Italian 230SL Headlamps - Turn Signal Color

[Tomnistuff]

I can`t find anything that says the front turn signals (inside the big clear lens) should be amber.  I see the amber lens in the European headlight in the Technical Manual, but my headlamp assemblies don`t have amber lenses.  They are all clear bulbs with only the two big glass bubble lenses.  Am I wrong or were they really clear turn signals in the front.  I know that the Italian cars had the little round amber "Fiat" turn signal repeaters, but that`s not what I`m questioning.
Does anyone know for sure?  Could they have originally been amber bulbs?
Tom Kizer

[ctm14]

Tom,

  I had that same question and posted it a few months back. I have an Italian 69' and don't have the internal amber inserts.  I find it very strange that many of us Italian pagodas have these missing. I trust the folks here as everyone is so knowledgeable but do question when they say that Italian cars originally had them. Why would it be that every Italian version I see does not have them. Does anyone have an Italian car with them present?  I also would like to know for sure as I am considering adding them but won't if they are not correct.

Chris

[Garry]

I suspect it might have something to do with your road regulations. Italy may have been like Australia where you had to and still have to have  orange indicators both front and back.  

In the USA they were white up front and red at rear on my Jag, I had to change them to orange/orange. Thus to register the cars from Italy in the USA they had to be changed over to white.

Road regulations dont you just love them.

[Tomnistuff]

I think I may have and have had the answer for about 25 years.  I don`t know why I didn`t think of it before.  1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2s sold in the US had amber turn signal lenses in the front and amber front side repeater lenses.   It had amber turn signal lenses in the rear.  The same car sold in Italy had white turn signal lenses in the front, amber front side repeater lenses.  My Italian version 67 230SL is just like my Italian version 69 Ferrari was.  I`ve convinced myself the white front turnsignals and amber front side repeaters are correct for Italy in the late 1960s.  
See the two photos.  The red car belongs to a friend of mine.  I know it is correct.  The gray one was mine.  It was also correct.  Both cars were judged several times in Ferrari Club Concours.
Tom Kizer

[George Des]

I purchased my 67 230Sl in Italy in 1976. It had no amber inserts for the turn signals. It had clear bulbs. All the Italian versions I recall seeing then were similar. I added the inserts later--they were very cheap when I got them. I see now they run about $50.00 on ebay. Probably makes much more sense to use an amber bulb if they are available.

George

1967 230SL w/ZF Italian version

[Tomnistuff]

Thanks, George, for reinforcing my belief that the Italian front turn signals were clear.  But I`m living in Canada in 2012, not in Italy in 1967, so if I can find amber BA15s base, 18 Watt, amber bulbs, I`ll install them instead.  For an authentic daytime look, I`ll ignore the absence of amber lenses and leave them clear. 

Tom Kizer

[ctm14]

Tom,

   Although I imagine there is little in common between the Ferrari 365 GT and our Pagodas. The commonality in their country of origin and white front turn indicators is the most proof anyone has presented thus far that our cars may never have had amber inserts.  I realize cars of Italian origin are a small fraction of our group but no one has come forward stating they have orange turn indicators. Would you let me know if you find amber bulbs that are compatible?

Chris

[Tomnistuff]

If I find amber turn-signal bulbs, I`ll post it here.  So far, I haven`t found them.  With a little more proof, or at least a little more evidence, it might be worth a line or two in the Technical Manual.
Tom Kizer

[Jonny B]

You might try www.topbulb.com you can search by a number of different parameters and may be able to find something close.

[Tomnistuff]

No luck with top-bulb, but I checked superbrightleds.com , the site Jim Villers mentioned in his PUB video.  They have lots of led bulbs of the right size and color.  I also found a site on Ebay called vision-technology.  They also have a selection.  However, I think I have to research it some more.  I`ve been interested in switching to Leds as a part of my restoration, but turn-signals require special flashers or resistors.  There is a lot of information on the superbrightled site about choosing the hardware.  I did find the incandescent bulbs - 18Watt, BA15s base, amber, but they were all on Australian sites.  Go figure.
I`ll still post whatever it is that I end up doing.
Tom Kizer

[Tomnistuff]

Now that I`ve indicated that the incandescents are hard to find, I seem to be finding them everywhere.  Search 1156A bulb on ebay.  10 for $7.90 and cheap shipping.  They are 27Watt, not 18Watt but that shouldn`t be a problem for a flasher, I suspect.  Nice and bright.  Apparently this is going to be easier than I thought.
Tom Kizer

[66andBlue]

27W will be too much to handle for the turnsignal relay ("Blinkgeber"; see: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/uploads/Electrical/FlasherRelayAlu.png) and your lamps will flash very slowly if at all. The emergency flasher relay can handle higher watt bulbs.

Here is a yellow LED: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170486024556?item=170486024556&viewitem=&vxp=mtr
But the one you really want is this: http://www.autoteile-plauen.de/artikel-366.htm

[Tomnistuff]

The incandescent one is perfect.  It is the same as I found in Australia.
Thanks for the info about the relay and flasher timing with the higher wattage.
Tom Kizer