Throwing Some Light On The Subject

Octagon Newsletter … January 1987

By Philip Sumsion

I recently bought some new headlamps for our Buick Skylark. What, you may well ask, does this have to do with MGs? Well, first of all the new Quartz Halogen lamps were made, believe it or not, by everyone's favourite electrical supplier, none other than J. Lucas and what is more they work superbly. The transformation from the original sealed beam lights is, to use Bill V's favourite expression, "fantastic". !f you do much night driving, or any at all for that matter, I think the conversion is well worth while.

I fitted 'Wipac' Quartz Halogen lights to the MGB GT some time ago and these were a huge improvement on the standard units. In my opinion the lamps with separate bulbs are better than the sealed beam quartz type. The dipped cut-off is very sharp and if a filament burns out you only need to replace a bulb instead of the whole fitting. Also you can get higher wattage European bulbs, but these may not be legal for road use here and they may put a bit of a strain on the rest of the electrical system. A relay is advisable for high power lights and this may also add a few more equivalent candles if your wiring is a bit dodgey.

By the way, I bought both the Lucas and the Wipac lights locally, at sale prices (of course). Keep your eyes open for the advertisements in the local rag, as the lights are a bit expensive at regular prices.

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