Pilothouse lighting

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Guys;

As I move forward with my project I have been thinking a lot about the lighting aspect. It seems to me that if I want to use this truck as my daily driver there are some things that could and probably should be done to improve the night time visibilty of the truck.

 

I have been considering things like adding clearance lights to the cab roof and / or side marker lights. One thought I have had is to mount a couple of marker or running lights on top of either front fender. When I found my truck it had the remnants of can type turn signal lamps on top of the fenders......so the holes are already there. This might be a good spot to put a small blister type amber running light? There seems to be a fair selection of appropriate looking vintage lights available on ebay which could be pressed into service here.

 

Moving to the rear of the truck I think it would be really wise to make certain that it is well lit. Tailgating around here has become epidemic. My truck came with a pretty beefy wrap around step bumper which I intend to reuse. I believe it is a period piece. My thought is to recess some additional running lights into it......including a side marker light in the returns that are directly behind the rear fenders.

 

Since I am staying 6 volt my thought is to incorporate LED type bulbs wherever possible to reduce draw while making good bright light.

 

I would really appreciate your thoughts and ideas on this topic. I imagine some of you have already addressed this with some clever solutions. Please share your ideas.

 

Also if anyone has come up with a practical way to add a "Backup" light that would be a great addition.

 

Thanks Jeff

Edited February 3, 2013 by Jeff Balazs

[B1B Keven]

6 volt Halogen headlights would be a good addition.

 

I've been playing with back up lights. So far I have a set of cheap fog lights with 6 volt bulbs installed and a switch under the dash.

Nothing wired yet.

[Stumpy(NH)]

Tractor implement lights make good back up lights. If you put a toggle on the dash put an annoying pilot light with it so you don't forget to turn them off!

[4852dodge]

I have standard bulbs everywhere.  I can see and be seen quite well.  I made it a point to have very good grounds and clean connections.  Not just in the fixtures but on the switches and butt connectors.  It has made a world of difference.  I do not have reverse lights but will have them soon.  I used dilectric grease in the sockets and all connections outside the cab to prevent recorrosion.

[Jeff Balazs]

Keven; I have a set of halogen headlights already. I am looking for some amber lenses to fit the stock parking lights which may become the front turn signal lamps.

 

If anyone has fitted cab roof clearance type running lights it would be great to see some photos of the fixtures and arrangement.

 

I know that there is no provision on the transmission for a true back up light switch.....but I can't help thinking that there must be a "solution" for this beyond having a manual dash switch.

 

Jeff

[Young Ed]

Mark and I pulled some cab lights at the junkyard last summer. He should have some pics of them. I thought I had a picture of the trucks just before we pulled them off but I guess not.

 

For the backup lights could you mount a push bottom type switch to the trans that the linkage or floor shifter would hit?

[Frank Elder]

Keven; I have a set of halogen headlights already. I am looking for some amber lenses to fit the stock parking lights which may become the front turn signal lamps.

 

If anyone has fitted cab roof clearance type running lights it would be great to see some photos of the fixtures and arrangement.

 

I know that there is no provision on the transmission for a true back up light switch.....but I can't help thinking that there must be a "solution" for this beyond having a manual dash switch.

 

Jeff

Hook a backup beeper and backup lites to the same switch.........you'll never forget to turn them off.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Frank Elder

[Jeff Balazs]

Frank;

  Now that is a good idea.........assuming one remembers to turn it on in the first place.

I do like the idea of a beeper.

Jeff

[Frank Elder]

Jeff here's another.....you know the brake lite switches that activate on hanging pedals, it's a momentary switch of course....could you mount a bracket on the outside of the transmission so that when reverse is selected the lever will activate the switch and when you shift out it cancels???

[pflaming]

I've asked the same question. I do not see much night driving for my truck so that's not an issue, however a single brake light in the bottom of the rear window interests me. I think the driving public notices that more than the brake lights and I think safety studies confirm that.

Or maybe a horizontal one mounted just below the window with the wire into the cab. But what do I connect it to, the wire coming out of the brake switch?

Edited February 4, 2013 by pflaming

[Jeff Balazs]

Frank;

Yes I am guessing that would probably be fairly easy on a column shift truck.

 

I have a fluid drive with a NP 4 speed and there isn't any external linkage that might be pressed into service. It is a top loader.

It might be possible to adapt a conventional switch into this housing? Not really sure. I have never removed the top cover so I don't know what I would be getting myself into. I suppose that if there could be a way to add a small access port to the shift rod associated with reverse it would then be possible to have a real back up function. Maybe someone here has one of these transmissions apart and could take a look to see if this is even remotely possible?

