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Headlamp "upgrade" to Angel Eye units

I only did that with mine as I'd lifted my front bumper a bit higher than I thought I had .... (covered the original indicators) ... can post a pic if you want.

The MOT guy was fine with the LED angel eye rings, in fact he commented on how good they looked.

I've used standard orange bulbs instead of LEDs as I'm not really a big fan of too many LEDs
 
I only did that with mine as I'd lifted my front bumper a bit higher than I thought I had .... (covered the original indicators) ... can post a pic if you want. The MOT guy was fine with the LED angel eye rings, in fact he commented on how good they looked. I've used standard orange bulbs instead of LEDs as I'm not really a big fan of too many LEDs

Oh yeah, pics always welcome Carl :dance:

My main hesitation with having another set of indicators is I have the OEM indicators, plus repeaters in the ARB front winch bumper, plus the OEM repeaters in the wings, and now another pair?

It'll look like a friggin' Christmas tree when I make a turn :lol:

Standard (glass) bulbs would look better, I'm sure. The clear version I have, allows you to see the bulbs very clearly, and the LEDs look a bit ugly on display...

Again, decisions, decisions... :think:
 
Interested to see how this all works out. The headlights are one of the lat things I need to upgrade on my vehicles. To be honest I find some of the terminology confusing and get lost. Some say you need new harnesses or the bulbs are illegal so I until now have always chickened out...

of course once I have the solution then I need to do it to all 3 cars...OCD kicks in...
 
Interested to see how this all works out. The headlights are one of the lat things I need to upgrade on my vehicles. To be honest I find some of the terminology confusing and get lost. Some say you need new harnesses or the bulbs are illegal so I until now have always chickened out... of course once I have the solution then I need to do it to all 3 cars...OCD kicks in...

IMO, if you fit higher wattage bulbs, such as Halogens, you tend to overload the original supply circuit. For this reason, it would be safer to source the power from a fused direct link to the battery, using the original supply wire to energize a relay. It's simpler and cheaper than upgrading the harness.

HID / Xenon "bulbs" get their power from a power pack that is energized (the same way as above) from a relay through a fused link to the battery, using the original wiring to activate the relay.

LEDs use less power than their equivalent filament bulb.
 
HID's also draw less power than filament bulbs so you can power them directly from the OE harness. A much higher percentage of the power consumed is turned into light rather than heat, unlike filament bulbs which are really quite inefficient. LED's produce even less heat but it's all generated at the base of the emitter rather than the light source itself, hence the small cooling fans and/or large heatsinks on the back of LED bulbs. The problem there is, as someone has mentioned previously, that the light lenses can freeze up in snowy/icy weather as there's insufficient heat being radiated forwards!
 
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HID's also draw less power than filament bulbs so you can power them directly from the OE harness. A much higher percentage of the power consumed is turned into light rather than heat, unlike filament bulbs which are really quite inefficient. LED's produce even less heat but it's all generated at the base of the emitter rather than the light source itself, hence the small cooling fans and/or large heatsinks on the back of LED bulbs. The problem there is, as someone has mentioned previously, that the light lenses can freeze up in snowy/icy weather as there's insufficient heat being radiated forwards!

Yep, the icing up was my experience last and this winter, PITA.

I wasn't sure about the draw of the HIDs, I'm learning as I go on these issues. The fitter certainly wired mine through a relay, but I see no harm in that, even if not strictly necessary.

Thanks TP :thumbup:
 
Please excuse the state of the grill ....

10945727_498714753601042_6818106783289530251_n.jpg
 
Looking good Clive.
I've got the black version of those on my 80. ..... I've used the corner (side lights) as the main indicator and the LED angel eye rings as the side lights....
was all good at the mot time just gone.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-DUAL-HA...s&fits=Model:Land+Cruiser&hash=item2343eeb4f1

I sent that supplier a message about L/R hand drive and they only do left hand drive ones so dip beam would go the wrong way.

Carl do yours dip the right way?
 
Nice one Carl, the smoked do look cool especially with your colour of truck :cool:

I've decided to go with white side lights, only because I already have 3 indicators each side. They will be 27 "plate" LEDs like these...

IMG_3868.JPG

Should be bright enough :lol:

The dip and mains will be H1 Xenon (HID) 55 Watt or equivalent (I'm told), as if I know about these things. :crazy:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-DUAL-HA...s&fits=Model:Land+Cruiser&hash=item2343eeb4f1

I sent that supplier a message about L/R hand drive and they only do left hand drive ones so dip beam would go the wrong way.

