1952-59 Ford Adjusting headlights?

I'm still working out some bugs and it is time to adjust my headlights,,Itime slipped away last week and I was driving home after sundown.

One headlight would have been good for **** hunting the other was already set for possum hunting,,I need to set these light correctly,how do you guys do it? HRP

 

This diagram is out of the 55 Ford manual, but works for any car.



I usually mark a wall or garage door about 10 feet from the car with the dimensions they show here. Remove the headlight bezels which allows you to get to the two screws per headlight. Cover up the light you are not working on with a thick towel or blanket so it doesn't throw any light on the surface you have marked. Just make sure that your dipped or low beam light pattern is below the centre line of the lights. This way you won't have drivers coming towards you flashing their lights at you. Your high or main beam should be centered on the horizontal and vertical centre line of that light.
If you are using H4 ( halogen) lights ineerbotheradjusting the high beam just set them so the light from them is about 1" below the horizontal centre line. They are real easy to adjust because the light pattern hasadefinite upper edge to it.
I hope this helps.
Regards

 

Rick's got the right idea here - but there is more. The plan is to arrange your high beam lights so they are (1) parallel to the ground and (2) parallel to the vehicle centerline when the vehicle is loaded. This is for the old style sealed beam lamps.

Determination of (1) is done with a driver in the seat - and a half tank of gas - at what you would consider to be normal spring deflection. Maybe your lights are normally used on a cruise nite with a front seat p***enger and that is a more normal loading. When loaded as used - measure up to the centerline of the lamps and keep a record of RH and LH - they may not be the same. The (2) dimension is headlight center to center - and half of that being the vehicle centerline.

Find a vertical wall with a level work surface for about 50 feet in front of it. (Where I work there is a warehouse wall perfect for this). Layout a straight line at 90° to the wall and arranged so the car can be parked right on this centerline - with 25 feet to the wall from the headlamps. Arranging half a tank of gas isn't a problem for any of my toys - and I use barbell weights to equal my 240 pounds of dead weight in the seat. I taped butchers paper on the wall to avoid marking up the painted surface. You layout the centerline of the car and space the two headlight centerlines to each side, then a cross line at the height of the two lights RH and LH. As Rick suggested a heavy towel or blanket can be used to "shut off" the opposite side light as you adjust them.

The idea is then to use the aiming screws to get each light centered on its mark - while on high beam. What you will find is that the "dipping" feature of the lamps is not adjustable - but you can determine what that distance is, by measuring against your high beam.

Drive the car and test your setting - by parking the car back where you had it before, you can make "tweaks" of alignment that you can duplicate or adjust the aim to again in the future.

I wanted better lights and upgraded the wiring so I could have Halogens at full voltage (without smoke). As Rick wrote - the H4 replacement bulbs and their SAE equivalents have different aiming instructions than the sealed beam originals.

 

In case anyone is interested in using the Euro-spec H4, 7" diameter lights (gl*** lenses with metal reflectors) - these guys have a deal. Parts are pretty much like the Hella lights - bulbs are junk. With a set of Sylvania "Silverstar" bulbs - the results are very good lighting for older vehicles. If you "over watt" your wiring - smoke will result, so pay attention.

Just be sure and aim them right, so opposing drivers don't get flashed...high beams flat - low beams 2 inches lower at 25 feet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-H6024-601...pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

 

If you do a headlight upgrade you should always add relays into your wiring to lesson the load on that old OEM switch this link explains it http://www.watsons-streetworks.com/current_topic.html If you have a Fry's Electronics around a Bosch relay and plug will only run about $7 each.Even if you are using the regular OEM style headlights the relays will make them brighter.

 

If you want to try this - Jeff is correct - use of better wiring and relays for power have to be part of the program. The original headlights were 40/30 watt and these new Halogens start at 60/55 watts.

The relays are commonly found in the "auxillary lighting" department at O-Reilly's and other stores - have two live output leads and switch "on" with a control input wire. Using two gives you underhood switching for both the low beams and the high beams - and the original wiring becomes the control lead from the dimmer switch. This change works well with the sealed beam Halogens as well.

The wiring for the original cars takes power from under the hood at the voltage regulator - back to the light switch - then to the dimmer switch - then out to the lights and across to the other side of the car. By the time you get to the off-side bulb, voltage is way down. This eliminates that completely.

 

Jeff and Greenbird are right though It is not only H4's that need relays. I replaced the original bulb headlights in both my Oz Fords with sealed beams. The original equipment was Lucas. When the headlights were on main beam after a couple of hours driving, they started flashing on and off. The original Ford switch has a built in bimetallic circuit breaker which over time loses its tension. I have since then fitted relays to all my cars on both high and low beam. I figure they are cheaper than a headlight switch and the light output is generally much brighter.
Regards