Front lights modification

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Fordoholic Nick
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Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Hi all,

Had a brilliant day yesterday ( Sat) over at Johns. After seeing his stunning outer front light units conversion he did a few weeks ago I had been thinking to do something very similar to my Capri too. John got wind of this :wave: and as ever he was extremely generous to not only offer his services to help me but he donated a set of clear crystal light units that he had spare. Amazing !!

So we set about the task yesterday in 30 degrees of heat :shock:

John will be able to confirm the actual light units but as said they are crystal clear units and look amazing.

Picture before we started...

Sorry could not resist one of Johns stunning Special....more later :)
Image20170617_143327 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Ok, so took a quick couple of pics of mine before we began, showing the original headlight units
Image20170617_143335 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170617_143744 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

removed the grill to make thingd easier for us
Image20170617_143747 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

John was convinced he could see a time portal within my headlight bowl that would transport us back to 1984 but we could not visit and had to crack on....
Image20170617_145422 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

these are the new crystal clear units
Image20170617_145427 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

as we were going to be using H4 bulbs we had to use H4 connectors that as you see John wired up to a switch over relay...more on this later...
Image20170617_145432 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

now after seeing how stunning Johns mod looked I decided to modify all four headlights rather than just the 'outside' units. Was a tad nervous how it would look with all four but thought sod it lets do it...after checking with John that it was possible the way he was wiring them up...got the thumbs up so purists please look away now... :lol:
Image20170617_152751 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

forgot to say we actually fitted a new outer unit first alongside the original inner to get an idea how it was looking before deciding on doing all four !
Image20170617_151523 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

now one side with both crystal clear units fitted and looking great
Image20170617_154842 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

now onto the other side but by this stage I had persuaded John to give my modification a bit of a twist :) again purists look away now :lol:
John was now rigging up my lights so that I would have all four light units operating with side lights, then with dipped beam on outer and inner still side and then main beam on all four. With the switchover relay that he used this meant that when the main beam was activated the relay switched off dipped beam so both were not on together. Very clever which meant no extra power consumption as it would have been if both dipped and main were on at the same time.
Image20170617_161952 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

So we fitted the remaining two light units, tested them all so that all four side lights worked, dipped beam outer with side inner, and all four main beam with relay switching off dipped beams...all ok so refitted bezel surrounds and front grill and job done. They look amazing !!
Image20170617_171036 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

they actually look pretty original if standing some distance back but closer you cansee they are pure crystal clear lens
Image20170617_171005 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170617_174047 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170617_174050 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Chaps these pics really don't do them justice as they look amazing in the flesh. If you stand pretty close you can see they are pure crystal clear lens then as you move around different angles and further back they start to take on a more 'original' look with a twist ! We fitted four H4 Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited bulbs for the dip and main and wow they are stunning bulbs ! Albeit £22 per pair ! John recommended these as he had fitted very similar Osrams to his new units. They throw out an brilliant pure white light and the combination of the clear light units is truly stunning compared to the original set up. With the inner units as side lights at the same time looks great. Even just all four as side lights is so much better than before so I am absolutely over the moon with them.

I will take some pics of them lit up maybe tomorrow night just as night falls to give you an idea how they look but trust me they do look good :D

And the best part of all this...John rigged them up as a 'plug and play' as he calls it so if I want to return to my original units which I have safely stored now, then it is only a 5 min job to do this. Superb !!! But for now I aint even thinking about this :D

John, I know you are probably tired of me saying this but thank you so much for your help yesterday, especially as said in 30 degrees of heat ! Nice one mate, they turned out better than I imagined/hoped they would all thanks to you :applaud:

And I learnt how a switchover relay works now but any technical questions on how this has all been wired up I am sure John will be only to happy to explain :lol:

So hope you found this of interest. Yep I know its a move away from the original light units and I know the original ones are satisfactory indeed but boy do theses crystal clear units look good...and as for the light :woot:

All the best guys

Nick

Oh yes almost forgot some more pics of the day

A very rare pic of Johns Special with his bonnet up...stunning !!!!
Image20170617_173756 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

He has been doing some engine bay detailing and boy does it look great ! Keep up the brilliant work fella
Image20170617_173747 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

a close up of Johns stunning outer light modification with proper Hella clear units that he managed to find that would fit...superb !
Image20170617_150830 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

from a V6
Image20170617_174021 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

to a 2.0 Pinto
Image20170617_174040 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

could not resist this
Image20170617_174111 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi Nick,
Terrific job you've both done there. As well as being practical, this mod gives the front end a more modern look.
What a smashing chap John is to offer his time to help you out.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Andrew 2.8i wrote:. As well as being practical, this mod gives the front end a more modern look.
Thannks very much Andrew. Nice one :)

Yep they really do modernise my front end a treat mate and work well with my clear front indicators but imo its not too much. Spot on as they say ! The lights have a lovely crystal clear effect especially in the sun. The light you get from them is amazing too so yep very practical and i do love the fact all four light as well...looks very cool indeed Andrew.

