| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
ACinSC 
Orange Level
Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
Points: 3112
|
 Post Options
 Thanks(0)
 Quote  Reply
 Topic: 1969 C 10 headlights
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 5:55am |
|
Drove mine to Home Depot before daylight today
Were our headlights really so pathetic back in the day? Should say I kept them on high beam. Nobody cared and I still couldn't see very well. Eye doctor claims I'm 20/20 . Thanks
|
 |
|
Sponsored Links
|
|
|
DMiller
Orange Level Access
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 34632
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 6:09am |
|
The old 6013 and 4000 series lamps made decent light. What I found as to my issues was the onset of cataracts. Level Two is bad enough to make them appear dim when not but not bad enough to affect vision acuity for tests.
In contrast current Projector beam lamps are like looking directly at old Reel movie projector bulbs when lit up, blinding, may as well weld without a hood.
|
|
Hubert (Ga)engine7
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Jackson Cnty,GA
Points: 6524
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 7:06am |
|
Make sure you have a good ground and no corrosion on the connections. You may want to upgrade to halogen headlamps. I don’t care for the super bright lights that blind me when meeting a vehicle on the road. I need more light to see well now. Guess I need to see the eye doctor, haven’t had my eyes checked in about 18 years.
|
|
Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.
|
|
DMiller
Orange Level Access
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 34632
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 7:11am |
|
Should add, the old lamps did degrade, lighting elements sag from time at heat, vibration and the silvering of the back housing turns gray. All known issues of a incandescent lamp. Halogen replacements will make considerable difference.
|
|
PaulB
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Rocky Ridge Md
Points: 5177
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 7:16am |
I think it's like most things, we were happy with what we had back them because we had nothing better to compare anything to. As for headlights, remember when the Halogen lights were the latest and brightest? Beside of todays brighter-than-the-sun LEDs they look like candles. Then if you get some numbskull that has no clue what a dimmer switch is for it is impossible to see the road. A few years before I retired, I'd just left the cement plant a few minutes prior at about 2AM, when I saw the sky lit up like a sports arena. I was meeting what was possibly a motorcycle as the lights were so bright I just might have well been looking into the sun at noon. A few minutes later I saw red and blue lights behind me. When I stopped and the officer came to the door he said I ran someone off the road. After he reviewed my dashcam. He said have a safe trip. I asked if he knew who accused me of running them off the road and he replied, yes he was going back to issue a citation for excessive glare of the motorcycle's headlights and another for more headlights than allowed.
|
|
If it was fun to pull in LOW gear, I could have a John Deere.
Real pullers don't have speed limits.
If you can't make it GO... make it SHINY
|
|
TedN
Bronze Level
Joined: 30 Apr 2025
Location: Central WA
Points: 112
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 8:15am |
|
NAPA has LED replacements that will fit in their Nightvision line. A little pricey but well worth it if you drive at night. We ran another brand for a couple years at work, but found the NAPA to be a better product. With everything else on the road having brighter lights now, anything with incandescent lights just doesn't give out enough light to safely see the road.
Ted
|
|
190XTD seriesIII, 190XTD seriesI, maroon belly 7000, 190XTD series??? project(or maybe parts)
|
|
Alberta Phil
Orange Level
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Location: Alberta, Canada
Points: 3947
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 9:32am |
|
Part of the problem is the oncoming super bright lights seriously impairs your night vision, so you have trouble seeing the road in front of you.
|
|
ACinSC
Orange Level
Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
Points: 3112
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 11:03am |
|
Yeah guys I agree that most headlights seem too bright these days. I rarely drive the C 10 at night anymore. If I did I'd try some new lights. Do feel sorry for people driving low to the ground cars at night. Thanks
|
|
Coke-in-MN
Orange Level Access
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Afton MN
Points: 42068
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 11:29am |
|
One thing is if the halo around oncoming lights seems to be getting bigger or changes your night vision it's a sign of cataracts becoming part of loss of clear vision .
Seems many of the new headlights are bright but the ones that bother me are the super bright and blue tint .
On couple of my bikes I have switched to Halogen bulbs for night riding , Kind of thinking of going to LED as alternator output is limited on 60's and 70's British bikes . Have changed tale lights to LED but as need positive ground bulbs , which are hard to find .
|
|
Life lesson: If you’re being chased by a lion, you’re on a horse, to the left of you is a giraffe and on the right is a unicorn, what do you do? You stop drinking and get off the carousel.
|
|
Les Kerf
Orange Level
Joined: 08 May 2020
Location: Idaho
Points: 1457
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 12:26pm |
 ACinSC wrote:
Drove mine to Home Depot before daylight today
Were our headlights really so pathetic back in the day? Should say I kept them on high beam. Nobody cared and I still couldn't see very well. Eye doctor claims I'm 20/20 . Thanks |
Any vehicle that old will almost certainly have a significant amount of voltage drop through the circuit. I would be surprised if there is less than a couple of volts being lost somewhere.
