Upgrading Headlights This Weekend

[kursplat]

So my new question is, if I wire to the alternator, do I still have headlights when the engine isn't running?

without changing anything else, yes. the alt+ is still connected to the bat+, it's just a bit of a mess getting there. if you really want to get into it seach Dan's threads on charging system upgrades.

good luck

 

[Bruzilla]

Okay, I got the relays installed and all the wiring run. I think the hardest part was the alternator. I went to remove the power wire and it about fell off. It only had two wire strands still connected! The field and other wires were both fraying and had broken and been twisted back together twice on one and once on the other, so I had to replace all three connections. I'm amazed my battery has been charging all this time!

Anyway, all the lights work and the car runs, so it's all good. I just need to finish taping up the wiring harness tomorrow and the job will be done. Not a bad day project.

 

[74roadrunner440]

i think those headlights are too much covered. cant see well with them covered lol

 

[RustyRatRod]

If you didn't get it, you need a harness similar to this.

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1247

 

[Bruzilla]

Wow! $90! I bought two relays and connectors off ebay for $19 shipped, 12 gauge wire and connectors at Autozone for $15 and change, and a tripple fuze block from a junked Interceptor for $5 at the junkyard. And .79 for a roll of electrical tape.

I gotta say, the difference in illumination is nothing short of amazing! Literally night and day.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Well......that harness is SOLID copper wire same as 110V A/C house wire. It's a damned nice kit. Sounds like you got it licked at any rate.

 

[tpodwdog]

These headlights work for me................

ill GUARANTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE you that those headlights will be more of a pain in the butt than what i have been reading!

 

[RustyRatRod]

ill GUARANTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE you that those headlights will be more of a pain in the butt than what i have been reading!

That's why they make duct tape.

 

[Bruzilla]

Well......that harness is SOLID copper wire same as 110V A/C house wire. It's a damned nice kit. Sounds like you got it licked at any rate.

I don't like using solid wire on cars. It's great for houses since they don't shake very much, but in cars it's a different story. Our installer tried using solid wire to install high-flow stuff like radios and light systems in our cruisers, and we had a lot of failures from the wire breaking. The worst ones were when the wire cracked but the insulator didn't so it was impossible to find where the problem was. He went back to twisted strand and I learned from his lesson.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I hear you.....the good thing about it though, is you're not going from one entity of the car to another, so there's no transition between two differently moving parts.

 

[kursplat]

i doubt they use solid wire. real automotive wire is made differently from house wire and there are different levels of that based on use.. part of the reason those harnesses cost a little more (and worth it in my opinion. << worth what you paid for it :icon_winkle they use good relays, properly crimped terminals and good sized wire from end to end.
that said i'm going to do a quick and dirty relay upgrade on my dart soon, but i won't be running all the load through the fuselink.

glad you got it done, how about some pics?

p.s. might want to carry an extra fuse and relay

 

[mosquito13]

do it once

boating backround . use tinned wires so there is no black creep. solder all connections, and adheasive shrink with dilectic grease at all push connections.

 

[Bruzilla]

I always carry extra fuses. I drove the bird to work on Wednesday, and what was supposed to be a little light rain in the morning ended up being a steady downpour all day. I had to take a couple of detours due to accidents and went through dozens of deep puddles. I went to go home after dark and found I had no dash, marker, or tail lights! I knew a fuse had blown, but I was in dress clothes and wasn't about to get down on my knees to change a fuse in the pouring down rain. I ended up driving home with the four-ways going the whole time.

I checked the fuses yesterday and #4 had blown. I replaced it and the new one didn't blow. I bounced the car around, drove it round, gunned and braked it, and couldn't get the fuse to blow so I'm guessing when I was going through one of those deeper puddles on Wednesday some water must have gotten into a connection or lamp holder and shorted it. The only thing I hate worse than fuses blowing is not being able to find out why they blew.

 

[kursplat]

fuse might have just been old and weak

 

[RustyRatRod]

You doubt who uses solid wire? Lemmie tell you bud, I bought the kit. I installed it. I had it in my hand. I know what 12/3 house wire in grey conduit looks like and that was it. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.

i doubt they use solid wire. real automotive wire is made differently from house wire and there are different levels of that based on use.. part of the reason those harnesses cost a little more (and worth it in my opinion. << worth what you paid for it :icon_winkle they use good relays, properly crimped terminals and good sized wire from end to end.
that said i'm going to do a quick and dirty relay upgrade on my dart soon, but i won't be running all the load through the fuselink.

glad you got it done, how about some pics?

p.s. might want to carry an extra fuse and relay

 

[kursplat]

You doubt who uses solid wire? Lemmie tell you bud, I bought the kit. I installed it. I had it in my hand. I know what 12/3 house wire in grey conduit looks like and that was it. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.

dude, lay off the redbull...
if they sent me kit with solid wire i sure wouldn't have installed it. solid wiring on a car is stupid. the only place you'll see solid wire is on a race car, the plug wires, and it's a question of when they're going to break, not if.
since you linked to rallylights.com is that the harness you bought? great stuff but i don't see anything on the sight to show they use solid wire. every picture i can find shows stranded wire. maybe you've been off the turnup truck too long and need to hop back up there. while you are, give rally lights a call, and ask them what they use

 

[Bruzilla]

Okay, found the problem and it had nothing to do with what I did to the headlights. One of the tail light wires had chaffed against the hole in the bumper brace where the rear wires go through and the bare wire was making contact with the brace.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Red Bull sucks. Monster Drink is it. lol

dude, lay off the redbull...
if they sent me kit with solid wire i sure wouldn't have installed it. solid wiring on a car is stupid. the only place you'll see solid wire is on a race car, the plug wires, and it's a question of when they're going to break, not if.
since you linked to rallylights.com is that the harness you bought? great stuff but i don't see anything on the sight to show they use solid wire. every picture i can find shows stranded wire. maybe you've been off the turnup truck too long and need to hop back up there. while you are, give rally lights a call, and ask them what they use

 

[kursplat]

Okay, found the problem and it had nothing to do with what I did to the headlights. One of the tail light wires had chaffed against the hole in the bumper brace where the rear wires go through and the bare wire was making contact with the brace.

good deal, those things can be a pain to find

Red Bull sucks. Monster Drink is it. lol

:laughing9: i was trying to decide, redbull/ monster / redbull / monster

 

[RustyRatRod]

lol

good deal, those things can be a pain to find


:laughing9: i was trying to decide, redbull/ monster / redbull / monster