Moliver Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 Hi All, I am still pursuing the idea of replacing my ugly and edgy Bosch head lights with the PL700. It is available with H4 and I think there should not be too many compromises regarding light efficiency... https://www.limora.com/de/tripod-scheinwerfer-199973.html The Problem is however, that the PL700 I have spotted, does not include a park light. (Having the clear lenses with orange bulbs for the indicator lights, I do not have the Option of using these as a park light - unless I would be willing to convert to two Color function LEDs - which I am not). Questions: Has anybody spotted the PL700 with park light bulb holes ? Has any Body experience reworking standard reflectors, drilling holes ? (grinder; step drill ....) Input and ideas welcome... Cheers Oliver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 (edited) There seem to be plenty of P700 available with the pilot bulb but not many PL700 Try this: https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/products/pl700-pl700-pair It mentions the sidelight version. Edited September 2, 2020 by RobH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 6 hours ago, RobH said: There seem to be plenty of P700 available with the pilot bulb but not many PL700 Try this: https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/products/pl700-pl700-pair It mentions the sidelight version. what is the difference (apart from the badge) between the P700 and the PL700, is the L for left hand drive? Just curious as I boughtP700s which came with sidelights that I don`t need, but as they are there thinking of wiring them in anyway. Ralph. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 The PL700 was a later improvement on the P700 I believe Ralph. Whether there is any difference between them in the reproductions available now is anyone's guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malcolm Tatton Posted September 2, 2020 Report Share Posted September 2, 2020 Staffordshire vehicle components, who sell PL700's at £70 each (+VAT) offer a sidelight option with theirs for an extra £10, but say that they take a little longer as they have to drill the hole and fit the bulb holder and grommet so drilling must be possible on their version Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moliver Posted September 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 Thanks All for the Input, I have now ordered a pair PL700 with park light at vintagecarparts. Had a friedly call with them before and it is as Melcom described, they have to rework it. The PL700 Repros available (the version with the Lucas PL 700 logo in the middle not the cheaper alternative) seem to be of good reproduction quality and have H4 bulbs fitted. I will Report back once I have them in Hand. I am still optimistic the TÜV will love them as well. (He only has to every 2 years) If he shouldn't, I may temorarely present the edgy Boschs currently installed and make him feel bad as he approves a non- periode violation - putting my H-plate in danger - will be off for a 1 day tour around lake constance tomorrow .... Cheers Oliver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted September 5, 2020 Report Share Posted September 5, 2020 They look great and historic but at 100 kph you are driving ahead of the light beam. Ref Ralph Nader Unsafe at any speed Peter W Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 I have just fitted my re-pro P700s this week, during the course of which I needed to check the wiring, as the harness that came with the lights was red, white and black wires and I needed to know which related to the blue and white/ blue and red wires in my loom. In the end it was fairly simple on the basis of red to red and white to white. I checked by connecting the beam unit to a battery charger and shining the light at the garage wall and I must say that I was not impressed by the light pattern. There was a definite cut off on dip, which is good, but the main beam was more of a scatter of light than a beam. I have Halogen conversion bulbs fitted. 11 hours ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said: They look great and historic but at 100 kph you are driving ahead of the light beam. Ref Ralph Nader Unsafe at any speed Peter W I am not sure whether it is the light unit itself, or the conversion bulbs causing the scatter, as the bulb filament has to be in exactly the right place to focus the light. I may take out one of the lights and try an original bulb to see if that improves matters and report back. If no improvement it might be a good excuse to fit a pair of long range lamps. I used Wipac quodoptics as fitted to later minis in my A35, and they are superb headlights. Ralph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 I fitted repro "tripod" P700 lamps (H4), & found the main beam to be awful, a lot of the light seemed to be illuminating the tree tops rather than the road ahead. Now use Valeo H4 lamps, which were great with halogen bulbs, & even better with LED type. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Lebro said: I fitted repro "tripod" P700 lamps (H4), & found the main beam to be awful, a lot of the light seemed to be illuminating the tree tops rather than the road ahead. Now use Valeo H4 lamps, which were great with halogen bulbs, & even better with LED type. Bob. +1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moliver Posted September 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 Hi There , I have received and installed my PL700' yesterday. Will have to validate beam patterns at darkness tonight but first check did not show significant negative observations... Back to back test during Installation (left-right) did not show less light efficiency compared to the Boschs previously installed (and the tree tops were not illuminated) I have however to admitt, that I have observed (in general) a quite low beam at idling which just lights up when driving.I still have the original generator installed. Is this normal or should I expect full light efficiency at idle as well (and think about a Generator overhaul) ? Will post light pattern pictures against Garage door tonight... Cheers Oliver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tr2_applegreen Posted September 9, 2020 Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 Looking good! What did you pay in total, including shipping to Germany? