Series 80 Auxiliary Headlights

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I’m interested in possibly mounting a pair of 6-Volt lights on the front bumper or frame crossbar on my Series 80, to improve my ability to drive if we get caught out late (as happened this evening). I thought about something like the chrome bullet lights intended for old farm tractors; alternatively another available 6 Volt light as from Model A suppliers, etc. I might be able to swap 12 Volts bulbs for 6 Volt in a new lamp. Any advice or experiences with this appreciated of course.

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Have you tried 50 cp blubs in the original headlamps?

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Hi, Paul; I have not. I will look into it.

thanks!

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Randy,

There are also LED Headlight Bulbs available. A lot brighter and draw a lot less electricity. You can tell they are there, so not authentic for a show car.  They are a whiter light.  Check Restoration Supply or some of the Model A suppliers.

Dave

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Good information, David. I plan to remove a bulb for positive ID then I’ll see what I can find.

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Im not too familiar with 1920’s but are your headlight bulbs 21 candlepower? 32 cp became standard in the ’30’s and 50’s were available but illegal in many states because of oncoming driver glare. A quaint notion by the 80’s when being faced with four searing halogens. 50s though draw a lot of power.

A question on dim headlights is whether the reflectors are good, original silver can be polished but tarnishes quickly. UVIRA  did a coating that maintains its reflectance for decades, I don’t know if they are still around. If good reflectors aren’t in the cards maybe auxiliaries are a good choice but bumper mounted is pretty low and can create a lot of glare for oncoming, witness jerks who drive around with their fog lamps lit continuously on clear nights.

I use Classic and Vintage bulbs in Australia, he has a good catalog and selection of LED, halogen and original tungsten. I have a big inventory of 50 cp tungsten bulbs gathered years ago but they draw too much power. I used to mount a 50 on one side and a 32 on the other. I have gone to 6v halogen headlight bulbs which draw about the same power as a 32 cp tungsten but are about as bright as later sealed beams. I should add that drawing more power than the generator can keep up with isnt necessarily a problem if the battery is in good shape and you aren’t driving all night, just disconcerting on a dark night seeing the ammeter on the negative side. A battery with a 10 amp deficit should go for many hours.

 

I debated on LEDS for headlights. What bugged me about them was the multiple LED diodes in the bulbs are spread away from the focal point so the focus is thrown off. I don’t know if that is actually noticeable, and perhaps minor in the scheme of things. I have replaced all the other bulbs with LEDs.

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Confirmed today my 1927 Series 80 has Mazda 1133 single-filament bulbs; they are marked 32 C which may mean 32 candlepower. The reflectors look like they are in good shape.

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1133s are spotlight bulbs with “mushroom heads” and I use them by choice in my 1918 48.  32 cp is correct, and ampere draw (each) is 3.91 from an old chart.

The closest original bulb was the OLD 1129 (to early 1960s) which was more focused than today’s.  1129 are 21 cp and draw 2.63 amps each.

Bear in mind that these are single contact bulbs, and S80s dimmed the huge 21 cp with a resistor.  Beginning in 1929, dual contact/dual filament #1000 bulbs were used.

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