My first feeling about this is to stay with the original system but as the Aston has a 12 volt system I don't know how good or bad the 6 volt system is.
Then again ,the 6 volt system has been around for more than 80 years so it can't be all that bad!
I'm also not planning to do night rally stages witch would require lots of extra lamps
There are Minors out there that have been converted to 12 volts but the majority tend to stick with the 6 volt system which is more than adequate to run the original lighting system. Adding another tail lamp, brake stop lamps and indicators is not going to make a significant difference which is what most owners tend to do. Although I haven't used either of my cars a lot after dark, my 35 watt (I think) headlamp bulbs are perfectly adequate to light the road ahead at the speeds our cars travel. The real problem of driving on unlit roads in our cars is that the lights from oncoming cars completely ruins your 'night vision'. (Our eyes get accustomed to the comparitively dim output of light from our cars, only to be dazzled by the light emitted by moderns.)
Of course these days you can buy much brighter 6 volt halogen lights which is what I would recommend to anybody intent on doing any sort of serious night driving in a Minor.
Chris
Last edited by chris lambert on Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Halbe,
I have just been speaking to SVC (Stafford Vehicle Components) who gave me a word of warning about 6 Volt halogen bulbs in our type of cars. The glass lenses on our cars should be manufactured in diffused glass. The problem with these lenses and modern halogen bulbs is that there is no 'focus' to the beam and you end up dazzling all oncoming vehicles. An alternative of course is to fit modern lenses.
Chris
Or just except that night driving is a bit slower .
I'll first make sure everything is in a top condition ( reflectors , bulbs )
Changing lenses would alter the way my car looks , I don't think that is the way to go if not absolutely necessary from a safety point of view.
I have been running on 25w halogen headlamps (6v) for many years with no problems of dazzling oncoming drivers, (if only I could)
There is a "Beam" with halogens and normal glass and reflector but the beam is not deflected to the ns. I have the ns headlamp slightly angled to the left.
I changed to 6volt halogens to give reasonable light without the drain that is caused by 35w bulbs.
I am still running on the same 6volt battery that was on the car when I purchased it in 1997, and it had been on the car then for one year.
When I took the Bed-Pan to Dorset last summer, I did quite a bit of night driving (back from the pub at midnight!), and I was surprised how effective the original lamps were. I had just lightly cleaned and polished the original silvered reflectors (which were in very good condition to start with) and spent some time lining them up properly.
I am still on a 6 volt system and they work after a fashion. The street lighting round here is very good but I must say going over Epsom Downs with no street lighting our lights are US!! I have driven long enough not to worry. Has anyone ridden a penny farthing after dark with a candle lamp dangling from the centre hub? It just lights up the spokes and no more!!! All early light on cycles and very early road vehicle just let others know you were about. Use our cars and have fun. I took Toby over the downs last month and we made it home - no lights or windscreen wiper!!!
The lights on my car a very good except when night vision is destroyed by oncoming moderns, I find that without other traffic and no street lighting it is the lack of power that usually governs driving speed, not lack of lit road ahead
Taking VG apart is getting along nicely.
There is hardly any rot in the timbers so restoring the body should be easy
Next weekend we will take the body of the chassis and put it into storeridge for the next couple of years.
Halbe, great pictures as usual. Can anyone tell me if the wood around the wheel arches as shown is as it should be for a non fabric minor as NG 850 seems to have arches made only of lacey metal (tin moth again)?
Well done Halbe. Clive
Halbe. Wonderful photographs - is that a music stand infront of your lathe? Are you the original Flying Dutchman?!!! The granddaughter Carr is back from holiday - devorce still going through, my golfing friend is having lunch with family next week and will ask if any brookland photos are still about. Not an easy task at this moment and I told him to back off if the vibes are not right and have another go at a later date. To those in the S>E. it is the Pioneer motor cycle run from Epsom Downs to Brighton this Sunday 7.30am till 9ish. Then Brooklands for the Minor/Austin morning, then dinner in Newbury with no l daughter - it was a lot easier when I worked!!!! Well done Halbe. Alister (Highlander)
Help me out here , what is the original flying dutchman?
Yes . i have a music stand in my garage. I'm a professional saxophone player and big band conductor.
I do some teaching in the garage and the students also seem to like the vintage cars.
