Headlights... again

A

amajamark8

Registered
Hello all,

I am a Mark VIII newbie and very happy to be here. (See my post in General Discussions) I have read many of the posts regarding the Gen 1 headlamps. Of course, I have the same problem. But I have a question that I have not seen posted here. Why are the low beam and the high beam bulbs the same? Since they don't come on at the same time, why are the high beams brighter than low beams? I thought someone had screwed up mine, them I checked the book and found out that are supposed to be the same! I must get the lighting situation straightened out pronto!...Get's dark out here at night!....Thanks in advance!

Jon
 
RE: Headlights... again

In the low beam side of the headlight there is a metal piece that sits in front of the bulb and that makes the difference between the high and low beams. if you ever look at a 9006 bulb it has the black tip, I think the metal piece that sits in front of the 9005 bulbs on our cars makes the effect pretty much the same.

I hope I made sense.
 
RE: Headlights... again

But wouldn't you basically have highbeams then?

I have one side of my car with the highbeams and then the other side has a 3051? (from early 90's cutlass, camaro, grandprix) in the highbeam slot. It doesn't look that pretty but I can see enough to drive to and from work.
 
RE: Headlights... again

Can the headlights be wired to have the low and high beams come on at the same time? Would it even help at all?

Jon
 
RE: Headlights... again

They can be wired to come on at the same time, and that should provide improvement, but i don't know exactly how to do it (safely).

When i had my '94 i pulled out the metal piece in front of the low beam bulb. And i drove around with the brights on most of the time. And i never got flashed.

One of the main problems with the headlights is heat. The heat from the bulbs burns the reflective material in the housing and the lens, and you can't see as well any more. Since most people drive around with their low beams on more than their highs, the lows get real bad and the highs remain almost acceptable.
 
RE: Headlights... again

I don't care if they burst into flames...I just need to see!!!

Seriously, if you can take out the metal pieces and wire both lamps to come on at the same time on High, that may halp a lot.

Anyone ever wire them that way? Safely?

Jon
 
RE: Headlights... again

The problem with this is that the solution you are seeking like many mark 8 lighting solutions is only temporary. Makes sense, if you start using the high beams and low beams together the amount of heat, which will be incredibly hot compared to normal low beams or high beams alone will burn out the reflective coating even faster than if you just drove with the high beams on. You are best off driving with your high beams on for now, no one will notice lol! Then your next step is replacement oem halogens or replacement hid's which are $1000 new and you can get on ebay or the board for usuaully around $600, this is the only permanent solution to the lighting problem. Other than that you have driving lights/fog lights that you can mount behind the grill or under the bumper or what not, they make a world of difference, good luck!!
 
RE: Headlights... again

Whoa John that’s a crazy looking setup with the lights below the licence plate holder!!

Second, removing the black metal piece from the headlights will NOT increase your light output significantly. I have removed the so called shroud about 2 years ago there was no visible difference in light output and the pattern of the lights has changed a little. Since then my headlight assemblies have deteriorated even more, if anything the assembly i left untouched is now brighter than the one i modified. I suggest getting high temperature reflective paint and opening up the assemblies and coating the interior.
 
RE: Headlights... again

... and you get glare and heat and ....

pointless, if you have your old gen1 housings. They are the problem, not the bulbs. So unless you plan on doing something to the relfector and the lens, this is not the solution. You can try the x1010 auxilary kit, but I read mixed reviews on this kit from reliable sources. After all, it's the same company that builds our lights ...
 
RE: Headlights... again

I agree. Those housings aren't worth investing in. I just replaced my deeply fried driver's side housing with a used one. It's better, like my passenger side, marginal at best.

I did an experiment with the cooked housing. I tried removing the deflector thing. It can be done, but getting it out without doing damage to the reflector in the housing would be near impossible. The bulb-hole is way smaller than the deflector.

Anyway, I threw some Silverstars in, it's a little brighter, a little whiter, than the bulbs that were in there. It's by no means great! The low beams are USELESS!

Oh, by the way, I tried the lens cleaning and polishing stuff you can get on Ebay! I don't think it did much to the clarity of the lens. I think it's just two different polishing compounds, like a plastic polish. It's NOT miracle technology!

The lighting is still pitiful, I'm thinking of PLAN B. Who out there has used some aftermarket driving lights that are inexpensive and small enough to go behind the grille? (I have seen other posts.) Does the installation of lights hamper the airflow through the radiator enough to worry about?

Isn't it funny that such sub-par OEM illumination doesn't fall into the realm of Safety Recall? Oh, Well...I'll just keep my million candlepower flashlight on the passenger's seat...;)


Jon
 
RE: Headlights... again

I have a pair of mini driving lights mounted behind the grill of my Mark VIII and they help a good bit with no adverse heat problems. I installed them a couple of years ago while waiting for my HIDs to arrive from Dennis. They were a great help then and still help now, even with the HIDs. A pair of good quality driving lights mounted either in the bumper cover or under the front plate holder would be much better.
The HID kit listed in the previous post would be very expensive, it looks like about $2,000 for bulbs and ballasts. I think that's a bit rich for most of us.

MotoMel
 
RE: Headlights... again

I just finished mounting a pair of Hella FF75 driving lamps behind the grill. Wow, what a difference. No pics yet, but others here have done the same with various lamps.
 
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