Turn signal bulbs

[OUTFXD]

Looking into a set of rear turn signals that wont look completely out of place on my car.  Found a set that dont look to bad that use ge1895 bulbs. 

 

Anyone have a clue what the 6v version of that bulb would be?

[Sniper]

1895's are a single filament bulb, usually turn signals and brake lights are combined and use a dual filament bulb.  Will these be in addition to your existing brake lights?

 

Usually, you can convert the existing brake light setup to a dual filament bulb by replacing the internal contact setup in the housing and then can run both brake and turn signals in you existing housing.

 

To answer the question though, a 455 bulb is the closest 6v equivalent

 

1895 specs

 

https://www.mcmaster.com/9527t042/

 

455 specs

 

https://www.mcmaster.com/9527T035/

[Eneto-55]

I'm thinking of installing some turn signal lights inside the fender wells, both front & back (in addition to doing as Snipe suggests above), to have some sort of signal lights that would show from the sides.  Another option would be to design a larger taillight housing that would accommodate backup lights and separate turn signal lenses, then have it cast in aluminum at a place near here.  It's a bit more involved to chrome plate aluminum, but it could be done.  I would make it large enough that it would allow for a reflector for the brake lights, but try to keep it small enough that it won't look TOO out of place for our cars.  (I am very hesitant to cut into the body itself to get these features, but that might actually look the best in the end.)

 

[DJK]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 6v flasher is only capable of operating so many bulbs at one time???!!!!

[LeRoy]

I wish the domestic brands would have picked up the Semaphore style turn indicators. I think there were Volkswagen and some British versions (but I think the British were the magic smoke emitting Lucas flavor so we don't want that).

Personally I think they'd fit in with post war domestics well.

Edited November 6, 2022 by LeRoy

[desoto1939]

the dual filament bulb for lights/brake and turn signal is 1185. These are the 6v olts bulbs I use these in my 39 Desoto.

[OUTFXD]

4 hours ago, Sniper said:

1895's are a single filament bulb, usually turn signals and brake lights are combined and use a dual filament bulb.  Will these be in addition to your existing brake lights?

 

One of the previous owners wired in a set of cheap plastic amber Trailer Marker lights in addition to the factory brake lights.  The Existing brake lights are already dual filament but trying to figure out how to rewire the tail lights put my brain in a spin.   The holes used to mount the Trailer lights look factory (Smooth edge like a stamped piece instead of Pulled up edge indicative of a drilled hole). So yes, these will be in addition to the existing lights until I get the new harness in. At which time the existing brake lights will be returned to full functionality,  and I am thinking of covering up the holes with a set of back up lights.

[OUTFXD]

2 hours ago, DJK said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 6v flasher is only capable of operating so many bulbs at one time???!!!!

This thought has crossed my mind.  Though as I recall additional bulbs will make the flasher work faster (More current makes the bi-metal strip heat up faster resulting in hyperflashing).

Edited November 6, 2022 by OUTFXD

[Sam Buchanan]

The 6v flasher in my P15 works as it should, there are only two bulbs flashing at a time.

 

My '48 P15 was wired (the way the wiring diagram shows in the service manual) with the center light as stop signal and the tail lights as......tail lights. When I installed the turn signals I added stop lights to the tail lights using dual filament adapters.

 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Sam Buchanan

[Sniper]

3 hours ago, desoto1939 said:

the dual filament bulb for lights/brake and turn signal is 1185. These are the 6v olts bulbs I use these in my 39 Desoto.

 

I think you mean an 1158 bulb, which is not compatible with the OP's 1895 sockets.

[desoto1939]

2 hours ago, OUTFXD said:

 

One of the previous owners wired in a set of cheap plastic amber Trailer Marker lights in addition to the factory brake lights.  The Existing brake lights are already dual filament but trying to figure out how to rewire the tail lights put my brain in a spin.   The holes used to mount the Trailer lights look factory (Smooth edge like a stamped piece instead of Pulled up edge indicative of a drilled hole). So yes, these will be in addition to the existing lights until I get the new harness in. At which time the existing brake lights will be returned to full functionality,  and I am thinking of covering up the holes with a set of back up lights.

