headlight upgrade?

[splavin90]

how do i convert to halogen headlights?

is there an article about it?

[gonzalo medina]

Well most i have seen hook right up but fords wiring isn't strong enough to run them to long. You have beef up you headlight harness, buy or build one with a bigger gauge wire to prevent burning of existing wires. I beleive there are also relays to get the full potential of your current flow and preserve your switch. LMC sells one for our trucks for $40 bucks which is wat better the trying to build or preserve your existing.

[splavin90]

i was hoping on building my own harness. i've got everything needed to do it but i don't know how to do it.

[Clarko]

Here's a good one, too:
http://fordfuelinjection.com/?p=66

[splavin90]

hasn't anybody built thier own harness before?

[heep70]

I have a tech article from another source if you are interested. It is how to install relays into the lighting system. PM me.

[Clarko]

I build harnesses for things like this all the time.
All you need are two relays with holders and you can pirate the headlight connectors from your current harness if they're still good.

[Clarko]

Just eliminate the hi-beam wiring.

[Redcap]

Just eliminate the hi-beam wiring.

[390Nut]

hasn't anybody built thier own harness before?

I just did this the other day on my bike. Needed two relays, (Bosch brand are the best, but the simple, 30amp ones you get at the parts store work just fine) some inline and 1/4" spade crimp connectors (the heat-shrink style are the best for weather proofing, but much more expensive) a roll of 14 guage wire and 12 guage wire (12 gauge is for the primary power) an inline fuse rated at 15 amps or higher, and a pair of headlamp pigtails, which can be bought at most autoparts stores like Advance or Autozone.

VERY simple hookup, the relay posts are marked underneath. 30, 85, 86, and 87. (most have an 87a post as well, but you wont need to worry about it or use it). Mark ONE relay with an H, and the other with an L (HIGH and LOW beam) if you feel the need to do so, to make it easier to remember where all the wires go.

Simply cut your headlight connector, marking WHICH wire goes to WHICH post on the headlight. Left side is ground, right is low beam, and the top is high beam. You'll need to run the primary wire (12 guage) from a full time power source, with the fuse inline. Right off the battery or off the positive side of the solenoid where the battery hooks up are best. This goes to the 30 post on the relays. Run a 14 guage wire from the 85 posts of your relays to a solid ground, and reconnect the original ground wire to the left side of the headlamp, using the inline connectors and the new pigtail. You MIGHT want to just run the ground from the pigtail to a close ground, rather than trust the old wiring.

Next, run 14 guage wires from the 86 post of the (L) relay (for low beam) to the old wiring for the headlights, connecting to the wire that had been to the TOP of the pigtail (as it would be plugged into your headlight, looking at the wire side). This is the trigger wire, coming from your headlight switch (which used to turn your lights on)

Do the same for the (H) relay, except run the wires to the old wire for the RIGHT side of the headlight pigtail.

What this does is allow the full voltage to go to the headlight, using larger than stock wires and less connections. Every time a wire has to make a connection somewhere, it creates a resistance, and switches are VERY bad for creating resisitance!

When I was done with this mod on my bike, the voltage coming THROUGH the headlight with the light ON/engine OFF was at 12.2 volts. BEFORE I did this mod, it was only 10.2 volts! Not much, you say? Think again! I had to lower my headlight, because after doing this mod, on the test ride, I was constantly getting flashed by highbeams from approaching cars, and I never adjusted the headlight before the ride. Never had that problem in the last two years, either, unless I was stupid and forget to turn my highbeam off.

Very noticable difference in completely dark, rural areas too, and with the amount of wildlife around here, its a major improvement.

Important note: you can reverse the 85/86 wiring, as it doesn't really matter which is which, the relays will still work. However, you MUST have both of them the same!

One more note: the 87a post on the relays is HOT when you turn off the lights/switch. In other words, it's active when the 87 post is not, and vise- versa.

The link above to the harness for sale is a good example of what you want to do. That's just a really clean example, but you can set it up wherever you want. The diagram posted above is an excellent example as well, for clarity, but the problem is that the lights are hooked up so that BOTH the highbeam AND low beam will be on at the same time when you switch to highbeams. You DONT need to connect the green wire (example from that diagram) to the low beams also.

[Clarko]

Just eliminate the hi-beam wiring.

The headlight harness diagram I posted shows wiring for 4 headlights ala 58-60 F-series or 69 Mustang

[adrianspeeder]

hasn't anybody built their own harness before?

Yup, here are my photos constructing a harness for the Lariat.



I was only gettin 10.6volts with the engine idling and really dim lights.



14 volts make the difference.



all the rest of the construction pics.

http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/registry/6721/32331

Adrianspeeder

[Clarko]

How many amps you suppose those headlights take?

[Big D's 69]

I just got my headlights and my harness kit with the relays. Looks pretty simple but I don't think I will need the kit with an after market wiring harness.

[adrianspeeder]

How many amps you suppose those headlights take?

Less than 10 amps per line, as the fuses didn't blow. Less than 10 amps per line, as the fuses didn't blow. But I can measure it for ya.


Adrianspeeder