66 poor headlights

[britbuick]

hi everone may i wish you all a merry xmas and a happy new year,the dipped beam lights on my 66 riviera are very poor the main beam is just about acceptable is this normal and is there any upgrades i can make to make it safer to drive at night,thanks jon.

[Guest Riviera66]

There is no reason for the headlights to be unacceptable on any early Rivieras. What happens is that over time the filaments lose their brightness even though the light is not 'burnt out'. From measurements I've taken on my cars, it's very easy for the light output to be 15-20% below what it was when new. If you want originality, the original "T-3" bulbs are reproduced... around $120 for a set of 4. If you just want functional, new bulbs of original specs are readily available at a low price from several manufacturers. Replacement headlights that mimic more modern component headlights are also available from what I've seen at local swap meets... and give a brighter appearance.

What is very important though is to be sure your headlights are correctly aimed. Last year I did a headlight aiming at one of our local SoCal ROA meets and found that not one was close to correct; all had substantially misaligned lighting. So, align your headlights... you'll probably gain more from that than anything.

Darwin Falk

1966-70 ROA Technical Advisor

[NTX5467]

One other consideration would be to make sure you're getting full voltage TO the headlight through the wiring harness and related connections. You can check with with a voltmeter at the light by backprobing the connectors. Over time, it's possible for the plug-in connectors to become degraded (with surface grunge or light atmospheric corrosion) and increase the resistance at this interface. Unplugging and re-plugging them in a few times can help clean the contact surface to improve the contact surface of the connector. Cycling the dimmer switch and headlight switch can help keep those internal contacts clean, too. Although they have some factory "sealer", the bulkhead connector terminals might also be an issue for long-term contact degradation issues.

As mentioned, the T-3s are in repro. When new, those were some of the longest-lasting headlights ever made . . . by observation. Newer model headlights will probably be halogen lights and have a better beam pattern, not to forget the Euro-code style lights with the replaceable bulbs. Several options, just depends upon how "original" you desire to keep the vehicle.

The earlier headlights did have a few less candlepower output than the later halogen headlights, so that might be a consideration. Still, having the lights aimed "to spec" is important. The brightest light is of little real benefit if the beam is not aimed where it'll do the most good (legally).

As with other things, sometimes a little adjusting and tweaking is all that's needed to make things work a lot better without spending much money to "get there".

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Jim Cannon]

I agree with Darwin that your lights do not need to be poor. Here are a few things to check and perhaps correct (in addition to what Darwin suggested):

1. Check the condition of the electrical contacts on the back side of the sealed beam headlamps. If corroded, clean them up. Bright lights require a good electrical connection there.

2. Building on what Darwin said about replacing old, stock T-3 sealed beam headlamps, I suggest you replace them with readily available Halogen Sealed Beam lamps. The numbers for these lamps are H5006 for the outer 2 lamps (hi/lo beam) and H5001 for the inner 2 lamps (hi-only). The halogens start out brighter and stay brighter longer. They do appear to be original bulbs unless you get right up close to them, so they would only detract from the most serious fine point judging show car. As Darwin said, if you replace headlamps, you should aim them again.

3. Find the ground wire in the headlight wiring harness (usually under the hood) and clean the connector where it attaches to the body. Just like you need clean connections on the back of the lamps, you need a good, clean ground here for maximum headlight brightness.

4. The final place to look in the headlight system is the headlight switch itself. After driving at night for an hour or so, see if the headlight switch knob, shaft, or body feels hot. If it does, that might be due to dirty contacts inside the switch not allowing full voltage to get to the lamps for maximum brightness. If headlight switches are available for your year car, you might try replacing it.

[britbuick]

thanks jim thats a great help,jon.

[britbuick]

thanks a great help,jon.

[britbuick]

thanks darwin thats a great help,jon.