Yep John is a grest chap aint he just ! Always ready to help out. We worked through some serious heat yesterday so were thrilled to see the finished result looking so good..

Thanks again mate

All the best

Nick
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Fordoholic Nick wrote: The light you get from them is amazing too so yep very practical and i do love the fact all four light as well...looks very cool indeed Andrew.
Hi Nick,
I look forward to being "enlightened" by some photos........

By the way, both cars look superb gleaming away in the sunshine. 8-)

Andrew.
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Jasonmarie »

Looking good there nick , it's given the car a new look on the old .
You did work out in some heat as it's not normal to have this heat in June .
So will you have all 4 lights on for normal head lights ?
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Jasonmarie wrote:Looking good there nick , it's given the car a new look on the old .
You did work out in some heat as it's not normal to have this heat in June .
So will you have all 4 lights on for normal head lights ?
Thanks Jason. Mate we set them up with all four sidelights on then dipped beam on outer ones only with inner two staying on as side lights. We can set it up for all four dipped besm but this might need checking as more power drain. It really looks cool with outer dip and inner side on together...very unique !

We have all four main beams which looks very cool too.

The H4 Osram Nightbreaker bulbs really make a difference too. As said great to be able to return to original very easy too :)

Cheers fella
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Caprifan Rob »

Excellent conversion Nick, really lifts the front end, wouldn't mind this on mine, makes the car look far more modern. Thinking of moving closer to John, he seems quite handy ;)
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Caprifan Rob wrote:Excellent conversion Nick, really lifts the front end, wouldn't mind this on mine, makes the car look far more modern. Thinking of moving closer to John, he seems quite handy ;)
Hi Rob.

Thanks mate. Yep those H4 Osram bulbs are great fella coupled with the clear lens. IMO its def one of those modifications that without a doubt adds to the charactor of the Capri rather than lessens it. Yours would look great if you decide upon it Rob. Reversal back to original lights very easy too :)
Caprifan wrote: Thinking of moving closer to John, he seems quite handy ;)
Ermmm...I think John only works on Lacquer Red Capri's Rob... :wave: :sorry: :lol:

All the best mate

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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Arya2.0S »

Those do look nice. Cant wait to see them in the dark.
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Jasonmarie »

Have never met John but does he do this for a living as it's such a great job and he could have loads of us queuing at his door .

No very nice and I can't wait for them night pictures with them on .

Ps I think nick you have the best kept engine bay and lights now on this site . :beer:
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Arya2.0S wrote:Those do look nice. Cant wait to see them in the dark.
Jasonmarie wrote: very nice and I can't wait for them night pictures with them on .
Hi chaps, thanks for the nice comments. Took a couple of pics just as it was getting dark to give you all an idea how they look but pics are not great. They really do look much better in the flesh as the camera on phone was catching the lights in such a way to cause a 'glare reflection' on the camera. Hope you can kinda see how they look...

all four side lights on with standard bulbs
Image20170618_213723 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

again all four side lights on different angle
Image20170618_213957 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

outer dips (osram bulbs) with inner sides on. camera was picking up the glare from the dips so difficult to see that they are much brighter/whiter than the sides. it really is a 'unique' effect to have outer dips with the inner sides on at same time
Image20170618_213819 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

up close pic lights off
Image20170618_214057 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Sorry but there is no point showing all four main beams as the glare would be way too much for the camera but they do look good !
Jasonmarie wrote: I think nick you have the best kept engine bay and lights now on this site . :beer:
:lol: Thanks Jason. Its looking nice now but still plenty to keep me busy fella. There are some amazing Capris on this forum mate so if mine is anywhere near as good then I am a lucky chap. Your Capri from the recent pics I seen of it looks really nice too mate. Looking forward to seeing more pics of it. I do love a good Pinto :) :)

All the best chaps

Nick
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Arya2.0S »

Those look the bollocks! I'm a huge fan of all four on at the same time. Might be tempted to go this route if I get bored of my angel eyes.
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Arya2.0S wrote:Those look the bollocks! I'm a huge fan of all four on at the same time. Might be tempted to go this route if I get bored of my angel eyes.
Thanks Arya. Appreciate that fella :)