|
|
DiyDave
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Gambrills, MD
Points: 54529
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 24 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm |
Driving home around the Baltimore suicide ring, I made a couple observations. If I hadda do it every day, I'd kill someone... Got behind 1 idiot in a new car, who didn't know how to turn his lights on. Flashed mine off and on, gave him the high beams, still clueless... Got around him, and another asshole had his brights on and likes to tailgate... Sure glad I don't do the commute, everyday (see first sentence!). 
|
|
Source: Babylon Bee. Sponsored by BRAWNDO, its got what you need!
|
|
ACinSC
Orange Level
Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
Points: 3112
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: Yesterday at 3:50am |
|
Yeah Dave, I hate driving at night and luckily I don't have to anymore.
|
|
tadams(OH)
Orange Level Access
Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Location: Jeromesville, O
Points: 11080
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: Yesterday at 1:37pm |
|
I have a 2023 Escape so it's got halligan light that is self dimming and people should be able to see them dim coming at me but they still like to hit their bright lights.
Edited by tadams(OH) - 3 hours 43 minutes ago at 1:19pm
|
|
DiyDave
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Gambrills, MD
Points: 54529
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: Yesterday at 3:36pm |
tadams(OH) wrote:
I have a 1923 Escape so it's got halligan light that is self dimming and people should be able to see them dim coming at me but they still like to hit their bright lights. |
A 102 year old escape? I know it's just a typo, but... 
|
|
Source: Babylon Bee. Sponsored by BRAWNDO, its got what you need!
|
|
PaulB
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Rocky Ridge Md
Points: 5177
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: Yesterday at 5:45pm |
tadams(OH) wrote:
I have a 1923 Escape so it's got halligan light that is self dimming and people should be able to see them dim coming at me but they still like to hit their bright lights. |
Most likely just your typical Ford improperly adjusted headlights. I remember that at one time every new Ford on the road had one light pointed up into the trees. The guy on the line installing headlights must have been a coon hunter
|
|
If it was fun to pull in LOW gear, I could have a John Deere.
Real pullers don't have speed limits.
If you can't make it GO... make it SHINY
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 hours 34 minutes ago at 6:28pm |
Good old sealed beam ROUND Headlights can be made to shine like searchlights.
Route both Brites and Dims through RELAYS triggered by the old head-light wiring and they will set the grass alongside the road afire.
As delivered, even when the truck was brand-new, you may be seeing 9-volts at the bulb and probably less.
Properly relayed with minimum 12-AWG wire both sides and your bulbs will be getting full alternator output and they will be BRIGHT.
The rectangular 6054 on my F-350 are like search-lights; the round sealed beams on my 1978 K-20 and 1972 F-250 Hi-Boy are like locomotive lights.
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 hours 27 minutes ago at 6:35pm |
And I will say this about driving at night, especially in heavy oncoming traffic or on narrow roads when you may only meet the occasional vehicle, get yourself some of those yellow-lensed night-time driving glasses and oncoming headlights will look like birthday candles.
Depending on how fancy you want to go, anywhere from $5 to $25/pair; I keep a couple pair in everything I drive.
|
|
KJCHRIS
Orange Level
Joined: 21 Dec 2015
Location: WC Iowa
Points: 977
|
Post Options
Thanks(1)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 hours 44 minutes ago at 9:18pm |
We got by with the incandescent sealed beam bulbs 60's to early 80's, then in mid 80's we got sealed beam Halogen and yes what an improvement, then composite headlamps. Now we have HID & LED that damn near blind us when meeting them. Not to mention the sob that modify their lights and won't dim the lights. I see 3/4 & 1 tons with six lamps, yes 3 per side on. I went to local dealers and snooped, Chevy, Dodge, Ford '24 '25 none light them all at once. I got either Low beam and fog // Hi beam & Low beam // Hi beam only // Daytime runners. NONE had Hi, Lo, Fog at same time. My newest vehicle has a setting for Auto Dim even though it's not LED's, IMHO, that should be required on any w LED and be the normal setting and not have to fiddle to turn it on each time. My rant is over, everybody enjoy the Turkey Day weekend.
|
|
AC 200, CAH, AC185D bareback, AC 180D bareback, D17 III, WF. D17 Blackbar grill, NF. D15 SFW. Case 1175 CAH, Bobcat 543B,
|
|
ACinSC
Orange Level
Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
Points: 3112
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 10 hours 58 minutes ago at 6:04am |
|
Had to soak the trim ring headlight screws overnight with kroil before they'd back out. May replace my headlights soon. Anyone else hate Phillip head screws?
