Exterior Lighting Upgrade - a February 2020 status report

[GM]

This forum has been an outstanding source of information, collective knowledge and shared experiences about our beloved Pagodas. But I’ve found that the results from a search on a particular subject doesn’t display results in reverse date order of posting (most recent first) so it’s a little cumbersome to track down the most recent opinions on a particular subject -- maybe a software tweak?

I’m updating the exterior lighting on my car, including going to Euro headlights. Given the advances in technology and how it may affect our cars, I wanted to share my February 2020 discussions with Daniel Stern (http://danielsternlighting.com/) to let everyone know his current position on the subject of updating the exterior lighting on the Pagoda. He was extremely helpful and patient with all my questions. I thought it would be helpful to have this all in one post. Note this does NOT address updating interior lights to LEDs that has been discussed extensively on this forum.

Fronts (Euro) - with notes from the Tech Manual
• Main headlight
Daniel Stern Lighting recommends Narva halogen 60/55W w/P45t base. Also Vosla, Flosser, Tungsram, Philips, or Osram. He has these. Hella-branded bulbs cannot be recommended.
• Parking Light - miniature bayonet bulb T4W on a BA9s base. An upgrade is available as 3886X to give more light. Replacements include: 3893, 57, 57X, 1891, 1893, 1895, 78223. Daniel Stern Lighting recommends Osram Mini-Xen 3886X. He has these.
• Turn Signal - the 18 watt bulb can be upgraded to a 21W P3497 higher intensity bulb.
Daniel Stern Lighting recommends P3497 - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFP9P4O/?tag=2402507-20
“Buy the genuine Honda bulbs I linked, not just any ol' thing claiming to be a 3497. All of the aftermarket 3497s (Wagner, Eiko, Sylvania, GE, etc) are junk, not worth buying.”
• Fog Light - 35 watt bulb on a BA20s base.
“www.classicandvintagebulbs.com”
• Night Light (Clearance) - 3 watt bulb on a BA-15s base. An upgrade is available to a more modern R5W bulb. Ok going from stock 3W -> 5W? "Yes, and you certainly can use it if you like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071P6S5DS/?tag=2402507-20"
• Front and Rear Side Markers - 6W with BA9s base
Daniel Stern Lighting recommends Osram Mini-Xen 3886X. He has these.

Rears (280SL)
• Brake Light: 21W Daniel Stern Lighting recommends P3497 (see above)
• Tail Light: T4W (same as side markers, above)
• Back-Up Light: Daniel Stern Lighting recommends 3497 (see above)
• Turn Signal: 21W Daniel Stern Lighting recommends P3497 (see above)

“You will want to install a new turn signal flasher to correctly operate the higher-power front and rear turn signal bulbs. That's this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CL7DBG/?tag=2402507-20”
He said that the flasher unit recommended in the Tech Manual (with the post connectors instead of spade lugs) Kaehler 3.101.200 available from AutohausAZ (http://www.autohausaz.com/pn/0008211063) is fine.

Optional: logic module for in-phase flashing of front side marker lights with turn signals, $59. Whether you do it this way or with the crossfeed method at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/markerflash/markerflash.html, it's best not to use the fold-over-and-crunch "Scotchlok" type taps. Much better, more durably trouble-free result if you use Posi-Taps, http://www.allpar.com/reviews/other/posi-tap.html. I don't carry them, but if you'll get this assortment, you'll surely find uses for them (they're one of those products that you buy for a particular project, but then other uses for them keep popping up in front of you once you have them):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RPDOAM/?tag=2402507-20

What is your opinion about using LED bulbs for headlights/parking/driving/fog lights?

“Hard, flat *no*. The "LED bulbs" now flooding the market, claiming to convert halogen headlamps to LED, are not a legitimate, safe, effective, or legal product. No matter whose name is on them or what the vendor claims, these are a fraudulent scam. They are not capable of producing the right amounts of light, nor producing it in the right pattern for the lamp's optics to work.

