Lighting options for a 24-volt system

[Rgdl]

I need to add a bunch of lights to my M818 to pass safety inspection. Aside from that, I really want my truck to have as much safety lighting as possible since I'll be driving it on lonely roads at night, slowly.

I would like to add the following:

- roof clearance lights
- side marker lights
- back-up lights
- license plate illumination

I'm also building a custom rear bumper out of 8" x 4" x 3/16 steel tubing. I want to insert 4" round stop/turn/brake lights in it that will replace the military-style tail lights.

I have checked out Grote, Trucklite and various other manufacturers. There's a tonne of selection out there, but very few 24 volt choices.

I thought I read somewhere that I could use any incandescent 12 volt light assembly, and replace the bulb with like-size 24 volt bulb. Any experts here able to confirm this?

And what about LED? 24 volt LED light assemblies are really expensive compared to 12 volt. Can I use resistors to drop the 24V down to 12V?

 

[Scout]

Many LED lights will accept a range of 6 to 36 volts. Yes, the 24v-specific LEDs are not cheap - I beleive because they are military spec. Check one of the major suppliers like truck-lite.
You could also wire two 12v lights in series so they will accept 24v, but the wiring will be a pain since you will need to pair-up lights, and many fixtures ground through their mounting points.
Truck-Lite - Catalog Product : Model 18 Marker & Clearance LED Sealed 3 Diode Pattern
Good for a range of 10-30 volts

 

[Recovry4x4]

See if this doesn't help you out a bit.
Saturn Surplus

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Check industrial supply houses. They sell 24v lights for industrial controls all the time.

 

[Rgdl]

I had a thought this morning (that's why I smell something burning).

What about using something like a Painless Wiring Universal Streetrod kit? These are specifically made for "ground-up" hotrod builds where all you have is a body, a chassis and a drivetrain.

I'm thinking I would keep the 24 volt system for the starter, the heater, etc. I could then add a 12 volt alternator with an additional designated battery, and using the Painless Wiring kit I could run all my lighting:

- headlights
- run/stop/brake/turn/signal lights
- reverse lights
- clearance lights
- side indicator lights
- license plate light
- all my dash lights

Of course, all the lights/bulbs would need to be converted to 12 volt but in the end I would get rid of most all the 40-year-old wiring from the truck and I would have all new wiring and updated, more easily sourced lights. Another advantage is the new wiring harness's functions has all the civilian characteristics (ie. running lights and headlights operate together).

Any thoughts on this idea?