griffin did pass the time by typing:
> So then, would you recommend round or rectangular for being mounted above
> the windshield on a lightbar? I think I'll go with the white halogens but
> now I'm debating the following:
>
> 1. 6" round's or rectangular's?
> 2. rock gaurd covers or not (or the ones that say Jeep)?
> 3. 55/100 or 55/130?
>
> Anyone know off hand what the stock alternator on an '85 CJ7 can handle
> light-wise? I have no stereo and no auxillary stuff except for the lights
> (ie: no winch, etc).

Just a note, check with the local police department. Some areas require
offroad lights be covered when your not offroad.

Lights up top probably don't need rock guards and when they do you have
bigger problems to wory about. :)

Round v Rectangular.. dunno. I'm partial to the round ones myself.

Power, your probably fine, 63A is what the stock one did. If you need
more power they make some HUGE ones.
<http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/makeId-8000123/p-8361/c-10108/modelId-8001393>
or
http://tinyurl.com/4dm5x

Make sure you use the proper gauge of wire for the
load, put a fuse by the battery, and always use a relay
for aux lamps.

Have fun and keep the shiny(or mostly shiny with mud globs) side up. :)

--
DougW

 

For 'on road', is is well worth the extra dollars for a higher quality
light. You 'do' get what you pay for up to a point, but I just saw a
set of Hella's that were pure garbage!

These Hellas came with the thinnest I have ever seen crimp spade
connectors, a crappy switch, a relay that does not match the 'bosch'
pinout so you can't use a relay socket but must use crimp spades, (did I
say how crappy the spades were?) and to top it of the freaking wiring
directions had the power tagged from the input to ground on the relay
which is a dead short!

On a light bar, square gives more clearance.

'Some' places require covers on 'off road' lights and for good reason.
'Most' folks up the watts on them above street legal.

For street legal, in most places 55 Watts is the max for a white light
on high beam. Those crappy blue ones are allowed higher watts to try
and match the light given off by a white beam.

Off road lights only have one bulb so you buy the power you 'want'. I
went with 100W in my Hella's and they are great. If I set them aimed
up, they are about 3X the output of my stock lights. I do not believe
the bulbs come in odd watts, 55, 100 and 200 are common. A 200 W will
melt a plastic light though.

The ones that are mixed numbers are replacement high/low bulbs, not
driving lights.

And I grew up in North Atlantic 'pea soup' fog. Yellow are the only way
to go in fog. They even have all the highway intersection and bridge
lights in yellow.

The 85 CJ's have 3 different alternators so you would have to get the
numbers off it and check at the parts stores.

A higher alternator can be put in, especially if you have the Delco
alternator, but the stock one puts out pretty good.

The lights should be relayed and fused direct to the battery power and
they need a dedicated ground wire. The ground is more important than
folks realize because add ing all the lights can/will overload the stock
ground wire in the vehicle which will cause the lights to draw more
power as things heat up.

When I turn on my stock headlights, the volt gauge takes a big hit.
When I turn on the Hellas with their direct wiring, the gauge barely
flickers.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

griffin wrote:
>
> So then, would you recommend round or rectangular for being mounted above
> the windshield on a lightbar? I think I'll go with the white halogens but
> now I'm debating the following:
>
> 1. 6" round's or rectangular's?
> 2. rock gaurd covers or not (or the ones that say Jeep)?
> 3. 55/100 or 55/130?
>
> Anyone know off hand what the stock alternator on an '85 CJ7 can handle
> light-wise? I have no stereo and no auxillary stuff except for the lights
> (ie: no winch, etc).
>
> Thanks
>
> "mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
> news:qvudnSy88Jil_sjcRVn-qQ@gbronline.com...
> > Hi Dave:
> >
> > I personally feel that all things being equal, the white lenses work
> better
> > in fog than yellow. The yellow lenses substantially reduce the light
> output
> > of the bulb. See: http://tinyurl.com/6og7n
> >
> > The beam pattern on a good fog lamp is what is most important. The low
> wide
> > beam pattern of a good fog light reflects less light back into the
> driver's
> > eyes, and the white lights do throw much more light than a yellow light
> > (again, all other things being equal.)
> > :)
> >
> > Tom

 

For 'on road', is is well worth the extra dollars for a higher quality
light. You 'do' get what you pay for up to a point, but I just saw a
set of Hella's that were pure garbage!