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moliver Posted September 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 The total was 192 GBP, shipping (14,50 GBP) included. I could have purchased the pair for a good deal from Limora at 140 GBP but without the parking lights integrated which are mandatory (and which I did not want to integrate into the indicator lights with an LED solution). Thanks again for the hint! "Beauty cannot always be for free" - as my wife tends to say when expaining the hair stylist bills to me ..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted September 10, 2020 Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 Oliver, dynamo generators do not usually put out much power below about 2000 revs, so some dimming of the headlights would be normal at tick over, I wouldn`t take it as a sign the generator needs overhauling. Ralph. PS Car looks good with the PL700s fitted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moliver Posted September 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 Hi All, As promised, the beam pictures of my PL700s (not fine adjusted yet). Looks quite all right to me ? Community thoughts welcome - maybe I can recover the reputation of the ole PL700 ? (Just for the beauty of the PLs, I would rather tape a pair of Maglights on the Fenders than going back to the Boschs Cheers Oliver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NCS_TR3A Posted September 10, 2020 Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 On 9/6/2020 at 8:25 AM, Lebro said: I fitted repro "tripod" P700 lamps (H4), & found the main beam to be awful, a lot of the light seemed to be illuminating the tree tops rather than the road ahead. Now use Valeo H4 lamps, which were great with halogen bulbs, & even better with LED type. Bob. Hi, those PL700's look good. I'm interested in the idea on fitting LED lights for performance but also to reduce load in the dynamo. I've googled Valeo 7" headlights and found some, is there a chance you could post a picture of yours or a link to the ones you have used along with the LED lights used. This feels like a relevant upgrade in my mind. In fairness I don't drive a lot I the dark. Thanks, Neil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NCS_TR3A Posted September 10, 2020 Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 3 minutes ago, Moliver said: Hi All, As promised, the beam pictures of my PL700s (not fine adjusted yet). Looks quite all right to me ? Community thoughts welcome - maybe I can recover the reputation of the ole PL700 ? (Just for the beauty of the PLs, I would rather tape a pair of Maglights on the Fenders than going back to the Boschs Cheers Oliver I'd say your dipped look really good, not so sure on the main beam but surely these are rarely used. I do like the look of these on your car Neil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moliver Posted September 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 As maybe spotted on the earlier picture, I have followed Bobs recommendation and have exchanged the front indicators as well to the White glass lense (had orange plastic caps) I have decided to keep the standard bulbs, and have the park lights integrated into the Tripods now. Nevertheless, I have installed the twin bulbs and have connected both to the indicator. Means I now have a 21+5W indicator bulb. Not a big difference but stilll a small improvement... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted September 10, 2020 Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 1 hour ago, NCS_TR3A said: Hi, those PL700's look good. I'm interested in the idea on fitting LED lights for performance but also to reduce load in the dynamo. I've googled Valeo 7" headlights and found some, is there a chance you could post a picture of yours or a link to the ones you have used along with the LED lights used. This feels like a relevant upgrade in my mind. In fairness I don't drive a lot I the dark. Thanks, Neil The beam patterns shown above look pretty good to me, I notice the headlamps (P700) have a different badge in the center to the ones I had, maybe a different (& better) maker. Here are some photos of my Valeo results: Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moliver Posted September 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 (edited) There are indeed two different PL700 types on the market - however no difference in Price (LHD Versions) https://www.limora.com/de/catalogsearch/result/?q=PL700 The cheap looking versíon seems to have no Logo at all... The Valeo+LED beam looks impressive (propably only blind squirrels in this area now? :-) Edited September 10, 2020 by Moliver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 Oliver, As I found with my P700s, the dip looks OK, but there seems to be a lot of scatter on main beam rather than a concentrated beam of light. I will reserve judgement until I have had the opportunity to drive the car along a dark country road, which will not be till next year. You might be able to report back sooner if your car is on the road. Ralph. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NCS_TR3A Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 On 9/10/2020 at 9:57 PM, Lebro said: The beam patterns shown above look pretty good to me, I notice the headlamps (P700) have a different badge in the center to the ones I had, maybe a different (& better) maker. Here are some photos of my Valeo results: Bob. Many thanks, that's certainly lights up the road better than what I have now, and I assume using less power as well. In reality both options above look good. Thanks, Neil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted September 12, 2020 Report Share Posted September 12, 2020 On 9/10/2020 at 10:34 PM, Moliver said: There are indeed two different PL700 types on the market - however no difference in Price (LHD Versions) https://www.limora.com/de/catalogsearch/result/?q=PL700 The cheap looking versíon seems to have no Logo at all... The Valeo+LED beam looks impressive (propably only blind squirrels in this area now? :-) Having just looked at the above link, the ones I tried would have been the cheaper ones, so I would expect the ones marked "Lucas" at twice the price are probably a lot better. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 There seem to be several different versions around, unless different batches by the same manufacturer. These are mine and have the P700 logo in the centre, and say 700 Headlamp on the glass lens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted September 13, 2020 Report Share Posted September 13, 2020 I fitted LED bulbs in the sidelights, and also in the sidelight holes in the headlights. Talk about daylight running lights!, I think they will see me coming. Ralph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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