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LED headlights 5.75 inch |
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990V8
AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/07/2016 Location: Gloucestershire Status: Offline Points: 789 |
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Posted: Nov/28/2017 at 5:13pm |
Despite an H4 conversion with a pair of these super bright xenon bulbs, the dipped heads in my Ambo are less than great. Could fit relays, might help, I saw the topic about that.
I notice plenty of retrofit 7" LED headlamps in the Land Rover mags, the whole unit not just the bulbs which are useless and a menace, but never thought to find any for the Ambo. However, there seem to be a variety of motorbike units in 5.75", how about these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daymaker-Projector-Headlight-Headlamp-12-30V/dp/B019ETNZD6 And not even expensive. Any bikers here? What do we think? Will they fit? Ivor |
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63 Canadian Ambo 990 V8 327
74 LandRover Lightweight V8 SIII Shopping Trolley |
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304-dude
AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/29/2008 Location: Central Illinoi Status: Offline Points: 9082 |
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Looks like it may be better than my 09 Honda Coupe's projector beams. Being that they have multiple projector lenses.
Many who have updated to HID on such cars don't get much improvement because Honda and most manufactures use a beam cutoff difusor of some sort to make the headlight less effective than a Halogen H4. If you are familiar with military beams having slits to only light up across the horizontal, that is what today's projector beams are like. My 2000 Solar a out shines my 09 Accord projectors, mostly because there is no cutoff beam limiter in non projector beams. To get better vissabilty with projectors, you must angle them beyond the proper aiming settings and create a driving issue with others. IMO it is not about what has the brightest bulb, it is all about useful light. In fact any bulb brighter than what is regulated under US standards is considered off road. Many aftermarket bulbs don't follow with US or UK guidelines, if in areas where all aspects of safety are checked, the light output and color are scrutinised when the vehical is inspected. Funny thing about headlights... or lights in general. On the way home after Thanksgiving, a truck stopped behind us when at a signal light. He had his brights on (HID to boot), and were just above trunk level to me as I sat in the driver seat. The driver was completely un aware that he lit up our interior, and could see my face through my rear view mirror. If you can't notice that, what good is it to have bright as #$@& head lights? |
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71 Javelin SST body
390 69 crank, 70 block & heads NASCAR SB2 rods & pistons 78 Jeep TH400 w/ 2.76 Low 50/50 Ford-AMC Suspension 79 F150 rear & 8.8 axles Ford Racing 3.25 gears & 9" /w Detroit locker |
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DaemonForce
AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/05/2012 Location: Olympia, WA Status: Offline Points: 1070 |
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Every time I see the word diffuser in a headlamp discussion I think of those dinky little B.O. switches on CJs.
The projectors should help quite a bit but seriously check your connections for VOLTAGE DROPS. I had this problem on my Eagle before tearing through the entire harness to update everything. I was getting no more than 11.4v at the brights when it should have been getting the 14v total. If you're running lamps at lower than their rated voltages, yeah they're going to look dim. If you're getting the kind of voltage drops I did, don't go to bigger gauge wire hoping for the best, use a relay. To further offset this kind of problem I went with an LED kit for the Eagle's low beams and will eventually go HID/Projectors for brights and foggers. The Javelin is getting HIDs. Right now my attention needs to go to illuminating the Eagle engine bay and drivetrain with diagnostic lamps and the wheel wells need rock lights like right now. |
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1971 Javelin SST
American 304 2v | FMX | AM20-3.31 1983 American Limited Jeep 4(.7)L S-MPFI | 1982 NWC T-5M (4.03/.76) | Dana30IFS/35-2.72 |
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billd
Moderator Group Forum Administrator Joined: Jun/27/2007 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 30894 |
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I did the headlight relay upgrade a couple of years back. I found I was dropping enough voltage it was only about 11 volts feeding the headlamps.
http://theamcforum.com/forum/eagle-heatlight-upgrade-relays_topic67272_post610194.html#610194 One thing I discovered is that now my lights are so bright even after properly aiming them I get people thinking I have the brights on and "flash" me with their lights. sorry, buddy, they are simply operating PROPERLY now at full luminosity. Note that with the sort of voltage drop I had with the factory wiring that was decades old and almost 200,000 miles old, I was running at LESS THAN HALF light output!! It's amazing how bright they are now and they don't blind people like those crazy light-house lamps people seem to insist on using. LED is fine, but get legal lights, don't kill someone with your desire to light up NYC with your car, and aim them. LED don't degrade over time as badly, keep their color, and take a lot less power to run. |
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tomj
AMC Addicted Joined: Jan/27/2010 Location: earth Status: Offline Points: 7555 |
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wow! i never did the math. power is voltage squared divided by resistance... yup! there you go. long ago my '63 Classic 550 Cross Country had the typical burned up headlamp switch and crappy old headlamp wiring, and thinking i'd upgrade, installed Cibie Z-Beams. hmm not much improvement? ... measured the voltage *at the lamp* and it was under 12! in that car, i put the relays up near the driver side headlamps, out of the path of road water and dirt, wired the headlamp power to the coils and ran a new, fat hot wire to the relays. instant and permanent improvement. you didn't mention the further advantage that having the headlamp switch powering relays and not headlamps means that headlamp contact wear no longer matters; the relays are low-power and less fussy to boot. (btw, the cleanliness of your chassis and under-hood is fairly awe inspiring.) |
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1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto
1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com |
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990V8
AMC Addicted Joined: Oct/07/2016 Location: Gloucestershire Status: Offline Points: 789 |
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Mmm, hadn't realised the radical effect of voltage drop.
