Front running lights. 48'

[rcl700]

I have been rewiring wiring my 1948. looking over the wiring diagram in the manual I connected the front running lights to the headlight switch as shown. My issue is when I pull the switch out one click, I get power to tail lights, dash lights, and front running lights. When I pull the switch to the second click, I get power to headlight dimmer, tail lights, and dash. The front running lights pin on the switch drops power at this position. 

I took the switch apart to check all contacts were good and they are. The tail lights and dash light pins are strapped together but front running lights and headlights alternate from position 1 to position 2. 

My question is, are the front running lights supposed to turn off when the headlights are on? 

 

[Los_Control]

Interesting to see what others say.

Some cars they did shut off the parking lights when the headlights came on.

 

I'm currently wiring my 49 truck, need to use a test light and probe each connection as to what happens when the switch is moved through both positions.

I actually want my park lights along with my cab lights and tail lights to stay on with the headlights .... so I will wire it that way.

I believe I can have the park lights turn off with headlights on .... just not what I want. ... some do want them off ... they really are not needed with headlights on.

[Noonan]

This is exactly how the 55 chev truck is set up.  1st notch park lamps on. 2nd notch head lamps on/park lamps off.  

[soth122003]

My 48 is set up the same way. 1st pull parking lights, 2nd pull the front parking lights go out and the head lights come on. When I wired in the turn signals, the signals work with the headlights on. I believe this is the case for most cars from back then. The parking lights were the notice the car but not for the driver to see anything. The headlights were to let the driver see in the dark and the parking lights did not add to the area of effect to see surrounding details.

 

Also to note, by not using the front parking lights with the headlights it lessened the strain on the generator by about 2-3 amps. Each incandecent bub draws about 1 to 1.5 amps. It may be more as the 6v systems are 1/2 the volts twice the amps of a 12v system. (I believe) The gennys had to spool up to about 1500 engine RPMs to reach full output. So at low speed/idle your lights drained the battery. Hence the lights brighten when you revved the engine. With the advent of alternators (set output at low speed) when the engine is at idle, you still get full power, so no need to manage your electrical systems.

 

Joe Lee

[rcl700]

This is helpful information.  I was going crazy tring to figure out what i wired incorrectly not getting power to the parking lights. I'm glad I did not wrap the wiring harness yet. 

 

I'm still going though all the connections  and need to get some duel filament bulbs to test the turn singnal wiring. My local auto parts store does not carry 6v bulbs. 

 

I will probably buy led bulbs online. I was hoping to test with standard off the self bulds first. I guess my thinking was it would be cheaper to use standard bulbs but I don't se them in my local Advance auto

[Ivan_B]

2 minutes ago, rcl700 said:

duel filament bulbs

You better be careful with those duel bulbs 😅

I suspect that you already do have a multi-meter, so why not just test the wiring without the bulbs? Can't brake it if it ain't there 🙃

[Los_Control]

We like to see the  real thing .... not a simulation of what might happen.

 

While I know little of 6V LED bulbs .... what I have heard is more often then not they suck ..... but if you get the correct ones ... they are awesome.

 

I personally would drive to Napa and purchase the normal bulbs there, possible tractor supply has them .... they are available and I would use them to test and finish my new wiring.

 

Then for 6V LED, I would start a new thread and go from there ..... I just have this feeling, if you have 10 choices for suppliers for 6V LED bulbs. 6 of those choices would be bad and leave you wondering .... Is it my wiring? .... or is it the bulbs?

 

Fix your wiring, then venture into LED

[Ivan_B]

I am running LEDs and they are great (stops, parking lights, turn signals). I just got the brightest ones that fit the socket and clear the reflector.

[Los_Control]

Would not be the first time I'm wrong .... just remember reading some Horror stories about LED bulbs that do not work.

 

While my truck will not be a trailer princess .... I kinda am, I'm usually asleep or heading to bed when it gets dark .... If it is raining, I really did not need to go anywhere anyways.

 

Standard bulbs will work for my driving habits.

[Ivan_B]

Well, our statements do not necessarily contradict one-another 😁

I went with LEDs (in the aforementioned application) for the extra brightness and reduced load on the alternator. I am keeping the headlights (of course) and the cluster illumination lamps stock because I like the look of the old-fashioned, authentic, "warm" lights in the cabin 😉

[rustyzman]

My '54 headlight switch operated the same way originally.  Front running lights turned off when the headlights turned on. 

I have since rewired it all and they all come on in the headlight position now.  Interesting but odd functionality that they had originally.

[DonaldSmith]

Parking lights?  Somewhere in ancient lore, I vaguely remember reading that, in some places, a car parked overnight would have its parking lights on, so that vehicles, horse-drawn or otherwise, would not run into the parked car. 

 

Thus small bulbs, and no reason for the front lights to be on when the headlights were on. 

 

I believe that single taillights,  with reflectors, were on the left side, close to passing traffic.  The second tail light optional?

[Ivan_B]

Yes, you are correct. That's probably how it all started  

[DonaldSmith]

Another thing - the early cars were hand-cranked.  The battery was needed for ignition and lighting.  Some cars had magnetos, and didn't need a battery for ignition. 

Parking lights dim next morning?   No problem.  Crank it up and go. 

 

The hand crank slot in the grille survived through the '40's.  Hand crank as backup.   

[Los_Control]

I personally feel there were a lot of option back in this era of time. .... this was all new and nothing was set in concrete as the way everything should be done.

If we turn our headlights on .... we expect the tail lights to come on also .... same with the dash lights .... but the dash lights were on a separate switch ....

Many of the old moonshiners moved the tail lights over to the panel light switch .... They could turn off the tail lights when a tax collector was chasing them and they had a load of shine in the car.

 

Today things are set to a standard or a law because of past behavior .... tail lights are to stay on when headlights are on .... not so much for the parking lights though.

Seems to be a personal preference.