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 10 hours 43 minutes ago at 6:19am |
ACinSC wrote:
May replace my headlights soon. |
I highly recommend you follow THIS ADVICE if you want good bright usable light.
There are dozens of articles on the internet explaining how this is accomplished.
You will want new heavy-duty head-light pigtail connectors, several feet of 12-AWG wire, and two or four 30-amp or bigger 5-pin relays with 12-AWG pigtails.
You do not cut or remove any part of your original wiring; just unplug the original pigtails from the bulbs and one of them becomes the trigger that activates the relays.
Two relays will suffice, one for DIMs and one for BRITEs; better is four relays, two relays for each bulb.
Your original low-output too-small and inadequate wiring will serve as the activator/trigger for the relays and will be plenty sufficient for that.
If you do not employ relays, new bulbs are not going to be much of an improvement over your old ones.
|
|
ACinSC
Orange Level
Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
Points: 3112
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 10 hours 37 minutes ago at 6:25am |
|
Thanks Buckskin, I'll check it out
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 10 hours 16 minutes ago at 6:46am |
ACinSC wrote:
Thanks Buckskin, I'll check it out |
Before you "fix" anything, with your headlights and wiring just as they are, perform this test.
Engine running, check alternator output at the battery terminals; with a healthy system it should be close to 15-volts.
Engine still running and now with the headlights ON, with the Ground lead of your meter contacting the Ground terminal of the head-light bulb, poke the HOT lead against the Hot head-light terminal; I doubt it will show over 10-volts.
Anything less than 12.6-volts is a huge loss of light.
|
|
DMiller
Orange Level Access
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 34632
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 10 hours 5 minutes ago at 6:57am |
|
Checking across a Lamp Contacts is not showing Voltage of use, is showing Voltage Drop across a Circuit, not viable.
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 9 hours 60 minutes ago at 7:02am |
DMiller wrote:
Checking across a Lamp Contacts is not showing Voltage of use, is showing Voltage Drop across a Circuit, not viable. |
With the headlight pigtail connected and the lights ON, testing as I described will show available voltage at the head-light.
|
|
DMiller
Orange Level Access
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 34632
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 9 hours 9 minutes ago at 7:53am |
|
With the Lamp Connected go hard Ground as Engine block to Hot Terminal, crossing the lamp will only see Voltage Drop or lack/losing of Ground.
|
|
steve(ill)
Orange Level Access
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 88855
|
Post Options
Thanks(1)
Quote Reply
Posted: 8 hours 30 minutes ago at 8:32am |
|
if one of the meter leads is on the GROUND of the truck, then you will get the SUPPLY voltage at the + lead.... be that the battery + terminall, the alternator + terminal, or the lights terminal... two light terminals should NOT give you the same voltage as one will show some loss at the light.. the OTHER side should show close to Battery/ alternator voltage.
|
|
Like them all, but love the "B"s.
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 5 hours 57 minutes ago at 11:05am |
I still stand by the instructions I typed.
Testing so is exactly the same as testing a battery or testing alternator output.
With the Red test lead on the Positive head-light terminal and the Black lead on the Negative headlight terminal --- head-lights ON and engine running --- the meter will show the available voltage at the head-light.
|
|
Les Kerf
Orange Level
Joined: 08 May 2020
Location: Idaho
Points: 1457
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 4 hours 7 minutes ago at 12:55pm |
BuckSkin wrote:
...With the Red test lead on the Positive head-light terminal and the Black lead on the Negative headlight terminal --- head-lights ON and engine running --- the meter will show the available voltage at the head-light. |
This assumes that the ground circuit from the headlight terminal has Zero (0.00 Ohms) resistance, which is unlikely on a 55+ year old vehicle such as the original poster is dealing with.
A voltage drop test of the complete circuit from the battery + (the terminal itself, not the cable clamp) and through the switch, wiring, and all connections to the light terminal will tell the tale.
|
|
DMiller
Orange Level Access
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 34632
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 4 hours 6 minutes ago at 12:56pm |
|
Been a Mechanic over 50 years Les, you are correct.
|
|
BuckSkin
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 1056
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 2 hours 31 minutes ago at 2:31pm |
Les Kerf wrote:
This assumes that the ground circuit from the headlight terminal has Zero (0.00 Ohms) resistance, which is unlikely on a 55+ year old vehicle |
My test is for "Available voltage" at the headlight; if you have a zero resistance path to Ground, you are not going to get an accurate reading of true available voltage and your reading may even be full alternator output as you have taken the draw of the head-light out of the circuit when you have the Negative lead on a good clean path to Ground.
Unplug the bulb and put the leads in the head-light pigtail and even in a questionable circuit you may show full alternator output as there is no load.
|
|
