VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 '31 High Beam/low beam

Have a new wiring harness from FS which has the wires to the headlights marked Hi and Low. The new pigtails coming from the buckets don't indicate either, and I plan a connection just inside rad shell so I assume it does not matter as long as the corresponding wire (left or right contact)is hooked to the high beam wire on both passenger and driver side? Then the dimmer switch decides in the end!

He! He! He! I did that and had one high beam and one low. Then when I pushed the dimmer I got one high and one low the other way. I think you should get the lights on and temp. hook up the wires. Watch them shine on the wall somewhere. Before making them fast.

Hello Gunsmoke, You are right about the dimer switch, it does not know high or low just current flow. AS long as high is high and low is low on the same wire your good to go. There will be a 3rd wire grounding this is most important to be to body or frame. Then a good ground from the battery to the frame.

AS soon as you put power to the system and turn on the lights. You will know its right.

Have fun everett

A grounding wire? Don't see anything on wiring diagram? My harness does have a 3rd wire to each bucket (intended for park light but I have cowl lights so it is redundant). So when you say add a ground wire, just what does it connect to? How is it routed? Not sure I could get a 3rd wire in the chrome conduit? Way I see this situation, socket is tight fit in reflector which is tight fit to bucket which is tight fit to headlight bar/fenders/frame so another ground wire should not be needed. I suppose4 one could secure a ground to the back side of socket and take it down to headlight mounting bolt?

A grounding wire is not used.

Ground wire Question!! Yes ground wire is not used in the old automobiles per-say. However thus was presumed that the new steel used in manufacturing would carry the electron. :YES" and "NO" Forcing the body and frame metal to carry the load is asking for problems. You see yellow head lights !! The tail light don't come on ? you can count that the Grounding is bad. We have old steel, tin and rust we are trying to make electron go thru back to the battery.

Trailer lighting that does not work is a bad grounding system.

More and more of the new autos have grounding wires to the body, dash and lighting system. Not just because of the amount of plastic but it makes the electrical system work better. It only makes since to run grounding wires to the electrical device. Head, tail lights, running light and the dash. Running wire to the grounding strap at the frame or engine block. I try not to ground to the block as that can cause electrolysis and corrosion in the engine. A little more work but will worth the time and effort.

I do understand "old ways" thinking is best but where would we be if we still use candles to read with? Sorry but the old way is not necessarily a better way.
C U

It is definitely hard to ground lights and etc. to old rusty sheet metal. If everything is up to snuff (i.e. clean metal and etc.) and the wiring is done correctly an extra grounding wire should not be needed for the headlights and the tail lights on the 1929-32 Chevrolets. On the wood body framing however, a ground wire to the body is required for the dome light since the dome light is mounted directly to the wood roof framing and there is no grounding plane.



An interesting side note is that the 1932 the engine block is grounded to the frame with a ground strap because of the new rubber motor mounts that were introduced in 1932. Prior to that, the engine was mounted directly to the frame thus creating its own ground.