These Hellas came with the thinnest I have ever seen crimp spade
connectors, a crappy switch, a relay that does not match the 'bosch'
pinout so you can't use a relay socket but must use crimp spades, (did I
say how crappy the spades were?) and to top it of the freaking wiring
directions had the power tagged from the input to ground on the relay
which is a dead short!

On a light bar, square gives more clearance.

'Some' places require covers on 'off road' lights and for good reason.
'Most' folks up the watts on them above street legal.

For street legal, in most places 55 Watts is the max for a white light
on high beam. Those crappy blue ones are allowed higher watts to try
and match the light given off by a white beam.

Off road lights only have one bulb so you buy the power you 'want'. I
went with 100W in my Hella's and they are great. If I set them aimed
up, they are about 3X the output of my stock lights. I do not believe
the bulbs come in odd watts, 55, 100 and 200 are common. A 200 W will
melt a plastic light though.

The ones that are mixed numbers are replacement high/low bulbs, not
driving lights.

And I grew up in North Atlantic 'pea soup' fog. Yellow are the only way
to go in fog. They even have all the highway intersection and bridge
lights in yellow.

The 85 CJ's have 3 different alternators so you would have to get the
numbers off it and check at the parts stores.

A higher alternator can be put in, especially if you have the Delco
alternator, but the stock one puts out pretty good.

The lights should be relayed and fused direct to the battery power and
they need a dedicated ground wire. The ground is more important than
folks realize because add ing all the lights can/will overload the stock
ground wire in the vehicle which will cause the lights to draw more
power as things heat up.

When I turn on my stock headlights, the volt gauge takes a big hit.
When I turn on the Hellas with their direct wiring, the gauge barely
flickers.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

griffin wrote:
>
> So then, would you recommend round or rectangular for being mounted above
> the windshield on a lightbar? I think I'll go with the white halogens but
> now I'm debating the following:
>
> 1. 6" round's or rectangular's?
> 2. rock gaurd covers or not (or the ones that say Jeep)?
> 3. 55/100 or 55/130?
>
> Anyone know off hand what the stock alternator on an '85 CJ7 can handle
> light-wise? I have no stereo and no auxillary stuff except for the lights
> (ie: no winch, etc).
>
> Thanks
>
> "mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
> news:qvudnSy88Jil_sjcRVn-qQ@gbronline.com...
> > Hi Dave:
> >
> > I personally feel that all things being equal, the white lenses work
> better
> > in fog than yellow. The yellow lenses substantially reduce the light
> output
> > of the bulb. See: http://tinyurl.com/6og7n
> >
> > The beam pattern on a good fog lamp is what is most important. The low
> wide
> > beam pattern of a good fog light reflects less light back into the
> driver's
> > eyes, and the white lights do throw much more light than a yellow light
> > (again, all other things being equal.)
> > :)
> >
> > Tom

 

For 'on road', is is well worth the extra dollars for a higher quality
light. You 'do' get what you pay for up to a point, but I just saw a
set of Hella's that were pure garbage!

These Hellas came with the thinnest I have ever seen crimp spade
connectors, a crappy switch, a relay that does not match the 'bosch'
pinout so you can't use a relay socket but must use crimp spades, (did I
say how crappy the spades were?) and to top it of the freaking wiring
directions had the power tagged from the input to ground on the relay
which is a dead short!

On a light bar, square gives more clearance.

