Hid headlights?

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

The lighting that will be going on the front of my Jimmy project, all NOS Marchal:
Attachment 1245010
...and a mock up rendering of what it should look like:
Attachment 1245011
(Sorry MixerMike, I needed a dead on donor photo with a slant nose and a roll pan)

All on, it should project a precisely focused beam a mile and a half, no HID or LED lighting will that.

Why does anyone need a that to drive at night? That's just crazy. I guessing maybe out west on some of the long straights they may be needed but out here in the east coast it would be a big waste of money and time.

[TDH1989]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

55/100s should be fine, use ceramic sockets and make sure you have good ventilation around the reflectors, oh and don't drive around with your high beams on all the time when you are doing stopped or doing 10 MPH, you should be fine. Hellas are very good reflectors, a better beam than any sealed beam. There are a handfull better (and a lot more expensive) and dozens and dozens worse.

What in your opinion is the best globe to buy for our trucks that will give off the most light?

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

Why does anyone need a that to drive at night? That's just crazy. I guessing maybe out west on some of the long straights they may be needed but out here in the east coast it would be a big waste of money and time.

All depends on how you drive, at 80 mph your ability to see an obstruction, identify what it is, your reaction plus stopping distance is around 1/4 mile, at 100 it's almost double, and that is in clear air, dry roads and with good brakes. The best of modern OEM headlights will barely give you enough time to react. Do I make a habit of driving 100 mph on a daily basis? no, but 80? yea pretty often. Once you drive a vehicle with really good lighting, aimed where it's supposed to be aimed, night driving is a whole other world and if used responsibly and correctly will never bother another driver.

If you belive that there is no place on the East Coast that such lighting would be useful, then that is not how you drive. I lived all up and down the East Coast for years and can think of dozens of places that have a terrain that just seems to suck the light out of the air, a fair bit of them in the Carolinas. There is nothing, to me anyways, as exciting as driving spirtedly through a forest road on a cool crisp night where the trees meet over the top and obscure the sky with far reaching lighting that turns that road into an illuminated tunnel. That is the stuff that makes you feel alive, where the machine has created a surreal situation that shouldn't exist, but for you at that moment, it does.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by TDH1989

What in your opinion is the best globe to buy for our trucks that will give off the most light?

Obviously I'm a Marchal fan, but Marchal hasn't made aftermarket lighting in 30 years, still in my opinion the best there ever was. Cibie is 2nd, still made but limited dealers in the US. Both Cibie and Marchal are French and ultimately ended up being owned by the same company Valeo. The French took automotive lighting very very seriously doing all kinds of government funded tests and studies to create optimum lighting to drive by. Before the advent of aerodynamic lighting specific to particular vehicles virtually all high end European vehicles came with Marchal lighting, Ferrari, Astin Martin, Porsche, didn't matter country of origin and inspite of the fact that Italy Germany and England had their own performance lighting manufactures.

Machals are very sharply focused and on a night with a lot of particles in the air create this plane of light (when aimed correctly) that extends from just below your hood out to what seems like forever, where everything below that line is lit and you see down into that light which just makes it seem that much more intense because your eyes are still adjusted to the dark. The right side of that plane jumps up to illuminate the signs on the side of the road which seem to just explode with light like they were back lit. This is the charactoristic of E-Code lighting or the type of lighting that comes on every vehicle sold in Europe. The plane definition is not quite as sharp in Cibie and the definition softer still with Hella. It's all what you like. The Marchals take getting used to, the plane is so sharp that the bounce of your suspension can make some people feel a little sea sick until they get used to them, they're like that new pair of glasses that is drastically different than your last pair.

The science behind the French lighting is better, however the Hellas are probably manufactured better. Both the Cibie and Marchals reflectors will dull over time and the harsher the environment the faster that happens, both are similar. If I was in the Midwest or East Coast I'd probably be more likely to buy Hella for an often driven vehicle.

