bmw light s on a 1970 A body???

[ssick chevelle]

BMW E32/E34 EURO headlights? i noticed that the roadster shop was running a kit like this or similar? i looked at many threads and found no info?




if you know this answer or u may have a clue as to what they are using please please chime in

[DarkoNova]

My E30 had 5 3/4" headlights, IIRC. If that's the same diameter, they should work. I forget who it was, but some big company did a 1st gen (I think, don't remember the year) Vette with BMW headlights. I also seem to remember someone with a Chevelle with BMW lights on the forum.

[manicmechanic]

Are we talking about the BMW's with the Halo Rings in them?

[DarkoNova]

No, those didn't start until the headlights became one unit. E30s, E28s, E32s, E24s...maybe a couple others, but those are all the older ones that have separate highs and lows that I can think of off the top of my head.

[ssick chevelle]

im not too interested in the halo ring. just the look of the headlights themself. the roadsters shops looks like maybe they dis assembled hem and painted the interiors of them? will the bmw be a direct fit or will major fab be needed?

[DarkoNova]

Pics of the Roadster Shop car with the BMW lights?

I can almost guarantee they won't bolt right in, but I don't know how A-body headlights actually bolt up. I know my E30 used four bolts to mount to the core support.

[JayR]

Art Morrison's Corvette had them as well. In addition to a little fab work, it will also require completely rewiring and upgrading everything going to the lights because they require way more energy than a regular halogen or the like.

[FULMNTE]

....because they require way more energy than a regular halogen or the like.

I thought the E32 lights were some of the first HID lights? Aren't HID lights supposed to require LESS power than Halogen?

Wikipedia:
HID burners give higher efficacy (produce more light from less power) than halogen bulbs. The highest-intensity halogen headlamp bulbs, H9 and HIR1, produce 2100 to 2530 lumens from approximately 70 watts at 13.2 volts. A D2S HID burner produces 3200 lumens from approximately 42 watts during stable operation. The reduced power consumption means less fuel consumption, with resultant less CO2 emission per vehicle fitted with HID lighting (1.3 g/km assuming that 30% of engine running time is with the lights on).

[The WidowMaker]

[ssick chevelle]

i wonder if the roadster shop would be willing to chime in....prob tooo busy I reckon! ive seen a set on ebay that looked similar and some other wicked looking black housing sets for projection and hid for the 1970 chevelle. anyone else have a good source. the reg headlights are tooo bland for my tatstes

[JayR]

I thought the E32 lights were some of the first HID lights? Aren't HID lights supposed to require LESS power than Halogen?

Wikipedia:
HID burners give higher efficacy (produce more light from less power) than halogen bulbs. The highest-intensity halogen headlamp bulbs, H9 and HIR1, produce 2100 to 2530 lumens from approximately 70 watts at 13.2 volts. A D2S HID burner produces 3200 lumens from approximately 42 watts during stable operation. The reduced power consumption means less fuel consumption, with resultant less CO2 emission per vehicle fitted with HID lighting (1.3 g/km assuming that 30% of engine running time is with the lights on).

You can write a book about what I don't know about electricity but I've always been under the understanding some kind of upgrade is required because from what I understand, gas actually needs to be ignited in the bulb and then my eyes glazed over. Curious to know the answer because it is a killer look.

[DarkoNova]

Yeah, in regular bulbs, the gas is basically just a filler to make the lights last longer. In HID bulbs, the gas is the light source. The ballast ignites the gas in the bulb and that creates the light output.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlam..._light_sources

HID headlamp bulbs do not run on low-voltage DC current, so they require a ballast with either an internal or external ignitor. The ignitor is integrated into the bulb in D1 and D3 systems, and is either a separate unit or part of the ballast in D2 and D4 systems. The ballast controls the current to the bulb. The ignition and ballast operation proceeds in three stages:

Ignition: a high voltage pulse is used to produce a spark – in a manner similar to a spark plug – which ionises the Xenon gas, creating a conducting tunnel between the tungsten electrodes. Electrical resistance is reduced within the tunnel, and current flows between the electrodes.

Initial phase: the bulb is driven with controlled overload. Because the arc is operated at high power, the temperature in the capsule rises quickly. The metallic salts vaporise, and the arc is intensified and made spectrally more complete. The resistance between the electrodes also falls; the electronic ballast control gear registers this and automatically switches to continuous operation.

Continuous operation: all metal salts are in the vapor phase, the arc has attained its stable shape, and the luminous efficacy has attained its nominal value. The ballast now supplies stable electrical power so the arc will not flicker. Stable operating voltage is 85 volts AC in D1 and D2 systems, 42 volts AC in D3 and D4 systems. The frequency of the square-wave alternating current is typically 400 hertz or higher.

Also Tim, your Chevelle is sex on wheels.