Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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Clement, OldNifty50
Total Likes: 9
Original Post (Thread Starter)
by OldNifty50
OldNifty50
Hi everyone! So happy I found this forum. A question please... This newbie just bought a '54 3100, and so here's my newbie issue. My 3100 has dual taillights (2 on each side). When I turn on the lights, 3 of the 4 light up. The only one that doesn't is the top driver side light. When I press the brake pedal with the lights on, none of the brake lights (incl. the top right driver side) light up?? When I turn off the lights and depress the brake pedal, the top drivers side light comes on. So I figure a passenger brake light bulb is bad. I change out the bad bulb with a new1154 bulb. Everything works great for 1 second, then the new bulb burns out... the same filament as the old bulb. There is a 12V battery in the truck, but maybe the truck is still 6V? I'm hoping one of you fine folks will point me in the right direction. Thanks!
Liked Replies
by Tiny
Tiny
If it's charging over 12v above idle it's not a 6v generator.
1 member likes this
by Rusty 37 Master
Rusty 37 Master
Excellent idea to investigate more. Typically (note the word typically) everything but the gas gauge is conveyed to 12 volts in a conversion. There is a reducer installed on the gas gauge. And a resistor added to the ignition circuit.

Let us what you discover.
1 member likes this
by old216
old216
If I remember correctly, the six. Volt has a metal band around where the brushes are but the 12volt doesn’t.
1 member likes this
by old216
old216
I am wondering if you have a 6 volt generator mated with a 12 volt regulator. A six volt generator will produce over twenty volts running with the field grounded and no load connected,
1 member likes this
by Tiny
Tiny
camera To paraphrase the old saying, photos can explain a lot. If you could take and post a few pictures of the setup (lights, wire routing, etc.) it would go a long way in helping us understand the issue.
1 member likes this
by Rusty 37 Master
Rusty 37 Master
I suggest that you study this wiring diagram. Based on what I can best determine turn signals were a dealer installed accessory for trucks in 1954. This included adding a second dual filament taillight to the right rear of the bed.

Your latest picture only shows 3 wires in the harness from the steering column. There should be another 3 wire harness going up to the turn signal switch. It has white, pink, and purple wires.

1954 Truck Turn Signals

I am completely confused by the double dual filament tail lights. Until you can trace all the wires to all the filaments I doubt if I can offer much more guidance.
1 member likes this
by Rusty 37 Master
Rusty 37 Master
The tail lights were wired with 16 gauge wire. This larger wire was used because it was a 6 volt system and it was a relatively long length of wire to the taillights.

If your vehicle is really a 12 volt system and you are not concerned what could happen if someone converts it back to 6 volts, you can use 18 gauge wire.
1 member likes this
by Rusty 37 Master
Rusty 37 Master
I 100% agree that new wiring is needed.
1 member likes this
by old216
old216
I would suggest installing new wiring. I would not rely on what you have there.
1 member likes this
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