lights

[jp]

brighter lights for the Zagato- a separate relay is needed? I can't remember if this was discussed here already-

There is nothing better than driving back over the Newport Bridge 77 degrees and the sun shining>>> :lol:

[rossocorsa]

yes wire in a relay supplied direct from the battery this greatly reduces voltage drop and takes strain off the column switches

[Gregory Smith]

On the '82, the high beams are already on a relay, but one is needed for the low beams. If relieving the column switch is something you're interested, add a relay for the parking lights and instrument lights as well.

[sickchilly]

A very wise move is to relay the park/cluster/misc lights. Great advice there Greg. A minor short in the clock backlight burnt up my switch in a hurry. I'm good at rebuilding them now. ;)

[OperaHawk]

Since we're on the subject of lights, let me open up a can of worms...

I'm trying to get more brightness out of my rear lights (brake/turn/backup). With help from Jim Keller and others on the list, I've cleaned up the grounds in the trunk, but it really hasn't done much. What do I need to do on Il fenice (Phoenix for all you who don't speak Italian - fits the Zagato well) to get the rear lights brighter?

The big prob is the brake lights - they're fine (but dim) without the lights on, but almost nonexistient when you have the lights on. I also have no backups or left turn signal (the bulb looks fine, though). What should I read from a multimeter if everything's running right?

Thanks,

Steven Jepson

[sickchilly]

Greg "budgetzagato" had a tip he posted on Mira many moons ago for beefing up the grounds back there. Perhaps he can dig it up and repost?

[Gregory Smith]

I'm not sure what I posted before but here's a rundown on my setup:

I ran seperate ground wires from each socket's unused ground tab to a sheet metal screw below the clusters, hidden by the carpet. The original ground system used steel and rivets for a common ground ring that corrodes over time, and one ground wire for the entire cluster. Some have been able to clean and solder these rivets, I ran separate wires instead.

The center contact in each socket gets fatigued and can be re-bent to increase pressure. A dremel or similar tool is nice for cleaning the contacts.

The housings are prone to internal dust/dirt buildup and reflector corrosion. A good washing, polishing of the reflector, and tightening of + connectors with pliers will improve things as well. I run standard 1156 and 1157 type bulbs in mine, you may have some other dimmer bulbs in there. I have noticed also that old bulbs darken dramatically on the inside as the filament cooks off and deposits itself on the inside of the glass. This was one of the reasons halogens were developed, the gas carries the metal and redeposits it on the filament.

If this doesn't improve things, the + side of things should be checked out; fuses, connections and switches that feed the lights. Over the years many a problem has been solved by simply fiddling with the connectors.

Hope this helps...