RG1970

Hello everyone,

I am looking for recommendations for how to increase my visibility at night. My 1970 Cutlass headlights aims low to ground, both the high and low beams. More importantly they just do not omit enough light. Are there any headlight conversions they are plug and play or more powerful lights than the Slyvannia's? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

oldcutlass

I moved your post to the electrical section. Although going to a halogen lamp is a bit of improvement, it by no means will be as bright as todays cars. It really depends on what your after.

RG1970

Thank you Eric for moving me to the correct forum.

Rocketowner

A set of Halogen Sealed beams and proper headlight adjustment should make plenty of light.I know Wagner makes them called Brite Lites, and they are reasonably priced (about $12 each). If this don't get you where you can see , how long has it been since you've been to the eye doctor ( just kidding). Good luck,Larry

joe_padavano

First, be sure to adjust the headlight aiming properly. Your Chassis Service Manual both shows the proper pattern and the location of the adjusting screws.

Second, as noted, halogen replacements are easy and will Emit quite a bit more light. They still won't be as bright as new cars. You can get H4 upgrade lights for the next step, but you will likely need to upgrade wiring for the higher current draw.

VC455

Before you get too involved with lamp changes, unplug one of the lights, turn the high beams on and check the voltage in the connector with engine at fast idle. It should be 13.5 V or higher (that is the voltage that headlamps are designed for). If not, figure that one out first, as voltage is one of the biggest factors in getting the designed amount of light from any headlight bulb you use.

Miles71

I updated my wiring harness with a Plug and Play system I found on the inter-web.
The kit was prewired. 4 female connectors, one for each headlight. And 1 male connector that plugged into your existing harness behind the driver's side light. The male connector uses the voltage from the existing harness which stays in place.

The old harness tells the new harness when to turn on the lights through a new pair of built in relays that control the new harness (Each new Relay has and independent fuse).

I only had to attach two wires, 1 ground to the radiator frame and the second a 10-gauge wire to the battery directly.
The kit took about 45 minutes for me to install and hide the new wires under the radiator frame. The voltage to each headlight increased by over 1 full volt. Now my T3 clone headlights are a bit brighter.
The old harness stays in place. No cluttering, etc. Now the voltage for the headlight has a shorter distance to travel. The old harness, the power goes from the battery to the High-Low switch, then to the dash switch and finally back to the headlights (about 15- 20 feet of thin wire).

With the new Kit, the power goes from the battery to a pair of relays, then to the headlights. Distance 3-6 feet through 10-gauge wire.

Old Factory Harness, Drivers side High beam,
Battery voltage 14.00, Headlight socket voltage 12.20

New harness, Driver Side High beam
Battery voltage 14.00, Headlight socket voltage 13.25

Octania

You may wish to put a fuse holder near the battery lest your 10g wire become a heater in the event of a short.


I have numerous HD relays in the small 3/4" cube size if anyone wants to try a DIY.


They do require 3/8" spade terminals, hard but not impossible to find.

VC455

T-3s give rated output (100%) of lumens at 12.8 Volts.

The relationship between lumen output of tungsten lamps and Voltage is % lumen output = 0.0172 times Volts raised to the 3.4 power. If you remember your high school math you will recognize that increasing Voltage has an enormous effect on light output.

For instance, when Miles 71 installed relays, his headlight voltage went from 12.2 to 13.25. By the lumen equation, this means the output of his headlights went from 85% to 112% of rated lumens. You sure can see that difference.

I had a car with oxidized points in the headlamp and dimmer switches that only put 11 Volts to the headlights--I knew where the problem was because those switches got really hot. That gave me an output of 60% of rated lumens. It's possible the OP has some situation such as this causing dim headlights.

You only know when you check the voltage at the lamp.

oldcutlass

And wouldn't you know that a fully charged 12v battery is around 12.73 and the alternator puts out around 14. Most old cars headlights will dim a bit at idle especially if the blower, wipers, and other items are loading the system. I have not tried the solid state voltage regulator. Seems everyone recommends the VR-715 and most of their issues go away.

Miles71

Other Headlight tips:
Your cheapest and simplest option is as Previously stated, Plug-and-Play Sylvania Halogen High Beam Bulb, H5001/4001, 35 watts per bulb.
Simple, cheap, Whiter, brighter than stock T-3 bulbs. Price $40-80 for a set of 4.

Modern H4 Headlights are an option, they are much brighter and run 50-70 watts per bulb.
Very bright, Very expensive, complex installation and requires new wiring harness.

Voltage Regulator:
I second the Voltage Regulator checkup. Regulators fail, even Sold-state regulators fail. My no-name solid-state regulator failed after 1 year. The short 2-mile ride home at night was neat. I had the Brightest T-3 headlights in the state. My volt meter jump to 18 Volts, and I could hear the alternator belt squealing under the load.

New Alternator:
Most newer alternators make more power at lower RPM's. I installed a 10DN clone Alternator that will make over 60 amps while the engine is idling at 700 rpm, and 100+ amps at 1200 crank RPM.
With a 1970 vintage alternator you will be lucky if it makes 15 amps while idling.
If you replace the Alternator, make sure you replace the main power wire with an 8-gauge wire at the same time.