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Lights - repairing, restoring, upgrading


MoBrighta

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Since I keep getting messages and email asking if I still do this, I thought it would make sense to repost.

YES, I still am repairing, restoring, and upgrading lights for 2002s and related cars, front and rear.

 

Lights I currently have in the shop or have restored and designed upgrades for include 2002 round, square and Touring, E3 Bavaria 3.0Si, E9 3.0CSi,  E21 and E30 threes, E12, E28, E39 fives, E24 sixes, E23 and E32 sevens, and the odd VW, Audi, and Mercedes Benz. 

 

And my latest restoration, a rare 1967 GLAS / BMW 1600 GT, one of 1255 made, and one of very few remaining on the road!!!  They sell for over $80K on occasion.

 

Also have done several center brake light installations, including an all red 2002 round tail light converted for package shelf-mounted center brake light use, Hella LED and tungsten filament lamped center brake lights, both interior and exterior mount, even grafted a Mercedes Benz center brake light into a Saturn (for the wife's old car, long since down the road).

 

I have re-tinted and repaired round lenses, repaired center contacts that were broken, and stripped (bead blasting) and restored silver reflectors to enhance the light output. Now with all this you will have at least a fighting chance to be seen from behind, and avoid having some BDBH send another 2002 to the body shop -- or worse.

 

Latest developments include:

Relay-powered triple-tail-light, double-brake-light conversions for 3, 5 and 6 series lights;

Hella 'modern' H1 and H4 headlights for both small and large diameter applications, with city lights;

Amber tinted high output lamps for clear turn signals, with or without parking light;

Legalization of cheap 'imported' plastic lights with clear or smoke lenses and oddly colored lamps;

Octopus design to bypass ALL contacts and metal parts (corrosion) between harness and lamp in E28 fives.

 

Franz, my 1986 535i, has a monster conversion to triple tails, triple brakes, and flashing side markers.  And since you were about to ask- NO the tail light is not also a brake light, I have a solution with no risk of melting the lens, it employs another part of the light as a third brake.  It is quite red, matching the other two perfectly.

 

As my wife says, I tend to think outside the pizza box; my 'Auto-Hippo-Cratic Oath' is: "First, harm no wires or lenses."

 

I look forward to your questions and comments. 

 

Thanks!

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Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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Jake- this is a really common problem with 6 Volt cars.  The high output bulbs I use are all for 12 V systems; however, there are several things we can do to maximize the light output from a 6V system, including restoring and re-lamping the lights.  One of the things I do regularly is to pester my lamp suppliers for anything high output for a 6V car, but we may need to think outside the box.  I think it's time to pester them once again.

 

As I sit here, things occur to me that may provide a solution - such as converting a circuit (pair of lamps) to 12 V within a 6 V system, using the magic of relays.  We can discuss the possibilities off line, and if a solution is developed, share it on the forum.  There is no 'Check Panel' to worry about, so this opens up a range of options. 

 

Get in touch with me by email, and I'll share what I know from former research on this topic; you're not the first one to ask.  I'll look into other options as well, and see how it's done commercially. I understand some commercial vehicles use a 24V starter in a 12V system by switching batteries from series to parallel.  It should be quite simple if the circuit uses only 5 amps, like for instance a brake light circuit.
 

Andy

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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Andy, you might go looking in the antique car milieu, as almost all US cars (and many European ones) built before 1954 or so are 6 volt, and have even dimmer brake and tail lights than our '02s.  I suspect there are 6 volt LED bulbs already available--somewhere.

 

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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I am also interested in restored lens (2002). I have several sets of good lens. Please let me know your process, cost. The drivers side lens as a bulb burn in the driving light (parking light) can that be repaired too?  

Look forward to hearing from you, --- Mike

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28 minutes ago, 73Mike said:

I am also interested in restored lens (2002). I have several sets of good lens. Please let me know your process, cost. The drivers side lens as a bulb burn in the driving light (parking light) can that be repaired too?  

Look forward to hearing from you, --- Mike

Process is very simple- for a bleached out light, I take them apart, restore the 'red' to match the rest of the lens, and 'glue' them back together.  This can be done with brake, tail and older red turns.

 

Sometimes a melted lens sector can be repaired, but not always.  The key is having the parts to replace any that are broken or damaged, and on occasion I reform the segments if they aren't too badly distorted.  Best possible answer it to have a broken light that I can salvage parts from and use them to repair a better but melted light. 

 

First thing, get in touch by email and send me pictures of the damage to your driver side light.  I may be better able to make a decision if I can see it.  Or ship it to me, and I'll look at it up close and personal.

 

Price depends on work done, around $25 or 30 and up.

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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OK, I was suspicious, but wanted to do some measuring and such before making the following statement with regards to the Glas/BMW 1600GT.
It has the same lights in back as an early 2002 - Same part number and everything!!! 

It sold for six figures ... to the left of the decimal.

 

Here is a video of an auction of a 1967, same year I am working on.  Look around, you'll find lots more video of this fantastic car.

 

 

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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2 hours ago, eurotrash said:

Being that brake lights are generally short burst, unless at a stop light... couldn't you add a capacitor or five, to the 6V board, so that it gives a bright 12v burst for just a few seconds until it discharges and the 6V takes over?  

