lighting

[pageboy]

I've seen mentioned somewhere about using aircraft landing lights.  What kind of wattage do these lights use?  If these are the same size as the four bulb system then they must be about 5 1/2 inches in diameter.  Are there any made in a 4 inch diameter?  Where does one find them?

[David]

Mine are GE and fit a 4 healight system.  Although, you have to cut out new tabs in the the cone where the headlights rest to fit them in.

Also, you need to make two wires that are male on one end, to go into the wire plug, and the other an eye as it has a screw for attachment.

Try a truck supply place.  That's where I saw them in the 80's.

They are wicked bright!

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

G'day Lynn,

I have used Aircraft Landing Lights for 35 years in my cars, and always remove them when I sell the car, and put them into the next one.

David is right about having to do a slight bit of surgery to the holder, but it can't be seen once the light is in place.

The lights are a General Electric part No. GE 4537, and are categorised as 13 volts, 100 watts, and are the same diameter as the normal small ights as fitted to 99 percent of all cars with dual round headlights.   I believe they are fitted to Cessna Light planes, hence they are called Aircraft Landing Lights.

There is a necessity to make up a connector to join to the factory wiring, but I like to simply solder a pair of terminals onto the back of the light, to match the factory plug.   But, it is easier to simply screw a souple of wires with crimp fittings onto the attaching screws, and then attach a couple of spade terminals and plug them straight into the factory high beam plug.

Further, I have never had to modify the wiring like add a relay to cater for the extra power draw, but that would'tr be a bad idea, seeing as older switches seem to not be as good as when they were new.

Bruce.

[guidematic]

If you do the math here, 100 watts at 13 volts is 7.7 amps per lamp, plus what the low beams draw. That is in the vicinity of 20-25 amps total for the 4 lamps. Fairly significant amperage for older wiring and switches. So, wiring in a relay is a good idea, if only for the high beams.

 Bosch makes a good relay, but back in the 80's I used a GM power window relay for my '75 Coupe deVille that had 4 halogen headlamps, plus 2 halogen driving lights that came on with the high beams. They had a continuous 22 amp draw and would cut the breaker in the switch. Once I put in the relay, they worked fine.

 Look for a relay that is rated for at least a 30 amp continuous load. That gives lots of extra capacity.

  Mike

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

Well, thank God that there is a mathematician amongst us, and one that knows sparky stuff.

Bruce.

[guidematic]

 Just gotta be careful you don't let the smoke out of everything. That's when it stops working. But, Ohm's law is a useful tool around this stuff.

 Mike

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

Mike,

I know what you mean by the smoke.   When working with Lucas stuff, when the smoke leaks out of the wiring, then you know you are in strife.

Bruce.

[pageboy]

Do these come in a 4 inch diameter?  I was considering using them for passing lamps on the motorcycle.  At 7.7 amps each I would probably have to get a bigger alternator for it too.  Maybe a smaller lamp would take a bit less current.

Calling them passing lamps I think is a bit of a misnomer.  For those who might not know, they're the extra lights on each side of the headlight.  The idea is more visibility to other drivers.

[The Tassie Devil (Bruce Reynolds)]

Lynn,

As far as what diameters are available, I would suggest you go to your nearest light aircraft airdrome and simply walk around the planes that are stationary and measue what you can find that is close.

Bruce.