Headlights

Tech question: I would like to put brighter headlights on my '84 Riviera. Someone told me she does not have the voltage to power any brighter lamps other than stock. Opinions?

randyjl wrote:

Tech question: I would like to put brighter headlights on my '84 Riviera. Someone told me she does not have the voltage to power any brighter lamps other than stock. Opinions?

Usually with Halogen lights you can get them brighter. Check the wiring to the lights and see if it is thinner than 14 Ga. You may want to replace stock wiring with 14 or 12 Ga. wires. The Riv already runs the lights with relays but the wires are a little thin. Not thin enough for a fire but thin enough to heat a little and lose brightness at the lamps. The insight is that halogen lights lose relatively speaking a lot of brightness if the voltage has sagged a little from the 13-something volts that *should* be available while the car is running.

Get the needed lengths in the right colors from, for instance, an old-line NAPA Auto Parts store. You will need a connector terminal kit to fit them to the harness. In the automotive environment a crimped terminal is more reliable than soldered.

Any luck? I want to upgrade my headlights as well.

nickwon wrote:

Any luck? I want to upgrade my headlights as well.

As I mentioned in earlier post, check your wiring.