Thread: Series 2A headlights and grill on my Series 3

One main problem I can see, it that you won't get a good spread. That was one reason for moving the lights out to the guards in the first place.

Are you going to use a 2a radiator support panel, or cut holes in the series 3 panel?

The only problem I can see is that you can't use a Series 3 grille. You may have to drill a few holes, but I'm not even sure about that.

Contrary to what d@rk51d3 says I have never seen any suggestion that light spread had anything to do with moving the lights into the more vulnerable position of the mudguards - it was purely a regulatory response. No problem with light spread on any of the Series 1/2/2a I have owned.

John

I have my series three and have just obtained a series 2. My plan is to raid the series 2 for parts so I don't know yet if I would need to change the radiator support panel or if I could just swap the grill and headlights. This would mean I'd leave the series 3 lights in the front guards and add the series 2 lights in the grill.
The workshop books I've read don't go down to the detail of fitting the front panel. I'm abit shy of unbolting parts only to find they don't fit (or worse still the little job I had imagined is a huge one).
With a bit of traveling in the southern highlands I'll be fitting fog lights to the grill if its possible/feasible.

if youve got the whole IIa front grill just unbolt the radiator and remove it, remove the sIII ratidator bulkhead then install the series IIA one. straight fit.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

- it was purely a regulatory response. No problem with light spread on any of the Series 1/2/2a I have owned.

John

Just out of interest, what were the regulations that required the lights to be moved out?

Hi Darkside,
I think headlights have to be less than 40cm from the broadside of the vehicle, so they have the effect of marking how wide the vehicle is to oncoming traffic. Useful on dark nights squeezing between parked cars.
-Mark

More or less what Mark said. The reason perhaps more to do with judging the distance of oncoming traffic - cars with close set lights are closer than they look compared to ones with the lights close to the sides.

I can remember as a schoolchild being able to identify the family car in the distance by the light pattern - first it was a Swift, with very close set headlights and unusually large sidelights set higher than the headlights, later an Austin 16 with unusually large very close set headlights with very small sidelights set lower than the headlights.

Typical common cars were ones such as the 48/215 Holden, wide set headlights and no sidelights, Austin A70, close set headlights with small sidelights lower than the headlights, Ford Model A, large close set lights, no sidelights, and so on.

John