ForthGenFord - do you have the origonal bulb and reflector setup, or a sealed beam conversion?

If you have the original bulb setup you can do what I did on my 37; I have pretty respectable headlights now. A bit expensive to do all at once. I did this one at a time and was surprised at the improvement each change made.
1 - I had to replace the headlight lenses with new reproductions (sold by Drake). You can see in the picture in my avatar that the headlights used to be a yellow-brown color. With the change in lenses I now have white headlights. Unfortunatly the Drake website currently states the 36 lenses are out of stock: Headlight Lens; fits - 1936 Car. However, I see several sets on that auction site (also note the color difference between the originals and the reproductions):1936 ford headlight lens in eBay Motors | eBay
2 - If your headlight reflectors are dull or tarnished, replace them with new original style reproduction reflectors. The new reflectors are aluminum vapor coated and vacuum sealed with glass. This is the Uvira process, but on a new part. Drake and others sell these. Do NOT buy the reflectors designed specifically for halogen headlights. These put the bulb element in the wrong location for the reflectors and lenses.
3 - Install the correct halogen headlight bulb for your application with a generator. Part number 170-957H available from LB Carco: MG Parts | TR Parts | Triumph Parts | Austin Healey Parts | Jag Parts | Jag Bits | Sprite Parts | Midget Parts | Spitfire Parts | Bugeye Parts | Frog Eye Parts | Jaguar Parts | Sunbeam Parts | Classic Car Parts | Pertronix | Gunson | Moto-Lita | LBCa

I do not have a headlight relay in any of my old cars. If your wiring is in good shape I think you don't need one. If your wiring gets hot, fix the wiring properly instead of band-aiding it.
Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks much for that info Jag Red/ would that be a 6 volt relay in the wiring after the steering wheel switch. And would that help the original headlights as well as the halogens if I were to make the switch to them. I'm not so good with circuitry-been trying to track down an air bag 13 code on a my son's 94 F-150 for a couple of weeks now. http://images.ford-trucks.com/forums...2/confused.gif

 

The way that the relay works is that you place it in line between the battery and the headlights using larger sized wire to handle the max amperage. You will need a fuse at the battery to protect the circuit. Your headlight switch wire is attached to the relay to tell it when to switch on. That way the heavy power only goes thru the relay and not your headlight switch. If you are not comfortable with making the installation yourself, a shop should be able to do it in less than an hour. Parts=$25?? Jag

 

I got mine from Classic Haulers / Mid Fifty.



They have instructions on the Mid Fifty site for installing the relay.

Part #:6V-3268
Price: $32.50

 

Oops, I forgot the second part. Yes, it might help even with just the regular headlights. Some members have reported that the light switch gets very hot when the lights are on. This is generally attributed to electrical resistance involved in going thru the switch vs a relay. I put two on the 54. One for the lows and one for the highbeams.

 

Thank ya'll for the great information. I think I have another project to add to my list and I appreciate very much all the response. 38 Coupe I do have the original lenses and reflectors.
Thanks again.