Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 12:11:10 -0400
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Tony Moore <tony@MOORELAB.COM>
Subject: Re: Euro-spec headlights tech (kinda long)
Wow! Never realized any of this!
Thanks for the info!
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tony
tri-state transporters
'57 oval beetle
'60 westy
'71 rustfalia
'85 westy
'86 weekender (the wife's :-) - for sale!
'97 golf trek (the wife's)
"rusty or not the stars are just as bright and the campfire just as warm
and the bed just as cozy" -len alcamo
http://moorelab.com/tristatetransporters.html
http://moorelab.com
http://bluejordan.com
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> From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@ccmail.plk.af.mil
> To: tony@moorelab.com
> Cc: Vanagon@GERRY.SDSC.EDU
> Subject: Re: Euro-spec headlights tech (kinda long)
> Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 11:00 AM
>
>
> Well yes-
>
> Nothing about the grille. But the headlights themselves would have
a
> "reversed" beam pattern. In drive-on-the-right countries (including
> the US and continental Europe), the high-beam is usually shifted to
> the left (as well as "up") in comparison to the low-beam. The
> drive-on-the-left comparison (UK, South Africa, Japan, ANZUS) would
> have the pattern shift to the right.
>
> Also, with regard to Euro-spec lenses (L- or RHD), these usually
have
> a very sharp cutoff pattern on low beam. If you shine the
headlights
> (euro-spec, drive-on-the-right) on a garage door or similar, you see
a
> light pattern like this (bad ASCII art alert!):
>
>
> (dark) /| (dark) /|
> ______/ |______/ |
>
> light
>
> The angled-up cutoff allows light to shine further down the right
side
> (shoulder) of the road. On good lenses (Cibie comes to mind), the
> cutoff is very dramatic; you could almost use it as a guide to draw
a
> straight line on the garage door! Naturally, drive-on-the-left
lights
> are opposite.
>
> US-spec low beam patterns are less defined, and frankly emit a lot
of
> blinding light where it isn't needed or wanted (except on
> luminescently-challenged overhead freeway signs, trees (helps the
> squirrels find midnight snacks), and low-flying aircraft). When
> euro-spec lights having the above beam pattern are properly
adjusted,
> virtually no blinding light is emitted at oncoming traffic or in the
> rear view mirror of other cars ahead in the same lane.
>
> Note that there are likely exceptions to the above; this is not
> intended to be the definitive "primer" on euro-spec lighting, just a
> collection of my observations from having lived in Europe two years
> and made several subsequent visits. But I have used euro-spec 7"
> round Cibie conversions on a Baja bug and seen the exact beam
pattern
> shown above. I also have Euro-spec tungsten-bulb "buckets" on my
'66
> Bus which exhibit this characteristic (although the left lens is
> evidently a British version as it has the cutoff running just the
> opposite - fortunately the tungsten bulbs are not too bright, and I
> have the reflectors adjusted to lower the beam - when I hit the high
> beams on this one, they both head toward the center of the road -
> "cross-eyes").
>
> I also have a pair of 7" Cibie Z-beams - these have a fairly sharp
> cutoff and a slight shift to the left on high-beam, but the beam
> pattern is more symetrical.
>
> -Blaine
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: Re: Re[2]: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangu
> Author: tony@moorelab.com at mailgw
> Date: 7/23/97 8:53 AM
>
>
> I'm not sure what that has to do with the headlights and grill tho'.
>
> Am I missing something?
>
>
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> ---------------------
> tony
> tri-state transporters
> '57 oval beetle
> '60 westy
> '71 rustfalia
> '85 westy
> '86 weekender (the wife's :-) - for sale!
> '97 golf trek (the wife's)
>
> "rusty or not the stars are just as bright and the campfire just as warm
> and the bed just as cozy" -len alcamo
>
> http://moorelab.com/tristatetransporters.html
> http://moorelab.com
> http://bluejordan.com
>
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> --------------
>
> ----------
> > From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@ccmail.plk.af.mil
> > To: tony@moorelab.com
> > Cc: Vanagon@GERRY.SDSC.EDU
> > Subject: Re[2]: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangular)
> > Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 10:00 AM
> >
> >
> > But-
> >
> > They drive on the left side of the street in S.A., right? Gotta
go
> to
> > Europe.
> >
> > -Blaine
> >
> >
> > ______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> > Subject: Re: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangular)
> > Author: tony@moorelab.com at mailgw
> > Date: 7/23/97 8:00 AM
> >
> >
> > Wasn't Chris Turner (JordanVW@aol.com) talking about organizing a group
> buy
> > of these from South Africa?
> >
> > Maybe we could shame him into getting back into the game ;->
> >
> >
>
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>
> > ---------------------
> > tony
> > tri-state transporters
> > '57 oval beetlw
> > '60 westy
> > '71 rustfalia
> > '85 westy
> > '86 weekender (the wife's :-) - for sale!
> > '97 golf trek
> >
> > "rusty or not the stars are just as bright and the campfire just as
warm
> > and the bed just as cozy" -len alcamo
> >
> > http://moorelab.com/tristatetransporters.html
> > http://moorelab.com
> > http://bluejordan.com
> >
>
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>
> > --------------
> >
> > ----------
> > > From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@CCMAIL.PLK.AF.MIL
> > > To: Vanagon@GERRY.SDSC.EDU
> > > Subject: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangular)
> > > Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 8:50 AM
> > >
> > > Does anyone out there have a line on getting Euro-spec
headlights
> > for
> > > the late Vanagon?
> > >
> > > I don't want to go retro to round lights (always wanted a
Vanagon
> > with
> > > rectangulars).
> > >
> > > Do our Canadian friends suffer with the same S.A.E.-approved
junk
> > that
> > > we have?
> > >
> > > Anyone in Europe with access to a few good wrecking yards want
to
> go
> > > into business?
> > >
> > > -Blaine