BFR
Rocket Surgeon
- 2,331
- 43
- 48
- Location
- North Georgia
I decided a while ago that my deuce will not be getting “restored” and that all of the time/money I put into it should do one (or more) of the following three things…
maintain it, expand its capability, or make it safer.
After killing my driver’s side headlight (again) I decided to make a “few” modifications to the lighting on my truck. Namely replace/ upgrade the lights and add lights to the rear so I can see what I am about to run over at night. I did an H4 conversion on my civvy jeep about 4 years ago and have been very pleased with the results. That plus Cabell Garbee's work on his M37 led me to Susquehanna MotorSports. they were good to deal with, had what I needed, and got it to mee quickly.
If my front harness had been in good condition or if I had been concerned with maintaining stock appearance I would have just made up an adapter to use H4 bulbs with the “correct” wiring. This wasn’t really an issue for me as the insulation on my stock wiring was extremely cracked/brittle (especially on the driver’s side), my headlight buckets used Douglas connectors (annoying), and my previously mentioned deuce restoration apathy.
Having said that, here is what I used.
Headlights: Hella E-code H4 housings
Bulbs: Hella H4 “double power” 24V 75/70W
Rear/work lights: Hella 4 ¾” rubber housing work lamp w/ 24V H3 bulbs
Fuse/distribution panel: Cole Hersee 8 gang ATC fuse panel (from West Marine)
Relays: Hella 24V with snap in bases
Panel: See if you can guess
Various wire, terminals, grommets, screws
Here is what I did.
I ran a 6AWG wire from the battery to an 8gang distribution/fuse block (rated at 30A per circuit) that I mounted on the back wall of the cab. From the fuse panel I ran 12 AWG to 24 Volt relays. From the relays I ran 12AWG to the lamps. I routed wires along the passenger side frame rail. By setting it up this way I now have a relatively easy task if I decide to add other electrical devices as I have 5 open circuits on the panel that can easily be used by inserting a fuse and tying in. While I was at it I decided to prep the panel for future expansion by pre-drilling and installing grommets for another set of 4 relay bases. I currently have 4 bases installed, but only 3 relays installed.
Installing the housings themselves is just like installing a normal sealed beam I chose to cut the back out of the buckets to simplify/speedup the process if I need to change a bulb.
If you were trying to make this a hidden install you could easily route the wires though the grommet like the stock setup.
To trigger the headlight relays I tied into the OE headlight harnesses.
To trigger the work light relay I installed a simple toggle switch on the dash board. To power this switch I tied into the instrument panel light circuit (means the switch is not functional unless the 3 way switch is in a position that illuminates the dash lights, hopefully will prevent accidentally leaving them on)
In the end I am pleased
oh yeah,
Susquehanna MotorSports
www.rallylights.com
maintain it, expand its capability, or make it safer.
After killing my driver’s side headlight (again) I decided to make a “few” modifications to the lighting on my truck. Namely replace/ upgrade the lights and add lights to the rear so I can see what I am about to run over at night. I did an H4 conversion on my civvy jeep about 4 years ago and have been very pleased with the results. That plus Cabell Garbee's work on his M37 led me to Susquehanna MotorSports. they were good to deal with, had what I needed, and got it to mee quickly.
If my front harness had been in good condition or if I had been concerned with maintaining stock appearance I would have just made up an adapter to use H4 bulbs with the “correct” wiring. This wasn’t really an issue for me as the insulation on my stock wiring was extremely cracked/brittle (especially on the driver’s side), my headlight buckets used Douglas connectors (annoying), and my previously mentioned deuce restoration apathy.
Having said that, here is what I used.
Headlights: Hella E-code H4 housings
Bulbs: Hella H4 “double power” 24V 75/70W
Rear/work lights: Hella 4 ¾” rubber housing work lamp w/ 24V H3 bulbs
Fuse/distribution panel: Cole Hersee 8 gang ATC fuse panel (from West Marine)
Relays: Hella 24V with snap in bases
Panel: See if you can guess
Various wire, terminals, grommets, screws
Here is what I did.
I ran a 6AWG wire from the battery to an 8gang distribution/fuse block (rated at 30A per circuit) that I mounted on the back wall of the cab. From the fuse panel I ran 12 AWG to 24 Volt relays. From the relays I ran 12AWG to the lamps. I routed wires along the passenger side frame rail. By setting it up this way I now have a relatively easy task if I decide to add other electrical devices as I have 5 open circuits on the panel that can easily be used by inserting a fuse and tying in. While I was at it I decided to prep the panel for future expansion by pre-drilling and installing grommets for another set of 4 relay bases. I currently have 4 bases installed, but only 3 relays installed.
Installing the housings themselves is just like installing a normal sealed beam I chose to cut the back out of the buckets to simplify/speedup the process if I need to change a bulb.
If you were trying to make this a hidden install you could easily route the wires though the grommet like the stock setup.
To trigger the headlight relays I tied into the OE headlight harnesses.
To trigger the work light relay I installed a simple toggle switch on the dash board. To power this switch I tied into the instrument panel light circuit (means the switch is not functional unless the 3 way switch is in a position that illuminates the dash lights, hopefully will prevent accidentally leaving them on)
In the end I am pleased
oh yeah,
Susquehanna MotorSports
www.rallylights.com
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