Just thought I'd post this to save you some time if you are thinking of buying AutoPal halogen headlights. They are available from many suppliers and have 'AutoPal' moulded in the lenses. Yes they are cheap (£40 for 4 lights and bulbs) but they do not fit.
The mounting lugs on both inner and outer lights are not positioned correctly. This causes the outer light to sit proud and the inner light to sit about 10 degrees out. I considered trimming the lugs but as some are not perpendicular to the light rim they only have a very small contact area and I suspect this will cause the light to rotate when driving. They could be fitted with bits of rubber and silicone if desperate but it would just feel like a bodge.
They have been returned for a refund and I have ordered some Lucas units - These, however, are 3 times the price! I will update this post to let you know if they fit any better.
Apologies for the pictures being rotated to the left - You'll have to put your monitor on it's side to make sense of them!!
I completely agree, i've come across several sets on cars lately. They fit better if you buy the autopal back bowls to go with them.
Unfortunately this brings it's own problems as the autopal adjusters are so cheap and nasty they snap off very quickly. I also took a set from a scrap car that had only been in just over a year, and 3 out of 4 metal and glass units were already corroded in the reflector as well as all 4 bowls having at least 1 fault each.
I've just bought a pair of flat front Valeo outers listed for TVR with sidelights fitted. lovely things but £42 for 2 bare M+G units!
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Interesting. My Dolly came to me with the original sealed beam units, but out of the four only one worked! So for a quick cheap solution I bought a set of Autopal lamps and put them in. I don't remember having any difficulty mounting them in the original bowls. I was able to adjust them correctly and they don't wobble in the mounting. They don't have such good beam control as the expensive Valeo/Cibie units on my MGB but they are perfectly adequate and give sufficient illumination for normal driving. As with everything, cheap things are generally poorer than expensive things, but my lamps are good enough for now. Maybe I'll save up for Valeo/Cibie ones some day, but with a set costing over £200 it may take some time.
Mike
(1969 MGB GTV8, 1977 Dolomite 1850HL, 1971 MGB roadster now all three on the road)
I’ve gone for the Cibies off a Jaguar XJ40.
Flat and with Osram Night Breaker bulbs.
Just one off those jobs that need sorting.
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