“Same goes for "HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps or fog/auxiliary lamps (any kit, any lamp, any vehicle no matter whether it's a car, truck, motorcycle, etc.). They do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. See http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html -- the particulars are different for LED vs. HID, but the principles and problems are the same overall.

“You can have legitimate LED headlamps in a '71 280SL, but it requires keeping the US-type headlamp fixtures. More info on request.”

What about using LED lights for the rest of the exterior lights?

“Sigh. If only Philips hadn't discontinued the one and only range of legitimate LED bulbs that were compatible with the optics in a lot of old cars' lights, including yours. The current Philips offerings are not optically compatible, and there are no legitimate other-brand ones that work acceptably. Maybe in the future there will be again.”

I’m also curious about the availability of yellow/amber bulbs that might be used for the fog lights in the Euro headlight assembly?

“Amber is not an appropriate colour for fog lamps. The colour you have in mind is called selective yellow; see http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/light_color/light_color.html”

Do you know the details about wiring the side lights so that they work with the turn signals on the headlight assembly? (note: this is also discussed in various posts and the Tech Manual)

“Your turn signals are presently invisible from the side, but there is an easy modification you can make to the front side marker lights' hookup so that they do double-duty as side markers and side turn signal flashers, see http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/markerflash/markerflash.html
This is a very good safety improvement, as your turn signals become visible to the side (cars in the next lane, bicyclists, and pedestrians) instead of just front- or rear-on. It is also fully road-legal.

With two-wire side marker lights you have two options for how to do this, both described at the link. Use the logic module method (module kit $59) if you want the side markers always to flash in phase with the front and rear indicators, or use the cross-feed method (no module required, just a couple of wire connectors) if you don't mind opposite-phase flashing of the front side marker light when the parking lamps or headlamps are lit. Either way is legal throughout North America; elsewhere in the world, international rules do not permit opposite-phase flashing because it's considered potentially confusing to an observer who can see both the front and the side flashers at the same time.

With one-wire side markers that ground via body metal, you'd need to use the module method described in the linked article) the module kit is $59. One kit does the whole job, left and right.”

Your recommended solutions for synching the side lights with the turn signals appear to deal with only the front side lights. What is done to have the rear turn signals synch with the rear side lights?

“Nothing. Don't. They shouldn't. The front turn signals, rear turn signals, and flashing front side marker lights will make it so there are no plausible and relevant view angles from which at least one turn signal light is not visible. The rear side markers are red; if you make them flash you'll have a Christmas tree effect of flashing red and amber that will cause confusion, which is the opposite of what's wanted.”

Cleaning

“While the headlights are removed, cast a critical eye on the reflectors. Headlamp reflectors are shiny by dint of a super-thin layer of vapor-deposited aluminum with a super-thin protective clear topcoat. With years of age the topcoat eventually breaks down and allows the aluminum to begin oxidizing. Optical degradation of the reflector is grossly advanced well before you can see it with the naked eye (which is sometimes not possible), though looking at it wouldn't do you much good; by the time the reflector has degraded enough to be described as "just a little imperfect" the lamp is past dead. For mental calibration on this point: even the most costly, beautiful chrome plating, the kind that makes bumpers look 10 feet deep on a show car, is only about 67% reflective. That's not nearly good enough for optical purposes; an as-new headlamp reflector is over 99% reflective, and there is no bulb that can compensate.

“Don't fret or panic if your reflectors need refurbishing; that's an available service. If yours are just a bit filmy from years of storage, wet a soft, clean, lintless cloth with Windex and carefully wipe each reflector clean.

“Clean the front park/turn and rear brake/tail/turn lamp lenses in hot soapy water. If the reflector bowls behind the bulbs (as applicable) are at all dull or peeling, stuff wads of masking tape in the bulb holes, or remove the sockets if they're the removable type, clean the reflectors with alcohol, then spray them with readily available "chrome" spray paint, which is practically ideal for the task.”

