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I would like to increase the intensity of the headlights on my 81. I'm not interested in LED's or any other headlight conversions, but I am interested in the kit that uses relays to allow the headlights to run off the increased voltage (13 + volts) produced by the alternator. Does anyone know where I can purchase one of these kits? I'm not interested in building my own using numerous relays, etc.
Why are you against using LED's? The early LED bulbs weren't great, but the newer ones are fantastic. Twice the lumens on half the current, excellent light pattern, and a choice of colors.
All the voltage in the world won't help if the grounds and other connectors are dirty
Before adding/replacing wiring I suggest that you clean all of the chassis grounds.
First I would check the voltage at the headlamps with them turned on as a reference. Then clean the connector and contacts.
The main ground for the front lamp harness is at the driver side lower corner of the radiator support facing towards the front of the car. It's a royal PITA to access but it can be done through the park/turn lamp hole using a conglomeration of regular extensions, two universal joints and a wobble extension. It takes two people to do this--one to hold the wrench and the other to guide the socket onto the head. It is likely to be VERY dirty!
There's a secondary ground for the front lamp harness at the top of the nose between the headlamp door vacuum relays. A third ground for that harness is inboard rear of the alternator.
You should also clean the rear lamp harness ground located near the radio antenna.
The engine harness ground is located near the starter. Unlike the other grounds that are essentially big sheet metal screws this one is a machined bolt installed in a large casting. Despite its highly exposed location it will probably be the cleanest of them all.
Then compare lamp voltage (when on) and see if brightness has increased significantly. If you're still unhappy with the brightness I suggest replacing the lamps unless you know they are reasonably new. All incandescent lamps loose brightness as they age. If there's still a significant voltage drop and you're not happy with the brightness then adding relays is reasonably easy and the wiring changes are very simple and do not require a kit as all of the needed parts are easily available. You essentially splice into the front lamp harness near the alternator and mount relays and circuit protection (a self-resetting circuit breaker is best) on the inner fender liner. This does keep the wiring from the splice location to the lamps but it is adequate for the job. If you really want to add large gauge wiring you'll need to remove the majority of the front lamp harness (quite a pain) for a proper job
BTW, LED replacement headlamps for our cars are illegal in every US state because they are not DOT approved. Color temperature, lamp intensity and particularly light distribution are all problems that causes a situation where you get great visibility but the other drivers on the road face obnoxious glare and other problems.
BTW, LED replacement headlamps for our cars are illegal in every US state because they are not DOT approved. Color temperature, lamp intensity and particularly light distribution are all problems that causes a situation where you get great visibility but the other drivers on the road face obnoxious glare and other problems.
There are TONs of LED lights that are DOT certified- Legal in all 50 states- However in California for some reasons they cause cancer?
There are TONs of LED lights that are DOT certified- Legal in all 50 states- However in California for some reasons they cause cancer?
Please reply with reference to any DOT certified LED replacement headlamps for use in a C3. For that matter please reply with any DOT certified LED lamps for use in our park/turn/stop fixtures. I'll owe you an amazing apology if you can find a single LED lamp certified for any of these uses.
Personally I detest senseless federal regulations but when it comes to exterior automotive lighting it matters greatly. I don't look for LED/HID lamp use in fixtures not designed for them but I always notice them in a bad way. Such does not happen in cars with fixtures designed to use them.
Please reply with reference to any DOT certified LED replacement headlamps for use in a C3. For that matter please reply with any DOT certified LED lamps for use in our park/turn/stop fixtures. I'll owe you an amazing apology if you can find a single LED lamp certified for any of these uses.
Personally I detest senseless federal regulations but when it comes to exterior automotive lighting it matters greatly. I don't look for LED/HID lamp use in fixtures not designed for them but I always notice them in a bad way. Such does not happen in cars with fixtures designed to use them.
"Personally I detest senseless federal regulations"
Oh- I get it. Back in the day-early 80's- one summer job was converting gray market cars to US spec. We had to take out the killer looking euro lights-smash them and replace them with junk sealed bulbs.
Made no sense!!!
DOT certified LED replacement headlamps for use in a C3
Summit is pretty legit- there are several other websites- but don't want any fake news!!!
J. W. Speaker 8630 Evolution
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jws-0550921
DOT certified LED lamps for use in our park/turn/stop fixtures
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
I was in the same boat....probably the same iceberg...
Well I tried that Wriring bypass that plugs into the highbeam switch. It did work alittle but wont help with those old style incandescent bulbs...but wait we will be back
I then bought the headlight harness with ceramic ends and went to H4/ H1 lenses with stock wattage Halogen bulbs...
