Headlight wiring

[jackboxxx]

Umm... current flow is the movement of charge from one place to another. There are 2 sources of charge, electrons or protons - and I can tell you right now the protons aren't going anywhere. So obviously the electrons are "flowing" and last time I checked the tend to move toward the positive side of a field. Before this was really understood electrical engineers or whoever had already chosen a "direction" of current flow in drawings etc, which is from + to -. So unfortunately conventional current flow in electrical drawings and analyses is opposite the actual direction of electron flow which is - to +.

I knew that! i did really...

JacK

[2003z]

THIS IS GRATE HOWEVER YOU ARE STILL USING 30+ YEAR OLD WIREING TO CARY THE LOAD PLUS YOU HAVE BUTCHARD THE LOOM . THE LOAD NEEDS TO BE CARRIED BY HEAVIER GAGE WIREING . THIS WILL CUT DOWN ON ON THE RESISTANCE , ESPECIALLY IF YOU GO TO THE HIGHER WATTAGE LIGHTS. Obviously the stock loom can be cut in to and made to work, sort of , but the problem with the light , marginal stock wireing carring the load remains. I have no connection with Dave , the maker of the loom mentioned here . Other than I installed one of his units . I was going to build one myself , before he offered his for sale. I am vary impressed with the quality and workmenship and ease of installation . As escanlon said the difference is remarkable , and as a bonis , the tail lights and dash lights are brighter as well. Gary

I still may replace the rest of the wire out to the lights, the project is only partly finished. As for butchering the loom, who cares? I like the cleaner look of having a separate pigtail come out of my harness to a mounted relay box. Mine cost a little over $10 and I got the satisfaction of doing it myself, from design conception to finish. If you don't like the idea of cutting the stock wiring, you will really hate my new MSA bumper and foglights!

I am intimately familiar with the wiring, I actually took 2 harnesses and dissected, tested, and labelled every single wire on them to make one pristine harness, along with modifications where I felt them necessary.

[EScanlon]

So are you implying your method is better or are you simply boasting?

Both methods are good, they're simply different approaches to the same problem. The validity of one method over another is simply what car club's have ALWAYS found prevalent in their discussions.

Your method is YOUR method, and not necessarily correct for anyone else. Conversely our method isn't yours and you feel it isn't correct for you. That's the way a car club is, we share the differences, but we try not to slam or denigrate someone else's method. The only exception for this, is where safety is concerned.

2¢

Enrique

[2003z]

So are you implying your method is better or are you simply boasting?

Both methods are good, they're simply different approaches to the same problem. The validity of one method over another is simply what car club's have ALWAYS found prevalent in their discussions.

Your method is YOUR method, and not necessarily correct for anyone else. Conversely our method isn't yours and you feel it isn't correct for you. That's the way a car club is, we share the differences, but we try not to slam or denigrate someone else's method. The only exception for this, is where safety is concerned.

2¢

Enrique

not boasting at all, nor impllying its better. Just sharing the way I did it. I just didn't expect to get shat all over for sharing my idea.

[EScanlon]

And you aren't getting it now.

But if you had read the first few pages of this thread, you would have realized that Dave not only has shared the schematic, but also the how - to. Additionally, a vendor sourced harness was compared as well.

That is the discussion that is going on, not how simple it can be done if you don't care to buy the kit. And although what you've posted is a GOOD post.... it would have been better as a Tech Article as to How to Add Relays to your Electrical System, and not Headlight Wattage Upgrade How-To.

Your personal prowess on mastering the harness is again a good item, and I've no doubt that your knowledge will come in very handy to the club. Trust me there's a strong need for someone that knows where all the Red/Blue wires come out of the loom. However, to state them by themselves, without answering a question, nor using them as support for something else you've written, they become......boasts.

So once again, I ask the question that I began this with: "are you implying your method is better or are you simply boasting?" And although you feel this was being sh@t upon, it wasn't. Your post states that it is simple, "very simple without a kit", that implies you are comparing it to the kit, which is what we are discussing.

