay upgrades..you'll never be sorry you did..

In addition to your luminance going up to as much as 3 times brighter..the current load has been removed from all the switch gear..which means you can run smaller switches, that will last forever and never fail..because the max current they will ever see is about an amp..

Handy if you have ever lost a Hi / Low Switch, or a Headlamp switch on a dark country highway at midnight on a moonless night..

Fine Job! You'll Be happy with it.

Congrats on getting the 34 on the Road Too..

Doc

[302 Z28]

Thanks Doc.

Vince

[wildman1932]

They might be adjusted a little wrong. It may not be all about the brightness. It is easy to have them a touch to high.

[302 Z28]

Originally Posted by wildman1932

They might be adjusted a little wrong. It may not be all about the brightness. It is easy to have them a touch to high.

Nope, checked them against my white garage door. They are very bright, not the traditional yellowish look.

Vince

[docvette]

Originally Posted by wildman1932

They might be adjusted a little wrong. It may not be all about the brightness. It is easy to have them a touch to high.

Doc here,

With doing the Wire / Relay Upgrades alone (and NOT touching a thing else) You will Find the Headlamps will shine up to 3 times brighter..Simply because all the current is being delivered to the device with the LEAST path of resistance.

Resistance means conversion of energy to heat..or Current doing no useful work as far as the device is concerned..That Equates to a an Ill performing device. Current swamp.

A $600 Performance Ignition, with a 48 amp primary coil, on a feed from the ignition switch of 14 gauge wire..Will perform WORSE than the Stock 20 amp primary coil ever did..Current swamp..current being consumed through under rated contacts and gauged wire.

ON Older Corvettes..The first thing I ADD is lighting relays..BECAUSE Corvettes are DARK, and low..and the lamps are challenging at night..

On average, the low beams become as bright as the hi beams were..and the hi's are as bright as a high intensity lamps..and on a Vette..you need all the lamp distance you can get..

I was NOT a believer UNTIL I started Converting them...then I was really surprised.(and I don't see exactly stellar at night either!).

Doc

[Brian_B]

Basically adding 2 relays and wiring the headlights directly to the battery?

I wondered if that would work on my truck. The original "candle in the wind" sealed beams are history. I installed halogen sealed beams and that helped some.....

[MIKE FROM SM]

I still have the sealed beam lights in my Chevelle and I just recently added 2 relays with a 10 gauge wire feeding them and my fan. It made a huge difference. I wish I did it years ago.

[docvette]

Originally Posted by Brian_B

Basically adding 2 relays and wiring the headlights directly to the battery?

I wondered if that would work on my truck. The original "candle in the wind" sealed beams are history. I installed halogen sealed beams and that helped some.....

Doc here,

The mod is simple..

Install your relays in a dry , cool spot in the engine bay..Where the Stock headlamp harness will reach them. Cut the wires at the relays..(one hi, one low beam)..



Attach the wire from the switch (stock 14 gauge from the firewall) for the low Beams (#1 relay)to the #85 Terminal on the relay, Ground the #86 Terminal to a burnished, properly bonded body ground. Use a star and lock washer here as well as a tech screw (self driller) if you don't have a good attach point.

NEXT, using 10 gauge wire , run the #87 Terminal of the relay to a proper fuse link or MAXI fuse, then to the battery .

Finally, using a 10 gauge wire from the #30 relay terminal, run that to the headlamp socket and attach it there (you might need a new socket if yours isn't salvageable and reusable.)

Terminal 87a on BOTH relays is not used for this application..

Do EXACTLY the same thing for the High beam side (#2 Relay) and your done!



Doc

[Brian_B]

Good deal. I have two 30 amp relays. I have a small fuse block (8 circuit?). I might have the wire in the garage (not sure on that).

My 56 is stock, but it has an all new wiring harness. I also have 2 new "pig tails" for the headlights if I need them. I shouldn't though.

[docvette]

Originally Posted by Brian_B

Good deal. I have two 30 amp relays. I have a small fuse block (8 circuit?). I might have the wire in the garage (not sure on that).

My 56 is stock, but it has an all new wiring harness. I also have 2 new "pig tails" for the headlights if I need them. I shouldn't though.

Doc here,

Sounds like your all set.

You Don't need to get into the Fuse buss (if you don't want to) Just use the stock wire from the old head lamp socket to power the relay coils now..(the coils only draw about an amp apiece , but you may want reduce the headlamp fuse, IF you even have one in the aftermarket buss, to 2 amps...) But the rest is all good!

Doc

[Brian_B]

As far as I know, in the stock replacement wiring harness there are two fuses behind the instrument cluster. There are not any more listed in the ford repair manual I have. I assume there is some circuit protection somehow, but I have no clue how. LOL


The 8 circuit fuse panel is not on the truck. I was saying I have those electrical things in the garage that I can use.

Thanks again,

Brian

[docvette]

Doc here,

OK, KEWL!

That protection may be within the lamp switch itself in the form of a thermal reset..In which case it can't be changed..Nor would I worry about it..

You Could , If you want to, just put an inline fuse 0n each of the Coil power wires for the relays at say, 2 amps or so..and you'd be more than protected.

The important ones are the Fuse links or Maxi Fuses between the battery and the relay #87 contacts..



Doc

[jimfulco]

#30 gets connected to the bulb socket?

[docvette]

Originally Posted by jimfulco

#30 gets connected to the bulb socket?

Doc here,

Yuppers..

And the reason for that..is my own personal choice..

The #30 terminal (center wiper) and the 87a terminal (Normally closed terminal) are in full contact when the relay is not energized..

If you had the 30 ( Center wiper) and 87 (normally open ) terminals reversed (like the rest of the world does it..) you would have direct battery power from the 30 terminal to the 87a terminal 24/7/365..just sitting...

Since this terminal is not used for this application, you have a terminal open to the environment that you can catch a tool , or ring , or watchband on when working on something else..and least expecting it..This will put FULL battery current through your tool or jewelery to ground, and can inflict some serious bodily damage..

By using the # 30 terminal as the headlamp socket..and #87 as the Battery power, There are no exposed power terminals at the relay when it is off..nothing to get hurt on or start a fire with..

The 87a is dead at all times, the #30 only gets power in energize mode, and the 87 is "hot at all times" .. a much safer arrangement IMHO..

Doc