Fitting Wipac 7" headlamps to Murena

[Anders Dinsen]

I have completed the installation of a set of 7" headlamps to replace the original ones on my Murena. I understand this change has been done before by people in the UK in need of left-hand-dip lamps - my reason to do the conversion was just that I needed a pair of new lamps and I found the originals to be too expensive for my taste.

Unfortunately the change is not trivial, so I decided to document my experiences, which I have done here:

http://dinsen.net/murena/electrics/headlights

Comments are welcome of course.

Cheers to all,
Anders :-)

[hru]

Interesting pictures !!

I was thinking, if it is possible to renovate the old parabols - to give them a new blank layer.

Has anybody investigated this ?

I have read that the rear lamp - sepcially the base units comes from Talbot Horizon. (The outer lens is special for Murena, I know)
Is it still possible to get these base units from new?


BR
Henrik

[steve1962]

I have completed the installation of a set of 7" headlamps to replace the original ones on my Murena. I understand this change has been done before by people in the UK in need of left-hand-dip lamps - my reason to do the conversion was just that I needed a pair of new lamps and I found the originals to be too expensive for my taste.

Unfortunately the change is not trivial, so I decided to document my experiences, which I have done here:

http://dinsen.net/murena/electrics/headlights

Comments are welcome of course.

Cheers to all,
Anders :-)

i shall be attempting this soon anders,bank a/c permitting.you have done a 1st class job,well done
steve

[Anders Dinsen]

i shall be attempting this soon anders,bank a/c permitting.you have done a 1st class job,well done
steve

Thanks and good luck with it

Henrik, If you can find a professional to do the coating it should be possible - I don't think it's something you can simply "paint" on, but you need to seperate the glass from the reflector and it's pretty well fixed together. I like the idea of the Wipac lights - or cheaper: VW Golf headlights, as some others have used. Reason is that spares are going to be readily available in the future.

[Lennart Sorth]

or cheaper: VW Golf headlights, as some others have used.

Me being one
However, the VW ones are mounted in a cradle I needed to disassemble into its two parts, and mount the one from inside the headlight-pod, and the other out front. Not super simple - but (since I managed to do it) not particularly difficult either

But the ones you have fitted looks like an easier job.

- and btw both conversions look completelty original.

/Lennart

[hru]

I might want to use the  VW ones.
T-Hansen have them very cheap, less than 20 EUR/pcs.

Is it from VW Golf I ?

[Lennart Sorth]

Is it from VW Golf I ?

Now, you got me there - the reason I haven't uploaded a gallery of pictures is that I simply cannot remember!
My original headlamp units were about to drop out of the pod due to the brackets having rusted away, and somebody told me "golf-#" looked to be similar, and I just bought a set of those - and then forgot which. 

Thinking back, I had to cut a tiny bit off top and bottom of the mounting-flange which I fitted from inside the pod.

The lamp-unit itself is sort of hinged on that flange, with a little spring keeping the lower "right corner" in place. Adjustment is done on screws at the other two 120deg points.


/Lennart

[krede]

I have fitted a set of golf II headlamps on my car. They have the same diameter as the original, but the consoles are completely different... and its a lot of work to get them to fit.
I ended up cutting the mounting brackets from the old ones, and welded them (carefully) to the new ones AFTER I had cut the golf brackets off.. a lot of work, and you can easily melt the glue holding the lamp together, of get a "burn through" inside it.
The end result is "ok".. but I will probably cough up for a set of "real" ones next time.

[hru]

I have pictures of both types - see attached.

It seems that type I is easiest to install, so maybe you did this Lennart ??

[Anders Dinsen]

I have pictures of both types - see attached.

It seems that type I is easiest to install, so maybe you did this Lennart ??

I'd definetely go for type I. It looks like they will be an easier and better fit than my english 7" lamps which have an adjustment screw right at the top of the lamp. This makes them easier to adjust, but works badly with the Murena lamp housings, where I had to offset the lamp a bit downwards. From the photo, it appears that all that needs to be done on the type I's is that the upper section of the bracket must be cut off, and then it may even be possible to mout it from inside, as Lennart suggests.

- Anders

[krede]

Im pretty sure neither will fit without some serious modification

[hru]

Im pretty sure neither will fit without some serious modification

Yes, you are right about this!
I just collected a set of GOLF II lamps, and they will never fit without severe modification.

I have made drawings for an adaptor plate, that allows GOLF II headlights to be mounted without modifications to the murena housing - using the existing screws and brackets.

I will have them fabricated within a few weeks - the first plates just for testing.
If they are succesfull, I will have a smallers series fabricated that can be sold at fair prices at either E-bay or Matrasports.

Let me know your interest !

/Henrik

[krede]

Well i would want a set for sure

[Anders Dinsen]

Let me know your interest !

Excellent, Henrik!
Not for me, obviously, but let's get the word out!

[davidewanprice]

Sounds like a great idea