I then upgraded to H4 lamp 80 watt low and 100 watt high..... I had them agled to the legal height and they would still annoy oncoming drrivers and when I was behind JKippin he said the filled the mirrors and I could see into his car easily
I angled them down alot so they seem to light the road 10 to 20 feet in front of the car and they are much better. BUT when I pull up next to JKippin in his vette with his LED setup my lights are washed out because they are still slightly yellow vs his white lights. The problem is they do get hot and keep melting the fiber optics I have mounted throughthe back of the bulb holder. After all my efforts, the new LEDs that have the DOT "style" lenses that are new to the market are much better, have that horizontal cutoff that the OEM manufacturers have, and are much better at not flooding the oncoming drivers windshields are the way to go.
So back to my first statement , You could go with a stock style one pices lense and bulb combow , with the ceramic plugs and up the wattage to "not for road use" and be close to being able to see...its your call. Im going to JKippins setup for $200 when I can.
He has a thread about Octane headlights from a bout 2 months ago on here
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; Sep 10, 2020 at 06:50 AM.
"DOT complaint" does not mean "DOT certified" much less "DOT approved for use in (application)"!
DOT compliant means that the manufacturer has tested the lamp intensity, brightness and color and claim that they meet DOT specs.
DOT certified means that the DOT has tested and verified compliance.
Sounds like no real difference, right?
That's because there is another BIG part of the story.
The fixtures themselves must also be DOT certified. Such certification involves the use of a specific shape, size and design of lamp. Why? The lamp(s) and fixture work together to produce the required beam spread, color, etc.
Regarding those Summit Racing "DOT compliant" headlamps. Notice how they call them an "assembly"? That's because while the LED(s) inside may meet DOT compliance standards the fixture in which they are installed doesn't. 99.99% that the "DOT" approval lettering is NOT on the lens or body of the "assembly" like you see on every automotive exterior lighting fixture.
Walmart is doing similar. Note, "...bulbs are DOT compliant if legal colors are used". Again, the bulb itself may be DOT compliant but it is not certified to be used in exterior automotive fixtures.
Those sellers are not making false claims, but they are not telling the whole story.
Sylvania was working on DOT certified LED lamps to be used in some automotive uses. When I last looked about three years ago the list of approved uses (it is actually by model and year) was very small with regards to fixtures originally designed for incandescent lamps. With the possible exception of side markers nothing else was approved for us in a C3.
-----------------------------------------
Yes. I remember the early HID headlamps in BMWs that somehow managed to "sneak through". Those things were insanely obnoxious and felt like they were piercing into your brain. They were as bad or worse in the rear-view mirror as head on! It wasn't just me who felt that way. I heard many complain about them. I spent a few weeks in Bavaria four years ago driving a rented BMW. It had HIDs but they were not the same and I notice exceptionally few on the road.
Last edited by SwampeastMike; Sep 10, 2020 at 03:30 PM.
Adding more information after seeing this discussion early this morning.
Information is from a USA manufacturer in Germantown, WI. JW Speaker's technicians response regarding stock C3 Corvette lighting. Here is their reply.
This is DOT approved lighting. Made in the USA. (I am not affiliated with the company. They are doing some great lighting upgrade work with the nearby Milwaukee Police Department's Harley riders ( see blog ).
REPLY 1 )
It looks like the '72 Corvette uses 5.75" headlights. That would be our model 8630. We have not done testing on your vehicle specifically, but the lights are made to replace any standard bulb. So everything I'm seeing tells me they would fit.
The 72 Corvette original equipment lights (high and low beam bulbs) measure to be about 5.5” diameter, but they are considered Par46, which for us is 5.75”. So in other words they are the same size, we just measure it differently.
We only make a high/low combo. So you would buy 4 pieces of part number 0550921. The low beams can just be hooked up as low beams, and the high beams as high beams. We sell them at full retail on our website, so you could try shopping around for a better deal. But be careful with Amazon.
Adding more information after seeing this discussion early this morning.
Information is from a USA manufacturer in Germantown, WI. JW Speaker's technicians response regarding stock C3 Corvette lighting. Here is their reply.
This is DOT approved lighting. Made in the USA. (I am not affiliated with the company. They are doing some great lighting upgrade work with the nearby Milwaukee Police Department's Harley riders ( see blog ).
REPLY 1 )
It looks like the '72 Corvette uses 5.75" headlights. That would be our model 8630. We have not done testing on your vehicle specifically, but the lights are made to replace any standard bulb. So everything I'm seeing tells me they would fit.
The 72 Corvette original equipment lights (high and low beam bulbs) measure to be about 5.5” diameter, but they are considered Par46, which for us is 5.75”. So in other words they are the same size, we just measure it differently.
