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I just recently purchased a 1947 Custom Super Clipper. As you know, the rear brake lights and turn signals are not very bright. I have seen a couple of people who have installed an LED light bar in the rear window that clearly shows braking and turning for those who those cars. These bars can be placed in the window without modifying or damaging the weatherstripping or brightwork. My question is this: Is there any issue using these bars with a 6-volt system?

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Likely yes, there may be issues at 6 volts. I've been successful with single LEDs on 6 volts, but not arrays. I have been looking at optically isolated ICs that can switch up to 3A on the load side, with only 5-10 mA required on the 6 volt input side. See Panasonic AQV252G. The plan is/was to let the 6 volt bulb circuit trigger the IC thus completing the 12 volt side circuit. A simple 6+ to 12- converter would be used to power the LEDs.

dp

If that is the 6v bar from BrakeLighter which is sold by several vendors then it would work as a third brake light only on the 47. Several have used their product on other Packards and have reported no difficulty. Since it is an LED assy, polarity is important so do pay attention to that when hooking up the wires. If it is 12v or not the BrakeLigher bar then would need to see a wiring diagram to see if it would work for sure.

As to working with turn signals, the 47 still uses the early turn signal system which is sort of an add on stand alone. it shares the dual filament front park light bulb and lights the large filament same as later cars. Unlike later cars, turn signals are not integrated with brakes so do not share the same rear bulb and filament with the brake lights. The turn signals use separate wires and rear bulbs so you would not be able to tie the brake and turn signal wires directly together to power the bar without causing issues. The brake warning is more important so a single bar should be wired to the brakes. In that instance the bar will not indicate turns but will light as a third brake light only.

You could possibly use steering or blocking diodes to separate the two signals and power a single bar but the solid on brake signal would override everything. Turn signal flashes would not be visible as long as brake was on. IMO, it would be much easier and less chance of problems to buy a second bar. You could stack the two one above the other or place them end to end. Wiring the bars could be done in different ways depending on how you wanted the lights or functions to be presented.

Here is an extraction of the 47 turn signal circuit for future reference.

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Quote:
Craig,

Don't forget to include your new '47 Custom Super Clipper in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

You might look into CarryBright on Amazon at Walmart for $60. Battery operated. No wiring.

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I used two brakelighters in the rear window of my 47 7 passenger.
I split the hookup so that the center most half of each acts as the brake/parking light and the outer half as the turn signal. White on the driver's side for turn signal and black wire on the passenger side for turn signals and the opposite order for the brakelight. I apologize for the passenger side one hanging down I used the suction cup mounting for easy removal and they come undone after setting for a while.

I did jump to the conclusion that the product in post #1 was designed for a 12 volt negative ground system, and the wiring features a singular negative ground lead. With two turn signals and a brake light that would be three wires plus a common ground. I think I see five wires, red, green, yellow, black, and white, so the bar may also have a running light connection . . . still a common ground, which if it is indeed a 12V-, polarity sensitive LED accessory, it would be difficult to install on a 6 volt positive ground system without additional circuitry (switched positive). I see on William Grosz’s solution both the positive and negative leads are available, which would be suitable for either polarity.

All of that aside, Craig, how long is this light bar?

dp

Those lights I embedded and put together like I posted here awhile back:

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=254531

The only real issue I have had is checking the charge before a drive-- the remote will beep but that doesn't mean the light part is charged and working. The remote straps nicely to the gear shifter as well. I've tested whether these will work while "charging" on a small power bank and they will so I'm going to basically do a similar strap for the pack to attach to the backside of the bumper and plug the lights in to the bank. It's easier to keep a power bank with charge since it holds more juice and plug these in when driving. Still makes it nice to unstrap for car shows so the hack doesn't stay on there and I like the originality of the car.

The light bars come in different sizes. I am trying to find one compatible with a 6-volt system, so I don't have a specific one picked out yet.

If you are interested in the BrakeLighter product it is sold by Watson's and some of the other street rod places.