Be aware, in most respects the E-Code lighting is a much better driving experience than the US DOT spec of throwing most light low and the rest wherever. But US street signs are where they are because that is how our lighting is. Overhead, unilluminated cross street signs or high corner post cross street signs are invisable with E-Code lighting, even some US highways and other marked routes will put unlit route guidence signs above the road on cables, you'll never know they are there. Anyway that's what GPS is for.

[Custom 68]

interesting reading I did some quick googling to see the e code lights, I will need to study them more.
Have you looked into the new (and expensive) led lighting?

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by Custom 68

interesting reading I did some quick googling to see the e code lights, I will need to study them more.
Have you looked into the new (and expensive) led lighting?

I have but the tech is very expensive and not very evolved yet. LEDs are just now becoming enough to be a replacement for regular headlights and are nowhere near what good halogen aux lighting can do. LEDs are pretty much direct focus devices, HID is completely unfocused, neither at this point has a directable hot spot you can aim.

[Andy4639]

I have to say that yes I do a lot of night time driving and have lived here in the Carolina's all my life. There are very few roads in which I would want to drive at 100 MPH are even 80 MPH in the Carolina's for any long amount of time (EXCLUDING INTERSTATES) in my truck at night anyways. I have driven the tiger tail several times and almost all the scenic routes in the mt's of the Carolina's and yes I do like to drive my truck a little harder than most. Mostly in daylight though! The picture you paint as far as the tunnel are very rare and as long as it's dark enough and the tree's are low enough and have enough foliage that will happen no matter what kind of lights are in your truck!

skorpioskorpio,
I'm not arguing what you are saying, just saying the majorty of people want ever buy it no matter how much they drive at night. Most want even put the relays in their trucks! I have some good lights for what I have and have never had a problem with seeing at night other than my eyes aren't near as good as they once where.
If that was your truck in the picture 2 thumbs up on it! I like the look of it.
That is a good looking truck from what I can see of it.
Are the those real holes in the bumper are just shadows. If real what are they for. Cooling are intake? What is going on with the top of the bumper?





Here is a not so good night shot of the headlights. Sorry about the golf cart being in the way but you can still see the differance it makes. These are just relay's and the bulbs I posted earlier.
You can just barely make out the lights in my neighbors house across the street. Then with the lights on low.

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by DreamRyder1963

Also cheap in mind that a true HID bulbs are $100 a piece to replace. If you get a non sealed unit with 9003 or H4 bulbs you will be able to find one readily are at reasonable cost. I have 9003 ZXE (good white lights) bulbs in my 71 and I have more than enough light at night. All my vehicles will be getting them soon.

This is not true. Your referencing high $ hids not true hids. They can be had for as little as $40 a pair

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

I have to say that yes I do a lot of night time driving and have lived here in the Carolina's all my life. There are very few roads in which I would want to drive at 100 MPH are even 80 MPH in the Carolina's for any long amount of time (EXCLUDING INTERSTATES) in my truck at night anyways. I have driven the tiger tail several times and almost all the scenic routes in the mt's of the Carolina's and yes I do like to drive my truck a little harder than most. Mostly in daylight though! The picture you paint as far as the tunnel are very rare and as long as it's dark enough and the tree's are low enough and have enough foliage that will happen no matter what kind of lights are in your truck!

skorpioskorpio,
I'm not arguing what you are saying, just saying the majorty of people want ever buy it no matter how much they drive at night. Most want even put the relays in their trucks! I have some good lights for what I have and have never had a problem with seeing at night other than my eyes aren't near as good as they once where.
If that was your truck in the picture 2 thumbs up on it! I like the look of it.
That is a good looking truck from what I can see of it.
Are the those real holes in the bumper are just shadows. If real what are they for. Cooling are intake? What is going on with the top of the bumper?


Here is a not so good night shot of the headlights. Sorry about the golf cart being in the way but you can still see the differance it makes. These are just relay's and the bulbs I posted earlier.
You can just barely make out the lights in my neighbors house across the street. Then with the lights on low.

