StingrayLust

I'm pulling apart both of my headlamps and blasting them to repaint. As I do that, I want to replace the bulbs. The ones that were in there were from around 1995 according to the back printing and were GE H5001 and H5006 halogens.

I noticed on the back in the center there is a clear glass tube projecting backwards, I presume to enable use of the fiber optics.


My question, do the replacement bulbs like the Sylvania H5006XV that I've seen others talk about still work with the fiber optic system?

I just got back from AdvanceAuto and they had some of the H5006xv in stock. I looked in the center on the back of the bulb and there's some cloudy goop on there that I'm not sure how much light would get through. Are the headlights from the vette dealers like Ecklers any different? I know there are some other brands like Wagner, but I have a feeling they all come from the same source, including the ones sold through the online vette dealers

I see most vette dealers have the correct T3 lights, but those are a lot more expensive, I'd prefer to go with the cheaper and brighter halogens. And yes I'm aware of the problem of voltage drop and may resort at some point to relays.

7T1vette

Actually, that IS where the fiber optic cable is aimed. There is also a little black plastic tube that fits over that nipple on the bulb, before the electrical connector is installed. It prevents 'outside' light from entering the fiber optic strand. That optic strand is built into that connector and is aimed directly at the nipple on the lamp.

Faster Rat

Are you sure? There should be a rubber collar that goes around that nipple. The fiber optic pickup is in the middle of the plug so when the bulb is connected, the light shining thru that nipple is collected and transferred to the fiber optic cable.

I've replaced 2 or 3 bulbs in the last 7 years. Been paying $20 each for period correct T3s. Ready to find a source for reproductions and put the other 4 in a box...just in case the next caretaker wants to have the car judged.

7T1vette

I believe that nipple is where the air is exchanged during the manufacturing process, but it is also where the fiber optic is aimed.

0Willcox Corvette

The car had a rubber collar that slipped over the pinch nipple.. when the connector was slipped on the bulb, the collar was pinched between the end of the fiber optic connection and the nipple..

You an use vacuum hose for this too.. it seems to work. Not sure about how long it will last but I did this on my 70 in 1994 and have not replaced them...

StingrayLust

Ahhh, the old "look in the AIM" trick. Yes that does answer part of the question as to the existing lamps I have.

But the real question then becomes, are there *any* aftermarket bulbs besides the pricey T3's that have this glass protrusion?

I know for a fact that the Sylvania H5006xv and H5001xv do not have this feature, at least the ones I saw at my local Advance Auto. I see the Wagner (presumably halogen) WAG5001 and WAG4000 on the Willcox site, do those still have the exact feature like my existing GE H5001 ones or are they missing that glass tube like the current Sylvania H5001xv?

The vacuum hose as a replacement for that part is a perfect idea.

0Willcox Corvette

Boy.. I'll go out on a limb here if you promise not to roast me if I'm wrong...

But the bulbs we carry do have the tit on them. What you can do is if you order them... put a note in the notes section to see me.. "ernie" and verify that the **** are there.

The last set I actually had in my hands did have them but thats been about a year ago or so. I try really hard not to have parts in my hands any longer.. LOL.. I'd be happy to take a look before shipped.

Ernie

StingrayLust

Ernie, thanks for the great info and the catch on the nipple in the AIM, wouldn't have thought to look there for such a minor detail.

I've placed my order for 4 of the bulbs, at a great price too, with notes to see you about them.

I also took advantage of the forum special 10% off and ordered a complete rear storage compartment while I was there.

garage-ghost

Sorry My bad.
It's been 34 years since I owned a 71...this old memory just ain't what it used to be.

Easy Mike

Using the AIM as a reference is not a trick. It's usually the first place most of us go when we have a question.

If you do not have the AIM, my advice would be to purchase one. When it arrives, sit down and thumb through it a couple of times. Keep it handy.

7T1vette

Go thru it a "couple of times"...to start! Most of us are up to a couple of hundred [or so]. Right, Mike?


Also, I'm not sure that the nipple on the back of the bulb is all that important. What IS important is that there is a way to get light out of the backside of whatever bulb you have, so it can be "seen" by the fiber optic strand in its electrical connector. If your bulb has reflective material completely over the inside of the reflector, there is no way for the F/O to 'see' it [in its present location].

StingrayLust

Yes I have an AIM, it's one of the first things I bought after I got my car last August. I've stared at enough of the online subcomponent images for the headlamp but none that I looked at ever included the breakout part that shows just the bulb, the seal, and the connector so clearly like the AIM does. So I missed that rubber seal that goes from the bulb to the FO.

I need to buy the index for my AIM, I hate trying to find something specific quickly, of course I haven't been through my AIM a couple of hundred times either.

Never planned on using the T3s as they sound like they have inferior lighting compared to the newer stuff. Plus they're expensive and don't ever expect my car to be NCRS judged. I was just curious as to what the backside of a true T3 looks like at the connection point, is it exactly the same as my GE H5001's I pulled in the image above or is it different?

Learning more everyday...

0Willcox Corvette

Actually you don't need an index for the pdf version. It has been text converted and key search words for each page have been added. In this case I just typed in the word Headlamp and hit search. It pulled every page with that word on it.

Takes seconds to find things this way.

0Willcox Corvette

Ok.. just to update you the bulbs are shipped with tit's intact!

garage-ghost

Careful Ernie...That's how Hugh Hefner got started.

GPGG70

That was a good one.

Carl Granquist

I've got my .PDF version on my iPad. Amazing how valuable that manual is, especially when it's easily at hand.

0Willcox Corvette

Left myself wide open for that one..