Who wants brighter headlights?

[Kern Dog]

Did I also miss what type bulb a Hella brand light uses?

Hella H4 100/80WTB Hella High Wattage Series Halogen Light Bulbs | Summit Racing

 

[themechanic]

Hella H4 100/80WTB Hella High Wattage Series Halogen Light Bulbs | Summit Racing

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I seem to recall seeing posts about using the Hella shell and installing other types of bulbs. LEDs, for example.

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

I seem to recall seeing posts about using the Hella shell and installing other types of bulbs. LEDs, for example.

Yes, there are several LEDs offered as replacements for H4s, will fit any housings designed for H4s. Issue is, that for most of these cars, they are too bulky on the backside and will not fit into the buckets without cutting holes in the fender structure behind the buckets. In that regard, the Holley Retrobrights don’t have this added backside bulk, fit without modifications.

 

[OzCharger69]

Back 5 years I switched to Narva H4 55/100W on the low beams and H1 100W on the high beams. I did my own wiring/relays. The difference was huge and better lighting than my modern car. I didn't want the modern light pattern of an LED. I was lucky enough that light was pointing in the right direction.

 

[Kern Dog]

The light pattern of these bulbs seems fine, I just need to aim them right.
I may have figured a way to do it here. If I put the car with the back tires at the edge of the slab….

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Rolling out the tape…

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I’m just over 16 feet to the cabinets.

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I just bought a sheet of plywood to use as a “wall” To aim Against.
More later ….

I made stands from scrap wood…

This will allow me to aim the headlights in the limited space in the shop.

I think it could work on a sloped road if both the car and the plywood are at the same angle. The headlights in Jigsaw are 25 3/8” to center. It sits slightly higher than Ginger, the red car. The bottom of the plywood is 10 1/2” up from the slab so there is plenty of surface to shine on.

I’ll mark the vertical centerline (4 feet) which will align with the center ridge in the hood.
This all comes apart and the plywood can be tacked to a wall for easy storage.

I’ll see if I can make this work tonight.

 

[DeltaV]

How much gas in the tank when you check the lights?

 

[Bird 426]

OMG

 

[Kern Dog]

Fuel level ?
The firmer the springs, the less it matters.
I’m curious about how the beams align with each other. I suspect that the left low beam is lower than the others.
It is a little bit before dark. I mocked up a few things. First, you need a way to aim straight forward. The ridge in the hood is a great reference. There are two ways I know of to do this, both related to my time in construction. I could run a string line or….,

DeWalt laser level. I started using these around 2019. They sure are more convenient than a 6 foot level.

I centered the yellow line on the hood ridge.

Using a piece of cardboard as a marker, you can see where the red line is and adjust the laser accordingly.

Now at the front edge of the hood.

The plywood can then be shifted to the left or right to get the laser to run down the 4 foot mark.

Since the center is the reference point for the layout of the 4 lamps, I don’t mind marking the plywood. For the horizontal mark, that will vary from car to car since ride heights will vary.

 

[Kern Dog]

I need to measure from the hood center to the center of each headlight.
This will then be transferred to the plywood. Masking tape here will help.
The plywood stand sits on hard rubber mats…

I will deduct the thickness of them from the measured height of the headlights. They are 9/16” thick.
Using spring clamps and string line…

I could also put a wood screw into the plywood if I wanted. I now have a horizontal point to target. Next is each individual headlight.
It sure is taking awhile to get dark.

 

[j-c-c-62]

The goal here was not just headlights aimed properly but also brighter.

Focusing the available light where it is needed and useful rather than scattering it about will in most cases at the least increase the perceived brightness.

 

[j-c-c-62]

Look up daniel stern lighting. He is a self proclaimed lighting expert that I used to update all the lighting on my cars. He has a really nice write up on his website on how to properly aim these lights. He goes by slantsixdan over on forabodiesonly For a smart guy he has a low tolerance for being questioned, based on my experience

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

 

[Kern Dog]

I made some preliminary adjustments.

I found that the left headlights were not the exact same distance off the center as the right. The drivers side were at 20 1/2” for the high beam and 26 3/4” for the low/high.
The right side was 20 1/8” and 26 1/8”. I’ve never measured these before so some variance is probably within tolerances.
These headlights do not have a pin point in the light pattern to use as a reference. Aiming them was like trying to center a 3+ foot diameter bright spot that gently dimmed outside that range. Like an idiot, I got caught up and took no pictures. The low beam patterns looked like this:

The high beams were just a wall of light. Like the low beams, I tried to center the brightest area in the markings I made on the plywood.

The lenses on these headlights are only slightly convex unlike a standard sealed beam that has a noticeable dome to them. I don’t know if those headlight aimer tools would work unless they attach to the outer rim of the bulbs.
I left the reference marks on the plywood. I’ll drive the car tonight and if they seem fine, I’ll put the stuff away. If not, setup won’t take long. I’d just have to pull back in and position the plywood at centerline again.

 

[DeltaV]

1970 Dodge Charger Factory Service Manual:

PRE-AIMING INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Test dimmer switch operation.
(2) Observe operation of high beam indicator
light mounted in instrument cluster.
(3) Inspect for badly rusted or faulty headlight assemblies. These conditions must be corrected before a satisfactory adjustment can be made.
(4) Place vehicle on a level floor.
(5) Adjust front suspension height as necessary.
(6) Inspect tire inflation.
(7) Rock vehicle sideways to allow vehicle to
assume its normal position.
(8) If gasoline tank is not full, place a weight in trunk of vehicle to simulate weight of a full tank (6-1/4 pounds per gallon).
(9) There should be no other load in vehicle other than driver or substituted weight of approximately 150 pounds placed in driver's position.
(10) Remove each headlight trim panel. Do not remove sealed beam retainer rims.
(11) Thoroughly clean headlight lenses.

 

[j-c-c-62]

150lbs?

Those were the days

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks Delta. That does help.
I do have to state that with people in the car and a full tank of gas the car doesn’t settle much.

Low beam after tonight’s adjustment:

Even pattern, no hot spots. Before, the left headlight aimed low and to the outside. Not anymore.

 

[Kern Dog]

High beams.

Not bad. I wish there was a little more light to the sides but with the way the lights are recessed in the grille, That may be hard to achieve.
If I had one of these….

…. Maybe the light to the sides would be better.
I did order 80-100 bulbs though.
More to come.

 

[DeltaV]

Two, 100W bulbs on a 12V system is approximately 17 Amps. That's a lot of juice for your wiring/etc.

 

[j-c-c-62]

I do have to state that with people in the car and a full tank of gas the car doesn’t settle much.

Not sure we or anyone should today consider your car being sprung as normal, ideal maybe, but not normal.

 

[71RRHI]

I have to applaud you for all the effort you put into adjusting your headlights. You are a person who seeks perfection, in the projects you undertake.

 

[Kern Dog]

I have to applaud you for all the effort you put into adjusting your headlights. You are a person who seeks perfection, in the projects you undertake.

Ha, you're too kind. Perfection ? Not really, just better than average I guess. I wanted safer and better night vision.
As a comparison, note the glowing spot from the left with the way the lights were before:

That was the left low beam aimed too low. With today's adjustment:

Pardon the blurry image but you can see a more even spread of light in the pattern now.