Relays for head lights placement?

[Aracer]

The relays can be moved to  under the starter relay or battery since the  wires are long enough.
   I just got the DOT 7" HELLA lamps made in Germany. Amazon about $85 /ship.& tax. I will add ceramic plugs and an EXTRA ground wires at the lamps  A heavy ground wire is what is important to supply the filaments with energy or full current. When I get time I'll add new 14 gauge wires from the relay splices to the lamp plugs. An add on can be easy, if clamp on splices are used. And because it's an ADD on it doesn't need the 12g wires. I mean how thick is the actual filament? Some of those kits are expensive, very over worked for this up grade. I used 16g. for the signal, and 14G to power the factory's 18g. The supplied wires in plug and relays are wired, 16g with thicker insulation. Heaver wires would come in the expensive up grade. But are you going to run 80/100 watt off road Jeep lamps? No.

[70chall440]

Here are mine under the MSD on the flat part of the frame.

[crackedback]

JMO from building these things.

I would never use 16 and 18 gauge wire on any power carrying circuits to the headlights.  That size is OK for triggering.

[Aracer]

What happens to that gauge total when you add the 14g. to the existing 18g.?    I'm adding a 14g to each existing wire at the new ceramic plug in the crimped splices.  I post it tomorrow. Back at the relay end I'll splice in the added 14g.'s power to the lamps, up  stream from the initial severed wire splice in.
    I have some aero space tubing to conduit the wires next to the original.
I know this is not as heavy duty as the kits with 12g wires at the plug, but good enough for my climate.

[70chall440]

JMO from building these things.

I would never use 16 and 18 gauge wire on any power carrying circuits to the headlights.  That size is OK for triggering.

I would tend to agree, I normally use 14g min (depending on the application), many times 12g.

[crackedback]

You are going to piggyback a 14 Ga with the existing wire?  That may make for a tight fit in the connector.

Never seen a terminal that would accept that set up and crimp properly.  If you plan to solder, you are introducing more resistance to the circuit and they also have a propensity to break/crack from vibration.

[Aracer]

I am using the ceramic plugs as they came with 16g. I was going to crimp the plug wires in for the ground when I remembered that the factory 18g is difficult to solder due to it's high steel content, also I used the wrong brand of butt splice and it slipped off. I always pull test every crimp.
      Then my wife, an inspector here in S.Valley told me of a technique, that the wires are tinned separately then the two are soldered opposite or the same direction and a third wire wrapped over and then soldered. The third will be the plug pigtail wire, wrapped on the existing 18g, on the new 14g. , then slip the shrink down.
     Where can I get 3/8" brass connectors? I just want to crimp my own new 12 g. system for the 74Cuda including re-wire the relay plug. This is an experiment for now, since it's raining all week.
     PS. I want to add that the ceramic plug 16g. wire is also very stiff and must have some steel which makes it harder to crimp. Maybe there is a purpose, to have more pull strength on the lamp plugs.

[70chall440]

check out Del City, have the biggest supply of electrical components I have found.

[Aracer]

The 1968 lamps are wired with 18 gauge so, the add on I described above is installed and I know it was an improvement. Today I pulled the lamp out of my 1974 cuda and I found it to have neatly wrapped 16 gauge and longer plug wires.
      I only want to add the relays.  I already replaced the tungsten with GE Halogen sealed beams back in early 80's and the car has always been garaged so it's crud free. It never had dim lights and the halogens always worked excellent, even better than my Silverado with new Phillips 9005 xenon +130%.
     The advantage of direct battery/ alt. current to them is all I think it needs. The sealed beams have no deflector in front of the bulb so the pattern is rounder and fuller, in a #8 pattern. I compared the Hella side by side on the wall and the Hella's are only slightly whiter and brighter, but the pattern is flat top with a small center rectangular box and side skews . I want to try one of each, with the sealed on the drivers side, and the Hella shooting farther down the right and up on the signs.
     The Hella DOT is 55w/ 65watts. The GE DOT sealed beams are low 43w/60w high, but without the deflector they are blasting out the center bigger, with more scatter, and for me it helps see the left side better with on coming lights.
     I can see why the Philips sealed Nitehawks are recommended here on the forum.

I was looking at the drivers side wires and realized that it's double with the add on 14g. from pass. side.  I just changed in the ceramic plug with the old connectors. I did add a 14 g. ground wire by soldering onto the existing ground con. 
     Tomorrow evening, should be dry enough for a test run.