other Sev Amplilux Marchals Come Home After 42 Years

[RAS-2002]

It blows me away how some things happen...

 

I bought my first 2002 ( a 1973 Sahara ), in Dec 1972.  Then picked up a pair of SEV Amplilux Marchals shortly afterwards, and let me tell you, back in the day, they were tons BRIGHTer than anything on the road!  Like many of today's lighting systems, they had an incredibly flat-top illumination on low beam; blindingly bright highbeams.  Sorry to say, my '02 didn’t survive.  So I took the Marchals off the its carcass, and gave them to my friend, who also had a 2002.  After a few years, he got rid of his ’02, and gave the Marchals to his brother, who put them on an old Saab that he proceeded to drive into the ground.   That was over 30 years ago, and I never gave them another thought.  Lo and behold, out of the blue my old buddy calls me up and says that when he was cleaning out his garage, he came across the Marchals.  He had forgotten that his brother gave them back to him, and he wanted to know if I’d like ‘em back.  “Sure!” says me, “I’ll take ‘em back in a heartbeat!!”  So, after over 40 years, they’re back home to roost.  They're showing a little wear, but not bad at all.  The reflectors are still bright and shiny.  I can’t wait to clean them up, put some new Sylvania SilverStar H1 and H3 bulbs in them, and install them.   Just for giggles, I looked up some similar NOS Marchals on ebay and found they’re going for major big bucks; like between $675 and $999 a pair!!!  Okay, mine are used, but still, those prices are Simply Crazy!  I think I originally paid around $75 for the pair in 1972, which was a 'whole lotta scratch' back then.   

 

Getting Schatzi ( my ’72 ‘02 Malaga ) ready for a dust-off-drive this weekend.

-Bob

[bob02]

Great story and great lights! Let's see em installed!

[Conserv]

Yes, great story, with a happy ending!

There are always Ampliluxes around at those prices -- and even higher on the Ferrari sites -- but I don't believe those actually sell. $400-$600 should get you an NOS set of Ampliluxes. And even among modern lights, they are excellent.

Enjoy...again!

Steve

[eurotrash]

want.  almost had a NIB set for pennies a year or two ago.  The guy vanished..

[mike472]

Jason

Call Dan Stern at Stern Lighting. He gave me the recipe for what he uses to clean the lense. You pour it in and swish it around then rinse and let dry and they come out beautiful. He also has some great bulbs to put in them. They are real blinders. I have the high beam wired to a relay with separate fuse up front with fairly short 14 gauge wire. I used crimped and soldered connections with shrink tubing on everything to make sure things didn't get bounced and vibrated apart, and for a last touch, di-electric grease to keep the connectors from corroding.

[ray_]

Yep, we need pics Bob!

 

Danial Stern recommended Narva H1s for my E24 and they are bright as @#$%

 

Here's H4's on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/NARVA-Range-Power-50-Pair/dp/B007K6DZO0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1397879215&sr=1-1&keywords=narva+h4

 

Cheers,

[RAS-2002]

Yep, I'll post pics when I install them. 

 

And thanks for the pointer on cleaning the interiors; I just sent an email to Dan Stern asking for his recipe.

 

Best regards to all,

-Bob

[Mike Self]

Very cool!  I remember those lamps "back in the day" before the technology existed for dual filament halogen bulbs.  Always wanted a pair; couldn't afford 'em on a 2/Lt's salary.  But I did have 80 watt incandescent bulbs in my Cibies--kinda loaded down my 35 amp alternator but boy were they bright!

 

Great homecoming story.

 

mike

 

PS--my Sahara '73 was built in Dec 72--the factory must have made a run of Sahara cars that month...

[RAS-2002]

Per mike472's advice, I contacted Dan Stern  http://www.danielsternlighting.com  regarding cleaning the inside of my Marchals:

 

 

Hi Dan,

I'm a member of the BMW2002FAQ forum, and just
re-acquired my set of old Marchals from a friend after
over 40 years. I'll be installing them on my '72 BMW
2002. They're in pretty good shape overall. One of the other

forum members said you have a 'recipe' for cleaning the insides.

