The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Flyfisherman wrote:

Toledo Man wrote:separate removable filter which can give different options for coloured bulbs.

Been there before - got the tee shirt.

Paul

Not only have I got the T-shirt I have also got this............

Is that some sort of mobile disco?

Jer

Pippin wrote:Is that some sort of mobile disco?

Jer

No its just a home made wooden box painted French blue with three 'pie' dials with the filters swapped around and backs removed and a light in the back of the box.

Is it worth making this thread a sticky?

Edit: I've gone ahead and made it a sticky. I want it to become the definitive lightbulb guide (incandescant and LED).

Hi

although there is lots of information about fitting Halogen or HID bulbs to replace the original ones, most of the information is scattered amongst several threads and it's hard (for an electrical thicko like me ) to follow and get a clear idea.

So I have a number of questions that may clarify the situation for myself and others.

1) Do you need to fit a separate relay to accommodate halogen/HID bulbs?

2) If you don't use a separate relay would this lead to wiring damage ... dipped/main/indicator stalk failing?

3) If the wattage of these new bulbs is the same as the originals why is the electrical load greater? ... more amps or something?

4) Do XID bulbs use even more power than Halogen?

ps I have a Dolomite 1300 with the dreaded square lights but , luckily, they have the later separate bulbs, not sealed beam.

triang wrote:Hi

although there is lots of information about fitting Halogen or HID bulbs to replace the original ones, most of the information is scattered amongst several threads and it's hard (for an electrical thicko like me ) to follow and get a clear idea.

So I have a number of questions that may clarify the situation for myself and others.

1) Do you need to fit a separate relay to accommodate halogen/HID bulbs?

2) If you don't use a separate relay would this lead to wiring damage ... dipped/main/indicator stalk failing?

3) If the wattage of these new bulbs is the same as the originals why is the electrical load greater? ... more amps or something?

4) Do XID bulbs use even more power than Halogen?

ps I have a Dolomite 1300 with the dreaded square lights but , luckily, they have the later separate bulbs, not sealed beam.

Its not so bad for you with a single lamp car but the wiring, stalk and headlight switch on Dollies is marginal to say the least and will not stand up to the bigger wattage halogen bulbs for long so relays are pretty essential. It's even worse on a 4 lamp car!
I thought there was a Wiki entry on relay fitting but I could be wrong

Steve

I've discovered a bulb chart in one of my Toledo books and it lists the same bulb for the interior light so it is the same for the centre mounted interior light on the early cars and that the bulbs for the warning lights on the flat dash cars are indeed the same as the boot and instrument illumination. The 3 digit number are Lucas part numbers and the Unipart numbers are basically the Lucas numbers prefixed with GLB. There are also Stanpart numbers for the earlier cars.

Straying back into LED territory, there's an article in Practical Classics saying that fitting LED bulbs is illegal on some cars because it varies from the original specification. This is a technical thing and the vast majority of the police are probably unaware of this. LED bulbs certainly won't fail an MoT (not if you follow this guide). You can get warm white bulbs which give a similar light to an ordinary bulb. I've had a look on the legislation.gov website and I came across The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989. Part II, Regulation 14 covers filament bulbs and I've quoted it below.

14. (1) Where a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1986 or any trailer manufactured on or after 1st October 1985 is equipped with any lamp of a type that is required by any Schedule to these Regulations to be marked with an approval mark, no filament lamp other than a filament lamp referred to in the Designation of Approval Marks Regulations in–

(a) regulation 4 and Schedule 2, items 2 or 2A, 8, 20, 37 or 37A; or
(b) regulation 5 and Schedule 4, item 18,

shall be fitted to any such lamp.

It would seem that "our" cars aren't affected but it isn't quite as simple as that. The next time I'm in my local Asda, I'll take a look at the article in Practical Classics and get some more info.

I spoke to this guy at stoneleigh Triumph and MG day. Very knowledgable and carries every type of bulb including flasher units for led use. Worth a read:
http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.c ... -bulbs.php

Tony

TrustNo1 wrote:

Flyfisherman wrote:

Toledo Man wrote:separate removable filter which can give different options for coloured bulbs.

Been there before - got the tee shirt.

Paul

Not only have I got the T-shirt I have also got this............

For some reason, I cannot view the above picture, via my local public library Internet service!

I have made substitute coloured filters (orange and light-green) using off-cuts of translucent acrylic sheet, for use in the Lucas 8-segment warning-light clusters, retro-fitted in my 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 and 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 campervan.

When I have access to the necessary facilities, I intend to make a circular, thin transparent mask with printed, customised warning-light symbols, to replace the lens' painted-on ones, which can be easily removed using a cotton bud soaked with paint thinners.

Does anyone have a decent source for the warning cluster bulbs? I've tried a few places and the bulb I've received won't screw into the fitting. I think they're 280/E5s, aren't they?

A quick search on eBay turned THIS up.

Toledo Man wrote:A quick search on eBay turned THIS up.

By Jove, that's expensive!

I'm so glad I acquired a stockpile of such spares, from my local car breakers' yards, back in the 1990s.

Thanks Dave,
this is a helpful guide.

I now have an LED bulb for the interior light.
Locating one was easy because I had the part number, found in this thread, to cross reference against the LED numbers.
The car's interior does definitely get illuminated now!





thanks,
Ian.

Toledo Man wrote:A quick search on eBay turned THIS up.

I've bought three bulbs from different suppliers now, and they've all been a little too big for the fitting - I don't really want to go buying more without knowing they'll fit - they've looked physically bigger than the original bulbs. Has anyone fitted a new bulb to the warning cluster and can advise of a supplier whose bulbs fit?

-edit-

I popped into Maplin this evening, and they had two different E5/LES bulbs. One of them didn't fit, but one of them (WL75 in their catalogue) does. It seems like the thread spec changed very slightly in the 90s to become imperial - not enough to bother the normal screw holders, but it messes up the silly way that they're held into the cluster. I'd guess that there are a few examples of the tooling knocking around for the screw, some of which will fit, and some of which won't, and it'll be hard to work out which is which. How frustrating.

Now that the dipped sealed beam headlight is no longer available what parts do I need to purchase to replace a defective headlight and where is the best place to purchase the items.

My car has relays fitted so is it a simple job to fit the current type of head light?