‘41 headlight

[valk]

Greetings Buick fans, haven’t been here in a while. The driver side headlight on my ‘41 Roadmaster is now all fogged up so a new one is in order. 7 inch sealed beam, has “201” stamped at the top. Anything else I should be aware of? Any brand better than others? Should I take this opportunity to make a change to halogen? Thanks for your opinions,

Peter

[Jim Nelson]

Well,  you get what you want but ya got to pay the piper.    Halogens give you more light which if you are driving at dusk or night is wonderful.      BUT,  the piper tells me it ain't free.     Halogen lights require more amperage to function vs older seal beams.    Thus,  if you are running the original generator- you can not get there from here.     The easiest is to replace the gen. with  an alternator.   Those can put out about 2.5 to 3 times more power 'amperage than the original output of 25 ish amps depending how fast your car/generator is running.     6 volt alternators will cost about the same as a 12 volt system.   (50 amps  ish  vs 80/90 amps).    Next,  how is the condition of your wiring ?      This will let you eliminate the generator, regulator and things not needed.     There are several nice 6 volt to 12 volt converters to let you operate more modern stuff.   Ie, GPS, radios, other noise makers.       Everything else remains the same if the wiring is up to snuff.      There is another option but it requires more work and it's going to 12 volts.    Electrical parts are more available,  etc.    Both  of my Buicks are road cars,  not show cars.   I converted to 12 volts and the advantages according.   You can still use points ignition for its robust design.    I went to electronic ignition so I could basically ignore those issues.    Simply design of the 30's and 40's has it advantages.     You can basically hide the alternator by painting it black to match the color of the original generator.     So,  that's my story and I'm sticking with it.....

I'm not sure about 6 volt halogen available lights so that may alter issues.     Check with Snyders Auto parts.    They are an old Ford parts guy but they have 6 volt LED's that may be bright enough.   They have conversions ect so look them over.  

[valk]

Thank you, Jim, for your thoughtful reply, learned a lot. I don’t drive this car at night so I’m thinking I’ll stick to the 6 volt sealed beam, 

[Jim Nelson]

That was what I thought but I was on a cross state drive and was having problems.  So I decided to head home.   It was a race between the sun and the miles I had to travel.    Well, the sun won and my head lights were barely acceptable.    There is an interesting story because I had a major blow out,  traveling at night,  in the left lane, after cresting a hill and in a left curve. - - - tough to see me in the left lane with a blown out tire avoiding steel guide rails and fast other traffic in the left lane........getting out of traffic.   Get the hint ?   Scare times- - -   So,  what are you up to ?   

[valk]

I lost your train of thought at the end there, but, again, I’ll just look for another 6 volt sealed beam. I ain’t worried about it. Thanks for your help. 

[kingrudy]

On 2/11/2023 at 6:19 PM, Jim Nelson said:

That was what I thought but I was on a cross state drive and was having problems.  So I decided to head home.   It was a race between the sun and the miles I had to travel.    Well, the sun won and my head lights were barely acceptable.    There is an interesting story because I had a major blow out,  traveling at night,  in the left lane, after cresting a hill and in a left curve. - - - tough to see me in the left lane with a blown out tire avoiding steel guide rails and fast other traffic in the left lane........getting out of traffic.   Get the hint ?   Scare times- - -   So,  what are you up to ?   

Jim,

This gives me a different perspective, as one of my sealed beams went out and I just replaced it. Now I am concerned as I would like to drive the car more in the summer, but want the car to be as safe as possible. The car has been rewired front to back and everything in between. I still have a 6 volt system with a generator. Do they make 6 volt halogen lamps and do you think I would be taxing the ability of the generator with the addition of these lamps?

 

Thanks,

Mike  

[Grimy]

See if you can find GE "Suburban" 6V headlights which are conventional but put out a great deal of usable light.  I used them 50 years ago and scarf them up at swap meets when I can--but don't have any at the moment.

[Jolly_John]

Interesting and helpful, George....since I'm working to supply Peter (valk) with his headlights right now. One option I have for him is a set of vintage NOS GE "Suburban" 6v headlights! What a coincidence. John

[Grimy]

4 minutes ago, Jolly_John said:

Interesting and helpful, George....since I'm working to supply Peter (valk) with his headlights right now. One option I have for him is a set of vintage NOS GE "Suburban" 6v headlights! What a coincidence. John

I'm sure he'll be pleased with them!  In 1966 I drove my 1947 DeSoto Suburban equipped with GE Suburbans 🙂 from Oakland CA to Fort Benning GA, mostly on U.S. routes rather than (not completed) interstates in 3 days--solo, necessarily involving a great deal of night driving on unlit roads, and they performed beautifully.  That's why I continue to look for them, although only my Jeepster has sealed beams these days.

[valk]

Well awesome boys! I’m all in. Thanks everyone, especially John and Grimy, for your help. Please let me know, John, how to proceed, and no need for the pics I asked for. 

Peter

[Jolly_John]

Ha, I was just on my way to shoot the photos, Peter. Will probably still do that. I'll be sending you a PM. John

[Jolly_John]

Peter has purchased a pair of NOS GE Suburban 6v headlamps from me. When getting ready to package his bulbs, I discovered I have two more of these NOS 6v GE Suburban sealed beam lamps that Grimy has had good results with. I will go ahead and post these on the proper "For Sale" forum. But, I also wanted to give a heads-up here. Thanks for looking. John

[Marty Roth]

Our '41 Caddy was switched over to halogens because we do drive cross-country, and may do considerable night driving en route.

It did cost points when judged, but then, the car is an unrestored original being judged by the AACA standards intended for restored vehicles, and at 45,xxx miles, maintains no better than 2nd Junior.

The halogens offer a nice improvement, in my opinion, and are not really easy to notice unless you're really looking for it..

[Barney Eaton]

consider one of these wiring relay kits. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155389539461?hash=item242df03485:g:mU0AAOSwJeFj281Y&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8OBWl8EJGypNbJht3j%2BU0yJpI2QIbg9%2FfgkAtEmn23qEfEh5jmr7c9%2FGKvswK4RkErahb3uyh3CNGq4IonUNXqkd%2Fc4Ov80cWjCuf5FLrnQmeg4Z1mSXgnSc8Wwwt1X38FfL%2F1hBQvbLt5payFghB31YTJ00KJ0ywj50GPIKBhK3lMjhggY2%2FDl9t9DzfuiCXd65Whj4GAIaqy%2B0lq70rl4M1o3ZRuAupp7S1rXT2%2FiJQzePwEQ5PFiIgpt4kJv950IVcj0eGZalz289LR05nOfJq7aNUFcH%2Buks8q%2B2gybT%2BnAKorcdbrrcTp4FMKQrQA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6yUq8TOYQ

It takes the load off the headlight switch...... the headlight switch energizes the relay and the relay handles the current going to the headlight.

Other than plugging it in,  you ground the new harness and need a 6v feed.     You could go directly to the battery,  the kit I purchased has a fuse holder built into the positive wire.