Resolving low power headlights... ;)

[toplessexpat]

So - I decided that taking a stab at creating a baja-style light pod would be kind of cool. Still got to wire up the lights, but I suspect that they're going to brighten up the road ahead pretty well. They've got hi/lo bulbs in them, so they're fairly flexible!

The hood is a second hand one (thanks Csaba) that's been resprayed along with the pod itself, and I can always swap back to the regular hood if I want (also a good reason for keeping the small secondary spot lights).

[So Cal Mark]

I hope I don't see you coming towards me

[v6spider]

A little too subtle... don't Ya think!

Rob

[toplessexpat]

I hope I don't see you coming towards me

I know, fried retinas aren't pleasurable - I'll be doing a very good job of the aiming

A little too subtle... don't Ya think!

If you're going to do a job, you may as well do it properly!

The aim here is to do overnight time trial type rallies (yes, there are a few around here), so decent lighting is a good thing.

[81SPIDERMATT]

at first i thought of my mom... "if you do not have something nice to say than do not say anything" .... but they are growing on me.... the way you worked them into the hood is cool....time and effort is apparent and executed very well .... they will definitely light up the road .... GREAT JOB .... i also like the fact that you have the other hood... you can swap at will... i will bet that after using the lights if/when you switch back it will be like "crap i can't see anything" .....

[toplessexpat]

A few others on here have now seen them in the flesh at cars and coffee this morning.

General consensus is to leave intact. Wife's view is that they need to come off from time to time.

Next stop is the dashboard work to include the right switchgear for them.

Thanks for the compliments. I'm about 90% happy with them. They stick out a way - but you try fitting 4 x 7" lamps across the front!

[sptcoupe]

Saw them and Andy today at the C&C - they look terrific! Super well integrated and look lie a factory installation. The hood in that super shiny gloss black looks super. Also liked the wheels - another nice upgrade.

Now get the trunk lid painted the same way, and don't let Suzy talk you out of them!

[baltobernie]

Please move out of the left lane .... PLEASE move out of the left lane. OK, let's try this.

[toplessexpat]

So - a few hours of playing and they're wired up, bowls are realigned, and the ring mounts on the lights themselves are correctly aligned.... with the following results:


All on dipped, for trundling around town.


Aha! That's the main beam then....


Just a couple of foot further away, slightly softer angle, and it's all rather bright....


... and a three quarter shot. I believe that the old hood might be going back on for the day time run next weekend...

I've put in a water tight male/female plug and socket going 12 ways (common, low, high for the H4 x 4), so each light has it's own power rather than daisy chaining them. A switch on the dash triggers a relay to "arm" the pod, and then there's a separate circuit and relay for the high and low circuits. The same connector (which can handle 24 ways) is going to be the new harness on the augmented dashboard (when I get around to it.... The gearbox has started getting a little tight so i suspect that some more serious surgery might be called for imminently)

A

[Exit98]

The question that immediately came to me: does your alternator generate enough juice to keep them lit?

Other than that I'm kinda at a loss for words. I mean, I wouldn't do that to my Spider, but geeze it's pretty cool. Like you said, for a night-time TDS rally through the woods that's the ticket. And like Bernie said, even on the dips, coming up from behind in the fast lane, they'd all be moving over not having a clue what was closing in on them. Kind of like a ground level UFO.

That set up is bound to generate a few good stories, so share here when they do.

[toplessexpat]

The question that immediately came to me: does your alternator generate enough juice to keep them lit?.

One of Mr Allison's finest 95A upgrades was a prerequisite for this! (http://www.allisonsautomotive.com/produ ... electrical)

Now, my TPMS system also keeps tracks of the absolute voltage coming out of the electrics. On tick over, I'm getting 11.9-12.0 and the Alternator idiot light isn't glowing at all. With any kind of revs, I'm getting 13.9+, the battery is charging nicely (I did take it off to test having driven around for a bit). I'm probably not going to leave her sitting with all the lamps burning and the engine off.... ever. They are isolated so they can be killed easy enough.

I mean, I wouldn't do that to my Spider, but geeze it's pretty cool.

The great thing about this is that I can simply swap hoods back to the stock one. It's a single multiway connector, and four bolts. Incidentally, drawing a few "cross lines" vertically and horizontally around the hinges have saved several hours of cursing and swearing when removing and replacing the hood. First place a towel over the engine up by the cowling so the hood doesn't snag the paintwork. Locate the rearmost bolt in a "pretty close" horizontal position, then lift up the hood, loosen one side and do both bolts - repeat for the other. Works a treat for me.

A

[toplessexpat]

And I've just thought of an update to the wiring. I'm going to pass the switched wire for the relay that drives the two high power circuits for the pod on a loop through the pod loom. That way, there's no way that I could accidentally leave the pod wiring turned on while the pod is removed. For some reason I don't like the idea of the high power lines being live under the hood - albeit within a recessed harness block.