Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-06-18
WIRING AUTO FOR
ELECTRICAL lights
ISN'T DIFFICULT
Installation Simple If Cen
orator Is Not Included
in Equipment.

MANY persons WHO are IloW u1lSlHS
cars equipped with gas and oil light
ing would like to have the more con-
venient electric lighting system, but
are afraid to tackle the job of install
ing electric lights themselves. 1t is
not hard job for the novice to wire
his car, and the cost will be very low
for complete set of lights, providing
he does the work himself, says
writer in Motor Print. In fact, the
work is so simple that it is surprising,
but most persons of inexperlence with
such matters would rather do any OF
the more complicated jobs than to do
anything electrical.
Of course, the most satisfactory
means of obtaining electric lights is
to have a generator installed to keep
the storage battery charged. But this
Immediately runs up the expense,
which is hardly warranted on an old
car. Then, too, it is not very simple
to get generator in proper position
on motor or chassis which was not
designed to carry such equipment.
In many cities and towns there are
storage battery charging plants, and
the only thing necessary is to have
two batteries, one being charged while
the other is being used on the car.
With proper care and avoidance of
wasting the current, an eighty ampere
hour battery will keep the lights burn
ing every night for week, provid-
ing, of course, they are not used all
night, but have the ordinary evenings
burning.
The first thing in installing stor-
age battery lighting system is to
mount the battery box on the running
board. This position is suggested as
it is the most convenient place, and,
as the battery must be changed each
week, it would be advisable to put it
lin some such accessible location.
Use metal battery box and obtain
type of battery that you can clamp
in place readily. If the box is longer
than the battery, wedge some blocks
II battery in place. Above all, it must
1not be loose, for Earring around on
uneven roads would spill the cleo
trolyte.
Having mounted the battery proper
ly, and assuming that the lamps have
been mounted and the switch attached
to the dashboard in some way, pro-
coed with the wiring. If you want a
dash lamp you should have switch
with four buttons or points, so that
you can turn on the two headlights
with one button, the two sidelights
with another, the tail lamp with
another and the dash lamp with the
fourth. If you don't want a dash
lamp, which, of course, is not absolute
w necessary, you need only three
point switch, providing you want to
operate the two headlamps with one
button, and so on. The push-button
type of switch is a very convenient
form to use.
Then run a wire from one Of the ter
minals of the storage battery to the
switch. 1t is best to use some sort OF
metal or asbestos conduit in wiring.
The wires are slipped through this
tubing and thus are protected from
oil and grease and from chatting,
which might wear off the insulation
and make short circuit. This might
prove very hard to find later.
Connect all the four points of one
as shown in the illustration, line A.
Be sure that each terminal is tightly
screwed down against coming loose.
Now run wire from one of the switch
points on the opposite side to one OF
the terminals of the tail lamp-line
B. From the other terminal of the
tail lamp run wire back to the bat
tery-line C.
Tape All Connections.
Tape all connections of wires, and
in doing the joining do not cut of
{ more than one inch Of the insulation
, on one wire when you are going to
wind the end of another around it. Dc
this securely after having scrapec
: both wires clean of dirt. This will
$ make a good contact and reduce the
! resistance to the minimum. Where,
| ever possible, slip length of conduit
over the wires, as already mentioned
: Take a pair of pliers and tighten VI
every binding post and screw dowl
tightly every screw connection.
q In running the wires along, it j!
I best to keep them free of metal part!
!: as much as possible to avoid any
I chance of grounds or short circuits
I This is one great advantage of YOU
conduit prevents the wires from
S getting against the chassis meta
: parts.
$ BRADLEY FARMER