electrical and ignition Lights need help? Restore, relamp, upgrades!

[MoBrighta]

Many of you know me for my work with headlights, tail light restoration and upgrades. Well, I don't want to leave 'Neue Klasse' folks out in the dark, the cold, wherever.

 

For a short while (before he broke and sold it), my brother had an 1800, a funky endearing little car, but I never did get to drive it.  If you have to know, he separated the drive shaft in the 1800 by dumping the clutch in a failed attempt at a burnout... with several passengers to witness. He went on to break his Moto Guzzi, his leg, even an Allis Chalmers bull dozer.  My brother had a peculiar talent for finding the mechanical limits of things, and then exceeding them.

 

I recently have completed some work on E9 coupes- 2000, 2500, 3.0CSi, etc, a Bavaria 3.0Si, and have some 2002 stuff coming from a dealer in LA, with a possible partnership in the works.  I thought, why not the other oldsters, the NK stuff?  Hey, I'm just trying to help, and nobody needs their vintage Bimmer to run with dim lights... front or rear.

 

As virtually all of my work so far has been 12V stuff, I am looking forward with a little trepidation to the day some one asks about 6V headlight or tail light bulbs. My first decent set of headlights - Marchal Amplilux, with separate lamps and reflectors for high and low beams - had to run with 6V H1 and H3 lamps!  It was in a 1962 VW Typ 1, sorry, but I do not consider it my first car... remember their ad campaign, "It's not a car, it's a Volkswagon."  My first REAL car was a 1972 2002 #2582401, retired locally with over 500K.

 

My second car and DD is an 86 E28 535i, currently up around 397K.Both are running with modified rear lights - three tails and two brakes each side, plus center brake light.  With these lights, the idiots stayed BACK. Before the lights, the 2002 was totaled 5 times.  I just kept bending it straight and driving it! I love German steel.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to put this out there and see if there is anything I can do to help the NK crowd. Perhaps someone needs to restore their lighting equipment as part of a restoration project, even if it's only to clean them up and make them shiny on the INSIDE, where it really counts, so folks following you will keep their distance.

 

Let me know what kind of help you need, and feel free to ask me anything.

Thanks for the opportunity to help you keep these classics on the road.

 

Andy

Edited July 16, 2016 by MoBrighta
edits for clarification

[jerryasi]

Hey Andy when are getting the 7 inch lamps with euro running lights?

[MoBrighta]

Hey Jerry,

These are notoriously slow getting here from Germany, Poland, Australia, or wherever they get them.  I assume you're talking about the Hella Super H4 lights?

 

Hella is all over the world, as you know, and the last time I spoke with the importer he said the company was moving the production site to another country... and he was afraid they were a low priority for Hella.  He also said they may discontinue the version without a city light (4Watt running light typical inside the Euro lights).  You can always run the lamps without that bulb in them, if you don't want it.  That might be their thinking -- to save on two separate parts, eliminate the simpler casting without the socket for that small lamp.

 

Since it is Saturday, I will not be able to find out anything until at least Monday, I'll let you know.  Did you want me to let you know by email, or here in the NK forum, or back on the general discussion under the original headlight 'group buy' post?

[jerryasi]

I want the city light. Don't want to convert the euro turn indicators. Jerry 

[MoBrighta]

1 hour ago, jerryasi said:

I want the city light. Don't want to convert the euro turn indicators. Jerry 

As I would expect.

I'll let you know what I hear Monday, if  anything.

[MoBrighta]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 6:18 PM, jerryasi said:

Hey Andy when are getting the 7 inch lamps with euro running lights?

OK, Jerry- here is what I heard from the Hella warehouse today.

 

Hella is moving production of these lights to another location, as yet undisclosed.

Expected availability is months away. 

Nothing more specific than that, I'm afraid.

 

Anything 'NK' in your garage that I can help with meanwhile???

 

Andy

[Luis]

Andy, Do you have quality 6V bulbs with nickel (not brass) bases?  They're not easy to find.   

 

[MoBrighta]

2 hours ago, Luis said:

Andy, Do you have quality 6V bulbs with nickel (not brass) bases?  They're not easy to find.   

 

Yeah, you aren't kidding.  As I recall from my last effort, there's almost nothing high output for 6V lamps,

though nickel base shell should be available.

Let me get back to you, I'll ask my wholesale supplier.  What in particular are you looking for - brake, tail or everything?

Anything for headlights?
I suppose you are interested in high output, correct? 

 

UPDATE

OK, I just took a look on their website, and find the following bulbs for 6V applications, and they say ALL are nickel base. 

Country of origin- Germany and Asia, I'll ask which is which.

 

P21/5W, stop - tail lamp, std base- bay15d (pins offset)

P21W, brake, turn, and reverse lamp, std base- ba15s

R5W, standard tail lamp (dim), ba15s

R10W, higher output tail lamp, ba15s

C5W, license plate, dome lamp, (torpedo, unknown length)

T4W, side marker lamp, small base-ba9s

 

Email or PM me for any specific questions, needs, and model they would be used in.