Can you give it to me and tell me how to clean them?

Thanks,

-Bob

 

Dan Stern's reply: (very informative!!)

 

I wouldn't bet on it [them being in good shape overall] ...optical degradation of the reflector is grossly advanced well before you can see it with the naked eye; by the time it's progressed far enough to be described as "just a little imperfect" the lamp is dead. Remember, even the most costly, beautiful show chrome is only 67% reflective, not nearly enough for optical purposes. An as-new headlamp reflector is over 99% reflective. The takeaway message here is that even if the reflector looks OK, its optical efficiency is way down if it's got some years of usage on it.

By all means you can have a go at cleaning them, but if you want to use these specific lamps you may very well need to have the reflectors refurbished. So, I'm including both sets of info:

Work with one lamp at a time. Remove the bulbs. Fill the lamp about 1/2 full of warm-to-hot distilled or filtered(!) water, then pour in a splash of "Multi-Surface" Windex or Simple Green cleaner.

Cover the bulb hole with your (clean) thumb or palm, or simply reinstall the bulb to cover the hole. Vigourously shake/slosh/swirl the lamp to agitate the hot soapy water. Do
this over a sink, and hold on with both hands so the lamp doesn't slip
from your grip, fall and break. Then uncover the bulb hole, turn the lamp
bulb-hole-down, and swirl the lamp to cause the water to drain from it in
a circular fashion. Repeat this cleaning step, then rinse the lamp
repeatedly with warm-to-hot distilled or filtered(!) water until all
traces of soapsuds are gone. Hold the lamp firmly with lens facing you and
shake/snap vertically to force out more loose water.

To dry the lamps, place them lens-down in your clean kitchen oven, on the
rack about 1/2 to 3/4 of the oven's height up from the lower element.
Close the oven door. Turn the oven to Bake/350 for 3 minutes, then turn
the oven off and leave the door closed. In about an hour, your lamps
should be thoroughly dry with minimal or no watter spotting -- any minor water spots remaining will be inconsequential to beam performance. Give the bulb glass a dip and a swish in alcohol (rubbing or denatured) and let them dry.


The first step is to isolate the reflector from all other components. Remove all non-steel parts such as bulb seats and non-reflector components such as bulb shields, etc. The potmetal or sheetmetal bulb seat is usually held to the reflector by crimping which can be carefully undone with a small screwdriver after you make scratch marks on the seat and the reflector for later alignment. If it's riveted, the rivets must be carefully drilled out. The bulb shield, if present, may be sandwiched between the lens and the reflector, clipped to the reflector or bulb seat, or held to the reflector by small rivets, in which case drill them out.

Disassembly of bonded lens-reflector units requires patience, care, and caution. If necessary, make a scratch mark on the back of the reflector at the top of the lens so you can identify where the top of the lens goes when you later reassemble the lamps. Place the lens-reflector unit in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes, then -- working quickly and carefully with a sharp knife -- cut away as much of the adhesive sealant as you can. Then use a butter knife, screwdriver, and/or other appropriate blunt but narrow-edged tool to pry the lens free from the reflector, working progressively around the edge of the reflector to lift it out of the softened adhesive. Work carefully to avoid peeling off the brown base coat from the reflector. It may take several trips back into the oven...when the adhesive cools, it will begin to re-harden. The object is to avoid placing much local stress on the lens, so when it stops moving easily, _stop work_ and put the lens-reflector back into the oven to warm back up. You'll want to remove all the residual adhesive sealant from the reflector and the lens.

Once it's isolated, put the reflector and lens into the dishwasher (bottom rack) and run it with ordinary dishwashing powder (Cascade, Finish, etc.) through a normal cycle. This will usually remove most all the surface dirt and often will finish removing the remains of the reflector shiny stuff.

