12volt headlights vs 24 volts.

[M37-1952]

Hi All!
After a short stay in the hospital and 4 weeks of e-bay and reading, I got an all clear on my prostate cancer at the age of 52. Now to put on all the parts I bought. Which leads me to this question. Since both headlights are burned out and I'm re-wiring a signal-stat 900 to a new set of M-35 rear lights, do most people keep the 24 volt headlights at $30.00 a bulb or do they convert? Also, if you run 12 volts , does it run down the batteries unevenly?


Mark

 

[gimpyrobb]

Whats "a signal-stat 900 "?

 

[M37-1952]

A 12 or 24 volt non-military turn signal.

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

Well first of all, excellent news on being clear on the cancer!

 

[Bill W]

Huh
I never thought about running 12v headlights
I imagine you could put a voltage reducer like a "Volt-A-Drop" resister ( click 1 ) in the power leed to the high/low beam switch (#16) as this would only affect the headlights and everything else would be 24v and there would be no uneven drain on the batts. I modified a Volt-A-Drop ( click 2) and used it on my car trailer lights when I towed it with my first deuce, I got 14.5 volts at the trailer brake lights and never had a problem , its been a few years and I still have the same bulbs in that trailer now.

P.S. Glad your stay had a happy ending

1: http://news.webshots.com/photo/1102176416033732824GluidP

2: http://news.webshots.com/photo/1102176450033732824rlDhyg

 

[badgmc56]

No better Christmas present than that news. Best of health in the future.

 

[WillWagner]

Great news on your health! As for 12 volts, why do you want to change it over? The lights don't go out any faster than the lights in older cars. Just buy an xtra one, so you have it in case one does go out. The civi Signal Stat controller won't have the BO or the park lights.

 

[Jones]

Congrats on the clean bill of health!!
Just my two cents on the 24v vs. 12v question.
24 volts is "stock" and correct for MVs but pricey and can stall you out if you lose a component and haven't got any extras on board.
I personally haven't had a lot of luck with volt-a-drops and the like so I went 12 volt on the baby HEMTT after a lot of soul-searching 'cause the Cummins engine and all it's senders along with the fuel pump and tank senders are 12 volt and not readily convertable. I splurged for a new set of 12v gauges, am running two gell cells in parallel and everything works great.
BUT... if I had a completely original MV I wouldn't hesitate to keep it a straight 24 volt system. It's that mix-and-match stuff that's gotten me in trouble.

 

[M37-1952]

Thank you for all your help.If I had looked in the electrical section and read past posts,I would have had my answer.It sounds like from past experience that all 24 volt is the way to go so battery life will be the longest. Also, even thou it is a little more expensive, the Hella lights with 24v burners is the way to go. Now to get my 12v heater to run on 24v. Also, what is the correct color for an Army 1952 M-37? any part numbers? Thanks.



Mark

P.S. Get a PSA. It was luck that they found it. Still was the size of a match head.

 

[Jones]

Not to run the entire 12 volt half of a truck but for something like a single component, a voltage reducer is practical; just make sure it'll handle the amperage requirement on a continuous not peak basis.

YES to getting a PSA on a yearly basis.
I'm also an advocate of colonoscopys. Unpleasant yes... but not as much as terminal colon cancer.
Come on guys; we've made it this far-- why go out from something we could have headed off with a little preventive care.

 

[badgmc56]

If you ever decide to go to 12 volts, PAINLESS WIRING makes a complete 12 volt wiring harness with fuse box. That is the way to go.Very easy to install and great diagrams. Walks you through it all the way. Had to do it on my M-37 cause someone was in there hacking away before I got the truck. Would have been to expensive to keep it 24 volts. I had the truck as a daily driver for 5 or 6 years without any wiring problems.

