If you endorse "reasonable" DRLs as I do, I think you'll be pleased with this project.

I've done this mod on '76 up thru '86. And it should be possible on any car with the 2-filament bulb in the upper front Parking Light. Only the 4cp/5W Parking Light filament is used on USA cars. The unused 32cp/21W filament (same as Signal Lights) is used for DRLs in European countries (Invar?).

This brighter filament is wired to come on with Key ON, and go off when Park or Headlights are turned on. The Orange bulb makes your car noticeable without being obnoxious or annoying to oncoming cars.

Here's how:

1) The trickiest part—adapt & install a wired bulb contact to match up with the 32cp lug on the bulb. Do this on each front parking light, top socket.

2) Join the new Left & Right wires to a new single wire and run it to the Normally Closed terminal of a spare relay (usually #87a on Bosch relays). I put the relay inside, above the driver's knees. Poke the wire thru any Firewall hole on the Left side, for access to the relay.

3) Run a wire from the relay's Operating/Input terminal (#30) to an available fuse box terminal (on the '86, I used #5, Rear Window Demister, which has +12 volts only with Key ON).

4) With the relay deenergized, the 32cp DRL lights will come on whenever the is Key ON. Next, we need a way to turn them OFF when the regular lights come on.

5) To energize the relay (turn DRLs OFF), wire the relay's "pick" terminal (#86) from Fuse 15 or 16 (+12 volts to Parking Lights). NOTE: You may need a "piggy-back" terminal extender here, if all the available fuse connectors are wired. Wire the relay ground terminal (#85) to any convenient ground point.

When the parking lights get powered, so does the relay. The DRLs then go out, and the Parking Lights come on via the normal circuit.

I'll admit that getting the bulb socket adapted is not a slam-dunk. Some early cars already have the hole drilled in the right place. Others have it marked but not drilled. Others require some careful eye-balling and marking of the bulb, so you'll know where to drill for the new wire.

For the new wire and bulb contact, I've scrounged from junkers, and also used wiring accessory parts from Pep Boys. Most all places like that have wiring ends that will work. You can buy a Radio Shack relay or use one from the "yard". Just make sure it has a Normally Closed terminal.

I did the '86 in November 1995 and the relay is still there, always "up" when lights are on. So relay life is not a concern. The bulbs last forever too.

--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67