I could, but what lamp would I use?  A 6V lamp with a 12V 'jolt' would be way over-driven, and likely fail quickly.  A 12V lamp would be fine until it dimmed and 'disappeared' from low voltage.  Either situation would be less than ideal. 

 

Next question - how would you charge the capacitor bank to provide 12V, given a 6V charging system?

 

Final question - what voltage would you expect from the regulator under typical operating conditions?  I don't have a 6V car in the yard any longer, it went up for sale when I received my 2002 as a college graduation gift in 1979.  Measurements and operating specifications are both welcome from anyone in the pool.

 

This final question goes out to all 6V folks- My local indy guy says 7.2V is the output expected from a 6V regulator, but he's only worked on 12V cars for the last 35 years.  I expect the specifications will give a range, maybe 6.8-7.4, and not a fixed voltage.  I suspect it is based on the battery's recommended charging voltage more than anything.

 

"Keep those cards and letters coming!"

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 11:30 AM, dasfrogger said:

Do you have a solution for extra bright bulbs for a 6-volt system? I am in need of more light for my 66, I really don't want to get rear ended.

Update- I found and ordered higher output wedge base lamps for instrument cluster, same style as the 12V lamps.  US number, 194.

Also found a few other 6V lamps for single and dual filament sockets. They list 32 cp for one of them, same as stock in 12V brake lights!

 

Still working on a clever device that may (if proven) allow use of 12V lamps (High output, 45 cp) in a 6V system... Keep your fingers crossed.

 

UPDATE #1 Friday, 31 March-

Picked up a critical component from Batteries Plus Bulbs this morning.  Will assemble the prototype over the  weekend...

 

UPDATE #2 Sunday, 2 April-

Built the prototype, tested it on an E30 light so I could load it with two bulbs in parallel, to simulate both brake lights on a 2002.

 

YES, they light BRIGHTLY, from a 6V power supply and my 'gadget' that adds another 6V.  So in conclusion, passed the first test successfully. Modern High Output 12V lamps can be used in a 6 Volt car, operating at or near full brightness (1/3 brighter than brand new stock lamps)

 

Second test - install in a 6V car, see if it works there with 12V bulbs under real world operating conditions.  I think this test should last a few weeks to be meaningful, under 'severe use' to stress the system and see what shakes out... 

 

Any Volunteers?  Please contact me by email, we'll arrange it off line, then report back here on the forum with results.

Edited by MoBrighta
update

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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  • 3 weeks later...

UPDATE #3-

Just ordered a bunch of 6 volt relays for this prototype, the 12 volt relays were whining about not enough voltage...

The prototype will be rated for 6V system voltage, required for reliability. 

 

With the parts fairly well defined, I think this gadget will go for around $60 per, with a pair of high output lamps.

The basis is one pair of brake lights.  Additional work (restoration, for example) will be extra.

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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Update #4- Life test results

 

I wanted to see what kind of life I could get from the gadget under steady state operation, again with two brake lights on steady.  This simulates sitting at a VERY LONG traffic light, sitting through several cycles before you get through it.

 

The initial test was 6 minutes long; they stayed nice and bright for about 5 minutes before they started to dim slightly.

I will design an operating profile now, simulating worst case scenario of a traffic jam, with something like a 50% duty cycle - one minute on, one minute off. and see what they look like after a bunch of cycles.  This will simulate something like a freeway jam, creeping, and sitting, and creeping, and sitting...

 

I'm open to suggestions - anybody have an idea for a cycle and / or situation that will test the brake lights severely?

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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Hmmm, great idea!  Now, where can I find an environment at -45C (-49F) ... I know, at the North Pole ?

 

Seriously, in the freezer is likely the best I can do for the lower extreme, around -18C / 0F.  I expect a cold soak of around 12 hours would stabilize things.

High temperatures are easier to get in the oven - as long as the kitchen manager is at work.

 

Component limits per the manufacturer are 5 to 122F (-15 to 50C) discharging, and 32 to 104F (0 to 40C) Charging, considerably less stringent than your suggestion.  As you can probably guess, there is a battery in this gadget.

 

OK, temperature extremes test is next up, as soon as I get the 6V relays in the system..

Andy the tail light guy says "Be Seen, and Not Hurt!"  [mailto:mobrighta@comcast.net]

Lighting Upgrades for E3, E9, E10, E12, E21, E23, E24, E28, E30, E32, E36, E39 - front & back
Tail Light upgrades keep them off your tail, out of your trunk;
Headlight film keeps your 'eyes' from being scratched out or broken.

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37 minutes ago, MoBrighta said:

Now, where can I find an environment at -45C (-49F) ... I know, at the North Pole ?

So, a long time ago in a galaxy far away, I used to build power supplies for night vision goggles.  We tested all power supplies at -45C (using liquid nitrogen chambers) and up to 80C operating temperatures, and 90C storage.  One day, I was tasked with walking a military looking visitor around my shop.   I opened my big mouth and said:  "What kind of idiots would be using night vision goggles at -45C?"  He raised his hand and said that would be him :huh:.  It turned out he was a helicopter transport pilot.  He picked up troops in the cold and dropped them off in the cold.  The cabin was totally unheated.  This is so the combat equipment and gears will not be affected by the temperature swings.

 

That day, I learned a whole new respect for our service men and women.  

Edited by Tsingtao_1903
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