Don't have pics right now. Also in the middle of a swap. And the cars cosmetics are crap. However. I had made a set similar to the upper post. I had made the bubble further back to give a more slanted area. I had made the vacuum forms and the first set of lenses lasted about 10 months before stones had took them out about 85mph. I was only using .060 Vivac. It should have been .090 or .125. I had removed the original headlight assemblies and attached 90mm modified Q45 projectors to a frame I had made up from 16 gauge 12" steel stud. The other sets from the upper post are a much better grade of vacuum form and he made his in a much more professional manner. Hey i made mine at home with a mix of saw dust and wood glue on top of particle board. Didn't look bad. Very stable headlight mounting. BUT I just didn't like the bubble look. I have an 85 GT and always liked the look of the front with the headlight covers down with the holes for the turn signals. Looked at mine about 100 different times and kept seeing the projectors where the turn signals are. Had to trim the very bottom of the bumper reinforcement to be able to change the bulbs and trim back the bumper cover, in the hole/tunnels, to about 1/2: back from the front of the cover. To keep the light heat off the cover and have room. If I could have afforded the Hella 90s, I wouldn't have to trim the reinforcement. I will need to add Bullet housings for the turn signals. Either between the lenses or in the sides of the upper air port hole. It looks good, stable and easy to replace bulbs. And most importantly, I can make a flat cover for the projectors I still have the brackets for the turn signals and can return it to the original look if I have to with another bumper cover.
[This message has been edited by cmechmann (edited 06-21-2014).]
Don't have pics right now. Also in the middle of a swap. And the cars cosmetics are crap. However. I had made a set similar to the upper post. I had made the bubble further back to give a more slanted area. I had made the vacuum forms and the first set of lenses lasted about 10 months before stones had took them out about 85mph. I was only using .060 Vivac. It should have been .090 or .125. I had removed the original headlight assemblies and attached 90mm modified Q45 projectors to a frame I had made up from 16 gauge 12" steel stud. The other sets from the upper post are a much better grade of vacuum form and he made his in a much more professional manner. Hey i made mine at home with a mix of saw dust and wood glue on top of particle board. Didn't look bad. Very stable headlight mounting. BUT I just didn't like the bubble look. I have an 85 GT and always liked the look of the front with the headlight covers down with the holes for the turn signals. Looked at mine about 100 different times and kept seeing the projectors where the turn signals are. Had to trim the very bottom of the bumper reinforcement to be able to change the bulbs and trim back the bumper cover, in the hole/tunnels, to about 1/2: back from the front of the cover. To keep the light heat off the cover and have room. If I could have afforded the Hella 90s, I wouldn't have to trim the reinforcement. I will need to add Bullet housings for the turn signals. Either between the lenses or in the sides of the upper air port hole. It looks good, stable and easy to replace bulbs. And most importantly, I can make a flat cover for the projectors I still have the brackets for the turn signals and can return it to the original look if I have to with another bumper cover.
That's ok about the pics. And good luck with the swap. What engine are you using in the swap? Thanks for all the info and help on the headlight thing. I like the idea that you can switch styles back and forth. That's really cool.
No offense about the bubble look on the headlights, but like you, I would rather have something to fit the contour of the body. Also, the last thing I would worry about is cosmetics. Better to have things working right before worrying about that. If it were me, I would make sure that everything I did worked good, and then worry about painting or whatever.
Sounds like you are doing a great job with the lights. Keep rocking and if you get pictures post them or send me a PM.
Originally posted by doublec4: Just a warning about the first link. Those are not headlights, they are driving lights. You will likely be downgrading your lighting performance.
(bold added by me) And are very illegal in most/all states.
many "upgrades" are illegal for street use, Including H4 bulbs and housings, many true HID types (often in Halogen housings), and others. Just using an aftermarket cover over DOT Sealed beam bulbs are illegal in many states. In very short... most clear cover hoses light output and makes more glare. Any tint just make bigger problems.
embraceracing.com/flushmounts.php says "*Intended for offroad use only. I will not be held responsible for any injuries, damages, losses related to the use of this item" (bold added by me) Many will say same to avoid getting sued. Others don't care.
You need to read rules/laws cover your state and state's you drive thru later. In Many States, Cops can stop you for any light problems.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
I'm poor I'm going with a series1 3800SC. Right now working out the trans wiring. It not seeing the select positions and causing the trans to run in limp in. The injector cleaning was a success last night.(Used an old printer reinking setup with a make shift pulser). The engine wiring seems to be going OK. Just have to hook up evap/purge and criuse to stop the Quad driver errors.
The Q45 projectors I put in are SAE/DOT legal. The Hella series 90mm are, but you have to make sure they are DOT not Euro or UK. The low beams are set in a way for right hand driving. Some of them can be adjusted at the back of the housing for DOT or Euro. The Sirius and Dialights are also if you can find them. Most of the newer are promoting for OEM LED.
[This message has been edited by cmechmann (edited 06-22-2014).]
[QUOTE]Originally posted by doublec4: Just a warning about the first link. Those are not headlights, they are driving lights. You will likely be downgrading your lighting performance.
