Ignition and headlight advice

[Steve28]

Been thinking (yes it hurts) about changing the ignition over to electronic of some sort on the Toledo,
so i would like advice on pro's, con's and what types and prices are out there, it is for a 13/60 herald engine.
also would like recommendations on up-grading the twin round head lamps, suppliers prices etc

thanks in advance

steve

[Toledo Man]

I would recommend the Britpart electronic ignition kit but I don't know if it would fit your dizzy. You could fit a later Lucas 45D4 which will allow you to use the Britpart kit and it should give you pretty much the same advance curve. You can keep the existing coil unless you want to run a 12v one.

Are you considering a halogen upgrade? The usual suspects can supply these for the Herald which should work out a bit cheaper than the Dolly kit. Don't forget the relays (1 for the dipped beams and 1 for the main beams). I reckon the best place to situate the relays would be on the bulkhead which is the closest spot to both the battery and to break into the loom. This will keep the extra wires as short as possibleI think the Herald will use H4 bulbs (same as Dolly outers) but I'm not 100% certain.

[tractor boy]

Suggest you try an Accuspark unit dead simple to flat and trouble free.Tractor boy

[cliftyhanger]

Wheras I would say spend a bit more and get the very well proven aldon/pertronix unit (same thing, aldon stick their label on the units to re-sell)
Cheapest place is retrorockets, pay in dollars, shipped from guildford (or my last one was, about 8 years ago)
So far in excess of 25 years worth of running these (4 cars), all totally fault-free.

Re headlights, do you mean a 4 headlight dolly, and you want better lights??
If so lots of options, not sure if the "crystal" headlights are available in that size but they are a decent improvement over std halogen types. And philips xtreme bulbs are good too. Finally. well worth fitting relays as they improve the brightness by reducing voltage drop, and also help protect the light switch. Not essential, but desirable. These work well, but may require modification for the 4 headlight system:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H4-H4-Headlig ... 19f3e8771c

[Toledo Man]

Clive, the relays become essential when your indicator stalk burns out at the worst possible moment or when the sealed beam units fail at a similarly inconvenient time. Halogen bulbs are a bit easier (and cheaper) to replace.

[MIG Wielder]

I've always liked the Lumenition electronic ignition systems. No, they are not cheap but they are reliable. The one on Wife's car has been there for 25 years. No fettling to fit, they just work. And I do like the feature of separating the distributor sensor from the electronic switching unit. It is a separate heatsink-electronic block that you can mount in a cooler place in the engine bay or even inside the interior.
Tony.