Twin headlights

[SimonR]

I have just acquired a set of American twin headlights from a mate in San Francisco and obviously will need to replace the outer (dipping) units for UK-spec ones, but I have a couple of questions regarding this:

1. What's the diameter of the XJ-S headlight units? - I'm thinking (hoping) perhaps the light units are universal on BL cars...
2. Does anyone know if there is a non-sealed-beam option available?
3. Was there ever a set of perspex headlamp protectors available for the XJ-S?

Many thanks for answers,

Simon R.

[Telsmoneypit]

Hello Simon,

Answers follow...

1. 5 3/4 inches (I think XJ40 ones will fit)

2. Yes (I think XJ40 ones will fit)

3. I have perspex protectors on my car but I still have the standard oval lights. I got mine from Halfords. They are called 'Smoothie light guards' and cost £25 a pair. These will not fit the US style set up due to their shape.

Hope this helps

Terry

[SimonR]

Thanks for the info Terry.

I went to the scrapper, today taking my American XJ-S headlights with me, and found a couple of very sorry-looking XJ-40s with intact headlights.

The big news is that they are the same size and attach in the same way as XJ-S twin lights. They're also very easy to remove from the 40. Just lever off the plastic surround, remove the wiring from the bulbs and unscrew three screws on each lamp, which hold a metal retaining collar on to the lamp itself. All you need to take is the XJ-40 lamps, bulbs and rubber seals at the back of the lamp.

My American set-up came with the correct wiring (i.e. a little length of cable that plugs onto the uk loom and splits the headlight electrics to two 'bulb' type milti plugs. If you don't have this bit of wiring then you'll also have to take the relevant bit of XJ-40 loom and then stick a the correct bullet conectors on the end, or splice it with your current headlight wiring.

I did make one mistake today, however. the scrapper was closing early and I had to rush and in my haste I didn't notice that the reflector on one of the main beam lamps is damaged. I'll have to get it exchanged before I fit the lamps to the car.

One last thing that I don't completely understand is exactly how the set-up fits to the car. It seems that I have to remove the adjusters and then screw the lights bracket to the car's bodywork. Anyway, I'll probably work that out tomorrow when it's not as dark as it is now!

>>>>

On second thoughts I nipped out to the car with the light assembly. It all makes sense now. The light bracket screws to the car's bodywork and there are two large cross-head screws that are used to adjust the aim. This is very similar to the XJ-40 because these screws are a lot longer and have plastic thunb-wheels attached to the bottom of the thread, so you adjust the lights from the back. The adjustment is from the from the The XJ-S.

Having just connected it all up and tried the lights they work as expected except that I have no side lights any more. I think I remember someone saying that this was to be expected. Maybe I need a different switch with no sidelights 1st position.

[Brakebuster]

Hi,

sound like you need the part in the link below for your twin headlight electrics, he is a UK seller and they are for a pair of leads,

no affiliation, hope it helps

good news about the XJ40 headlight units

BB

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/XJS-JAGUAR-PAIR-T ... dZViewItem

[SimonR]

Thanks for the info, BB.

Sadly, that wiring must be for a face-lift XJS as my connectors all look very different to the ones on that

I think I can use the wiring and bulb holder that my standard lights used.

How do cars that originally had twin headlights deal with the sidelights? I'm asuming that US cars don't have sidelights at all?

Sorry to belly-ache about this!

[keithmervyn]

A lot of discussion of the twin-headlamp conversion seems to have got embedded in the "Steering" bulletins - I guess somebody asked a questions on both Steering & Headlamps on that bulletrin board !!

[Martin]

Keith - yes it happens all the time on most forums. A thread is often inadvertantly hijacked by something more interesting.

[ng4xjs]

Sort of related. For those of us with the face-lift varient. Has anyone looked into retro fitting the pre-face-lift type headlights? I haven't but it does look to be a practical proposition and particularly so given the scarcity of the latter type units. Any thoughts?

Nick

[greeban]

I was at the XJS seminar before Xmas and David Marks said that you can use the earlier types as a temporary measure - this is because I think he said you loose the remote adjustment - not sure what kind of a problem this actually is - I'll have to read the manual.

[ptjs1]

If I remember correctly (and I may not!), David said that you would lose the capability for the remote height levelling adjustment that is fitted to some export models. I don't think it affects UK facelift vehicles. I think he said that you could utilise the mounting brackets from a facelift light in order to fit a pre-facelift headlight. Although I think the glass shape and markings are slightly different (and possibly the wiring connector) this could be a very cost-effective way to get around the problem. As you probably know, new facelift headlamps are currently not available at all at present.

So a stone through the headlight is a big problem for us facelift owners at the moment!

Paul
95 4.0 Convertible

[veniceinperil]

Hi Guys..

I have fitted pre facelift units onto my 95 facelift coupe.They mount in the original bolt holes etc.It does make the remote adjusters redundant but the replacement units have plastic screw adjusters for manual headlamp aim/setup.

The benefits are they are twice as bright if utilising h4 halogens in both inners and outers.

[apax]

[quote="SimonR")
Having just connected it all up and tried the lights they work as expected except that I have no side lights any more. I think I remember someone saying that this was to be expected. Maybe I need a different switch with no sidelights 1st position.
Sorry this is a bit late in the day and you may have already found a different answer by now. However, if it's not too obvious to say it, the standard XJS quad lamp conversion has a sidelight provision built in to the outer lamps (i.e. It must have an extra bub I think). The XJ40 had separate sidelights and therefore no provision for a sidelight in its outer lenses.
Cheers, Archie.

[SimonR]

Sorry this is a bit late in the day and you may have already found a different answer by now. However, if it's not too obvious to say it, the standard XJS quad lamp conversion has a sidelight provision built in to the outer lamps (i.e. It must have an extra bub I think). The XJ40 had separate sidelights and therefore no provision for a sidelight in its outer lenses.
Cheers, Archie.

Yeah, thanks - worked that one out

In the end I took the sidelight holder, bulb and wiring from the original UK-spec headlights, drilled a hole in the outer XJ-40 lamp units and poked it through!

The double headlights are undoubtedly the way forward.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/W ... c/Jags.jpg

[veniceinperil]

Don't they look fabulous.......

[agards]

sorry i beg to differ - I think twins are really ugly compared to the originals - beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course