'Some' places require covers on 'off road' lights and for good reason.
'Most' folks up the watts on them above street legal.

For street legal, in most places 55 Watts is the max for a white light
on high beam. Those crappy blue ones are allowed higher watts to try
and match the light given off by a white beam.

Off road lights only have one bulb so you buy the power you 'want'. I
went with 100W in my Hella's and they are great. If I set them aimed
up, they are about 3X the output of my stock lights. I do not believe
the bulbs come in odd watts, 55, 100 and 200 are common. A 200 W will
melt a plastic light though.

The ones that are mixed numbers are replacement high/low bulbs, not
driving lights.

And I grew up in North Atlantic 'pea soup' fog. Yellow are the only way
to go in fog. They even have all the highway intersection and bridge
lights in yellow.

The 85 CJ's have 3 different alternators so you would have to get the
numbers off it and check at the parts stores.

A higher alternator can be put in, especially if you have the Delco
alternator, but the stock one puts out pretty good.

The lights should be relayed and fused direct to the battery power and
they need a dedicated ground wire. The ground is more important than
folks realize because add ing all the lights can/will overload the stock
ground wire in the vehicle which will cause the lights to draw more
power as things heat up.

When I turn on my stock headlights, the volt gauge takes a big hit.
When I turn on the Hellas with their direct wiring, the gauge barely
flickers.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

griffin wrote:
>
> So then, would you recommend round or rectangular for being mounted above
> the windshield on a lightbar? I think I'll go with the white halogens but
> now I'm debating the following:
>
> 1. 6" round's or rectangular's?
> 2. rock gaurd covers or not (or the ones that say Jeep)?
> 3. 55/100 or 55/130?
>
> Anyone know off hand what the stock alternator on an '85 CJ7 can handle
> light-wise? I have no stereo and no auxillary stuff except for the lights
> (ie: no winch, etc).
>
> Thanks
>
> "mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
> news:qvudnSy88Jil_sjcRVn-qQ@gbronline.com...
> > Hi Dave:
> >
> > I personally feel that all things being equal, the white lenses work
> better
> > in fog than yellow. The yellow lenses substantially reduce the light
> output
> > of the bulb. See: http://tinyurl.com/6og7n
> >
> > The beam pattern on a good fog lamp is what is most important. The low
> wide
> > beam pattern of a good fog light reflects less light back into the
> driver's
> > eyes, and the white lights do throw much more light than a yellow light
> > (again, all other things being equal.)
> > :)
> >
> > Tom

 

Thank you everyone for the input! I'm going with white halogens ...probably
100W bulbs because they will only be used offroad. I'm still leaning toward
6" round with stainless steel housing because the trails here have alot of
low-lying tree brush and they need to be able to withstand a bit of abuse.
I'm probably not going to go with PIAA or KC unless I can get a good deal
just because of the cost. I'd probably be in tears if I hit a tree and heard
the "snapping" sound of $200 of lighting rolling down my windshield. I'll
buy the no-name type ones and hope for the best but I'll try and find out
about the wiring quality first.

Guess I better check local laws as well.

Thanks again!

 

Thank you everyone for the input! I'm going with white halogens ...probably
100W bulbs because they will only be used offroad. I'm still leaning toward
6" round with stainless steel housing because the trails here have alot of
low-lying tree brush and they need to be able to withstand a bit of abuse.
I'm probably not going to go with PIAA or KC unless I can get a good deal
just because of the cost. I'd probably be in tears if I hit a tree and heard
the "snapping" sound of $200 of lighting rolling down my windshield. I'll
buy the no-name type ones and hope for the best but I'll try and find out
about the wiring quality first.

Guess I better check local laws as well.

Thanks again!