Then you pointed out the manner in which your system differed from the stock wiring and that "Pure voltage straight from alternator and much brighter than stock, without the hassles of the harness."

That again implies comparison. In the first case to stock wiring, and then you mention the "hassles of the harness", which implies that the harness method is a hassle and that your system doesn't have that hassle. Yet, you mention all this wiring that must be done, color code changing, modifications without explanation or justification and you tell us it is "much brighter than stock, without the hassles of the harness" and "very simple without a kit". Something doesn't quite seem right.

So, since you're not offering WHY it's better, nor HOW it's better, just simply that in your opinion what you did is better, then please enlighten us as to WHY and HOW it's better. If you do that, then your posts may have some relevance to the discussion at hand and not appear as boasts.

2¢

Enrique

[2003z]

well, since you are asking, My system allows for usage of high or low beams with failure of the other subsystem, since they are wired independantly of each other. That, in my opinion is an improvement, and the initial thread was about rewiring.

[EScanlon]

Your system is basically this:

http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=12208&size=big&cat=500

Which is one of the drawings that Jason originally posted when he started this thread.

The independent usage of high and low beams, unless I'm totally mistaken is the standard OEM circuitry, which none of these harnesses or re-wiring methods change, just supplement. Except for the original circuit that Jason posted. That one needed some fixing.

You've come up with the same solution, independent of each other. That shows we have at least 2 smart club members.

Dave's manufacture of the harnesses either coincided with the post, or it was serendipity. Those of us who bought his harness were doing so because of any one of various reasons. In my opinion, it was an EXCELLENT Safety feature (avoids using the original wiring for the amount of current the headlights draw), the cost was reasonable (or I felt it was affordable), it helped a fellow club member, and the most important sales point was that I could order it, install it, and it looked good, without getting up off my lazy butt and do all this myself.

But your system would take us to the beginning of this post.

See what I mean?

Enrique

[TomoHawk]

I think the only thing that could fail to make the lights not 'fail-safe' is the single wire from the Pos. side of the battery to the lights/relays. If this single wire was broken or developed a short, neither low or high beams would work.

How would you get around that? Independent power wires from the battery for each circuit?

[2003z]

How would you get around that? Independent power wires from the battery for each circuit?

yes, I use 2 fused feed wires.

[H4LIGHTS]

The VB universal 100/90 harness I'm sure is the same as one I received with other application samples from a company in Taiwan. My biggest concern was the quality of the relays...the harness itself seemed good.

I carry new three prong connectors with wires to plug into the back of the headlights so installation seemed pretty straight-forward by bypassing most of the existing wiring.

I still feel if you are "electrically challenged" the painless wiring harness/relays are an easy way to upgrade.

[gundee]

I finally decided to install headlight relays recently. After looking at a few of the methods, I chose to go with the upgrade written by Stephen Judkins posted over at Zhome. I purchased a pair of relays with sockets from Summit Racing and spliced them in according to his diagram.

I am very pleased with the result. Full 12 volts at the headlights and the tail lights and markers are much brighter also.

As the previous post says, if you feel you are electrically challenged then the purchase of a prewired harness would be better for you.

Since my car already has mods, I really don't mind cutting into the existing wiring.

Picture attached. I just have to finish wrapping wires.

[SteveJ]

I finally decided to install headlight relays recently. After looking at a few of the methods, I chose to go with the upgrade written by Stephen Judkins posted over at Zhome. I purchased a pair of relays with sockets from Summit Racing and spliced them in according to his diagram.

I am very pleased with the result. Full 12 volts at the headlights and the tail lights and markers are much brighter also.

As the previous post says, if you feel you are electrically challenged then the purchase of a prewired harness would be better for you.

Since my car already has mods, I really don't mind cutting into the existing wiring.

Picture attached. I just have to finish wrapping wires.

Gee, I'm gonna blush.

Someday I will clean up the write-up and ask Carl to re-post. I am tempted to look into the pre-fab wiring harness for a cleaner look. Darn, two more things to add to the to-do list.