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Aug 24th, 2023
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,190
South Wales Correspondent Talk Morgan Expert
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South Wales Correspondent Talk Morgan Expert
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,190 |
Hi All,
I have installed the Librands all stainless steel spot ligths, but they come with 100W lamps. I tried to use with these bulbs and firstly I found that the ground "sugars" heated, so I rewired the ground both side, taking the ground directly on the body. This worked very well, but after that I found that the original Morgan harness (Blue/yellow) warmed, less than the ground at the first try.
I estimated it was not safe to keep these bulbs and fitted standard H3 55W, and all ran well.
The power of the bulbs is the only source of consumption.
BR.
Daniel.
100W bulbs are illegal on-road in the UK, end of. They draw over 8 amps, twice the headlamp draw so must be wired via a fused relay (each lamp) via 30amp cable feed and ground. I presume Librands supply the full kit of parts? We use 130W in the Dakar Bowler which is also used in 24 hour off-road races. Pretty good but OTT on a Mog I would have thought! Not to mention the infuriating (to oncoming traffic) jiggling of a Morgan's head and spot lamps. That certainly rings a bell. I remember being pulled over during a WAMC/Motoring news rally (Cilwendeg, I think) and being lectured about a pair of Cibie Drive Oscars We had those wired via a relay and separate ground/earth because of the output issue Cheers, G
GLLHG
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152
L - Learner Plates On
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L - Learner Plates On
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152 |
Hi All,
I have installed the Librands all stainless steel spot ligths, but they come with 100W lamps. I tried to use with these bulbs and firstly I found that the ground "sugars" heated, so I rewired the ground both side, taking the ground directly on the body. This worked very well, but after that I found that the original Morgan harness (Blue/yellow) warmed, less than the ground at the first try.
I estimated it was not safe to keep these bulbs and fitted standard H3 55W, and all ran well.
The power of the bulbs is the only source of consumption.
BR.
Daniel.
100W bulbs are illegal on-road in the UK, end of. They draw over 8 amps, twice the headlamp draw so must be wired via a fused relay (each lamp) via 30amp cable feed and ground. I presume Librands supply the full kit of parts? We use 130W in the Dakar Bowler which is also used in 24 hour off-road races. Pretty good but OTT on a Mog I would have thought! Not to mention the infuriating (to oncoming traffic) jiggling of a Morgan's head and spot lamps. Hi All, I agree, you are right a regular pair of spot (55W each) is about 9.2 amps while a pair of 100W bulbs is 16.7 amps. I knew that but I wanted to test and got the result I was prepared for. I think the original Morgan harness is ever limit with regular bulbs, so with 100W I believe it will not last for a long time. Moreover, as you say it is not legal neither here in France. BR. Daniel.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 28,415 Likes: 177
Salty Sea Dog Member of the Inner Circle
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Salty Sea Dog Member of the Inner Circle
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 28,415 Likes: 177 |
I rewired the original fit optional drive lamps on RTA soon after I bought it. A single, loose trailing wire to both lamps was not in my ideas of efficient (and safe) wiring. They are now fed via a cable each, via a relay and I could go up from 55W to 80W. The max allowed is higher than 55W, but not as high as 100W - but I've lost my source info...
I really ought to rewire the whole car - where the wiring is exposed to the elements the insulation is going hard and will crack - all sorts of problems start then!
Peter, single front lights on cars became illegal after a certain date (50s?) and additional lights had to be fitted in pairs.
Cheers,
Graham (G4FUJ)
Sold L44FOR 4/4 Giallo Fly
'09 Gen2 MINI Cooper ragtop
'90 LR 90 SW
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152
L - Learner Plates On
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L - Learner Plates On
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152 |
I rewired the original fit optional drive lamps on RTA soon after I bought it. A single, loose trailing wire to both lamps was not in my ideas of efficient (and safe) wiring. They are now fed via a cable each, via a relay and I could go up from 55W to 80W. The max allowed is higher than 55W, but not as high as 100W - but I've lost my source info...
I really ought to rewire the whole car - where the wiring is exposed to the elements the insulation is going hard and will crack - all sorts of problems start then!
