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Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?

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Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#1
  This topic is about my 1955 MG TF 1500
Paul J Avatar
Paul J Silver Member
Locust Grove, OK, USA   USA
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1955 MG TF 1500
I found negative ground conversion, but no positive ground conversion for LED headlights. Anyone? PJ

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#2
MG14611 Avatar
MG14611 Robert P
NY, NY, USA   USA
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1963 MG MGB MkI "Born To Run"
1963 MG MGB MkI "Potential"
If you’re looking at replacing the original round glass seal beam headlamps with modern LED or Halogen lamps, then as long as the lamp has absolutely no metal contacts to the car body , electrically isolated and insulated from the car body, and the light socket assembly is wire connected by individual Red power and Black ground wires, then the replacement should work in either position or negative ground environment.

The replacement 7 inch glass reflector should provide the same isolation electrically as the old sealed beam lamp.

For positive ground, the new lighting’s +12v red wire will be attached to the car’s metal body somewhere close by and the black “ground” or return wire will be connected to the wire harness connection that fed the original headlamp bulb.

Check with the manufacturer but typically they avoid getting involved in untypical setups to avoid warranty claims and issues!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-04-12 12:20 PM by MG14611.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#3
LaVerne Avatar
LaVerne LaVerne Downey
Fruita, CO, USA   USA
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1954 MG TF "Green Hornet"
1969 MG MGB "The Beater"
1979 Triumph TR8 "Turd 8"
It's not that simple Robert as you have two hot wires to deal with. One for the bright and one for the low beams and the reversal of the ground wire won't serve both.

It would be best to covert the car to negative ground Paul if you wish to install LED headlights.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-04-12 12:42 PM by LaVerne.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#4
LewPalmer Avatar
LewPalmer Lew Palmer
St. Mary's Point, MN, USA   USA
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1934 MG P-Type Midget
1935 MG N-Type Magnette
Abingdon Spares have what you are looking for: https://abingdonspares.com/products/led-headlamp-assembly-7-mgb-pair?_pos=2&_sid=521b1a490&_ss=r

While you're at it, check out their LED light board conversions for your TF tail lights and front marker lights.

Or you can go to the source at www.brittrix.com.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#5
MG14611 Avatar
MG14611 Robert P
NY, NY, USA   USA
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1963 MG MGB MkI "Born To Run"
1963 MG MGB MkI "Potential"
In reply to # 4784160 by LaVerne It's not that simple Robert as you have two hot wires to deal with. One for the bright and one for the low beams and the reversal of the ground wire won't serve both.

It would be best to covert the car to negative ground Paul if you wish to install LED headlights.

You’re correct if the high and low beams circuit shared a single ground wire. An Either or relay could be used to switch in either of the red wires according to the headlight dip switch.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#6
Paul J Avatar
Paul J Silver Member
Locust Grove, OK, USA   USA
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1955 MG TF 1500
Thanks LaVerne and Lew for your input. It's a next winter project. I think converting the car to negative ground might be the best for me. Only major change would be a new ng fuel pump, but the one in the car now has some age on it anyway. I have led dash lighting in it now and don't remember if they are polarity sensitive or not. I would really like to get away from the positive ground system. I had 1940ish Fords back in the day and they were always a pain with the pos grn system, radios at one time had a switch on the back to change over for Fords, a rare find today.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#7
hueyhoolihan Huey Hoolihan
Antioch, CA, USA   USA
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i spent several hundred dollars trying to convert my positive grounded TD to LEDs. it previously had those tri-something-or-other headlight lenses with old style lucas two-filament incandescent bulbs.

first step failed after purchasing positive grounded LEDs that would fit those old lucas sockets. next step involved replacing those tri-something-or-other lenses with original type lucas lenses. still no joy. then decided that the LED bulbs were the problem, so bought something different. no joy again. BTW, the high low beams never worked satisfactorily with any of the LED bulbs i bought.

so i finally gave up on LED bulbs and went with the commonplace sealed bulbs that were commonplace in the 1960s-90s. that involved cutting off the old lucas sockets and soldering on traditional 60-90's type three connector pigtails. now i've got something that put out acceptable light and the high an low beams work.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#8
apclam Richard Cooke
Tacoma, WA, USA   USA
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1952 MG TD
I purchased mine from Abington Spares. LED but clip in like a sealed unit, positive or negative ground. No problem, work great. 30,000 hour bulb, it will outlast me, Dick

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#9
hueyhoolihan Huey Hoolihan
Antioch, CA, USA   USA
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In reply to # 4784297 by apclam I purchased mine from Abington Spares. LED but clip in like a sealed unit, positive or negative ground. No problem, work great. 30,000 hour bulb, it will outlast me, Dick

i remember looking at something similar on the abingdon site, but was leery when reading a possible fitment problem with some "T" type buckets. so looked elsewhere. did you have any problems with fitment?

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#10
apclam Richard Cooke
Tacoma, WA, USA   USA
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1952 MG TD
Huey, so far so good. I only installed them last Fall but they but a huge amount of light compared to the old sealed units and the ammeter doesn't crank to the neg when I turn them on. So far I'm sold, Dick

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#11
hueyhoolihan Huey Hoolihan
Antioch, CA, USA   USA
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thanks,

maybe i'll give them a try, if and when i become dissatisfied with what i've got.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-04-12 10:31 PM by hueyhoolihan.

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#12
PMorleyCA Avatar
PMorleyCA Silver Member Paul Morley
Solana Beach, CA, USA   USA
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1954 MG TF
I've installed the Abingdon LED headlights, taillights, fender lamps and all interior lamps in my positive ground TF. No problems, I'm satisfied.


Attachments:
Headlights.jpeg    59.1 KB
Headlights.jpeg

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#13
hueyhoolihan Huey Hoolihan
Antioch, CA, USA   USA
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In reply to # 4785614 by PMorleyCA I've installed the Abingdon LED headlights, taillights, fender lamps and all interior lamps in my positive ground TF. No problems, I'm satisfied.

beaUtiful paint color and application on this one!

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Re: Positive Ground LED headlight conversion?
#14
wiia WILLIAM ADAMS
Terre Haute, IN, USA   USA
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1955 MG TF 1500
1961 MG MGA 1600
LBCC has 7-inch sealed beam LED headlamps for positive or negative ground. If your headlamps have a replaceable bulb in the reflector, I found LED bulb inserts on a British motorcycle website. Early Norton, Triumph and BSA have similar Lucas 7-inch headlamps. My TF-1500 is positive earth. LBCC's sealed beam lights work perfectly. I also found a pair of 7-inch Lucas lights units that turned out to be twin-beam. I rigged up a couple relays that are enabled through the auxiliary/forg lamp switch, and use the dipping switch for high or low beam on all four headlamps. Lots of light on those dark nights. LED lamps use roughly half the current as incandescent or halogen bulbs, so heavier gauge wiring is not needed. Photo attached. Wiring diagram available upon request.


Bill

1961 MGA
1955 MG TF-1500
1954 Chevrolet 3100


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20190911_173243_optimized.jpg

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