I lived in Charleston for a while and there was a road from there to Hilton Head that was pretty happening. Also that area of North Carolina through the endless pines also an awesome road, not tree covered but still cool. I don't know if they are still doing it but the problem with SC was you didn't know who the cops were, I got pulled over twice when I lived there, once by a Ferrari and once by a limo. It's a strange place.

The "pic" of mine is a photoshop concept shot I did up, my truck is currently in pieces being built, frame is at the fabricators. The original image the pic is derived from is of a members truck that isn't even a GMC. I needed a straight on pic of a 67-68 with a cowl hood and a rollpan, the original image is of a very pretty blue truck built by MixerMike, mine will be silver with a black main stripe and a dark magenta/scarlet secondary stripe. The plan is to use a pair of sectioned repop bumpers from a '67 Camaro over a roll pan (same in the rear, though it might be '69 bumpers in the rear, they have more rise for the plate and space is tight between the tailgate and the tag recess. The bumpers will offer some body work protection and hide the line beween the grill and pan since one will be chromed and the other painted so I won't be able to weld them together. The "holes" will be dimpled holes to get air off the airdam and into the radiator as obviously I'm blocking a lot of the grill airflow. If you look at my build thread I've also grafted '70s Trans Am extractors into the fenders to let that air back out. It's all starting to get a bit of a Pontiac flavor to it, which considering GMC were very often sold on the same lot as Pontiacs, I think it's kind of slick.

With E-Codes my lights on low beam would light up that house across the street but not the roof or the trees behind it and maybe not even all the way up the face of the house, the line would be sharp and distinct and extend to the left and continue that distinct line onto the front fender of the Tahoe at about trim level. The golf cart would be right where the ramp up to the right happens and would be brilliantly lit. On high beam the house would be brightly lit, the trim brilliantly white, and still not all that much on the roof. The outer driving lights would add distinct definition to the brick as it creates back shadows in the tuck pointing, and the inner spots would frame the house in a halo of light and project a long shadow of the house into the trees behind it. There would also probably be a ghostly figure of a pissed off neighbor in the front yard.

Sadly there isn't a lot of tree canopies here in So Cal lots of roads through the desert layed out with a 400 mile chalk line snap and the sort of roads like my little designated test track which snakes up into the hills with gardern walls on both sides then along the ridge, down through a canyon and back home, 10 miles and about 150 turns, bumper to bumper in spots during the day and practically abandoned at night. The views from the ridge are literally common movie scenery. ...and no you won't hit 100 mph there, you'd need a Formula 1 car and a Stig to hit 100 anywhere on that loop.

[Custom 68]

Can we get these E code lights as a retrofit on our trucks? I have added new lights and don't remember which bulb replacement I went with but they do work good but I do like bright lights. And those that are crisp.

[Old Chevy Mech]

Been a while since I've cruised the boards! I've got no problem with the headlights not being bright enough. The problem I have is my headlights are failing in 6 -12 months!

I have the relay in so I am getting 14+ volts. What voltage should I have at the headlight? I'm thinking the voltage I have there is too high.

perplexed....

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by Custom 68

Can we get these E code lights as a retrofit on our trucks?

Absolutely! There are plenty of cheaper ones but stick with quality and you won't be disappointed. Hellas are easy to find and a decent lamp. You have to look a bit harder and pay a little more for Cibies but they have a better light pattern and would be my choice. They should come standard with quality brand-name 55/60W H4 bulbs which are more than adequate for most applications.

If you decide to upgrade your bulbs, make sure it's an upgrade, made by a known manufacturer and no blue bulbs. Good info here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by Old Chevy Mech

Been a while since I've cruised the boards! I've got no problem with the headlights not being bright enough. The problem I have is my headlights are failing in 6 -12 months!

I have the relay in so I am getting 14+ volts. What voltage should I have at the headlight? I'm thinking the voltage I have there is too high.

perplexed....

You should be getting no more than the 14 volts. The lights shouldn't see anything more than the relay's. You may see less though.

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