After being very disappointed by the fit of the AutoPal light units I bought some Lucas light units. In short they cost three times as much but are not three times better.
They H4 units have the same fit issues, which could be resolved with a grinder, however I don't want to cut my original lamp mountings and I shouldn't have to cut the lugs on a new light unit.
The H1 units sit off-centre albeit they are less off-centre than the AutoPal unit. Again it could be resolved with a grinder but........
If I was going to keep a set it would be the AutoPal as while they require modification they are £40 rather than £120. I will return both and buy NOS sealed beam units to replace the blown ones.
So many lights!
Lucas
AutoPal
Same fit issues for both
Many of the AutoPal lugs weren't perpendicular so if you trim them you risk them sitting inside the mounting.
I bought autopal for my car because I couldn’t see that the Lucas ones would be any better after having poor experiences with green boxed Lucas licensed parts. £40 against £120 as you say is a no brainier. The only lights of decent quality I have seen are the cibies which are around £200 for the four. Unless you go for jag or bmw units which are flat lensed?
My autopal lights fit perfectly. Maybe you’ve been unlucky? They aren’t the best quality that’s true, but the light output seems to be a big improvement over the old sealed beams, and they will do me for now. When they’ve had their day in a couple of years I will go for Cibies.
If you have the money the cibies should be fit and forget items I reckon.
Why did you change from original to the halogen ones, do you drive in the dark a lot.
I drove from Kent in October through the night up to Penrith with sealed beams, with no problems.
I think we've got so used to moderns cars, that we just want the same from our classics - after a wee while driving though your eyes soon adjust to cope - unless of course you've got poor eyesight, then it may be safer with brighter lights.
Triumph Dolomite Sprint (RNK 957W)
Automatic, porcelain white - 52,820, genuine mileage (warranted).
Built 26/6/1980, 3 previous owners (2 within the same family).
Supplied by Lavender Hill Garage Ltd, Enfield, London, by garage owner Jimmy Metcalfe on 30th September 1980 to Geoffrey Robinson, Enfield, London.
You couldn't get Dolly sealed beam units at one point, hence why some converted.
I converted to some halogens that I bought off ebay years ago and they fitted fine. Are you sure the problem is the light units and not something wrong with the fittings on your car?
When i fitted mine the cheaper £40 ones , it was only 1 light out of the four i had trouble with, when i looked out the outer ring you could see one ring was different to the rest
RSi wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:42 pm
Why did you change from original to the halogen ones, do you drive in the dark a lot.
I drove from Kent in October through the night up to Penrith with sealed beams, with no problems.
I think we've got so used to moderns cars, that we just want the same from our classics - after a wee while driving though your eyes soon adjust to cope - unless of course you've got poor eyesight, then it may be safer with brighter lights.
If you drive at night you appreciate good lighting.
That is why I had Jaguar XJ40 headlights on my Dolomite 1850.
Ian.
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Like Ian, I live in a pretty rural area where streetlights are a rarity. And most are turned off after midnight!
And since my Dolomites are also daily drivers they DO go out at night!
And I do events like the RBRR which are run after the equinox, so more in darkness than daylight and sometimes in less than optimal weather conditions!
So IMO, I owe myself the best lights I can fit, both in terms of bulb power AND reflector quality. If that costs more, then so be it! For the Dolomega I have fitted the best I can get (though I did get a bargain on the Valeo outers @ £42 the pair) and have no regrets!
Having said that, the Carledo wasn't BUILT to be a daily, so is still running the candle like 45/40w 410 bulbs in stock Lucas bulbed units from an Allegro or Avenger and the claims for better light quality from singles are, in my opinion, utter tosh! I have to slow down on unlit roads at night because I just can't SEE far enough! And the adjustment is spot on, I had the usual problems with seized/broken adjusters and got myself a much better set of bowls, cleaned and lubed the adjusters till they worked perfectly and set them on a beamsetter. I've now got a set of Halogen conversion bulbs (only the street legal 65/55s) and some relays, which I will fit before winter rolls round again!
But I do appreciate that the majority of Dolomites do not have to suffer the trials and tribulations that mine do, and for them, the sealed beams are adequate, if not inspirational. Though i'd still go with relays on them, IMO it's madness not to! Let alone the show cars where originality trumps all!
Besides reflector quality, i'd also like to put in a couple of words on bulbs. As a mechanic who, until recently, took a handfull of cars every week for MOT, I can't tell you HOW often I got failures for incorrect or blurry beam patterns that was PURELY due to substandard aftermarket bulbs fitted by owners who didn't know better! A good few were incorrectly fitted too, particularly the modern 477 single filament halogen bulbs where it's easier to fit them wrong than right, but that's another gripe for another day! Think about this! If you buy 4 headlights for £40 WITH bulbs and a DECENT halogen bulb is circa £5, how good are the lights? Or the bulbs they've supplied? It definitely pays to get good quality bulbs. Even if you budget won't stretch to the best reflectors.
Finally, adjustment! You can have the best lights in the world and still not be effective if they're not set up properly. You'll either be dazzling the rest of the world or waking up the hedgehogs in the ditches! (or BOTH in some cases i've seen) It's a sad fact that after 40 years of rotting in the weather at the front of a Dolomite, most adjusters are seized solid and will break if you try to set them. This is not helped by the original design where the bowls are pop riveted into place, so aren't easy to remove for overhaul/cleaning. So make sure yours are in good condition and free moving, then go down to your favourite MOT testing station and blag the tester (or bribe him as needs be) into letting you use the beamsetter to get them spot on. Even on stock sealed beams, it makes a huge difference to light efficiency.
In conclusion and as usual, it's horses for courses. You need to decide what YOUR needs are and tailor your lighting accordingly!
Steve
'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.
RSi wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:42 pm
Why did you change from original to the halogen ones, do you drive in the dark a lot.
I drove from Kent in October through the night up to Penrith with sealed beams, with no problems.
I think we've got so used to moderns cars, that we just want the same from our classics - after a wee while driving though your eyes soon adjust to cope - unless of course you've got poor eyesight, then it may be safer with brighter lights.
If you drive at night you appreciate good lighting.
That is why I had Jaguar XJ40 headlights on my Dolomite 1850.
Ian.
2011 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works. S Daily Driver.
1980 Dolomite Sprint with a touch of BLTS Balanced Lightened and Tweaked 13B Rotary and SsuperCharged.
Back in my possession 22 September 2019. Rebuilding the Sprint time taken so far, 111Hrs@15/12/2020
212Hrs @31/12/2021 352 @ 28/11/2022 455Hrs @ 20/10/2023 565Hrs @ 07/12/2024
This is time taken at the Sprint not necessary time worked.
Member TDC no 0471
Project 13B Sprint now back on..
No Pistons No Cams how’s it gonna Run Brap Brap?
I bought Mountney sealed beam units from Bowers at £60 for 4 including tax and delivery. They fit perfectly, like they are the original units.
I went for halogen primary so I could carry a normal bulb kit rather than two spare units. The extra light would have been a bonus but I'm quite happy with the sealed units.