If you are wiring in Brake and turn signal lamps along with your regular light you will need a socket that has two contact buttons. One of the buttons is for the running light and the second is for the brake light which is the larger filament inthe bulb. The larger filament when you step on the brake pedal makes the light brighter and when the turn signal is attached to the same wire it makes this brighter filament blink.  If you have it setup the other way the turn signal light will not be bright enough to let people know you are turning or applying the brakes.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com 

[desoto1939]

4 minutes ago, Sniper said:

 

I think you mean an 1158 bulb, which is not compatible with the OP's 1895 sockets.

Sniper you are correct the bulbs are 1158 bulbs typo on my part. Also i just checked and there is someone selling 1158 bulbs on Ebay.  For some reason these bulbs are getting harder to find at the swap meets just like everything else

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

Edited November 6, 2022 by desoto1939

[Eneto-55]

6 hours ago, DJK said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 6v flasher is only capable of operating so many bulbs at one time???!!!!

Although I do not like LEDs for places where they can be seen, I would use LEDs on a hidden location like I suggested, where only the glow or a reflection would be seen.  I would think that the flasher could handle that, or perhaps a flasher could be found that was made for a higher load.

[Eneto-55]

3 hours ago, OUTFXD said:

This thought has crossed my mind.  Though as I recall additional bulbs will make the flasher work faster (More current makes the bi-metal strip heat up faster resulting in hyperflashing).

What I have seen on older vehicles is that if the front or rear bulb is burned out, then the remaining light will flash faster.  But your statement makes more sense in the technical view, because I cannot think of any logical reason why it would do it the way I said.

[Sniper]

5 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said:

What I have seen on older vehicles is that if the front or rear bulb is burned out, then the remaining light will flash faster.  But your statement makes more sense in the technical view, because I cannot think of any logical reason why it would do it the way I said.

 

Old school flashers work by using a bimetallic strip of metal.  When contact is made current flows thru the strip heating it up.  Since the strip uses two different types of metal the strip will curl up breaking contact, once the strip cools back down it makes contact again and the cycle starts again.  When only one bulb is working the current flow thru the strip is diminished and the strip doesn't get as hot so it cools faster making the cycle short, hence the quicker flash times mentioned.   Electronic flashers don't have that design and can handle more current flow, like adding a trailer.  Not sure they make a v electronic flasher though.

[OUTFXD]

28 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said:

What I have seen on older vehicles is that if the front or rear bulb is burned out, then the remaining light will flash faster.  But your statement makes more sense in the technical view, because I cannot think of any logical reason why it would do it the way I said.

My statement was based on my admittedly fuzzy memory.  You could easily be right!

[Eneto-55]

21 hours ago, Sniper said:

 

Old school flashers work by using a bimetallic strip of metal.  When contact is made current flows thru the strip heating it up.  Since the strip uses two different types of metal the strip will curl up breaking contact, once the strip cools back down it makes contact again and the cycle starts again.  When only one bulb is working the current flow thru the strip is diminished and the strip doesn't get as hot so it cools faster making the cycle short, hence the quicker flash times mentioned.   Electronic flashers don't have that design and can handle more current flow, like adding a trailer.  Not sure they make a v electronic flasher though.

(I assume the last sentence was to have said "6V".)

But in regards to the part of your post that I set in bold - in thinking back, I cannot recall that my Dad ever used a trailer connector, or even had lights on the trailers he had over the years.  (I know for certain that the Studebaker PU bed we had as a trailer never had any wiring to the lights, which, incidentally, were long gone.)  But presumably SOMEONE SOMEWHERE must have put lights on their trailer back in those days, and I wonder how they were lit up.  Maybe only tail lights?  (My folks DID have a 'travel trailer' that they lived in on the wheat harvest, going from Texas up into S. Dakota, and while this was before my time, I cannot quite imagine that they ran that w/o any lights at all.  But we are, of course, talking about turn signals, and they pulled that trailer with a 37 Dodge, which wouldn't have had any to start with.)

