Can I cause the headlight doors to lift with side lights?

[K9COP]

I'm thinking of changing my headlights to 'angel eyes' that illuminate a circle of white light around each of the four bulbs when you turn on the side lights. Now, on our cars, the doors only are caused to open with dipped beam headlights, not side lights or daytime running lights.

Personal taste aside, can this be done?

CS

p.s. bought a complete new harness for the car and will have rear mounted battery, battery kill switch next to the driver, and relays for the headlights.

[A383Wing]

what year are we talking about?

[Ghoste]

I am guessing then you have 70 style side markers with your 69 grille.  Did you leave the 69 style vacuum actuaters for the headlight doors?  Again I'll guess and say vacuum, if so, could you not hook the vacuum the hoses up to a separate switch like an air grabber style one.  It would mean a switch for the lamps and another for the doors though.

[70 sublime]

I thought on the 68 I had the headlight doors came open when you turned the headlights all the way on but did not shut till turned all the way off
So just turn the lights all the way on to get the doors open then turn them back to just parking light position and the doors would still be open

[Ghoste]

I think his car is part 69 and part 70.

[K9COP]

Thanks guys. 70 car, '69 front end...


CS

[A383Wing]

so yer still running vacuum headlights with 69 headlight switch?

[K9COP]

Yessir, gasbag headlight doors....


CS

[Ghoste]

And the 70 side markers?

[K9COP]

Sorry, no side marker lights in the fenders (although the new harness has wiring for them), just the combined side lights/turn signals in the front valance. Was going to add some discrete LED side markers but not drill the fenders to fit them.


CS

[A383Wing]

Yessir, gasbag headlight doors....


CS

so can you turn on headlights all the way, then turn off headlights just to the parking light mode and doors still be open?

[K9COP]

OOOOOOoooooo good one, hadn't thought of that. If that'll work, that's sweet. Will try when the new harness is in...


thanks,

CS

[K9COP]

Or is it a 'headlights on' signal that opens the doors, and 'headlights' off that sends the close signal/vacuum/carrier pigeon to shut the doors? Meaning the doors would close with headlights off again? Anyone please? My car's sans wiring right now so I can't check for myself......


thanks guys,

CS

[A383Wing]

Headlights on opens doors, headlights off closes them. There is a little vacuum switch attached to the headlight switch that controls vacuum to the pods up front.

someone with a normal working 68 or 69 will have to chime in and see if doors will stay open when you take switch and move it to just the parking lights after headlights have been on and see if doors will stay up.

otherwise, you will have to put another switch in there to command doors open with park lights on. If this was a 70, it would be real easy to do, just have command wire from headlight switch changed to the park light wire to open doors

Bryan

[Ghoste]

Now I see what you mean, when you said side lights I took it to mean the fender ones.  No the doors wont stay open when you switch to the parking light position.  About the easiest thing you can do is splice a separate switch into the vacuum system.

[K9COP]

OK. I'll have a think about modding another headlight switch to see if I can 'T off' the vacuum hose to activate the doors.....


Thanks guys, CS

[Dino]

First position on the switch is your parking lights and you would like to have the halo lights on your headlights go on in this position correct?.

Sp the idea is that both parking lights and halo rings would go on with the flick of a switch while also keeping the rest in working order.

In order for this to work, the grille needs to open when you flick on the parking lights/halo rings.  You can still keep the number 1 position of the headlight switch the same and have it only light up the parking lights, as it is now.

The 2nd position will now open the grille doors and ignite the headlights so the easiest mod by far is to put a 3 way switch under the dash and hook it up to the headlight switch.  With the headlight switch in second position and grille doors open you can have your t-off switch in the off position to keep it stock, parking lamps + headlights are on.  Position 2 would be headlights off but halo's on + parking lights, position 3 would mean halo + headlights + parking is on.  This all happens by moving your added switch, the stock headlight switch will operate as usual.

[K9COP]

Thanks all. Dino, I'm sorry, although your explanation is very clear, I don't understand it. If the original switch operates as normal, and then you turn the 3-way switch to 'headlights off/parking lights on' position, won't this retract the doors? I guess I need to understand better what actually opens the doors. Is it an electrical signal, or a movement of the 'plunger' in the headlight switch that diverts the vacuum to the appropriate place? If it's a vacuum issue, could I not use a 'vacuum switch' to just open the doors whenever I want, and then leave the electrics standard?

Thanks guys,

CS

[Dino]

Thanks all. Dino, I'm sorry, although your explanation is very clear, I don't understand it. If the original switch operates as normal, and then you turn the 3-way switch to 'headlights off/parking lights on' position, won't this retract the doors? I guess I need to understand better what actually opens the doors. Is it an electrical signal, or a movement of the 'plunger' in the headlight switch that diverts the vacuum to the appropriate place? If it's a vacuum issue, could I not use a 'vacuum switch' to just open the doors whenever I want, and then leave the electrics standard?

Thanks guys,

CS

No apologies!  I can't explain stuff to save my life!   

The vacuum switch is independent of the light switch in the sense that once you put the headlight switch in the 2nd position it activates the vacuum doors.  Unless you move that switch back to position 1 or off, the doors will stay open.  The reason the doors open with the lights on is because a small arm on the switch catches on the vacuum switch attached to it.  All you do is tap into the headlight switch but you're not messing with vacuum.  You could run separate vacuum but you don't have to as this will work just fine.  When you choose a setting with a t-off switch to have either headlights only, halo only or both this all happens with the stock headlight switch in 2nd position so the doors do not close until you turn the stock switch back to 1 or off.