headlights on gtv6

[shane wescott]

Hi Great Knowledgeable People

Driving my Wife's Rav4 has spoilt my view of the headlights in the GTV6. The GTV6 certainly needs some work to see better in the dark.

Looking at the chrome reflectors, the high beam looks very shiny but the standard ones are not as shiny. I am assuming there is also the poss of voltage drop etc.

So open question, best way to fix them?

1. Do I source some new or compatible ones, if so any suggestions

2. Can I get the originals re chromed if so any suggested places to have this done in Melbourne

3. Rewire and add some relays for stronger volts supply

4. Add some of the wanky WRX style white bulbs


Any stories of what others have done would be great.

Catch ya

Shane

[Paul Gulliver]

Shane.

Check out this thread.

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/alfetta-gtv6-1975-1986/35334-improve-headlights-light-gtv6.html


Cheers

Paul

[John A Pucak]

Hi Shane, I had the same problem with my 85 gtv and 76 gt. I pulled the lens out carefully by cutting the silicon band out of the reflector cone , when you have done this you carefully wipe the reflector cone of any built up dirt(assuming it's not rusty) with asoft clean cloth and some metho (careful not to drink the metho ). The late series lights(81 on)
you can remove the centre reflector were the low beam sits behind. This will improve your lighting noticeably
Good luck John

[pep105]

Hi Shane
My 82 GTV had the same problem and as a result was rewired with relays put in. There was a noticeable improvement but it was still nothing to write home about, however that car had other electrical gremlins
as well God rest its soul. Maybe try this in conjuction with what has been suggested in earlier posts ie cleaning reflector etc

I still have an original road test of the GTV6 from the September 1984 edition of Wheels Magazine and they quote "the dipped beam is abysmal" so the headlights were ####house from factory I suppose. (But then again those journos complianed a lot about the GTV6(or any Alfa!) back then. Maybe the combination of mods may help
Cheers

Pep

[shane wescott]

Hi Guys

Some great suggestions there.

Hi Pep, I here where you're coming from with the comments by a motoring writer during test of the poor lights.

But if one of these dudes drives a GTV6 and then complains about anything other than the fact he ran out of road or time to drive it then he needs to be test driving sewing machines, not cars :-)

Relays and a damn good clean sound like a good start. As far as the metho goes John I always cut mine with orange juice, but I will remember not to do this when cleaning the lens.

Might do a couple of before and after pickies when I get to these jobs.

Thanks and happy driving.

Catch ya

Shane

[shane wescott]

Paul

Just read through the thread you sent so thanks for that - some great info there.

Catch ya

Shane

[Sir Lancelot]

I was under the impression the "white bulbs" you tend to see on a lot of the rice rockets dissapate very quickly and are not particularly useful when it comes to seeing further ahead. My only problem was the beam not pointing in the right direction!

[pep105]

Yes agree Shane poor lighting and some dodgey electrics aside really loved the GTV still miss the thing. Would love to add a GTV6 to the stable one day. Good Luck with the headlight repairs and if you get dis  illusioned just start it and listen to that V6 and to hell with the headlights !  

[Al Campbell]

John,

I assume you mean you separated the glass parts? What did you use to re-seal the glass? Heat would be an issue.

Thanks,
Al Campbell

[John A Pucak]

Hi Al , yes you use a stanley knife to cut away the silicon bead which holds the lens  to the cone. you may need to use a rubber hose through  the hole in the cone to push out the lens. Carefully bend the 3 lugs at the back of the cone and pull the guts of the light out.Once you have the guts out, remove the lo beam reflector and discard it. This will give you alot more light. When re-assembling , silicon the lens to the cone, then put the chrome dress ring back. Be careful when bending all the lugs as they have a tendency to snap off.
Good Luck John

[Doug Gould]

The first step is to insert relays into the wiring so the headlights actually get the full voltage. After that you need to replace the headlights with modern ones. I bought headlight mounting hardware from a US car (which didn't use Carello). Hugh Harrisson is making adapters (but slowly). The other choice is to break up an old set of Caello's & glue the backs to a Hella / Narva / Cibie set.

Doug

[Al Campbell]

Relay's will be first, then I'll look at changing to other inserts. I like the sound of changing the whole mount to BMW E30 mounts, or maybe something Japanese if they have screw adjustment from the front.

What does it cost to ship American Carello "buckets" half way around the planet?

AL.

[alfagtv152]

Hi There,I have probably made about ten sets of lights for SA members and myself so I will try to explain how.
Take your old Corello and cut the back of the reflector off(pictures will illustrate) then break the glass and clean out all the original sealant,clean up the reflector and any rust then give it a coat of wattle rust converter and silver paint to finish.Note the special shape for the low beam cut out to make room for the parker light which you dont have to do on high beams or alfetta low beams.Buy yourself a set of the lights pictured(brand and part number is vital)2 of each,as these will actually friction fit into your old corello bases quite tight,you will need to remove the mounting brackets form the back,I do this by twisting the spotwelds until they break off. I prepare the old reflectors then get the new lights with the brackets removed and align them in a grill to make sure they are correctly aligned before squeezing them all the way into the reflector with pliers,if you think they are too tight you can stretch the old reflector a little by bending out the lip a little.I dont glue them or anything,just snap on the chrome or stainless trims over the lot and they are great.Just make sure your voltages are good and fit some of those fancy globes if you want!.If you look at my GT pics you will see the finished articles.

[alfagtv152]

The lights are actually flat which makes them real easy to clear coat with 3m clear film for a permanent protective cover,good for sprints.
Cheers

[Al Campbell]

Brilliant!

Thanks heaps.