[TR] Running/Turn Light Improvement

[Bud Rolofson]

I tried to send this to two lists at the same time a few days ago but that never seems to work so I’m sending it just to the “Triumphs” list this try since it never showed up. Apologies if it’s a duplicate.


Listerati,

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I’m thankful for family, friends, and surviving (so far) the pandemic. I’m also thankful I have a Triumph or two to complete some little projects I’ve been wanting to get to for a long time. Maybe that’s the silver lining in this whole virus thing, I’m home a lot more and need things to do.

So one of them was to replace the headlights on my TR6 with LEDs. Once done I realized how shabby the running/turn lights and the side marker lights were in comparison so I decided to clean, treat, and improve on them.

First I cleaned everything, the lens with soap and water and the light bucket. Get all the dust (even sealed there was dust) off everything including the 1157 bulb and especially the sparse reflectors behind the bulb. I used a two part headlight restore kit (ArmorAll) to clean the road film off the lens and then seal it with some UV protection.

Then I lined the top and bottom of the light bucket (which comes with no top/bottom reflective surfaces) with some adhesive backed foil tape (3M scotch foil tape 3311) as seen in the photo below to increase the reflective surfaces. The triangles that resulted when I cut the shape needed for the running lights I used in the side marker lights, which also got the cleaning treatment. They fit without even any trimming.

The results were amazing once those light bulbs had more reflective surfaces all around and a clean clear lens. 

Those are the standard 1157 bulbs. I thought about using LEDs but since they are also the turn signal light I would have needed (I think) to replace the turn flasher and the hazard flasher if you use LEDs for those functions. 

Once I saw how much better the light was once I did my project I was happy enough. Guess I’m too lazy (and cheap) to do the flashers. I do use LEDs for the rear brake/running lights but since the rear turn signal (the outside amber light is the turn light) is another light I didn’t have to do a LED flasher.

Next, an alternator for the #3.

Now back to making pumpkin pies.

Regards
Bud Rolofson

Extreme Parts Racing (more than just a haircut)

71TR6 CC57365 (Good 6)
71 Spitfire MK IV Race Car #3
69 Spitfire MK III (back up FE engine/dinghy car)
93 Minnie Winnie Race Support Vehicle 
77 Z-50A Hardly Davidson Honda Mini-Trail Bike (Triumph Pit Bike)















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