Edited May 4, 2016 by MoBrighta
updates

[Luis]

I'm looking for bulbs all around except the headlights' P45t 45/40W as I have a few of those.  I don't want to go higher output on those and stress the just-adequate  6V electrics.  That leaves everything else including the small 4w headlamp city light bulb (and single filament blinker) since mine is Euro. 

[MoBrighta]

21 hours ago, Luis said:

I'm looking for bulbs all around except the headlights' P45t 45/40W as I have a few of those.  I don't want to go higher output on those and stress the just-adequate  6V electrics.  That leaves everything else including the small 4w headlamp city light bulb (and single filament blinker) since mine is Euro. 

OK, you must mean for the 1800.  I'll get back to you with pricing and delivery after I talk to my guys.

Andy

 

5 May UPDATE

 

Good news. 6V bulbs galore, even less $$ than the 12V stuff ... don't ask, I have no idea why.

Here is a quick list that should cover about all of it for 6V cars.  Ask if you need more detail.

Most are CPI brand, my standard for many years now, and 100% are tested before shipping.

T4W and C5W are German Osram (familiar to BMW owners).  Others are 'China' - sorry.

Most are available immediately!
 

T4W- the tiny side marker // headlight position markers (city light)

C5W- festoon (torpedo) 11x35 mm, 5W for some dome, license plate (Check your lamp length)

P21/5W- US Front turn/park, rear park/brake

P21W- Euro front turn, rear turn, reverse, brake

R5W- stock tail, trunk light, dim, 5W

R10W- brighter tail, trunk light, 10W

 

Most of these run $3-6 each, less than the high output 12V Lamps I sell tons of.

All of them have the required nickel plating on the shell.

Bulbs come with no warranty, but I will replace one if it fails quickly, good will.

I'd hate to have you driving without rear lights and then blame me!

 

 

Edited May 5, 2016 by MoBrighta

[Luis]

Let me inventory what my car and what I need and will PM you with my needs.  Thanks, Luis

[Luis]

Andy, my 1800 is currently in storage but will come out for an event sometime in the next two weeks.  I'll then inventory the bulb types and get back to you.

[MoBrighta]

HEADLIGHTS, REAR LIGHTS, ANYTHING lighting related to Neue Klasse cars?

 

7 Inch Round Dual Headlights

H4 Halogen high - low, with or without the 4W small "Front Position Light" or 'city light' are on order from Hella.  I HOPE they will be in soon, but they use the slowest boat on the ocean, so no telling.  I have some great high output H4 lamps, plus HO lamps for the city light, and have designed a wiring harness that plugs in to power that small bulb.  It's for a 2002, but could easily be adapted to the NK.  Includes both power and ground wiring plus terminals that plug in, screw on, connect very easily to make them work with parking lights.

 

5 Inch Round Quad Headlights

H1 Halogen to replace sealed beam lights for spectacular light output and beam spread, with Stock Wattage high oputput bulbs.

 

P45t Headlight lamp - Halogen Replacements

For really old lamps that are very dim - there are replacement lights that have grafted an H4 halogen lamp onto the older style base, and for another 10 or 20 watts provide mind-bogglingly bright headlights without smoking the wiring harness.

 

Rear Lights

Vertical or horizontal, these can be restored and upgraded to keep you and your rear end safe.  Brighter, shinier, more reliable, and what is wrong with that?  Nothing that I am aware of.

 

Give me a challenge already!  Let's do this, and keep these old classics on the road, where they belong.  Embarrass an old guy in a Porsche while you blind him with your brake lights, or a high beam flash!  Then, pass him in a corner or out-brake him at the end of the straight ... oh, my - I am getting glassy-eyed ...  (illegal or rude behavior is neither condoned nor encouraged - let's be nice out there)

 

Anyone?

[MoBrighta]

On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 10:22 AM, Luis said:

Andy, my 1800 is currently in storage but will come out for an event sometime in the next two weeks.  I'll then inventory the bulb types and get back to you.

Hey Luis-

 

How did the event go- did you make it out?

Did you get that bulb list for me?

Any issues with the lights being dim, either all of them or just one or two?

 

Just trying to help you "Be Seen, and Not Hurt"

 

Andy

[MoBrighta]

UPDATE

 

Early last year I built a 'device' to upgrade rear light output, specifically for one circuit -- BRAKES.  This was sent out and was to be tested, but sadly the test vehicle was damaged, and the project stalled.

 

The 'Device' was built to double voltage output to the brake light to utilize high output 12 Volt lamps in the brake lights.  I have asked the tester to return it, so after a review of its performance, I am again inviting 6V Car owners to apply for this job.   It is set up for plug in installation, no wire cutting or other alterations of the car's wiring or anything.  I will also provide the high output lamps for use in the brake lights. 

 

Contact me if interested, and to answer your question before you ask it, YES, it is safe and will just about double the output of brake lights.  Current will be reduced to the lights, volts doubled, and watts should be about the same.  The benefit of course would be a better chance of 'startling' the following driver into braking when you do, and hopefully increasing the odds they will stop before physical contact (i.e. crashing into you).

 

I am also working on restoration of some NK lights to help increase output from optical restoration of the reflectors, lenses, etc.  Open to addressing all models with a 6 Volt system.

 

Anyone out there with dim rear lights???