Lamp aim

“Lamp aim is by far the main thing that determines how well you can (or can't) see at night with any given set of lamps, so this is crucial: you will need to see to it that the headlamps are aimed carefully and correctly on low beam with an optical aiming machine per the "VOL" instructions at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html (fog lamps per "FOG"). It can be difficult to find a shop that has (and uses) an optical aiming machine; keep calling around until you get the right answer. "We shine them on a wall/on a screen" is the wrong answer. To get an idea of what a proper lamp aim job looks like, see this VW document: http://www.torque.net/dastern/techdocs/VW_beamset.pdf”

Headlamp reflector refurbishment

“For refurbishment, the first step is to isolate the reflector from all other components. Remove all non-steel parts such as bulb seats and non-reflector components such as bulb shields, etc. The potmetal or sheetmetal bulb seat is usually held to the reflector by crimping which can be carefully undone with a small screwdriver after you make scratch marks on the seat and the reflector for later alignment. If it's riveted, the rivets must be carefully drilled out. The bulb shield, if present, may be sandwiched between the lens and the reflector, clipped to the reflector or bulb seat, or held to the reflector by small rivets, in which case drill them out.

“Once it's isolated, put the reflector and lens into the dishwasher (bottom rack) and run it with ordinary dishwashing powder (Cascade, Finish, etc.) through a normal cycle. This will usually remove most all of the shiny stuff; occasionally some careful wiping or a second run-through is necessary.

“Take a close look at the base coat; if it's in perfect shape, not scratched or peeled or blistered, then you've got a restorable reflector. If the reflector has rust that has roughened its surface, it is not a feasible candidate for refurbishment.

Options:
“You can send your reflectors to www.reflektorklinik.de in Germany (then you don't have to do the disassembly work; they do it and the reassembly there). Note they can provide *yellow* reflectors, see pics at https://www.reflektorklinik.de/reflektor-restauration (scroll down).

“Or, staying Stateside, you can send the reflector to Martin or one of his teammates at Vacu-Coat: http://www.vacucoat.com/ Tell him it's a vehicle headlamp reflector, in need of aluminizing and high-heat protective overcoat. If the base coat is at all imperfect, contact him in advance, tell him you have a stamped-steel parabolic headlight reflector with damaged factory base coat, and ask for his recommendation for sending the reflector in (does he want the remains of the basecoat stripped, can he strip it, etc.). Most base coats can be stripped from steel reflectors with lye — the easiest and safest form is Easy-Off spray oven cleaner. The original type, not the "fume free". Check the label to make sure it contains lye (sodium hydroxide). Wear rubber gloves, give yourself plenty of ventilation, apply the lye in a sink, let it stand for an hour or so, then rinse with hot water. Scrub gently with a plastic "Scotch Brite" pad; repeat if necessary.

“If Vacu-Coat for whatever reason can't or won't put on a new base coat, then the reflector must be copper plated and polished to a high shine. Then, nickel plated and polished to a high shine. Then, send the reflectors to UVIRA in Oregon for aluminum vapor coating and silica glass overcoat.

UVIRA
310 Pleasant Valley Rd
Merlin, OR 97532
tel 541-474-5050

“The plating shop is probably going to ask you why you're having the first two steps of a chrome plating job (copper, nickel) done but not the chrome. See above; chrome is *never* an acceptable reflector material.”

[JamesL]

Nicely put together
Thanks, that's very useful. Daniel Stern is a name that goes back to the old Yahoo list

[Atazman]

Excellent!!  I thank you.

[thelews]

I just changed over my turn signal/brake/tail/parking lights in my Jag to LED from SuperBrites.com  Great bulbs Bayonet 1156/57 28s, really bright. Need to pay attention to the length of the bulb and make sure you have the space.  Plug and play.  As always, you'll need an electronic flasher that will work with LEDs.  SuperBrite has one, the red one, that works, but is silent.  There are clickers on the net.  Remember to order the bulb in the same color as the lens it's shining through for brightest light.  Even the reverse light is a beacon!

Sorry I don't have specifics for the 113.  I'm not doing it in that car.