I'd better attend to the wiring before I buy any more shiny toys. Thankyou. Ivor |
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63 Canadian Ambo 990 V8 327
74 LandRover Lightweight V8 SIII Shopping Trolley |
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Pdok
Supporter of TheAMCForum Joined: Apr/03/2011 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 1025 |
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Agreed on the relay. Have done that mod on 3 old cars/trucks now, and it noticeably improved brightness from standard headlights on all of them. Separate relays for low and high beams.
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76 Grem X 258/904,4.0 head/MPFI, Comp X250H cam, Hughes springs, Clifford header, serpentine swap.
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farna
Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19692 |
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A couple relays and a little time wiring will be a lot less than $80 a headlight ($59.99 English pounds = $80.39)!! Unless you're paying someone to do the wiring... then it could be a little more With a voltage drop to the LED projector headlights you will probably have more light then the old sealed beams, but still not the max from the LEDs.
I looked at LED headlights as an upgrade for my car about 3-4 years ago. They were a bit higher then, around $100 each. Settled for a removable bulb halogen with a better reflector and polycarbonate lens. I had been running sealed beam halogens, which were fine, I just like the looks of the newer ones better, and price was reasonable... $40 a pair, I think... All four are high/low beams now, and I have them wired to light all four low beams. That causes a bit of an issue, as occasionally someone thinks they are on bright when not and flash me, but only a few. Seems some remember that only two lights were on when dim, four when bright. Not sure if it's a law, but I have never been stopped for it. Edited by farna - Nov/29/2017 at 7:43am |
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Frank Swygert
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farna
Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19692 |
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Hmm... looked up the US standard for headlights and found this:
S6.1.3.5.2 Horizontal headlamp arrangement. S6.1.3.5.2.1 Where multiple headlamps with single light sources are installed in a horizontal orientation the lower beam must be provided by the most outboard headlamp. S6.1.3.5.2.2 Where headlamps with two horizontally oriented light sources are installed the lower beam must be provided by the outboard light source or by all light sources. So I'm probably illegal since I have four headlights and all provide a low beam. S6.1.3.5.2.2 seems to say that there are only two headlights.. but then goes on to say that the "outboard light source" must be low beam, or all. Well, if there are only two, they are both "outboard", are they not?? With modern cars having lights of all kinds of different arrangements, no one really notices my lights are wired illegally though... and I bet there are few (if any!) cops who would know this requirement anyway... https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se49.6.571_1108 There is also a law against headlight covers when the headlights are on: "S6.2.3.1 When activated in the steady burning state, headlamps (excluding headlamps mounted on motorcycles) must not have any styling ornament or other feature, such as a translucent cover or grill, in front of the lens." This is often ignored as well... Edited by farna - Nov/29/2017 at 7:57am |
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Frank Swygert
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304-dude
AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/29/2008 Location: Central Illinoi Status: Offline Points: 9082 |
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Farna, state laws govern over what is considered mandatory by federal laws. Federal laws are requirements for sale in the states. State laws can make some limits to how far a manufacturer can push the federal limits in the guidelines. Maximum number of functional headlights is 4. Fog lights cannot be on with driving lights or low beams, but some older cars do not override the function. Year specifics are lost by state guidelines so some things fall in the cracks. All four headlights can be on with only lows or only highs, but not in a mix. If you were to mix high on the outer with lows on the inner then you would be illegal. Can be done, just no reason why. My cousin would push California state laws with his truck. Made over 15 laws in reaction to his mods through the years. What he did was go through easy law on vehical requirements and push them to the point of having to correct loop holes. At one time he would weld double frames to allow bumper height and frame clearance to keep his truck from being registered as off road. Lights were one thing he did get In trouble for, he flashed his 8 off road lights when a car with brights would not turn hem off... it just so happens to be a Sheriff. Out came a pair of diagonal cutters. Snip snip, snip snip! |
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71 Javelin SST body
390 69 crank, 70 block & heads NASCAR SB2 rods & pistons 78 Jeep TH400 w/ 2.76 Low 50/50 Ford-AMC Suspension 79 F150 rear & 8.8 axles Ford Racing 3.25 gears & 9" /w Detroit locker |
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