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Any one ever upgrade the headlights on their 78 1500 to Hellas or equivalent? I'm looking at the ones in the Victoria British catalog and want to know if the heavy-duty harness is necessary. Any pros and cons? I've had aftermarket lights before only to have them consume bulbs like crazy.
I put common halogen sealed beams (out of a Datsun 210) in my '69 about 5 years ago and the harness seems to hold up fine. Don't know if the Hellas draw more current or not.
Bill
I'd suggest adding relays on the lights to take the load off the light switch and dipswitch, then the only thing you have to worry about is the line from the relay to the lights themselves. I'm in that process now. I have sealed halogens and the dipswitch was fried when I got the car. I replaced that but had pretty dim lighting all season. I'm rewiring everything at the moment, including adding relays for high and low beam (and horn and possibly heater blower) and I'm hoping when all is done I get some brightness back. If nothing else, it'll be much safer and my switches should last a lot longer.
I can tell you from experience that upgrading your headlamp wiring with relays and better wires will make a significant increase in lighting. I've done this with several cars and also my motorcycle.
You can get the correct wiring from the usual sources, and I suggest to use the Bosch relays. Not only does the lighting get better, but it is far more safe than the stock setup.
Often, you can hide the relays so they don't show. No one will ever know the diff but you and whomever your headlights illuminate!
Right now I've got mine mocked up in front of the radiator, attached alongside the oil cooler brackets. Would prefer them to be a bit more hidden but the wiring lengths are good there, I don't think they'll get to much weather there.
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