The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

lights on my sprint are poor compared to my daily. any suggestions for improving them. I know there are HID kits available for some classics but can't find anything for the sprint.

please don't start a 'they're legal/illegal' debate

I'm just interested to know whats available

thanks

You can buy some pretty ropey halogen reflectors made by autopal, but to get really decent lights you need to get valeo or cibie ones.

Depends on how "original" you want to keep the look, convex lenses and no side light aperture etc...

Have a look at one of the James resto threads for some advice, and also fitting relays to preserve the column switch - is the current wisdom.

Jonners

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Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.

Where's a good place to fit those relays?

I fitted a halogen kit and soon after the main-beam stopped working (still worked on flash, so I knew it more or less had to be the switch). I cleaned the contacts in the switch, and got it to work for the MOT, but it went again soon after. Since they're the same wattage, and thus the same mean current, I'm assuming it's related to something like a higher current surge on switch on or greater back EMF on switch off. So I'm thinking about fitting a relays to see if cleaning it will last longer - that trick has worked with the windscreen washer motor button already. I've got the fan relay hanging off the front of the right side turret, which isn't great, and the washer one's just down the side of it on the left, so I was wondering about mounting the set on a rail somewhere, but don't see and obvious place for all.

Graham

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The 16v Slant 4 engine is more fun than the 3.5 V8, because you mostly drive it on the upslope of the torque curve.

Factory 1977 TR7 Sprint FHC VVC 697S (Now all of, but still needs putting together)
B&Y 73 Dolomite Sprint UVB 274M (kids!)
1970 Maroon 13/60 Herald Convertable (wife's fun car).

Before fitting a relay make sure the headlights are earthing well. However easy you make it for the current to get to the bulbs by fitting a new feed and or relay if the return is not up to standard the lighting will be sub-optimum.

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Steve Weblin - AKA vitessesteve

Current Cars - Valencia Blue 69 Vitesse Mk2 Saloon since 1991 and a Sprint engined TR7. Have had several Dolomites over the years.

blog http://vitessesteve.blogspot.com/ website http://www.vitessesteve.co.uk/

Isle of Wight, UK based - studied class car restoration at Leeds City College

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

On the 1850/Sprint the relays can be situated next to the battery on the inner wing. This keeps the cable runs as short as possible.

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Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

First four pics are of a test that i did with a customer a few months ago to convince him that the cheap aftermarket HID set and the new autopal lamps he had were not a good combi and that I was not going to fit these for him.

First pic is his new autopal with his hid set, the second pic is his autopal with a conventional philips h4 bulb, the thirth pic is of the h4 in a used 5 3/4 hella unit that i had lying around and the last pic is his hid set in the hella lamp. It proofs that autopal lamps are bugger as are the mostly chinese aftermarket hid and led conversion sets. If you want a decent light use valeo/cibie or a good second a hella unit both with renomated h4 bulbs as Philips, Ring etc.









As for the relay conversion there are some nice sets available. A complete new front part with new seperate lamp looms.





or when extra relais needed for an electric fan, horns or spotlamps,



Jeroen

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Classic Kabelboom Company. For all your wiring needs. http://www.classickabelboomcompany.com

Very interesting pictures, Jeroen. Two things jump out for me, (a.) the very obvious poor beam pattern with the HIDs (presumably the result of the light source being more dispersed than in the halogen bulb), and (b.) the disappointing beam pattern in the Autopal lights - there's no raised beam on the nearside at all. With that in mind, would the Autopal lights actually pass your MoT test?

MOY has a pair of NOS Hella rectangular reflector/lens units, with pretty ordinary H4 halogen bulbs** and the beam pattern is far better than that Autopal unit.


** annoyingly the Hellas have the large diameter mounting ring for P45 H4 bulbs, so my large collection of P43t H4 bulbs (smaller diameter centre, three lugs sticking out around the diameter) remains unused and I had to buy more bulbs. Grrr...!

I did wonder about getting LED H4 bulbs (partly for the 'cold' white light, and partly for the reduction in current going through the column switch), but the LED bulbs' light source is more dispersed than the filament of the halogens, so I suspect the pattern would be comparable with those HID pictures!

