Wow! Never realized any of this!

Thanks for the info!

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tony
tri-state transporters
'57 oval beetle
'60 westy
'71 rustfalia
'85 westy
'86 weekender (the wife's :-) - for sale!
'97 golf trek (the wife's)

"rusty or not the stars are just as bright and the campfire just as warm
and the bed just as cozy"  -len alcamo

http://moorelab.com/tristatetransporters.html
http://moorelab.com
http://bluejordan.com
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----------
> From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@ccmail.plk.af.mil
> To: tony@moorelab.com
> Cc: Vanagon@GERRY.SDSC.EDU
> Subject: Re: Euro-spec headlights tech (kinda long)
> Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 11:00 AM
>
>
>      Well yes-
>
>      Nothing about the grille.  But the headlights themselves would have
a
>      "reversed" beam pattern.  In drive-on-the-right countries (including

>      the US and continental Europe), the high-beam is usually shifted to
>      the left (as well as "up") in comparison to the low-beam.  The
>      drive-on-the-left comparison (UK, South Africa, Japan, ANZUS) would
>      have the pattern shift to the right.
>
>      Also, with regard to Euro-spec lenses (L- or RHD), these usually
have
>      a very sharp cutoff pattern on low beam.  If you shine the
headlights
>      (euro-spec, drive-on-the-right) on a garage door or similar, you see
a
>      light pattern like this (bad ASCII art alert!):
>
>
>         (dark)  /| (dark) /|
>         ______/  |______/  |
>
>                light
>
>      The angled-up cutoff allows light to shine further down the right
side
>      (shoulder) of the road.  On good lenses (Cibie comes to mind), the
>      cutoff is very dramatic; you could almost use it as a guide to draw
a
>      straight line on the garage door!  Naturally, drive-on-the-left
lights
>      are opposite.
>
>      US-spec low beam patterns are less defined, and frankly emit a lot
of
>      blinding light where it isn't needed or wanted (except on
>      luminescently-challenged overhead freeway signs, trees (helps the
>      squirrels find midnight snacks), and low-flying aircraft).  When
>      euro-spec lights having the above beam pattern are properly
adjusted,
>      virtually no blinding light is emitted at oncoming traffic or in the

>      rear view mirror of other cars ahead in the same lane.
>
>      Note that there are likely exceptions to the above; this is not
>      intended to be the definitive "primer" on euro-spec lighting, just a

>      collection of my observations from having lived in Europe two years
>      and made several subsequent visits.  But I have used euro-spec 7"
>      round Cibie conversions on a Baja bug and seen the exact beam
pattern
>      shown above.  I also have Euro-spec tungsten-bulb "buckets" on my
'66
>      Bus which exhibit this characteristic (although the left lens is
>      evidently a British version as it has the cutoff running just the
>      opposite - fortunately the tungsten bulbs are not too bright, and I
>      have the reflectors adjusted to lower the beam - when I hit the high

>      beams on this one, they both head toward the center of the road -
>      "cross-eyes").
>
>      I also have a pair of 7" Cibie Z-beams - these have a fairly sharp
>      cutoff and a slight shift to the left on high-beam, but the beam
>      pattern is more symetrical.
>
>      -Blaine
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: Re: Re[2]: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangu
> Author:  tony@moorelab.com at mailgw
> Date:    7/23/97 8:53 AM
>
>
> I'm not sure what that has to do with the headlights and grill tho'.
>
> Am I missing something?
>
>
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> ---------------------
> tony
> tri-state transporters
> '57 oval beetle
> '60 westy
> '71 rustfalia
> '85 westy
> '86 weekender (the wife's :-) - for sale!
> '97 golf trek (the wife's)
>
> "rusty or not the stars are just as bright and the campfire just as warm
> and the bed just as cozy"  -len alcamo
>
> http://moorelab.com/tristatetransporters.html
> http://moorelab.com
> http://bluejordan.com
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> --------------
>
> ----------
> > From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@ccmail.plk.af.mil
> > To: tony@moorelab.com
> > Cc: Vanagon@GERRY.SDSC.EDU
> > Subject: Re[2]: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangular)
> > Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 10:00 AM
> >
> >
> >      But-
> >
> >      They drive on the left side of the street in S.A., right?  Gotta
go
> to
> >      Europe.
> >
> >      -Blaine
> >
> >
> > ______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> > Subject: Re: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangular)
> > Author:  tony@moorelab.com at mailgw
> > Date:    7/23/97 8:00 AM
> >
> >
> > Wasn't Chris Turner (JordanVW@aol.com) talking about organizing a group

> buy
> > of these from South Africa?
> >
> > Maybe we could shame him into getting back into the game ;->
> >
> >
>
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>
> > ---------------------
> > tony
> > tri-state transporters
> > '57 oval beetlw
> > '60 westy
> > '71 rustfalia
> > '85 westy
> > '86 weekender (the wife's :-) - for sale!
> > '97 golf trek
> >
> > "rusty or not the stars are just as bright and the campfire just as
warm
> > and the bed just as cozy"  -len alcamo
> >
> > http://moorelab.com/tristatetransporters.html
> > http://moorelab.com
> > http://bluejordan.com
> >
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

>
> > --------------
> >
> > ----------
> > > From: BLAINE_BACHMAN%PL-01M3@CCMAIL.PLK.AF.MIL
> > > To: Vanagon@GERRY.SDSC.EDU
> > > Subject: Wanted - Euro-spec headlights for a '91 (rectangular)
> > > Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 8:50 AM
> > >
> > >      Does anyone out there have a line on getting Euro-spec
headlights
> > for
> > >      the late Vanagon?
> > >
> > >      I don't want to go retro to round lights (always wanted a
Vanagon
> > with
> > >      rectangulars).
> > >
> > >      Do our Canadian friends suffer with the same S.A.E.-approved
junk
> > that
> > >      we have?
> > >
> > >      Anyone in Europe with access to a few good wrecking yards want
to
> go
> > >      into business?
> > >
> > >      -Blaine