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Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

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AUSMHLY

AUSMHLY

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I am restoring my BJ8. Not a concours restoration, a very nice driver. I'm interested in learning the pros and cons with replacing the sealed headlights that came with the car to some of the other options now available. Like a sealed halogen headlight, a Tripod P700 or the more expensive PL700. The Tripod headlamp looks very nice, to me. What's the reason behind that design, and benefit.

Replacing the stock with a stock looking, but having a halogen will make it brighter I guess. The P700 is available, for an extra charge, with a halogen bulb. I don't know if the PL700 will accept a hologen? The PL700 I guess is more accurate reproduction than the P700.

Any feedback on the quality of either Tripod? DOA, or not a good fit, etc. Vendor I'm looking at is Moss, for they are currently on sale. (not a plug, just letting you know which vendor, for quality varies from vendor to vendor at times, and tring to keep some of the money in my walet).

Being the Tripods are more expensive, I'd hate to have a rock chip or crack the front. If a clear headlamp cover is used, can you see all the detail of the tripod, that we pay all that money for?

I look forward to your thoughts. Cheers, Roger
 
Re: Tripod headlight Yea or Na

I considered the Tripod lamps but couldn't get around the high price for something I considered to be an expendible item. One rock in the wrong place is the end. Protective covers reduce the light output somewhat.

Tried the sealed beam Sylvania H6024CB, Cool Blue. To my eyes the blue provides less visibility on the road, except to oncoming drivers who find it annoying.

Finally settled on the Sylvania H6024XV, Extended Vision. To me, it puts a lot of light on the road where you need it.

In driving other cars with the Tripod lamps, I can't see that much difference over the H6024XV.
D
 
Re: Tripod headlight Yea or Na

Well AUSM-HLY, They kinda nice a bit pricy but then they still nice.I have wire mesh guards over my lamps and have fabricated smaller ones for my driving lights. You might also consider the period mesh type guards. When I need to see the road, thats whenever the sun goes down /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, I am running one set or the other or both.I added guards after I broke a lamp traveling in Arizona one time.---Fwiw---Keoke
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

Just for shear good looks, I really like the Lucas PLs. I have a set on "my other 100" and will soon install a pair on my BJ8.

I have no idea about relative candlepower or beam pattern or any technical specs of the various headlamps, but for my money the Lucas PLs are the best-looking headlamps available. Besides, I seldom drive my Healeys in the dark much anyway.

As Joseph Lucas is alleged to have once said, "A gentleman does not go motoring about after dark." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

ausmhly,im considering doing the same,always thougt they were very cool,im finding out theres some very poor repros out there and a number of things to consider befor the change over,i.e.bulb size/wattage,wiring size etc. the fungtion of the"tribar" is to hold the "primery reflector" thats the small one you see in the center of the lamp,behind it is the bulb itself,this small disk"polished aluminum"reflects the bulbs light backwards onto the larger"secondary reflector" the large one at the back of the lamp,usually silver plateing,bounces the light out through the lens,instead of just trying to reflect the light off one "rear"lens alone.
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

How lucky am I to have the big 3, Dave, Keoke (your finally getting close to the spelling of my alias here, thanks)and the world renown Mr Reid. (what a nice guy, even checks my bad spelling, thanks for fixing Nay) Right on.

And thank you Anthony for the link.

So I'm leaning towards the PL700. Can you put a halogen bulb in it?
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

Tomorrow morning, I'm trading up from my P700 headlamps to my brand new old stock Lucas PL700s. With stoneguards, of course. They are, without question, very cool.
 
I put a set of the tribars on my car in 2000 and replaced them with sealed beams three years later due to severe deterioration of the reflectors resulting in very low lighting level despite halogen bulbs. I guess the reflectors could be resilvered but wonder if that would be cost effective--the tribars look neat but the modern replacements are cheap and very bright.
 
Roger, I mean AUSMHLY, the tripod lamps may be illegal for street use in California. That is what I was told years ago when I put them on my '61 MGA and was scolded by a CHP officer who happened to notice them at the Palo Alto British car meet. I don't know this for fact. Just what I was told at the time. I was never ticketed. You might want to check this before investing the xtra money - if you care about such things of course.
Randy '66 BJ8, '68 OTS
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

To quote part of 7777's reference:

"Comment - The P700 headlight looks very attractive with it's prominent banded glass lenz & visually prominent Tripod unit, although:
Output light is disappointing compared with modern lights. Better globes will help.

Be mindful of current/supply if employing higher wattage globes.

Copies (of P700's) may look perfect, but if the physics of focal point and reflective shield are not correct, could prove in practice very disappointing."

I guess if you value form over function & "don't go motoring in the dark" the old design is the better way to go.
D
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

I've been using P700 black dot repros with halogen bulbs since last summer, and they are far superior to the Sylvania headlamps that I had in there before, though not as bright as today's normal headlamps. But what on the car is the equivalent of todays? And would anyone really want it to be? We are what we are, drivers of Healeys. Is your horn as loud? Are your seats as adjustable? Does your climate control have adjustments? Mine are limited to roof up and roof down.

As for whether the parts are legal, I was drove into a seat belt road block recently. What a hoot. I told the officer, "wanna check my safety devices" and we both had a really good laugh. The only time police stop me is to check out the car. The stoneguards are blatantly illegal, but they don't care. Half the guys I meet at shows are cops, and they love old cars. The answer to any cop who asks is "it was legal in '64," and since that 20 years before any of them were born, that's the end of discussion. So enjoy your choices and your car without fear. Just like driving with black plates, this is all part of the joy of not being in an SUV.
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

Not to stray off-topic TOO far, but here in Oregon -- which is NOT really a very car-friendly state -- they have a mandatory seat belt law, but they also don't require any equipment that was not on the car when it was made (as long as it hasn't been subsequently installed). So in other words, since older big Healeys, such as my 100M and 100, did not come with seat belts, I would not be required to have seat belts in them.

To return to the topic, I recently bought a pair of the reproduction Lucas PL headlamps with brand new bulbs via an eBay auction of the well-known Jaguar parts supplier Bill Tracy in Sarasota, Florida. No, not cheap, but in perfect new condition and not as expensive as originals.
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

I beg to differ. Those prices are remarkably inexpensive, even for reproductions. Perhaps not what you'd pay at NAPA, but then you're not getting what they sell at NAPA. What a great find.
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

Do these headlights have a glass tripod or was the tripod chromed metal?

Bruce
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

I can't tell what the tripod structure is made from, looking at it through the glass lens of the headlamp itself, but it looks like metal to me. If it were made from glass I'd say that it would be pretty delicate and would likely shatter at the first speed bump. The "LUCAS PL" badge itself appears to have a plastic (glass?) dome on it, but this isn't really noticeable unless your get up real close and turn it at different angles to the light.

By the way, the Lucas PLs I run on my 100 Le Mans are originals, although that car is not here and so I can't give you a blow-by-blow description of any differences from these reproductions. They must be what, 50 years old? Regarding fears of broken headlamps, I can tell you that in all my years (over 35) driving and all of my miles (no idea how many), I have never had a headlamp break or get broken (except the time a guy crossed the centerline and hit me head-on, but at least that was only in my old 1985 Toyota Camry). I don't worry about it, and don't prefer the look of stone guards, so there you are.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

Did you notice that when you click on "bigger image" the headlight is a P700. Not a PL700 as referenced.
 
Re: Tripod Headlights - Yea or Nay

No I did not. That is why it looks different.

And after the discussion - who sells the best PL700 lights other than originals?

Thanks

Bruce
 
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