Ferrari Mailing List: Re: FW: HELP! How to replace 308 headlamps

[Grahame Reinthal (grahame]

Talking about lighting up a football field, years ago I had high wattage bulbs in the headlamps of an MGB and I also had two 7" Cibies mounted on the front as well. It was a very bright set-up.

 

One night, driving along a straight country road with no other traffic, a single light was approaching me.  This light was set quite high and was bright in my eyes. At first I thought it was a motor bike, but it seemed too steady for that, so then I thought it must be a car or truck with one light out. At any rate, it kept coming towards me and did not dip.  After a little while, I flashed my high beam briefly.  He did not dip.  So I flashed again and he still did not dip. I tried yet again and he still ignored me.  So more emphatically, I put my high beam on for a few seconds and then dropped to low beam and yet he still refused to dip.  Up to this stage I had not used the Cibies so now I thought - right, cop this, you inconsiderate bastard - and I turned on everything - high beam and the Cibies as well.  Bwa Ha Ha, I thought for a couple of exultant seconds, until the train driver (of the train on the train track that ran parallel to the road for miles) turned on his godzillion watt arc lamp!!!! And instantly the front of my car just about melted and I was totally and utterly blinded, and all I could do was slam on the brakes and keep it on the tarmac from memory as I pulled up to a dead stop. There's a lesson in there somewhere.  

 

Cheers,

 

Grahame

 

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From: David Handa [mailto:dave [at] davehanda.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 6 September 2011 8:19 AM
To: Grahame
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: [Ferrari] FW: HELP! How to replace 308 headlamps

 

 

Pat, I replaced both my 78 308GTS and later 87 328 GTS with Hella “euro code” (non sealed) headlamps.  I don’t recall all the details, but the lamps came out through the front of the headlight buckets.  I simply turned them on, and did them quickly with the lights on. There was some trim that had to come off first, then the headlights swapped out like any other old time car with sealed beams.   I used the standard 55/60W bulbs, and had an incredible increase in useable light.  I believe on the 328 I actually used some sort of +50% bulb that claimed higher output, while retaining stock current draw, and similar color temperature (no blue looking crap). 

 

Higher wattage with relays and high watt bulbs can be nice though, I did that with a  Rabbit I had in college…I had 7” Cibies and 5” Cibie pencil beams all with 100 watt bulbs….I could light up a football field no problem J

 

From: Pat Scopelliti [mailto:pscopell [at] stny.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2011 2:52 PM
To: dave handa
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: [Ferrari] HELP! How to replace 308 headlamps

 

OK, I’m stumped.  I’ve got a nice relay kit for my308’s headlamps.  Seems to work fine.

 

I also bought new Hella headlamps, but for the life of me can’t figure out how to replace them.  It looks there is a heavy bracket holding the headlamp that is attached to the whole assembly by four screws that are blocked by the fender, which makes me think I have to remove the two pivot bolts for the headlamp assembly.  Looks like I have to remove the fender to get to those bolts loose.

 

There are also three bolts on the back of the headlamp assembly.  I’m going to try loosening those to see if that releases the lamp.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Pat

 

Pat Scopelliti

pscopell [at] stny.rr.com