6 volt light repair kit

[17White]

Looking for a source for a light repair kit with 12 - 14 awg wire for a 6v system.  I have found quite a few sources for 12 socket repair kits but no 6 volt .

[JFranklin]

What would you find as differences between them?

[17White]

14 awg wire for 6v and 16-18 for 12v.  Most I find have only 16-18 awg wire.   I have not been able to find them for 6v.

[parrts]

Model A Ford parts suppliers?

[Bloo]

Do you mean like a pigtail? That's more of a modern repair method. I'm not sure it ever existed in those days. It probably did but I haven't seen it, other than pieces that looked like they were cut off of other cars.

 

You can get some of the parts to repair sockets like they did in the old days, like terminals, springs, etc. at Rhode Island Wire.  https://riwire.com/ . That does require soldering. Their socket terminals are the type that slip over the end of the wire to solder. That's not ideal when the wire is really big but it is manageable. Noticeably absent are the "tack" style terminals GM used which are easier to solder to a larger wire no matter what make you are working on. Brass tacks would work if brass tacks were still a thing, but they are not, at least not in any appropriate size. I have looked. Also noticeably absent are phenolic discs for double contact sockets. If you need any of those you may have to part out some 12v sockets. You may also find some interesting parts at either Restoration Supply (California) https://restorationstuff.com/ or Restoration Specialties & Supply (Pennsylvania) https://www.restorationspecialties.com/ . Both have PDF catalogs you can download and then browse. It's worth a look, but when I was repairing sockets most recently Rhode Island Wire had the best selection of stuff. Good luck.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history)

[JFranklin]

I have rewired sockets using small brass rivets for the contacts. they solder easily. 

[28 Chrysler]

The contact points on most early sockets are soldered on.

[kingrudy]

Might try Chevs of the '40s reasonable and have much 6v supplies in stock, or YnZ. 

[JFranklin]

Will the pig tail wire size difference between 14 AWG and 16 AWG make the light any brighter or dimmer?

Edited February 25, 2023 by JFranklin (see edit history)

[17White]

I found that most new light fixtures are 12v 16-18 awg.  6 volts pulls twice as many amps as 12 volt so I wanted to be able to convert a 12v new fixture over to 6v and would need heavier gauge possibly 14 gauge wire.  That way the lights would have the same brightness.  I am putting fender turn signals on a '49 Ford F-6.  Turn signals didn't come on these trucks.  

Edited February 26, 2023 by 17White (see edit history)

[Bloo]

On 2/25/2023 at 9:52 AM, JFranklin said:

Will the pig tail wire size difference between 14 AWG and 16 AWG make the light any brighter or dimmer?

 

At pigtail length, no, it won't make any difference. That is a bit misleading though and is not quite the whole story.

 

Copper wire has a known resistance for a given length at a given AWG (gauge). In the US it is usually specified as ohms per 1000 feet. The larger the wire, the less resistance there is. If you put a piece of wire in a circuit somewhere that is smaller, the shorter it is the less it matters.

 

Light bulbs (and electric motors like fuel pumps) lose efficiency very quickly with a small loss in voltage. On a 12 volt car for instance, a tenth of a volt is a difference you can see in the headlights. It's going to be even more noticeable at 6 volts. If you connect a 12v bulb to 6 volts you wont get half brightness. You will be lucky to get a dim orange glow.

 

Every crimped splice or other non-soldered joint in the wire adds measurable loss, on both the positive and ground sides. It is negligible when everything is new if the crimping is good, but the crimped (and bolted) places will oxidize and become more and more resistive as time rolls on. The effect is worse with stranded wire, and automotive wire is always stranded for obvious reasons.

 

If I were doing it, I would want to run the same piece of relatively large wire all the way to the bulb like @17White wants to do, with as few splices as possible. Less connections are always better, even though you might not be able to tell the difference when everything is brand new.

 

I would also run a nice big ground wire from each one of these lights all the way back to a good ground. The source of current is the generator whenever it is charging, and it is typically bolted to the engine block. On most vehicles the best ground is the engine block for that reason, with the frame being a close second.

 

 

[JFranklin]

I understand wire size and resistance as I worked in telephony. I just didn't think it would matter much with such short lengths, and personally I would not be worried about using 16 AWG in that specific application. A splice or connection is required in any case. I do appreciate your views and many can learn from your post.

[Bloo]

I agree. I've not looked it up to verify just now, but I think a lot of 6 volt cars had 16 gauge for most wiring. If I am trying to get a bulb as bright as it can be I usually default a size bigger than they would have used back then. Overkill? Maybe. Probably. And yes, short lengths don't matter much. 👍