[Ozzie Lou]

Gary,
Thanks that's great information.
I'm currently changing rear indicater lenses and your tips have made me clean and refurbish all reflectors and have a search for an Australian supplier for LED's.

Cheers,
Lou

[Desertpagoda]

They can be a great improvement, but get good quality, the cheep ones are JUNK

[roymil]

Thanks for all the good info!   Also, when you inspect your lights, don't forget to check your light fixture ground return resistances.   I discovered the BA15 bulb sockets in my early 280SL tail lights had loosened over years of thermal cycling and degraded the electrical ground connection through the socket's press fit mechanical mounting in the metal light housing.  I measured as much as 3 to 5 ohms between the bulb grounds and chassis ground, and it would fluctuate with pressure and vibration.   The bulb filaments themselves are only about 1 ohm depending on power rating, so you can see that even a small amount of additional ground resistance can reduce the effective power and light output dramatically.  Fortunately, there is a fairly simple fix, originally posted some years ago by Larry (Larry & Norma).  Just search old posts for "crappy tail lights" if the link below doesn't work.

I took Larry's advice and modified all of my tail light bulb sockets by drilling out the mounting stud on one side of the socket (you could do both if you wanted, or had to replace the entire socket anyway) and replacing it with M2.5x8mm with star washers for improved bite and lower electrical resistance, as shown in the picture attached.  This change alone significantly improved the intensity of my brake and turn signal lights with standard bulbs.  It improved the backup lights even more when I added an additional ground screw to its backing plate, also with aging and loosened fittings.  Beware of any ground paths depending on press fittings!  With the tightened screws, the ground return resistance is now < 0.1 Ohm and voltages to the bulbs are higher.  This fix should also help solve intermittent connections or flickering tail lights, especially with vibration.   

Needless to say, I'm going around the car looking for more poor grounding situations that might cause problems in other systems.   

This is my first post after several years of learning so much from this experienced membership.  You all have helped me so much in bringing my pagoda back to life and I hope I am finally getting to a point where I have something new or helpful to add from my own experience.   Thanks to all of you!  Best regards

Here's the link to Larry's original post : https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=22822.msg163284#msg163284. 

[Cees Klumper]

Thank you for that Roymill, very useful practical information.

And welcome! You wrote you drove in your Pagoda for its first mile? As a toddler or as the primary driver? Inquiring minds want to know!   

[roymil]

Hi, I was not quite a toddler, but close.   I was 8 years old when my father finally took delivery of this 280SL and my mom and I rode home in it together with him, me sideways in the "backseat" that I had to use the next 5 years since that was our only car.  It had just arrived late one afternoon and my dad was not about to wait another day to get it after raising hell with Mercedes for the many delays, so he insisted on picking it up from the dock in a not so nice part of Vegas, at night, in 1968, need I say more?  He made the sales guy meet us there , against all advice, to close the deal in cash.  So my 8yr old view of how you get a new car was... unique and full of loud "oil field words".   He had originally custom ordered a 250SL about a year prior with a large deposit from selling the '66 Mustang he was so disgusted with because of its poor handling.  Somewhere he finds out that they delivered a 280 instead of the 250 he ordered.  Words were exchanged.   Somehow they convinced him it wasn't a trick and that he was getting a fair deal but he insisted on only paying for the 250 and they could eat the difference.  I think there is a letter of apology from Mercedes for switching cars due to the production changeover.  After that, I learned all about working on cars from my dad.   He was a hands on petroleum engineer and had a lot of experience from his dad who raced early open wheel stuff in the 20's.  Besides, we had to do all the work because he couldn't take it back to the Mercedes dealer since there was only 1 and by then they didn't like him very much, the feeling was mutual.  However I do remember a follow up fight over getting the AC installed that was originally ordered for the 250 but didn't arrive on the 280.  You need AC in LasVegas, along with the fan shroud as we later learned, and the fuel pump mods to prevent vapor lock.   This car blazed those trails.   There are endless stories and its a double joy for me to own now because of the memories and because its just such a great car, and especially fun to work on as you all well know.  cheers, Mark