IML: Headlamp Upgrades

["Eric" <gearhead@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jay,
In the www.imperialclub.com Repair section, under Electrical, there is a 
'Headlights' section with a lot of good info about headlamp upgrades. See 
this page, http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Electrical/lights.htm
There is some specific info on lamp upgrades and installing of relays in the 
links on that page.
We've also had this discussion several times and info should be in the IML 
archives with a little searching.

The biggest difference in headlamps is between the standard US spec and the 
Euro spec E-Code lamps. The E-Codes provide much more light across the 
roadway, and especially down the right hand side of the road, lighting up 
those joggers and Holloween ghosts and the like on the sidewalk / right 
shoulder of the road. US spec lamps produce a fuzzy little spot of lighting, 
as per US regulation that is about 50 years out of date. Once you've driven 
a car with E-Codes at night, the difference in safety is obvious.

E-Code style lamps can be found in Import car parts houses, or online. They 
can range from about $30 per for a Hella brand, and up to $110 per for the 
exceptional Cibie' Complex Reflector lamps, which I have a set of. That was 
the best money I've spent on headlamps. They are excellent with a wide swath 
of evenly dispersed lighting, with regular strength bulbs. Their design is 
much more efficient in gathering and dispersing the light produced from the 
bulb as the reflector backing is a multisurfaced design instead of a smooth 
reflector bowl like every other lamp out there.

Installing a relay to the headlamp circuit can allow for higher bulb power 
w/o the chance of overheating the headlamp switch, highbeam switch, or the 
bulkhead electrical connector. A relay makes particular sense for the the 
'67-70 Imperials with their finicky toggle headlamp switch, but it doesn't 
hurt for any car.

Hope this helps light the way.

Eric
Portland, Oregon
_____________________________________________________________________
I tried to find an answer on the web site - maybe someone can tell me.
I want to switch to halogen bulbs on my 64 Iml...can I just swap them out or
do I need to install a separate relay?

Thanks,
Jay
64 Iml Cvt



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