 

Jeff

[Scruffy49]

My 49 has a set of turn signal cans on the bed corners. L bracket on the stake pockets. Would be simple to swap to a dual circuit socket and bulb to have turn signals AND running lights off them along with stock run/brake lights. I'd prefer to delete them and clean the lines of the truck up a bit, but, that's how my grandfather built the truck so they will stay.

 

Take your lens to NAPA, TSC or a truck stop/supply house and see if you can match up an amber to that size. I'd say rubber grommet and modern pop in light, but, they are only available in 12v so you're stuck looking for a lens instead.

 

Back up light switch? Bolt a sheet metal bracket to the trans top, add a brake switch from the parts house. Much easier to change than an internal version AND is a period correct modification. Tractor lamps in metal housings are the correct lights. My uncle's 35 Ford has had them since the 50s.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Scruffy49

[1952B3b23]

My old man use to have a twin stick '79 Mack dump truck, and the back up light switch was nothing more than a little lever type switch on the floor of the truck that would get tripped when reverse was engaged. Once reverse was disengaged the lever would go back to its off position. I know this wouldnt be the most elegant solution since you'd have to mount something either to the column or floor of the truck, but you wouldnt forget to turn the back up lights off that way. 

 

-Chris

[pflaming]

Why not just place some type of motion sensor on a rear wheel or the drive shaft?

[Dave72dt]

Why not just place some type of motion sensor on a rear wheel or the drive shaft?

Motion sensor wouldn't know if it was going forward or backward.  It'd be all the time except when stopped.

[Merle Coggins]

 I am looking for some amber lenses to fit the stock parking lights which may become the front turn signal lamps.

 

Jeff

 

I had the same issue. I even searched for 6 volt amber bulbs, and came up empty. I ended up using amber LED bulbs from superbrightleds.com behind the clear glass lenses. It works quite well.

 

Merle

[wallytoo]

jeff,

i used a pair of auxilliary/tractor type lights for backups. they are operated via a rotary switch (period correct) mounted to the underside of the dash that lights up when the backups are on, so i won't forget them. obviously, for your pickup, they'd mount differently than on my dump. you could recess them in the bumper, or mount them just below the bumper.

cab clearance lights that i have are glass lenses, amber.

Edited February 5, 2013 by wallytoo

[Frank Elder]

Frank;

Yes I am guessing that would probably be fairly easy on a column shift truck.

 

I have a fluid drive with a NP 4 speed and there isn't any external linkage that might be pressed into service. It is a top loader.

It might be possible to adapt a conventional switch into this housing? Not really sure. I have never removed the top cover so I don't know what I would be getting myself into. I suppose that if there could be a way to add a small access port to the shift rod associated with reverse it would then be possible to have a real back up function. Maybe someone here has one of these transmissions apart and could take a look to see if this is even remotely possible?

 

Jeff

So use your shifter base under the boot as your contact point..........? When you shift into reverse have a bracket mounted on the hump so that it is activated when the actual shaft of the shifter depresses it.....

[Jeff Balazs]

Merle; I went to that site but I was not able to find any 6 volt LEDS.......Lots of 12 volt options to be sure. I guess maybe I am not certain what I am looking for. That or some of these web sites are just put together strange......

 

Wally; You wouldn't happen to have a close up photo of your clearance lights ? I know that these were probably not fitted to pick-ups that often......but if I can find some decent looking fixtures I think I would fit them.

 

This all probably seems like overkill to a lot of you.......but honestly we need as much "visibility" as we can get around here. If I thought I could get away with it ......... I'd mount a 6" Howitzer in back just to make the tailgaters think twice.

 

Jeff

[Young Ed]

Ever heard the legend of the guy who mounted a cement block to a board with a spring so it looked like it was just about to fall out the back at all times?

[Jeff Balazs]

Ever heard the legend of the guy who mounted a cement block to a board with a spring so it looked like it was just about to fall out the back at all times?

 

Hmmmm......... Not bad...but perhaps a bit too subtle for most of the folks we have to share the roads with. They would have to be paying a bit of attention to actually spot that. Maybe a couple of loosely tethered 55 gallon barrels spewing noxious smoke would do the trick?

Jeff

[MBF]

Having the backup lights on a dash switch enables you to use them whenever you need them-like when some jackazz is right on your tail.

[Merle Coggins]

Try this one Jeff.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/1157-led-bulb-dual-intensity-19-led/508/1692/

 

They're there, just had to do a little searching.

 

Merle

[Jeff Balazs]

Having the backup lights on a dash switch enables you to use them whenever you need them-like when some jackazz is right on your tail.

Mike;

 Good point. Manual switch it is.

Jeff

[Jeff Balazs]

Merle;

Thank you. Those look perfect. Not sure why I couldn't get them to come up???

Jeff