(bold added by me) And are very illegal in most/all states.
many "upgrades" are illegal for street use, Including H4 bulbs and housings, many true HID types (often in Halogen housings), and others. Just using an aftermarket cover over DOT Sealed beam bulbs are illegal in many states. In very short... most clear cover hoses light output and makes more glare. Any tint just make bigger problems.
embraceracing.com/flushmounts.php says "*Intended for offroad use only. I will not be held responsible for any injuries, damages, losses related to the use of this item" (bold added by me) Many will say same to avoid getting sued. Others don't care.
You need to read rules/laws cover your state and state's you drive thru later. In Many States, Cops can stop you for any light problems.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to check out Tennessee law and see what it says. This is a pretty backwards place and I don't think anyone would care... at least if you get it close. But I also want them to work right at night anyway! I want to see as good as I can at night without being illegal.
In Maryland they can be anal about it. I had been and worked around a few state inspectors. The last setup I had under the bubbles would be approved. Here they use a candle power meter to check for adjustment and beam angle. They also have to be readily adjustable. They have to be stable. The beam can not shake/bounce when going over bumps. That was also why I did not mount the bubble type to the hood, but to a structure from the front header to the header at the hood seal. The in bumper light assembly bolts to the steel reinforcement under the egg crate. That used to be an issue with semis when they started going to all fiberglass tilt hoods. They are allowed to bounce if they still have the unaltered DOT approved front. The one area that some will overlook, but many can be anal about is the measure point. On older sealed beams they have tabs/bumps on the edges to mount a headlight fixture. The later models have a dot or crosshair point on the lense. Some of the cheaper aftermarket replacement lenses don't have them. And some get polished off. Most who really now how to use the headlight alignment tools/fixtures/machines can find the true center without the point.
Besides being troublesome, I never liked the look either. This is what I did on my Ferrari rebody kit...loved it, as did real Ferrari guys. All built from scratch by myself from lexan and 1/8" sheet aluminum.
The headlights on your re-body really look good. They look like what I want. Plus, the Hooters girl makes the picture look a lot better, lol. I might come begging to you when it's time to change them. They do look very nice.
Originally posted by cmechmann: In Maryland they can be anal about it. I had been and worked around a few state inspectors. The last setup I had under the bubbles would be approved. Here they use a candle power meter to check for adjustment and beam angle. They also have to be readily adjustable. They have to be stable. The beam can not shake/bounce when going over bumps. That was also why I did not mount the bubble type to the hood, but to a structure from the front header to the header at the hood seal. The in bumper light assembly bolts to the steel reinforcement under the egg crate. That used to be an issue with semis when they started going to all fiberglass tilt hoods. They are allowed to bounce if they still have the unaltered DOT approved front. The one area that some will overlook, but many can be anal about is the measure point. On older sealed beams they have tabs/bumps on the edges to mount a headlight fixture. The later models have a dot or crosshair point on the lense. Some of the cheaper aftermarket replacement lenses don't have them. And some get polished off. Most who really now how to use the headlight alignment tools/fixtures/machines can find the true center without the point.
Sound like your confusing two issues... DOT markings Many states will barf on external light w/o DOT markings, HL, Taillight, etc. Like H4 and related housings/bulbs made for use in other counties and illegally sold in the US.
"candle power meter" is only a feature of Headlight Aimer "Machines." Many Optical machine don't need aiming points on the lens.
OEM "aero" HL assemblies has DOT label, easy to access Aim screw, etc. per FMVSS 108. But most current Aero types have no obvious aiming reference. They need an Optical machine.
Thanks. I just took out the whole Fiero assembly leaving only the light wiring. I used heavy cardboard to make test parts for the buckets. When it got to where it worked, I traced the pattern onto heavy gauge aluminum and did all the same bends and mounted it to the header support using the same holes and bolts as the Fiero lights. I painted it all black and mounted drivng lights in it as the low beams and some projector bulbs for the high beams. Then framed in the opening with aluminum angle painted black. Then made a cardboard pattern for the lexan covers big enough to cover the holes. I then masked off the area I wanted to stay clear and painted the rest of the lexan body color to match. On the bottom I used black velcro to fasten the covers to the angle strips so no glue or bolts would show. Made it very easy to clean the plexiglass and inside the bucket. I did find in ice/snow storms, I had to pop them off to keep ice from building up on them since they laid so flat. I did two sets of covers in case they ever blew off. I never lost either of the originals. I just made sure at the front edge, that the cover sat slightly lower than the nose so wind couldnt blow under it. The lights shined thru it just fine and could see a mile down a dark country road with no problem. The lights stayed put when I opened the hood. I just cut out the corners of the hood and fiberglassed what needed filled.
[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 06-25-2014).]
Ohio is generally pretty strict on lights. Mine got by without ever being questioned because I aimed them where they were supposed to be so it didnt attract attention. 2nd is most cops here never even seen a Ferrari to know what their lights looked like. Mine looked completely factory installed. If there were inspections here, it might have to be done a bit differently. They basicly just look at anything that dont look right or correct to see if its got the DOT markings.