 

Thank you everyone for the input! I'm going with white halogens ...probably
100W bulbs because they will only be used offroad. I'm still leaning toward
6" round with stainless steel housing because the trails here have alot of
low-lying tree brush and they need to be able to withstand a bit of abuse.
I'm probably not going to go with PIAA or KC unless I can get a good deal
just because of the cost. I'd probably be in tears if I hit a tree and heard
the "snapping" sound of $200 of lighting rolling down my windshield. I'll
buy the no-name type ones and hope for the best but I'll try and find out
about the wiring quality first.

Guess I better check local laws as well.

Thanks again!

 

No disagreements re the light pattern, or the fact that white lights through
much more
light than the yellow ones. My experience is that they reflect more back.
Still, if they
work for you, that's great.

Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
"mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
news:qvudnSy88Jil_sjcRVn-qQ@gbronline.com...
> Hi Dave:
>
> I personally feel that all things being equal, the white lenses work
better
> in fog than yellow. The yellow lenses substantially reduce the light
output
> of the bulb. See: http://tinyurl.com/6og7n
>
> The beam pattern on a good fog lamp is what is most important. The low
wide
> beam pattern of a good fog light reflects less light back into the
driver's
> eyes, and the white lights do throw much more light than a yellow light
> (again, all other things being equal.)
> :)
>
> Tom
>
> "Dave Milne" <jeep@_nospam_milne.info> wrote in message
> news:Dg25d.847$ED.165@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk.. .
> > which is why yellow ones work the best in fog :-)
> >
> > Dave Milne, Scotland
> > '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
> >
> > "mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
> > news:Ka6dnfsUfLvMMsncRVn-oQ@gbronline.com...
> > > White fog lights throw the most light.
> > >
> > > Tom
>
>

 

No disagreements re the light pattern, or the fact that white lights through
much more
light than the yellow ones. My experience is that they reflect more back.
Still, if they
work for you, that's great.

Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
"mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
news:qvudnSy88Jil_sjcRVn-qQ@gbronline.com...
> Hi Dave:
>
> I personally feel that all things being equal, the white lenses work
better
> in fog than yellow. The yellow lenses substantially reduce the light
output
> of the bulb. See: http://tinyurl.com/6og7n
>
> The beam pattern on a good fog lamp is what is most important. The low
wide
> beam pattern of a good fog light reflects less light back into the
driver's
> eyes, and the white lights do throw much more light than a yellow light
> (again, all other things being equal.)
> :)
>
> Tom
>
> "Dave Milne" <jeep@_nospam_milne.info> wrote in message
> news:Dg25d.847$ED.165@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk.. .
> > which is why yellow ones work the best in fog :-)
> >
> > Dave Milne, Scotland
> > '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
> >
> > "mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
> > news:Ka6dnfsUfLvMMsncRVn-oQ@gbronline.com...
> > > White fog lights throw the most light.
> > >
> > > Tom
>
>

 

No disagreements re the light pattern, or the fact that white lights through
much more
light than the yellow ones. My experience is that they reflect more back.
Still, if they
work for you, that's great.

Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
"mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
news:qvudnSy88Jil_sjcRVn-qQ@gbronline.com...
> Hi Dave:
>
> I personally feel that all things being equal, the white lenses work
better
> in fog than yellow. The yellow lenses substantially reduce the light
output
> of the bulb. See: http://tinyurl.com/6og7n
>
> The beam pattern on a good fog lamp is what is most important. The low
wide
> beam pattern of a good fog light reflects less light back into the
driver's
> eyes, and the white lights do throw much more light than a yellow light
> (again, all other things being equal.)
> :)
>
> Tom
>
> "Dave Milne" <jeep@_nospam_milne.info> wrote in message
> news:Dg25d.847$ED.165@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk.. .
> > which is why yellow ones work the best in fog :-)
> >
> > Dave Milne, Scotland
> > '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
> >
> > "mabar" <mabar@NoSpamgrbonline.com> wrote in message
> > news:Ka6dnfsUfLvMMsncRVn-oQ@gbronline.com...
> > > White fog lights throw the most light.
> > >
> > > Tom
>
>