 

[yorkgulch2]

I have a similar need for 12volt power, but need more amps to run a 12v hydraulic pump for a snow plow. Something seems wrong with my logic but I am not sure what.
WILL THIS WORK WITH OUT DAMAGING ANY 24V COMPONENTS?:
Run extra leads off of both batteries and hook them up in a parallel configuration to an isolated conection block. The parallel circut will give you 12v with twice the amps at the block. You could then use that connection block to run your 12v lights, motors, solenoids, etc, and draw off both batteries equally for 12volt while leaving the original 24v series battery configuration in place. This would also be cheaper and handle large amp loads that a plow pump requires.

 

[chevycrew]

Im not an electrical guru, if fact Im kinda bad at wiring...


But there seems to be a problem..in a 24 volt system the postive on one batt is hooked the the neg of the other...

To use the 12v system like you are describing it would be connecting the 2 positve posts together as well as both negatives.

The idea of using something to drop the voltage, then run that out the the junction block would be a better solution.

My take on it, feel free to correct me..

 

[hndrsonj]

If you decide to go with the 12V, I have a pair of 12V amber headlights I'd sell. 55$ shipped.

 

[BEASTMASTER]

i wonder, do you have power steering? my buddy teeded into his and installed a fisher valve , the thing works like a charm.don't worry about battery drain.

 

[yorkgulch2]

Chevy Crew Said:
Im not an electrical guru, if fact Im kinda bad at wiring...
But there seems to be a problem..in a 24 volt system the postive on one batt is hooked the the neg of the other...
To use the 12v system like you are describing it would be connecting the 2 positve posts together as well as both negatives.

Your right that is a parallel system and I have been using it in my 12 volt 2 battery plow trucks for years. I am only concerned about having a parallel (12v) and series (24v) hooked up off the same 2 12v batteries at the same time.

 

[OPCOM]

just remember that a 12V headlight uses twice as much amps as a 24V one, so beware of overstressing wiring and the costly headlamp switch.

 

[yorkgulch2]

Beast Master posted: i wonder, do you have power steering? my buddy teeded into his and installed a fisher valve , the thing works like a charm.don't worry about battery drain.

Please tell us more about the "fisher valve" availability, uses, etc.

 

[m376x6]

12 or 24 volt M37's

What a subject. First, lets discuss hooking up a 12 "Load" to just one of the two batteries that make up a 24 volt system. Bad Idea. When you use just one of the batteries which are in series, you drain one more than the other. The 24 charging system (which actually runs around 27.5 to 28 volts) compensates and increases the charge rate. This will overcharge the battery you're not draining the 12 volts off of. A constantly overcharged battery dies very quickly. Very common to use what are called "Dropping Resistors" to compensate for the 24 volts on a 12 volt load. While motors such as fans, starters, and wiper motors have what is called dynamic resistance because on their inductive load, items such as bulbs, regardless of size, are resistive in operation and can be measured for their total resistance with a multimeter. Fan and wiper motors are so small a simple resistive check using ohms on a multimeter will give you a quick and close enough measurement of their resistance to calculate dropping resistors for them. The reason you would measure them is to determine their resistance and calculate the size wattage and ohms of the dropping resistor needed. Headlamps are two element items so the resistor would be best installed in the ground leg. This would provide the dropping needed for either low or high beam. Generally headlights are 50 watts at roughly 13.8 actual volts. This means they generally draw a little over 3 amps per headlight. Watts being determined by amps times voltage. You would need two 50 watt 4 to 5 ohm resistors to operate your 12 volt headlights on a 24 volt system. I would recommend 75 watt as they will last longer under the load. I have seen folks use snow plows and other heavy or high current loads at 12 volts by running a wire to one of the batteries. Nothing but dead batteries, won't start because of low batteries, etc. etc... I really don't recommend it because of all the problems to the truck and batteries. My early background is electrical and electronics, if I can help let me know what your situation is.

 

[BFR]

Re: 12 or 24 volt M37's

You would need two 50 watt 4 to 5 ohm resistors to operate your 12 volt headlights on a 24 volt system. I would recommend 75 watt as they will last longer under the load.

One in each ground leg?