We only make a high/low combo. So you would buy 4 pieces of part number 0550921. The low beams can just be hooked up as low beams, and the high beams as high beams. We sell them at full retail on our website, so you could try shopping around for a better deal. But be careful with Amazon.
Will you please provide a photo showing the D.O.T. certification on the outside (e.g. the true fixture) of those headlamps? In addition please provide verification that these are not LED "guts" installed in a PAR 46 enclosure manufactured for use in an incandescent lamp. Excuse my skepticism but I know for a fact that this sort of thing has been done by numerous companies selling automotive LED "upgrades" that are certainly legal to make and sell even as "automotive applications" but not D.O.T. certified for the "suggested" uses.
If such assemblies weren't obnoxious to other drivers I wouldn't quibble about certifications.
If your LED C3 headlamp replacement assemblies are fully D.O.T. certified I will buy them tomorrow! You will and should be extremely proud to demonstrate such!!!!!!!!
Last edited by SwampeastMike; Sep 10, 2020 at 07:38 PM.
Will you please provide a photo showing theD.O.T. certification on the outside (e.g. the true fixture) of those headlamps? In addition please provide verification that these are not LED "guts" installed in a PAR 46 enclosure manufactured for use in an incandescent lamp. Excuse my skepticism but I know for a fact that this sort of thing has been done by numerous companies selling automotive LED "upgrades" that are certainly legal to make and sell even as "automotive applications" but not D.O.T. certified for the "suggested" uses.
If such assemblies weren't obnoxious to other drivers I wouldn't quibble about certifications.
If your LED C3 headlamp replacement assemblies are fully D.O.T. certified I will buy them tomorrow! You will and should be extremely proud to demonstrate such!!!!!!!!
That engraved certification of the LEDs inside means nothing! That's a commonly available PAR 46 lens that you've merely engraved to show that the lamps inside could be DOT certified.
This is very reason that TRUE D.O.T. certified lenses be they glass or plastic have RAISED letters.
At least your image does show that those lamps are only applicable to "Construction, Mining, Off-Road 4x4, Railroad, Specialty Vehicle, Truck & Bus"
They are in NO WAY certified or legal for ON ROAD use in passenger cars!
Stop playing games! Do you think that I am a fool?
Last edited by SwampeastMike; Sep 10, 2020 at 08:23 PM.
Holy smokes, SwampeastMike. You're really excited about this. I am merely trying to investigate this further. Just going by what the mfr is telling me. Curious and investigating. The Wisconsin lighting firm just retrofitted all of the Milwaukee police department's Harley Davidson cycles with their LED headlight bulbs.. I think that is a positive sign. Working on the DOT certification bit. This company has some promising partnerships with state and local governments Some positive proof. DOT certifications should be available for DOT certified products. ( I am inquiring for all of the forum members interested in better LEGAL lighting safety ) I agree that some of the LED lighting on vehicles is annoying at best, and at worst, is hazardous to oncoming drivers. Federal regulation below from one of many sources - the power and wattage section pasted. Regulations are lengthy, filled with many parameters, relating to size, placement, labeling, corrosion, power, wattage, candlepower, beam control, function. I will be inquiring to see if the company literature's listed federal regulations listings are legitimate, with DOT certification on lumens, beam control, DOT certifications critical safety, or simply ink on a page.
Instead of being a critic, better to be actively helping to solve the shortcomings of poor lighting in older corvettes... and help save a few lives after dark, whether its in the swamp, desert, forest or plains.
VII. Electrical Specifications for Each Filament at 12.8 Volts
A. Maximum power (in watts).
B. Luminous Flux with tolerance (in lumens) with black cap if so equipped, measured in accordance with the document: Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, LM-45; IES Approved Method for Electrical and Photometric Measurements of General Service Incandescent Filament Lamps (April 1980). This incorporation by reference was approved by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)and 1 CFR part 51. Copies may be obtained from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 345 East 47th St., New York, NY 10017. Copies may be inspected at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Technical Information Services, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Washington, DC 20590, or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_regi...locations.html.
VIII. Bulb Markings/Designation - ANSI NUMBER, ECE IDENTIFIER, MANUFACTURER'S PART NUMBER, INDIVIDUALLY OR IN ANY COMBINATION
IX. All Other Information, Dimensions or Performance Specifications Necessary for Interchangeability, Replaceability, or System Test Purposes not Listed in Sections I Through VIIIIF A BALLAST IS REQUIRED FOR OPERATION, A COMPLETE LISTING OF THE REQUIREMENTS AND PARAMETERS BETWEEN THE LIGHT SOURCE AND BALLAST, AND BALLAST AND THE VEHICLE SHALL ALSO BE PROVIDED.