So how would a person calculate the load that a flasher would need to be able to handle with signal lights in front and rear of the vehicle, plus on the rear of a trailer.  Would using LEDs on the trailer make this calculation unnecessary?  (My trailer DOES have LEDs.)  Or would some people "back when" have had a way to just bypass the lights on the rear of the vehicle when pulling a trailer?  (That would just involve installing M & F terminal blocks in the trunk, where you would move the wiring harness connector from the vehicle's brake, tail light, turn signal harness, and connect it to the trailer harness.)

[Sniper]

Yes, that should have been 6v. I need a new keyboard, lots of keys going dead on me.

 

You can look up the specification on the bulbs used, they will tell you the current draw.  For example that 455 bulb I linked above, if you follow the link you will see that it draws 0.5A. 

 

The 1158 bulb mentioned elsewhere in this thread draws .75A on the running light portion (no effect on flasher) and 2.63A for the turn/stop filament. 

 

Don't forget front and rear bulbs plus trailer bulb.  If all three were 1158's the flasher would have to handle 2.63+2.63+2.63 Amp, total would be 7.89A.

 

If you substitute LED's, well they draw less, I cannot find a good source for current draw for the 1158 version though.

[Los_Control]

 

 

[OUTFXD]

4 hours ago, Eneto-55 said:

So how would a person calculate the load that a flasher would need to be able to handle with signal lights in front and rear of the vehicle, plus on the rear of a trailer.  Would using LEDs on the trailer make this calculation unnecessary?  (My trailer DOES have LEDs.)  Or would some people "back when" have had a way to just bypass the lights on the rear of the vehicle when pulling a trailer?  (That would just involve installing M & F terminal blocks in the trunk, where you would move the wiring harness connector from the vehicle's brake, tail light, turn signal harness, and connect it to the trailer harness.)

Back in the day they had "Heavy Duty" flasher units for pulling trailers, etc.  My friends dad had both mounted under the dash of his truck next to each other so all he had to do was move the wire plug from one to the other.

 

I would think if your trailer has leds it wouldnt cause enough of an increase in draw to need a different flasher unit.

[Los_Control]

Just now, OUTFXD said:

Back in the day they had "Heavy Duty" flasher units for pulling trailers, etc. 

Thats something I remember ..... Not seen for a long time.

 

I remember as a kid buying a replacement flasher & seeing the heavy duty cost more. .... As a kid it was like who cares?  I want the cheap one.

A heavy duty flasher never made sense to me until I'm 60 years old & read this thread. ...... I suppose is not same issue with a 12 volt flasher?

I certainly do remember flashers marked as "heavy Duty"

[OUTFXD]

1 hour ago, Los_Control said:

I suppose is not same issue with a 12 volt flasher?

I dont know for sure,  but I think my buddies dads truck was 12v.  it was a 60s or 70s Chev.  Cant say for certain, but I would expect the auto industry moved to solid state flashers in the 80s.

[Young Ed]

Now let's see if you can even find a 6v flasher that will last more than a few months. After going through many in my truck and car I started grabbing vintage ones at the junkyard and running those. 

 

[Eneto-55]

42 minutes ago, Young Ed said:

Now let's see if you can even find a 6v flasher that will last more than a few months. After going through many in my truck and car I started grabbing vintage ones at the junkyard and running those. 

 

There's a business opportunity for some electrical wiz kid - design one that incorporates the ability to adjust both load and flash frequency.  (What else?  My son might be able to engineer something like that.)

[desoto1939]

I have heard that if you try to use LED bulbs in the front and rear that the regular flasher unit will not work. You have to get an LED flasher to make all four bulbs 

work. I have had the 1158 6 volt bulbs in my car for 35 years and have maybe only replaced one or two in all these years and it is still a 6 volt system. I use the rgular flasher unit with the signal stat unit mounted onto my steering column on my 39 Desoto.

 

Rich Hartung