Vintage Car, Vintage Headlamps, Vintage Problems....

wings&wheels

wings&wheels

Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Messages
3,766
Location
New England, USA
Started to get a shudder while driving from the right headlight on the '74 BMW with period Cibie Iodes. The lamps are in great overall shape, a very little bit cloudy but they are probably ~45 years old. Started to remove the lamp and the cause of the vibration became clear when the lens fell off. The other one was still together, but then came apart as I removed it. First time I've seen this happen.

Being an unrepentant pack rat, I went upstairs and got a NOS set of slightly later Cibies I had just for this reason.

BMW74co.jpeg
BMW74cn.jpeg
 
If they are Euro code, it would be worth protecting the lenses with some protection film. Those lights are awesome...used them back in the day on VW Rabbit and later a Ferrari 308 GTS then a 328 GTS.
 
Hello 7" H4 Euro code lights are still made as well, but have a flat face/lens.
I have heard recommendations of the koito as an excellent option as well. Are they euro code as well as far as the light pattern/distribution?
 
f355spider said:
Hello 7" H4 Euro code lights are still made as well, but have a flat face/lens.
I have heard recommendations of the koito as an excellent option as well. Are they euro code as well as far as the light pattern/distribution?
Click to expand...
Hella eCodes have always been my go-to and the best bang for the buck IMO, in fact I just put a set on my Wife's '21 Wrangler that had the base halogen lights which were some of the worse OEM lights I ever experienced. Cute w/ Jeep grills as the bulb shield, but awful.

The Koitos are works of art and yes, more or less traditional Euro pattern.
 
Last edited:
My first experience with Cibie - I had Cibie flat lens headlamps on my '74 Camaro. I also wore polycarbonate stone guards.

I have some NIB Hella E-Codes (?) for the Camaro that I never installed. The lenses got a cloudy film on the insides from sitting in the box inside a cabinet. Because the low beams have bulb shields, it's impossible to clean. They're still in the cabinet. I thought of using crystal chandelier cleaner but, MEH.

I found these a few years after I got the Hellas. I got the high beams on ebay. The low beams I found at some random internet store. I haven't installed them because I can't find stone shields that won't make the Camaro look like a Jeep.

20231009_110456_resized.jpg
 
Another interesting option is the Candlepower Motorcycle 7" headlight with H4 bulb. They have always had a really nice beam pattern that works very well in automotive use, and are high quality. Will easily tolerate 100W halogen bulbs, or the modern LED equivalent.

bulb_7inch-566.jpg


Candlepower 702212 7" Motorcycle Halogen Headlamp | Snowmobile Parts | MFG Supply

Candlepower 702212 7" Motorcycle Halogen Headlamp
www.mfgsupply.com www.mfgsupply.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Surf City Garage Introduces Vintage Car Motor Oil
2
Replies
22
Views
7K
userfriendly
Shannow
  • Locked
Fun with metallurgy ...
Replies
15
Views
9K
Shannow
BusyLittleShop
  • Locked
MOTOR OIL “WEAR PROTECTION” RANKING LIST
2 3
Replies
56
Views
82K
wwillson
dave1251
  • Locked
Exxon Mobil
Replies
19
Views
14K
MolaKule
S
  • Locked
Tastiest city in the world - LA Times chief food critic
Replies
9
Views
4K
OilReport99
Back
Top