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I want to upgrade to at least a halogen,but can't cross the # can I use a 6014 bulb? Any 7" bulb should work right?
Thanks for any info.Bill W

G'day Bill,
to PackardInfo. Sorry I don't have the answer to your question but someone should be along soon who will.

Any 12v & 7 inch round conversion bulb should fit without too much trouble & Hella has a couple that look good. Am not sure if the sockets are all the same though. One other thing to watch for is current draw. Packard original lamps were 50/40 watt and the replacements seem to be running at least 60/55. That may not be much additional if all wiring is in good shape but if not, any poor contact in a switch or socket could show up and possibly cause a problem.

If it were mine, would seriously consider adding a couple of relays operated by the dimmer switch via normal wires but supply the bulbs directly with a separate feed protected by a circuit breaker. That would take a lot of strain off the original components as well as provide the voltage so the lamps work at full output. Believe Randy Berger's 56 Caribbean blog has some info on how he did his.

Here is a schematic on how to do that with either two relays (one high beam, and one for low), or using the a single relay and the hi/lo beam switch. Both of these I drew awhile back in different drawing programs.

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Will this work on a '53 Clipper, 6-volt, - ground?

It will. Just need 6v relays instead of 12. Here's a couple of options.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... ic.php?post_id=28404#forumpost28404

For myself, I like the two relay solution as it eliminates most of the old wire having to carry current and takes the load off dimmer switch. Those have been a failure item in the past but at least universal replacements are easily available.

I used two 6 volt relays in my conversion as well using the same schematic plan and BigKev posted. the lighting improvement is very noticable. I bought my 6 volt H4 halogen bulbs from J.C. Whitney.
jcwhitney.com/jcwhitney/textsearch_result.jcw?sku=6+volt+halogen&shopid=100001&_requestid=12141790

Just put a set of Sylvanias in my 56 Patrician. MUCH more light; so far no problems.

J.C. Whitney lists a 7 inch LED headlight, but gives no wattage or output figures.

Not that it matters to anyone on this board, but they show as $299 each....

Napa also has 12v replacements but apparently no 6v.

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Thanks much HH56.