UnofficialBMW.com
Unofficial BMW

Unofficial BMW

Google Search





What's New

Search (Google!!)

FAQ

BulletinBoard

Classifieds

Garage

Images

Books

Tools

Parts

Used Cars

Links

FTP

Advertise

Search Amazon.com
In Association with Amazon.com
 

Home E12 E24 E28 E30 E34 E36 Z3 E39 E46 X5/E53 ALL
Ron Stygar Carl Buckland Dale Beuning Forums Help

Unofficial BMW Nav Map



From digest.v7.n36 Sat Aug 2 06:04:05 1997
From: Alfred Sutlick <asutlick_at_adnc.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:15:27 -0700
Subject: Re: <MISC> Wiring driving lights (v07.n030)

Jean,

While I was stationed in Newfoundland, Canada back in the early 70s, I had a pretty good set up in my 2002. Nothing to match what Satch has on Bad Dog, but versatile and ultra-reliable.

The sealed beam headlamps were replaced with SEV Marchal halagon units. I also had the Marchal (1 ea) clear spot beam, and clear driving beam. Also, a pair of Marchal clear, rectangular fogs. As everything was an above-bumper mount, I went with the rectangular fogs so as not to cut off any more direct airflow to the radiator than need be. Circular fogs were much superior, however.

As for the installation: I purchased some angle iron stock, cut the various sections to proper lengths, and then paid a garage that had a welder, to weld the various pieces together. A single piece of vertical stock was welded to the horizontal bar (notched and bent in the center, to conform to the slight curvature of the bumper), with these vertical pieces being bolted to the bumper back bars. To either side of the center of the horizontal bar were welded two vertical support bars which attached to the bumper (new holes were drilled), either side of the front license plate.

I had the spot beam on the right, driving beam on left, and two fogs in the middle. I originally used Marchal relays, but the fuses were an odd shape and difficult to replace, so I eventually went with two Hella relays; one for the driving/spot, the other for the fogs. These were mounted in the engine compartment. The car came without a radio. I relocated the ashtray as I recall, and installed a metal panel at the top of the console with two double-pole, and one singlepole switch. The single-pole switch was wiring to the windshield washer relay, so I could shut off the spray function, and use the wipers as a poor man's intermittent wipe function. The double-pole switches controlled the auxilliary lights. With the switches in the up position, either or both sets of aux lights would come on, any time the regular hi-beams were on. Center position, aux lights would always remain off. In the lower position, they would come on any time the ignition was on, thereby giving me added versatility; either set of aux lights (normally only the fog) could be turned on with the headlights either on lo-beam, or off completely.

If you want to get creative, you can wire switches into your tail light/ brake light system, to shut either or both off, should you want to ellude someone following you at night! I think there were one or more individuals in our founding chapter who did this!

I wish I could run the Marchals here in CA; they're the size of the Cibie Super Oscars.

What it comes down to is, be creative when you do any wiring, re-wiring of your lights. I mean, after all, not everything we do to our cars is legal now, is it!? If you want to attract admiring glances to your car (from those that KNOW), a few big Marchals or Cibie lights on the front will do more than all of the Euro clear-lensed blinkers in the world! My hat's off to the BAD DOG!

Al Sutlick
BMWCCA #367
San Diego Chapter

'79 635 CSi Euro ('88 535i long block w/L-Jetronic) '84 528e (wife's)
'91 325i (son's)

Member - U.S. Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association. "In God we trust, all others we monitor."

Unofficial Homepages: [Home] [E12] [E24] [E28] [E30] [E34] [E36] [Z3] [E39] [E46] [X5/E53] [ALL] [ Help ]