Larry
True Classic
Headlight relays were installed in my '79 X1/9 by a previous mechanic that worked on the car, but the headlights have never really been very bright even though I'm running Hella H4 with 55W/60W bulbs.
The wire that was installed that runs from the headlight relay to the battery is too short and that caused (either the mechanic or someone else who worked on the car) to move the positive battery connection to the passenger side of the car and to switch the battery as well. I'll be replacing the positive battery connector so I'll be putting the car back to stock with the positive battery terminal located near the center of the car (as opposed to along the passenger side as it is now).
The wire that's run between the battery and the headlight relay (it's yellow) looks to be about 18 gauge. It runs inside of the weatherstripping and pops out near the headlight area and then runs through a grommet to a crimp-on connection that runs to a (blue wire) that has a fusible link that runs to the relay (the fusible link is disconnected in the photo).
I assume there's a voltage drop at the crimp-on connection between yellow battery lead and the blue fusible link which is making my headlights not quite as bright as intended.
I'm going to replace the wire with a continuous run - either from the battery or a terminal block mounted on the firewall - to the headlight pod where the relay is located.
My questions:
1. I have some 12 gauge black wire - is that good enough or should I go for something like say 8 or 10 gauge instead? As a side question - I know color of the wire doesn't really matter, but do people usually use say yellow for this type of work? The black wire is from a small spool I've had in the garage for years.
2. The photos I've seen of Bob Brown's and other headlight relay kits shows 2 relays in the headlight pod. So far, (I've only checked one side) but I only see 1 relay. Assuming there's no relay on the other side, is the 2nd relay advisable - I assume one is for the low beams and 1 is for the high beams?
3. Is it okay to solder a fusible link between the line running from the battery to the relay? Or is there a better or more efficient way to do this?
Thanks,
Larry
The wire that was installed that runs from the headlight relay to the battery is too short and that caused (either the mechanic or someone else who worked on the car) to move the positive battery connection to the passenger side of the car and to switch the battery as well. I'll be replacing the positive battery connector so I'll be putting the car back to stock with the positive battery terminal located near the center of the car (as opposed to along the passenger side as it is now).
The wire that's run between the battery and the headlight relay (it's yellow) looks to be about 18 gauge. It runs inside of the weatherstripping and pops out near the headlight area and then runs through a grommet to a crimp-on connection that runs to a (blue wire) that has a fusible link that runs to the relay (the fusible link is disconnected in the photo).
I assume there's a voltage drop at the crimp-on connection between yellow battery lead and the blue fusible link which is making my headlights not quite as bright as intended.
I'm going to replace the wire with a continuous run - either from the battery or a terminal block mounted on the firewall - to the headlight pod where the relay is located.
My questions:
1. I have some 12 gauge black wire - is that good enough or should I go for something like say 8 or 10 gauge instead? As a side question - I know color of the wire doesn't really matter, but do people usually use say yellow for this type of work? The black wire is from a small spool I've had in the garage for years.
2. The photos I've seen of Bob Brown's and other headlight relay kits shows 2 relays in the headlight pod. So far, (I've only checked one side) but I only see 1 relay. Assuming there's no relay on the other side, is the 2nd relay advisable - I assume one is for the low beams and 1 is for the high beams?
3. Is it okay to solder a fusible link between the line running from the battery to the relay? Or is there a better or more efficient way to do this?
Thanks,
Larry