Jeepers if the pair of us turned up together at a meet with our light modifications, you with your angels and me with my quad crystal clears, we would certainly cause a stir amongst the 'originality police' :o :lol:

Mate I have always pondered having all four lights on but did not have a clue how to set them up so thanks to John I now have them ! Always thought it seemed a waste to have the inners off...might as well make use of them more :wave:

Thanks again Arya

All the best

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Re: Front lights modification

Post by pbar »

Who owns the tupperware type carrier thingy. I use one exactly the same :D
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

pbar wrote:Who owns the tupperware type carrier thingy. I use one exactly the same :D
:wave: Its mine Paul !

I have a few of them. Great to store cleaning products as well for going to shows. Also as pic I use them for spanners and screwdrivers etc....

Great minds think alike Paul :)
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Jasonmarie »

I use a packed lunch box and thought it was me being mad as normal . But I did get a cheap little car bag thing that goes to the left side ( no light that side ) in the boot with my little bits in along with 3 camping chairs .

Yes I can't wait to meet up with you lot and have a OCD cleaning tips and look at your cars .

Right off topic I just got back from a quick drive with the roof open and windows and it was so nice I clicked my lights on for the first time as well . I had the radio on so had to lift the aerial up and my daughter said (10 years old ) there's a stick on the car . Made me laugh . :beer:
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by A17 LTF »

Thanks for the write up Nick, this is something i would like to do or the future on my car as frankly, i find the standard lights are crap regardless of what anyone else thinks.
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by pbar »

Fordoholic Nick wrote:
pbar wrote:Who owns the tupperware type carrier thingy. I use one exactly the same :D
:wave: Its mine Paul !

I have a few of them. Great to store cleaning products as well for going to shows. Also as pic I use them for spanners and screwdrivers etc....

Great minds think alike Paul :)
Yes they're very handy for ferrying tools around. And nice and cheap too! :D Top tip, as Edd China would say.
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Taff50ish »

Hi All,

Well time for an Up-date then on this. As Nick requested and we spoke about!!! We now have the FULL QUAD Conversion sorted... I have checked with Nick and he is happy for me to tag this on his Thread... So here goes...

Having sorted Nick out with all 4 New Light units, I did like the look of this Very much and the old Green Eyed Monster ran up to the surface again... So I set about sorting the Full Conversion out. I purchased another Pair of the Hella units so as to match them up, then set about working out the Wiring, a bit trickier than I 1st thought. So I came up with a Relay Bank, 2 off 'NO' Relays, both 40a and a New 'Switch Over' (NO / NC.) 30a/40a Relay idea. I did NOT want to use ANY of the Capri Wiring with the Current Draw involved, as with 30 Year old Wiring, I just did not want to risk a Burnt Out Shell sat on the Road. When New it possibly would have been fine, but maybe not so much now!!! So I played safe!!!

I took a New Fused Supply direct from the Battery and wired this in, only using the Near Side Dip & Main supplies as the Relay Triggers... Anyhow, enough of this, here are the results....

Quad Side Lights...
Image20170708_212723 by John Taylor, on Flickr
Just washed it as it was covered n the Weeks Crap and it was too Hot during the day!!!

Quad Dip Beam...
Image20170708_212749 by John Taylor, on Flickr

Quad Main Beam...
Image20170708_212816 by John Taylor, on Flickr

Now a couple of Pics I took when I nipped out for a Night Drive and to check the Alignment...
Dip Beam...
Image20170708_214742 by John Taylor, on Flickr

Main Beam...
Image20170708_214801 by John Taylor, on Flickr

Oh... Day Time of course....
Image20170708_184242 by John Taylor, on Flickr

I'm Very Happy with the results. I have them working exactly as the originals, so when you take the Key out they all switch off except the Side Lights, the Main Beam Flash works as normal... Now all I have to do is book Nick in for his conversion!!! Sounds like a Movement!!!! Well, there we have it, hope you all like the results. I think I prefer the look of Nick's Head Lights in the day, as they are more 'Covert', mine are a little bit more obvious, not much but Nicks look more original I think!!! Over to you all to decide, Cheers for now, all the best,

John...
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Re: Front lights modification

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi John,
Great work on both cars, both look superb with their new configuration lights. The difference in the lights between Nick's car and your car is minimal, I think somebody would have to look really closely to tell the difference. I'm guessing that yours are a lot more effective than the original lights at night?

Again, great work, and I hope to have a look at both cars in greater detail at some point in the future.

Andrew.
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