[Sniady]

I'm considering on purchasing new headlamp's for my 73 GTV. I've so far ran into H1, H4 and Hella (is that a H lamp?) headlights... does anyone have feedback on these? What's a good light for a gtv, good low beans and strong high's?

 

[67GTV]

I am quite satisfied with the Hella H4s I installed. Much, much brighter than the dim sealed beams I replaced. I shoulda taken some before and after shots.

I paid less than $40 for a set of unknown (to me at least) brand lenses and Hella bulbs. I'm a happy camper.

 

[alfa_chan]

I paid less than $40 for a set of unknown (to me at least) brand lenses and Hella bulbs. I'm a happy camper.

Kai, did you get them off eBay??

Sniady, it might be way too expensive, but a pretty good alternative - HID by Sylvania

http://www.sylvania.com/xenarc/prodinfo.htm

Sealed 7" Round beam HID. Integral HIGH BEAM too. No alternation. DOT legal.
I think they go for around $500 though

-----------
I think the "Hella" is just another sealed beam with the DOT "approved" light pattern.

BTW, DO NOT get the Sylvania newest line of light - SilverStar, it is NOT that much brighter than a normal one (or Cool Blue) but cost 30% more! I just got hoaxed. Paid $50 for a set of 9006 instead of $75 for the real bright/white yet legal PIAAs.

 

[rschae007]

If you want to upgrade your lighting system you should upgrade your electric capacity handling. I put in a higher gauge cable and resisters to handle the increased power to the lamps. You can burn out the stock stuff very easily! I have low end, sealed lights from the local car shop ($20.00 a pair) and the brightness increased at least 20% with the upgrade. Hellas are great, if not the best, but the price dose reflect that! This is what I would put in but if your racing around and a rock pelts it - ouch! Sylvania is another great company...if one of your light bulbs burn out to soon (6 months in my case), they will send you a new pair free; no questions asked!

 

[JoeCab]

If you put expensive lights in your car, invest in some StonGard clear adhesive guards. I have them on my car, they don't affect output, and you can only tell they are there if you look very closely.

I am very happy with my All Hella set-up; H4 outers with asymetrical driving lights replacing the inner fogs.

 

[alfa_chan]

I found these 7" Clear headlight with city driving light from APC and also from In.Pro for about $70

I like the way they have a tiny bulb in there and a clear housing (brighter output).
I have a feeling it's going to look out of place on a GTV though.

rschae007 - Where can I find the harnesses? Any AutoParts store? THank you.

 

[alfa_chan]

Forgot the image

Clear 7" headlight

 

[Azzurri GTV]

I would suggest a phillips HID kit, they are pretty pricey at $500 but they are the best. They have very bright lighting and best of all it uses less power.

 

[rschae007]

Actually, I just spliced into the portion of the harness at the front the car close to the lights. I bought the componets at Radio Shack. A higher gage of wire and some resisters, all stock. JCWhitney.com have inline resisters/plugs that will work like a charm and take about an hour to connect. You'll need a good wire scematic and I belive someone has gratiosly put one on this site. I had to do it off a 8x10 that was in Italian...Mama Mia!

 

[Keven]

I was looking at JCWhitney and found these

http://www.jcwhitney.com/item.jhtml?ITEMID=1076&BQ=jcw2
Anyone use these?

OK, I want to make it clear that I do not buy
engine parts for my Alfa at JCWhitney.

They also stock Hella's
http://www.jcwhitney.com/item.jhtml?ITEMID=1066&BQ=jcw2

 

[papajam]

Hey Dan, what are the resistors for?

 

[67GTV]

JoeCab,

Where does one purchase these StonGard headlight protectors? Centerline lists them as "NLA".

 

[rschae007]

If the harness overloads, you could damage components or even have one of those 'mysterious' Alfa fires. I'm not an electrician by trade ... but the resistors, spliced in after the fuse box, are to lower the load on the harness but to still send enough volts/amps to run the higher watt lighting system. Also, put in a higher gauge wire from the resistors to the head lights. If you know someone that is an electrician, they can run a few tests to see how much juice is running through the harness and what level of light system you want to install (this is not a big deal). Don't panic, this is just a precaution.

 

[John M]

If anyone is interested Sylvania is now selling a sealed beam HID replacement kit. Kit includes the HID light housings, HID bulbs, Ballasts, and everything to make the conversion for H6024 sealed beam (7 inch round). Cost for the kit including shipping is $499. No need for resistors with this kit as it actually draws less power than the original lights. You would loose your high beam with this one. Anyway, if you want to do a real HID conversion with actual HID light housings...this is the only game in town that is DOT legal.

I personally use Halogen housings similar to ones pictured above with a dual beam HID kit and it works great. Mine are more like the Hella housings. HIDs don't seem to work too well with the Diamond housings. I can say that once you go HID you will never go back. Everything else is literally like driving in the dark...and that is no BS. Even the high wattage PIAA style bulbs cannot come close to a true HID system. The HIDs really highlight the lines/reflectors on the highway whether in the dry or rain (not that I drive in the rain with the Alfa). With these cars being so low in the front the HIDs are the right solution if you can afford to shuck out the bucks. I tried to link the site but won't work so go to Sylvania.com and go to Xenarc.

Best Regards,
John M