A Little Light Project

chromebumpers

solid fixture here in the forum
Staff member
I had the Pontiac out for a run tonight. Country roads don’t have street lights and the only way I knew the lights on the car were on was to look at the road signage and see them reflect. The high beam lights seem fine, the lows are yellow and very dim. I noticed they don’t make sealed LED lights anywhere in the 5.5” round lights. So is the logical choice Halogen lights?

Also I want to get those 1157 LED tail/brake lights in 360 degree Red lights, 1156 in the so called “White” LED lights for front turn and parking lights. I ordered the LED specific Flashers as I understand the standard flashers usually don’t function normally with very low voltage. I just forgot I need two flashers.
Supper Bright LED has the push and twist old style bulb 1157 at $9.98 each. For the 27 LEDs. Bulbs. The others are just not worth the effort.

Did you really think there wasn’t a problem coming? I opened the trunk to take the OE bulbs out - not coming out, like they are JB Welded. I’m afraid to break something. They take a quarter turn counter clockwise wise right? Is there something I’m missing?
 
Hot summer heat.
Try again on a cooler day.
The vintage Pontiac plastic light , tail stop lamp housings are well made.
I dont recall ever finding brittle plastic issues there.
Old 63 they are die cast Aluminum housings with Red lenses plastic.
Somebody maybe super glued on .
They make sell Plastic glue solvent, Hobby Lobby store sells it.
 
Its actually normal yellow dim headlights on classic cars and all Vintage Musclecars.
They were that near all Day 1 new.
We are older so I agree brighter headlight needed.
There is a nice kit 5.5" T3 style 4 headlight system. I recall posting about 3-4 years ago, maybe 2 years back here on Grumpys.
Have to look for the video again.

I found a way to mount a High Amp output CS 144 Alternator in place of the 10DN 35 amp alternator and 10 si 45-60 amps only used 1963- 1981 on classic Pontiac iron.
In my videos the CS144 160 amp 1-wire Alternator with stainless steel adapter bracket I made.
Took 2 days to make it by hand at home.
Works Great and Super strong rigid my adapter bracket.
Made it from 304 stainless steel stock 3/16" thick.
Can not see all the profile shaping I did to clear the Alternator fan.
I made a cardboard template of it, can make another in a few hours time for you.
CS144 Alternator cores I am out of.
Used them up all on my own, Rick's T, Dorien's old TT Supercharged Chevy Laguna he had.
1 more left all built up ready to go for the 70TA with a Billet 5.00 inch diameter Moroso pulley for high rpms use .

Used a Cast Aluminum 1st generation Moroso 5.000 inch pulley on the Gp 455.
It has Bright headlights at idle.
like a modern car, 3 headlights are Survivor Original T3 bulbs from 1963-64..
 
CS144 High amp from a SS Impala 1994-96 & C4 Corvette 1992-1996 LT1 or ZR1 DOHC one to get .
Or from a Police car Caprice LT1 SBC 1990s era
 

They appear to be well made.
I remember Octane lighting Google search takes you to their Ebay store.
 
The young man has decent videos on Aftermarket street Pontiac V8 and Chevrolet intake manifolds and vintage single plane racing intakes.
He isn't very refined Porting.
Never on Grumpys for basics or on V-Factor like I was to learn from best around daily.
 
Doing the same thing a few nights ago like one post Grumpy did,
Click on Watch on You Tube at bottom that is underscored underlined direct link to the Video Richard.
 
I would be interested in up grading the alternator on my Cat.
In terms of the appearance of the White lights (pre 1972) up front for the parking and turn signals and the rear back up lights I say this because there is no such thing as “White LEDs, they absolutely do not exist. A "white light" LED has a matrix of red, green, blue microscopic pixels..they trick your eyes into seeing white. If you put a white light LED behind a red lens, the red lens will block out the blue and green light from the pixels. Only the red light pixels will transmit light through the lens, so you'll loose 2/3 of your light. I’ll use a red light LED for tail lights. I’ll need a shunt resistor to create enough electrical load for the blinkers to work. Or just get the LED specific flashers.

"Yellow" LEDs have no blue pixels, the light from the red and green pixels trick your eyes into seeing yellow.
 
Because of the extremely convoluted route the headlight power circuit makes and through the HL switch, I was just thinking of wiring in a relay. That should make brighter lights the cheap way.
 
Also, I mentioned the 360 degree LEDs as the light radiates all through the light lens, not just like a flashlight where the light is straight forward. Look at the difference when I post pics of the Covette.
 
I bought a couple of CS144 New Alternators for myself a few years ago.
Made in Mexico I discovered upon receiving.
What I found out there is A slight phasing issue in the Stator field coils.
Noisy at 1st Electric hum whine, but settles down with miles driven.
One on the 1999 Tahoe I built up 1-wire conversion.
One on the Corvette left it stock as built.
One for TA.

I Dont feel comfortable using them new cores for You.
You Have High standards to be met.
Too far away to resolve in person.

I need Original Survivor core CS144 from 1990 s for you.
I have to go out local to my salvage yards around.
1 close friend I bought a batch of 1st time, Rick's and Dorian's.
Suspect all Aftermarket same way, any big shops, going to have 3-phase Alternator noise. May go away or get worse.

Original USA Vintage Done right.
 
The CS 144 on the Gp is an original GM Survior Core .
From the Olds 425 V8.

Built 1 more here for that guy in Germany with his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop.
Used a Reproduction Corvette L88 Alternator pulley Billet steel.
That was a Survivor core GM like Rick's and Dorian's too.
 
Look around Pennsylvania for Original CS144 Alternator cores.
They are long not used New.
Best stand alone Heavy Duty integrated Alternator GM ever made not main car computer controlled to charge .
I can not believe what is those words hidden and stashed where you live Richard !
 
Because of the extremely convoluted route the headlight power circuit makes and through the HL switch, I was just thinking of wiring in a relay. That should make brighter lights the cheap way.
My best bud Bob local ge wired in a pair of Relays for the headlights on his 1970 Road Runner back around 2006. It helped.
Worked like it should bright with a 100 amp High Output Chrysler Vintage Alternator used on police car 440 Magnum.
 
My eyes dont like those bright white modern LED Headlights.
They blind me at night people driving by.
All my Milwaukee M12 & M18 Lithium battery work lights have the ideal color lights, COB , Much like daylight.
Daylight has Yellow and Blue in the wavelength colors we see.
I bought about $500 in lights to see working.
Discovered why Grumpy Loves Lights too getting older need them !
 
First, I have a good junk yard contact, he doesn’t find me everything but he doesn’t have an attitude others show me.
If you send me the specs I can have them ship alternators to you, if they have or locate one or more. I saw one on Craig’s L last January but I didn’t move on it. If you think you can put one of the CS144s together for me I can prepay for it.

If the lights are too bright I can install some polished chrome eyebrows over the head lights -I have several sets:D
 
Work on it Tomorrow.
Everything is LS here Racing scenes.
They just buy new everything.
I don't know how they come up with the money.
There is $200,000 in some of those cars At Ed's house to work on.
 
1, 4, 5, 10 cores.
Market is small for CS144, Just here , myself, maybe a few friends local.
 
First, I have a good junk yard contact, he doesn’t find me everything but he doesn’t have an attitude others show me.
If you send me the specs I can have them ship alternators to you, if they have or locate one or more. I saw one on Craig’s L last January but I didn’t move on it. If you think you can put one of the CS144s together for me I can prepay for it.

If the lights are too bright I can install some polished chrome eyebrows over the head lights -I have several sets
 
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