headlight relays on early cars

randywebb · 11-28-2004, 10:50 AM

The sucro kit refers to the "top" of the fuse block (for the 1974 and later cars).

Can anybody save me some wire tracing and tell me which side of the fuse block on an early car I want to use? The side towards the rear or the side towards the front of the car?

Thanks!

HarryD · 11-28-2004, 11:27 AM

Randy,

I am not sure, but what I have done int he past to figure out which side is which, is the turn the car on and pull the fuse. one side will remain powered and the other will not. If I read the wiring diagram for my 1973 correctly, the unpowered (once the fuse is pulled) goes to the headlamps.

Hope that helps.

DonDavis · DonDavis's Garage

I'm pretty sure it's to the front. I'm hoping to put mine in today but I was messin' around a few weeks ago and I think there was a side with 1 wire and the other side has 2. I pulled the single wire out and the lights went off.

I think...

BTW, where are you mounting your relay block?

randywebb · 01:21 PM

The best I can tell from looking at the old dirty wires down there is that the ones have a yellowish tone to them are on the side of the fuse block that faces the rear of the car - on your left as you face the fuse block. Also some whitish looking ones there too. The ones on the other side look black (which seems odd).

The ground wire on the relay kit will not reach the main ground star on the tub by the battery unless you are careful where you put the relays. They also need to be near a hot wire for the fuse panel or the + battery terminal.

I drilled a hole near where the snaps are for the trunk liner. This has to be situated so the wire cable loops in that area don't prevent the relays from sitting flat. So - there are not many options on the early cars.

It's a real mutha doing this on an early car with no light and your hands frozen....

BTW, I think Milt/Zeke also did this. Maybe he will post.

jpnovak · 11-28-2004, 12:35 PM

You will need to use the lower fuse block, #1-4. Two are for high and two for low beams. The foward side will have a single input and a jumper from the switch. The rearward side goes to the lamps.

randywebb · 05:38 PM

I just spoke to Marcus Sucro. He said to use the single wire from fuse #1 and from fuse # 3. These emerge on the front side of the lower fuse block - i.e. on your RH side as you face the fuses.

I thought my wires on that side of the block were black but some cramped wiping showed them to be white and yellow.

In searching, I had found an olde thread where Warren [Early S Man] said it didn't matter. This seems wrong to me as you would then not have all the bulbs on the relays (unless you used 2 relay kits).

jpnovak · 11-28-2004, 01:43 PM

YOu have it correct. Are you keeping the stock wiring to the lamps? If so, remove the front single wire from 1 and 3 fuse. These go to the switch input of your relay. The output of the relay then goes to the fuse block. If you are running new wire from the relay to the lamp the output of the relay goes to the lamp.

If you are running a dual relay or 4 relays you will have to jumper the input wire from the swich to each relay.

randywebb · 11-28-2004, 08:42 PM

This pic may help the next person. The yellow (power) wire goes over ot where the PO ran a red wire direct from the battery. The white (gnd) wire goes to the chassis battery ground. The wires to the fuses are shown, as are the wires to the headlight wires. The latter are just temporarily connected with wire screws.

911pcars · 11-28-2004, 08:49 PM

Randy,
If you're missing a lug nut, I know where you can find it.

Sherwood

randywebb · 11-28-2004, 09:09 PM

It does look like one, doesn't it? Actually, that is the horn relay and its holder. Maybe you know what it is supposed to look like or how it is supposed to attach to something? It has a female "hole" in it maybe 1/4" dia. or less. I was wondering if maybe some sort of two headed stud stuck in ther and stuck in the row of vertical holes on that piece of metal that is welded on the tub next to it.

Also, you didn't comment on the black duct tape the PO used on the battery + terminal. I'll have to open up that rat's nest this summer and see what's going on there.

Zeke · 11-28-2004, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by randywebb

BTW, I think Milt/Zeke also did this. Maybe he will post.

Haven't gotten to that part yet. I printed this thread. Thanks to all.

HarryD · 11-28-2004, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by randywebb
It does look like one, doesn't it? Actually, that is the horn relay and its holder. Maybe you know what it is supposed to look like or how it is supposed to attach to something? It has a female "hole" in it maybe 1/4" dia. or less. I was wondering if maybe some sort of two headed stud stuck in ther and stuck in the row of vertical holes on that piece of metal that is welded on the tub next to it.

Also, you didn't comment on the black duct tape the PO used on the battery + terminal. I'll have to open up that rat's nest this summer and see what's going on there.

My '73 had the same "lug nut problem". The base of the relay goes in one of the those holes facing the fuse panel. I think your base got cut off.

How do you get them in you ask? Don't really know, but I lubricated the base of the relay socket (looks a bit like a mushroom) with WD 40 and wiggled it into the hole until it was seated.

Like the look of the rest of the job tho'.

911pcars · 11-28-2004, 09:46 PM

"Also, you didn't comment on the black duct tape the PO used on the battery + terminal. I'll have to open up that rat's nest this summer and see what's going on there."

Randy,
I'm glad you mentioned it belonged to the PO. I didn't want to comment on your taping strategies. Actually, that appears to be one more use for duct tape.

Sherwood