headlight brightness
- Thread starter 42merc/ma
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HOTRODPRIMER
Well-known member
Yeah,,and a 12 volt conversion will make a big difference in you night time driving safty. HRP
oldford2
Well-known member
Compared to what we are used to in our new cars, They will be noticeably dimmer. Are you talking 6 volt sealed beams? As Kenct said, good grounds and good wiring is a necessity. In your garage at night take a spare sealed beam and wire it directly to your battery and turn your headlights on to compare. This will tell you if poor grounds are the problem. Run the engine and they may brighten when you increase rpm's. I would not convert to 12 volts for this reason. I adjusted ours so I can run on high beams and doesn't bother the oncoming cars.
John
John
expavr
Well-known member
I bypassed the stock headlight grounding system which used the headlight bucket and fender as the grounding circuit and connected the ground on the light plug directly to the frame with a separate wire. That and a halogen bulb made a big difference for brightness on my 40 truck - 6 V system.
FlatheadTed
Well-known member
Expavr .Are you running 35 watt Halogens ??
Dave(Smith)
Junior Member
The lower the voltage, the more sensitive components (starter, lights, etc.) will be to resistance – by approximately the square. So 6V systems will benefit a lot by good grounds (and be hurt a lot by poor ones). Most aircraft systems are 24 or 28 volts for this reason. Back in the 6V day, headlight relays were sold by after market suppliers as “headlight brighteners”. If you are still powering your headlight thru a 70 year old headlight switch, a relay may make a significant difference also. The pervious suggestion to power one headlight with a good clean ground and a 10 awg wire straight from the battery terminal of the regulator, and then see if that is enough of an improvement; is a very good one. If not, and you really want to drive at night; then a good 12V/alternator conversation is you best bet.
The bulb and reflector guys seemed to have found a low power 6V halogen bulb (first produced in Australia I believe) that works pretty well with their reflectors. I can’t say how they compare, because I run sealed beams (at least for now). But I have not (maybe some people have) found a 6V halogen sealed beam that doesn’t draw a great deal of current and produce a great deal of heat.
Dave(Smith)
The bulb and reflector guys seemed to have found a low power 6V halogen bulb (first produced in Australia I believe) that works pretty well with their reflectors. I can’t say how they compare, because I run sealed beams (at least for now). But I have not (maybe some people have) found a 6V halogen sealed beam that doesn’t draw a great deal of current and produce a great deal of heat.
Dave(Smith)
Kurt in NJ
Well-known member
To get the most of what you have you need to measure the system voltage, compare what you have at the battery to what you have at the headlight, check that the voltage regulator is working properly --if you always have a discharged battery your lights will be dim. The generator should be able to supply around 7.2 volts with a fully charged battery ---if the battery is bad, or low on charge the system voltage will be lower even if the generator and voltage regulator are working properly.
There are lens reflector assemblys that will direct fit for a seal beam that can have 6V halogen bulbs http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/page7.html --I get my A and 36 bulbs from here, the 35W bulbs in my model A with 40 year old reflector plating will light up the reflectors on the poles for 8 poles ahead--about 3 tenths of a mile --using the original 6V generator at a lower charging rate than I used with the regular 50cp bulbs. I bought my bulbs at Hershey 8 years ago.
The higher amp generator on a 42 should be able to run H4 6 volt bulbs, there are many 7" lens reflector assys that can use those bulbs --Lucas, Hella, cibie --look here http://www.talbotco.com/e-code_lamps.htm
I drove a 46 for many years, my model A lights with the classic and vintage quartz halogen 35 watt bulbs are much better than regular 6V seal beams.
Check your system voltages, at the battery, at the headlight bulbs ---no matter what bulbs you use they will not work properly without the proper voltage ---you have to have the load (bulbs)hooked up when you measure the voltage. usually there are metal tabs on the bulbs to hook the meter to while it is plugged in, there will be somewhat less at the bulbs than at the battery--but not much more than 1/2 volt.
There are lens reflector assemblys that will direct fit for a seal beam that can have 6V halogen bulbs http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/page7.html --I get my A and 36 bulbs from here, the 35W bulbs in my model A with 40 year old reflector plating will light up the reflectors on the poles for 8 poles ahead--about 3 tenths of a mile --using the original 6V generator at a lower charging rate than I used with the regular 50cp bulbs. I bought my bulbs at Hershey 8 years ago.
The higher amp generator on a 42 should be able to run H4 6 volt bulbs, there are many 7" lens reflector assys that can use those bulbs --Lucas, Hella, cibie --look here http://www.talbotco.com/e-code_lamps.htm
I drove a 46 for many years, my model A lights with the classic and vintage quartz halogen 35 watt bulbs are much better than regular 6V seal beams.
Check your system voltages, at the battery, at the headlight bulbs ---no matter what bulbs you use they will not work properly without the proper voltage ---you have to have the load (bulbs)hooked up when you measure the voltage. usually there are metal tabs on the bulbs to hook the meter to while it is plugged in, there will be somewhat less at the bulbs than at the battery--but not much more than 1/2 volt.
GreenMonster48
Well-known member
I've never seen a 42 Merc before....do you have pictures?
As others have said, it's imperative to have a good ground. You may even consider adding a seperate ground strap from the body to the frame with clean bare metal contacts on both ends.
As others have said, it's imperative to have a good ground. You may even consider adding a seperate ground strap from the body to the frame with clean bare metal contacts on both ends.
imnezrider
Member
Pretty rare breed.....
Mercury's big engineering news for 1942 was "Liquamatic," Ford Motor Company's first semi-automatic transmission, and it was a disaster. Manufactured by Warner Gear, Liquamatic was so unreliable that Ford quickly offered to replace all units free of charge with a conventional stickshift gearbox, so virtually none exist today. Fortunately, it wasn't available on 1942 Fords. Mercury wouldn't have another automatic transmission until Merc-O-Matic appeared in 1951, and that of course would be a true automatic. Mercury production for the short 1942 model year totaled only 22,772 units (24,704 worldwide). That's because the government had restricted auto production throughout the model year, which lasted only from October 3, 1941, to February 10, 1942. After that, U.S. civilian output was halted as American auto plants were converted to the exclusive production of war material.
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GreenMonster48
Well-known member
Pretty neat! I've actually got a 42 club coupe in the classifieds (non-blackout car)