6 volt lamps

[rallyace]

I am sure that this topic has been discussed numerous times but I am a newby here and am still having trouble searching the forums. Anyways... I have a newly acquired 51 Plymouth Cambridge and I was wondering where folks are finding 6 volt bulbs. Are most folks finding them online or are there some places like NAPA or farm supply chain stores that stock them?  Thanks in advance for the replies and, again, sorry if I am just regurgitating someone else's request.

 

Mike

 

[mopar_earl]

Advance has some as well as Napa.

Earl

[Niel Hoback]

Oddly, I got a bunch at a hardware store in a community with a high Amish population. Seems their buggies carry a 6 volt battery for lights.

[Plymouthy Adams]

tons on E-bay..even relamping kits for your car.....not to mention about any of the big box stores....catch a swap meet....tractor supply houses...list goes on..you think of what uses a bulb odds are better you can find them..

[knuckleharley]

I am sure that this topic has been discussed numerous times but I am a newby here and am still having trouble searching the forums. Anyways... I have a newly acquired 51 Plymouth Cambridge and I was wondering where folks are finding 6 volt bulbs. Are most folks finding them online or are there some places like NAPA or farm supply chain stores that stock them?  Thanks in advance for the replies and, again, sorry if I am just regurgitating someone else's request.

 

Mike

I strongly advise buying the 6 volt halogen taillight bulbs out on the market.  They are dual element and pretty expensive,but they light up those old thick taillight glasses like you wouldn't believe. They make the taillights brighter than the brake lights were with the standard 6 volt bulbs,and the brake lights are bright enough to be impressive.

 

One draw back. They do get hot,so you can NOT run them with repo plastic taillight lenses. You have to use glass.

 

OK,just looked up where I bought mine,and these guys were the only ones that had them in stock last years. Click on the link.

 

http://cgfordparts.com/ufolder/cgcat.php?searchtype=Search&year_choice=49&searchtextdesc=6+V+HALOGEN+BULBS&sd=Search&searchnumber=

Edited June 12, 2016 by knuckleharley

[busycoupe]

6 volt led tail lights are also very bright, and run stone cold. They also draw less current. I think "Superbrightled.com has them. As I recall, they have some that are not polarity specific.

[rb1949]

I did an inventory of needed lamps, ordered from Bulbtown.com. Even with shipping, the whole bag was cheaper than 4 bulbs at the store. Clean your sockets and use bulb grease.

[knuckleharley]

6 volt led tail lights are also very bright, and run stone cold. They also draw less current. I think "Superbrightled.com has them. As I recall, they have some that are not polarity specific.

You are right and I was wrong. It is the halogen bulbs that get hot and require glass taillights. I bought them anyhow because I use glass taillights,and because the LED bulbs were several times more expensive.

[Plymouthy Adams]

for you folks going to halogen..they are quite nice and will help you be visible better in the daylight mode...but do keep in mind that halogens come at a greater power consumption and that the power will runs through your old and usually tired switches...do entertain putting them on separate fused feed and operate them on relays..

[knuckleharley]

for you folks going to halogen..they are quite nice and will help you be visible better in the daylight mode...but do keep in mind that halogens come at a greater power consumption and that the power will runs through your old and usually tired switches...do entertain putting them on separate fused feed and operate them on relays..

 

Good advise. My prime concern was dim brake lights in the daytime causing some idiot to run into the back of my 51 because they didn't see the brake lights. At this point I don't drive it after dark,so the burn time on them is minimal.

[dpollo]

 One issue you may not have considered is the focal point of the reflector or the lens.  I changed a customer's 48 Dodge back to

regular tail?stop light bulbs because the LEDs he had  did not put the light in the right spot on the lens.  

[knuckleharley]

a

 One issue you may not have considered is the focal point of the reflector or the lens.  I changed a customer's 48 Dodge back to

regular tail?stop light bulbs because the LEDs he had  did not put the light in the right spot on the lens.  

I hadn't even considered that. I bought the halogen taillight bulbs because they were a lot cheaper and never even gave a thought to how the lenses were designed for the light being in the center.

 

I also put blue dots in the center of my taillights to help draw attention when I hit the brake lights. I have been hit from behind a few times,and am a little paranoid about people running into me and then claiming they didn't see me. After the second time that happened to me on my bike,I bolted a taillight housing and lens from a 59 Chevy to my sissy bar. Anybody that couldn't see that damn thing was blind.

[dpollo]

in a 51, those halogen bulbs may work well.   However, good connections and good grounds will make quite a difference with the original type bulbs.  If you have nor already discovered it, the power from the stop lights travels first to the brake light switch at the rear of the car, then back to the turn signal switch on the column, then back to the rear again.  Lots of opportunity for voltage drop.

Solution : #14 wire and GOOD connections as well as a better ground to the tail light housing obtained by drilling through the back of the bucket and into the fender then inserting a self tapping screw.  Invisible but effective.

[Young Ed]

in a 51, those halogen bulbs may work well.   However, good connections and good grounds will make quite a difference with the original type bulbs.  If you have nor already discovered it, the power from the stop lights travels first to the brake light switch at the rear of the car, then back to the turn signal switch on the column, then back to the rear again.  Lots of opportunity for voltage drop.

Solution : #14 wire and GOOD connections as well as a better ground to the tail light housing obtained by drilling through the back of the bucket and into the fender then inserting a self tapping screw.  Invisible but effective.

Yes I've gotten compliments on how nice mine are using exactly what you mention. I upgraded all my light wiring to 14 from the OEM 16. Additionally I modified my trunk light using a dual filament bulb so both light up with the brakes. I was going to swap to a dual filament fixture and then just wire them together but Plymouthy suggested I just solder the bulb contacts together. So that's what I've been running. Works great and you can certainly tell from the amp gauge when the brakes are on.