Guess I should just stir my stumps enough to fit relays after all...

thanks for the above, especially the last post.

I do indeed have autopal lights, dated 2012 and fitted with H4 outers and H1 inners, both lucas branded halogens.

I also have relays fitted both for dip and main beam.

cheers

I recently had the pleasure of road testing Mahesh's Sprint in the dark and on unlit roads, he has an LED headlamp set fitted and, whilst the light output was undeniably better, even than H4 halogens, the beam patterns on dip left more than something to be desired, having no flat top or "kick up" to the left. There also seemed to be a lot of light "scatter".

Since the car passed an MOT with these fitted recently, I can only assume a very sympathetic tester! Had I been presented with these by a stranger, I would, no doubt, have failed them on incorrect pattern!

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

I can vouch for the Cibie / Valeo lamps as being excellent. I have the 7" version on my MGB and they are superior to even my modern VW with excellent beam control and a good spread of controlled light with the dip light kick up to the left. The only problem is the cost. The supplier I have used in the past is europaspares and the 5.75" outer lamps with H4 bulbs are £62.05 each, while the inner H1 lamps are £68.28 each. That's a grand total of £260.66 !!!! But they are good. You get what you pay for, as with most things.

https://www.europaspares.com/auto-elect ... -inch.html
https://www.europaspares.com/auto-elect ... -only.html

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Mike
(1969 MGB GTV8, 1977 Dolomite 1850HL, 1971 MGB roadster now all three on the road)

There are a number of relay holder boxes nacelles that take 5 relays as plug-ins and some blade fuses under a lid on ebay for £6-7 (only from China it seems). Look interesting, but not sure where one might fit.

Graham

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The 16v Slant 4 engine is more fun than the 3.5 V8, because you mostly drive it on the upslope of the torque curve.

Factory 1977 TR7 Sprint FHC VVC 697S (Now all of, but still needs putting together)
B&Y 73 Dolomite Sprint UVB 274M (kids!)
1970 Maroon 13/60 Herald Convertable (wife's fun car).

The valeo ones are expensive but still cheaper than a vauxhall corsa headlamp.

Lamps are designed for a certain type of bulb. The curve of the reflector, the shape of the lense and the lens pattern. Cheap lamp designs are not that exact so don't expect a good light pattern and spreading. The same as with bulbs. As a lamp is designed exact and you use a bulb where the filament is slightly off the pattern is disturbed. You have to use the best of both to have the best effect. The aftermarket HID and led lamps can never be suitable for lamps that were designed for H4 bulbs because the lightsource isn't exact on the right spot and the type of light source is different. When you even look at the led "H4" it all looks crooky.

Hella lamps have more volume inside their unit and are more suitable for more watt bulbs than the valeo ones. For normal watt bulbs the valeo's are the best to have.

In LHD country all Hella's are available for a P43T H4 type, even the rectangular ones.

I do have a light thing.

Jeroen

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Classic Kabelboom Company. For all your wiring needs. http://www.classickabelboomcompany.com

I've fitted Valeo to the Dolomite but as yet untested but they look nice. Got Autopal on the Mazda and they aren't nearly as bad as I expected and better than the sealed beams.

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Mark

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon
1980 Dolomite Sprint project using brand new shell
2009 Mazda MX5 2.0 Sport
2018 Infiniti Q30

Graham, if it's not too large, a fuse/relay box like that might fit on the N/S inner wing above the battery, perhaps? I found enough room there for a couple of individual relays on the previous Dolomite rally car, so a smallish relay box might be OK - it'd also be conveniently close to the battery and lights (i.e. short cable runs).

KRs,
I.

nice pic of the lights on that front - looks very good! How's the engine cooling? ;-o

Thanks for confirming what I suspected re the HID and LED bulbs - it made sense in my mind, but that's not always a reliable indicator

I'm happy with the Hella light units, though mildly irked that they had come with those mountings and I couldn't find any bulbs for them!

Anyone want a job lot of P43T H4s?