Last edited by C2-C3Guy; Sep 10, 2020 at 10:57 PM.
Reason: Adding information.
Holy smokes, SwampeastMike. You're really excited about this. I am merely trying to investigate this further. Just going by what the mfr is telling me. Curious and investigating. The wisconsin firm just retrofitted all of the Milwaukee police department's Harley Davidson cycles with their LED headlight bulbs.. I think that is a positive sign. Working on the DOT certification bit. This company has some promising partnerships with state and local governments Some positive proof. DOT certifications should be available for DOT certified products. ( I am inquiring for all of the forum members interested in better LEGAL lighting safety ) I agree that some of the LED lighting on vehicles is annoying at best, and at worst, is hazardous to oncoming drivers.
Instead of being a critic, better to be actively helping to solve the shortcomings of poor lighting in older corvettes... and help save a few lives after dark.
Yes, I am "excited" as it would be GREAT for truly legal and approved LED headlamps to replace the sort used in our C3s as well as MILLIONS of other passenger cars!
BUT despite what you claim you give the appearance of being involved with the company/products you are advocating.
Again I want to see the genuine D.O.T. certification of something you say claim to be legal for road use in the USA as replacements for the headlamps "assemblies" used in C3s and, again, millions upon millions of cars be they either round or rectangular in shape.
That engraved D.O.T. wording in the lens is again utterly meaningless as it can easily be added to any lens of the same size! It is the RAISED lettering that matters because there is no reasonable way for such to be faked, In fact that etched D.O.T. stuff is nothing but a guarantee that the headlamp assembly is not approved and someone is playing a game to skirt the law. Again there was not a single ON ROAD use in a PASSENGER CAR specified.; Motorcycles are not passenger cars and something tells me that they never had the sort of rigid certifications required of such.
The "certifications" you're showing are essentially meaningless and in no way demonstrate that the products are legal for on-road use by passenger cars! The "eco" type things are the utter worst as they are nothing but pandering to a niche group.
Yes, this is forceful but I will never apologize unless I am shown TRUE D.O.T. certification for use in passenger cars! In the absence of such it is YOU who owe me and everyone you are trying to fool an apology.
Yes, I am "excited" as it would be GREAT for truly legal and approved LED headlamps to replace the sort used in our C3s as well as MILLIONS of other passenger cars!
BUT despite what you claim you give the appearance of being involved with the company/products you are advocating.
Again I want to see the genuine D.O.T. certification of something you say claim to be legal for road use in the USA as replacements for the headlamps "assemblies" used in C3s and, again, millions upon millions of cars be they either round or rectangular in shape.
That engraved D.O.T. wording in the lens is again utterly meaningless as it can easily be added to any lens of the same size! It is the RAISED lettering that matters because there is no reasonable way for such to be faked, In fact that etched D.O.T. stuff is nothing but a guarantee that the headlamp assembly is not approved and someone is playing a game to skirt the law. Again there was not a single ON ROAD use in a PASSENGER CAR specified.; Motorcycles are not passenger cars and something tells me that they never had the sort of rigid certifications required of such.
The "certifications" you're showing are essentially meaningless and in no way demonstrate that the products are legal for on-road use by passenger cars! The "eco" type things are the utter worst as they are nothing but pandering to a niche group.
Yes, this is forceful but I will never apologize unless I am shown TRUE D.O.T. certification for use in passenger cars! In the absence of such it is YOU who owe me and everyone you are trying to fool an apology.
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SwampeastMike,
Curious that you are asking for an apology for my agreeing with your premise, your request, and working to find an answer to the DOT certification question for this vendor mentioned in the initial discussion. I looked up all of the business mentioned and deduced to pursue the most advanced technology and see what solutions and certifications are offered. Halogen light are old tech, and limited in DOT legality for street use. JW Speaker seemed to have the best technology They are an American company, and I am giving them credit for being Americans, with seemingly American manufactured products. Maybe they are reboxing and labeling foreign parts (unfortunate). I am not affiliated with them, nor do I know any of them personally. I do support American businesses, and American manufacturers.. I have been American small business owner several times and am currently self-employed. If JW Speaker or others mentioned, with lighting solutions, are State DOT certified and / or Federally, and they provide the documentation, then I will pass it along to all forum members. If not, then the dog won't hunt. And the search continues.
LED lighting is newer technology than Halogen, and I question the lumen / wattage power certification methods on some of these newer vehicles' factory headlights. Painfully bright. Using decades of proven European beam downward focusing and road following technology based on steering wheel direction, would be beneficial here in the States. We are way behind the curve on this one. All the best, to you.
Last edited by C2-C3Guy; Sep 11, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
Brighter Headlights