Take a close look at the base coat; if it's in good shape, not scratched or peeled or blistered, then you're all set; send the reflector to Martin or one of his teammates at Vacu-Coat:

http://www.vacucoat.com/

Tell him it's a vehicle headlamp reflector, in need of aluminizing and high-heat protective overcoat. If the base coat is at all imperfect, contact him in advance, tell him you have a stamped-steel parabolic headlight reflector with damaged factory base coat, and ask for his recommendation for sending the reflector in (does he want the remains of the basecoat stripped, can he strip it, etc.). Most base coats can be stripped from steel reflectors with lye — the easiest and safest form is Easy-Off spray oven cleaner. The original type, not the "fume free". Check the label to make sure it contains lye (Sodium Hydroxide). Wear rubber gloves, give yourself plenty of ventilation, apply the lye in a sink, let it stand for an hour or so, then rinse with hot water. Scrub gently with a plastic "Scotch Brite" pad; repeat if necessary.

If the reflector has rust that has roughened its surface, it is not a feasible candidate for refurbishment.

If Vacu-Coat for whatever reason can't or won't put on a new base coat, then the reflector must be copper plated and polished to a high shine. Then, nickel plated and polished to a high shine. Then, send the reflectors to UVIRA in Oregon for aluminum vaporcoating and  silica glass overcoat. About 8 years ago, I paid $85 for UVIRA's  reflectorisation service on a pair of reflectors, but the price might have changed.

UVIRA
310 Pleasant Valley Rd
Merlin, OR 97532
tel 541-474-5050

The plating shop is probably going to ask you why you're having the first two steps of a chrome plating job (copper, nickel) done but not the chrome. Chrome is *never* an acceptable reflector material; even the most beautiful, expensive show chrome is only about 67% reflective at best, which is far too poor for lighting/optical purposes. The vapor-coat aluminum material used for lamp reflectors is over 99% reflective as required for optical and lighting devices.

Once you've got the refurbished reflector back, reinstall the bulb shield if your lamp has one -- probably best to use small screws and nuts plus high-grade Loctite. Put the screw heads on the inside and the nuts (and Loctite) on the outside so the Loctite doesn't outgas and spoil the reflector surface. Reinstall the bulb seat, crimping as required for a secure fit. Make certain to install the bulb seat in its correct rotative position relative to the reflector (refer to your earlier scratch mark).

Do NOT use any kind of silicone to attach the lens to the reflector. Use windshield urethane, obtainable from an auto glass service center. It comes in various grades; the thin grade is the easiest but also the messiest to work with. Apply a thin, even bead around the inner lip/rim where the lens and reflector meet. Press the lens -- make sure it's rightside up! -- evenly into the bead of sealant, then apply another bead round the outside of the lens/reflector junction. Smooth/press this outer bead into place with a craft stick or finger (messy either way!) and allow time for the urethane to cure completely.

Install new (thoughtfully-selected) bulbs, headlamp relays as required per http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html , reassemble/reinstall the lamps, aim them on low beam per the "VOL" specs at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html , and you're all set.

Let me know if I can assist with bulbs, relays, etc.
Best DS

[Harv]

Informative post of the year.

John

[eurotrash]

There they are.... Mike.  You dirty dog.  YOU got em in that batch.  He was selling them to me after driving to Michigan and seeing the stash and giving him advice..  Glad it was you.

[mike472]

Jason,

 

The lights he had in his stash were Hella's. The are now residing in my Inka car.  I gave them the same cleanup.   If Rob had SEV's  I didn't get them.   The ones on my car I purchased in about 1977 and they had clouded over.  I hope that makes you feel better!   I knew you'd hunt down a pair eventually.  It's nice that your original lights made it back to you.  Must be good Karma flowing around you.  Good luck with Dan's special sauce.

 

Mike

[tisalover]

GREAT POST, I have been wondering about 'proper' cleaning for marchal's, H1s etc. Thank you.  Peter

[MoBrighta]

Super informative, but that's what I'd expect from Mr. Stern.  Started doing business as a customer many years ago, still doing business as a dealer / lighting refurbisher / restorer / upgrade specialist today! 

 

I have several Amplilux lights in the shop right now, several of which need this kind of help.

 

Andy