Peter, single front lights on cars became illegal after a certain date (50s?) and additional lights had to be fitted in pairs.
Cheers,
Hi, Graham, you are right is is a good idea to rewire just this part of harness. I use the original wires just for carrying power as I installed a relay to avoid power troubles, but also because the original Morgan fitting is not legal here in France. You have to have the spot turning off while you go to dipped headlights, so I did it and is a lot more usable. With 55w the threads don't warm at all, next time I will try with more powerful bulbs to see what happen. Same in France we can't have spots in odd number. I think it is not to confuse with bikes. BR. Daniel.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 28,415 Likes: 177
Salty Sea Dog Member of the Inner Circle
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Salty Sea Dog Member of the Inner Circle
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 28,415 Likes: 177 |
Hi Daniel,
Our Drive/Spot lamps can only be used with main beam too. With the original wiring, current for both headlamps and drive lamps went through the dip/main switch - not good, the switch was never designed to carry that kind of current. I'm not sure it's that suitable (at least on older cars) to take the current for headlamps!
I have a 'classic' Lucas rear fog light to fit to RTA - came from a pal at work, it was on his grandfather's car.
Cheers,
Graham (G4FUJ)
Sold L44FOR 4/4 Giallo Fly
'09 Gen2 MINI Cooper ragtop
'90 LR 90 SW
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152
L - Learner Plates On
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L - Learner Plates On
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152 |
Hi Daniel,
...
I'm not sure it's that suitable (at least on older cars) to take the current for headlamps!
...
Hi Graham, I think that is worse with the current model. For the relay, I just pickup a + from the high beam + line to power the coil. BR. Daniel.
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 114
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OP
L - Learner Plates On
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 114 |
Thanks all for the advice.
Has anyone seen the new Mini spot lights? The are chrome back and chrome rim and I think might look good - what do you reckon?
Neil
1988 Morgan 4/4 4 Seater, black
1996 LR Defender 110, white
2009 Honda Deauville, black
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152
L - Learner Plates On
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L - Learner Plates On
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 152 |
Thanks all for the advice.
Has anyone seen the new Mini spot lights? The are chrome back and chrome rim and I think might look good - what do you reckon? Hi, I am not so confident in the modern chrome. I have read on a forum that some Mini owners were not very satisfied, because after some months the lights started to rust. But I don't know if it is this kind of lights. As I was not sure I bought a pair of spot lights in stainless steel. BR. Daniel.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 28,415 Likes: 177
Salty Sea Dog Member of the Inner Circle
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Salty Sea Dog Member of the Inner Circle
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 28,415 Likes: 177 |
Hi Daniel.
My drive lamps have a switch on the dash too - so I can run without them.
Factory wiring was to take a feed from high beam wire from dip/main switch, via a dash switch to the lamps. So I've kept that, except that from the dash switch the wire now goes to a relay. I really need to fit an additional fuse box, or a larger one, to give better protection for lower powered circuits. My '76 only has 4 fuses (less problem with corroding contacts I suppose!).
Dip/Main switch on newer cars I believe nowadays feeds a changeover relay - so little current capability required.
Cheers,
Graham (G4FUJ)
Sold L44FOR 4/4 Giallo Fly
'09 Gen2 MINI Cooper ragtop
'90 LR 90 SW
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,502
Talk Morgan Enthusiast
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Talk Morgan Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,502 |
The stainless steel driving lamps sold by Librands are made by Wipac as "4x4" and can be had for around £60 the pair from a number of sources. They do come with 100w bulbs but as they are normal H2 fitting are easily replaced with 55w bulbs, including extra bright varieties such as Philips.
I bought a pair but have not yet fitted them - they were to replace the "original" pair I have on my 2005 4/4. These were fitted by the original dealer (Mole) to the wings and are not entirely satisfactory as they have to be rotated "in" slightly to avoid contact with the overriders. The Wipac lamps will not fit in the same holes, as the threaded mounts point down, not back. I bought a pair of the matching Librands brackets but these would need to be fitted in a position that doesn't cover the hole left by the originals. Back to square one. I think I will need some custom brackets and while I can draw the measurements, I do not have the machining skills to make them - any suggestions?
Nigel
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