Carl do yours dip the right way?



Yes Chas ... they do dip the correct way.
They are specifically designed to be mounted in rhd vehicles .....

These are what I got ... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120770584674?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 .. just told them I needed RHD and that's what I got sent. ..

not long had an MOT and apart from a minor adjustment truck passed with them fitted
 
:thumbup: Thanks Carl, I've put it on my watching list.
 
I've recently been using these new cree LED Bulbs, they look super cool and throw out more light than anything I've ever used! Check them out if you like
 
It should be reported that your rubber cheque bounced all the way into my account Clive :icon-wink: thanks mate your a gentleman :thumbup:
 
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It should be reported that your rubber cheque bounced all the way into my account Clive :icon-wink: thanks mate your a gentleman :thumbup:

Glad to hear that Shayne, I had checked that it had been debited from my account, but they have been known to disappear into suspended animation between accounts!

All you have to do now is keep the curtains closed for a few weeks, and don't answer the knock on the door at 3:00 am...:lol:
 
Clive. Get on with it man for goodness sake. We can't leave the house until you get this done and posted!
 
Clive. Get on with it man for goodness sake. We can't leave the house until you get this done and posted!

Bugger damn, been stuck in Istanbul all this week so I'm not home till tomorrow night :icon-rolleyes:

Maybe an update will be in order over the weekend, if I'm lucky. Trouble is, I have to take my daughter skiing Saturday and Sunday, so time will be limited...
 
Still waiting .......
 
Clive. Get on with it man for goodness sake. We can't leave the house until you get this done and posted!

Clearly under some pressure to update this thread... Here goes.

As stated, had to spend all last week in Istanbul, so not much input to the upgrade from me, unfortunately. But..., my friendly, dutiful and well capable helper Cris at the office stepped in and here's the status to date...

First he found one of the plastic mounting tabs had broken in transit, not a big deal, some plastic cement and a small reinforcement plate bonded on cured that.

Next he sourced a set of 4 H1 xenon HID power packs and bulbs, for the dip and mains. The plan and the units, favour single dip bulbs in the inner driving lights part of the unit (not dip and main like the OEM) and main beam bulbs in the outer main part of the unit.

I'd already decided that the side light would remain just that, and not become a turn indicator as Carl has done on his.

So, the next step was to wrap the units to protect against scratches. These are obviously plastic lenses, not glass like the OEMs, so some protection was called for IMO. Down to the local wrapping shop went Cris, lamps and camera in hand...

IMAG2135.jpg

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The wrap is as good as invisible, and there's no "open" ends that would likely peel back over time, he did a good job on them.

The OEM lights in action, prior to removal... kinda bright but the beam was always my problem. When I tried to improve it with the HID's, they were just brighter, but really all over the place. These in this photo are standard H4s...

IMAG2191.jpg

The beams...

IMAG2189.jpg

Not a good test at all, admittedly. Cris didn't have a good wall or fence to project onto, but you can catch the drift of a "fuzzy" pattern with no real definition.

One side fitted, the warm-up clearly visible with the "blue" appearance, one of the pitfalls of HIDs, but it's something I can live with if the beams are good.

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The beams are white in operation, so no problem for me.

Both sides fitted... the Angel Eye feature in action, on side lights only

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The beams... no photos against a wall, which would be more indicative, but clearly a nice bright beam and rising to the right (remember this is a LHD truck) which will illuminate the verge nicely (essential here, because road edge lines are always deteriorated or invisible on Romanian roads!)

IMAG2239.jpg

I picked up the truck Friday evening and drove to the house very pleased with the light pattern. I had no opposing traffic complaints and I could see where I was going, for a change, both road and verge illuminated beautifully, with a crisp cut-off line at the top of the beams.

We still have to sort out the wiring for the main beams, because I want dip and main on main beam, and some relays are going to be needed to separate the circuits on main beam. I also want a light bar for main beam, which will be dash switched as optional.

All in all a success for me, a bit more still to do, but essentially job-well-done! :thumbup: (thanks to my man Cris :clap:)

A quick edit here, apologies if the photos are not visible.

In daylight, the side lights look like this...

IMG_3883.JPG

IMG_3884.JPG

The units fitted nicely and give the truck a bit of a face lift as well as giving me more than adequate lighting, which is a big improvement. I'm happy! :dance:
 
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