Lagondaforum » Technical information » P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help

bru jones	Feb 25, 2009 11:33 am
Subject: P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help Hi all getting dark here in Aus and trying to figure out how to get the best out of my head lights ,High beam appears fine but low beam is either under the car or in the sky as i can see nothing with them on (I used to just use a driving lamp) How dose the focus work screwing it in and out ? or do I un do them and manualy try and re set them ? and if i do that will high beam still work ? any help before

bru jones

Feb 25, 2009 11:33 am

Subject: P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help

Hi all getting dark here in Aus and trying to figure out how to get the best out of my head lights ,High beam appears fine but low beam is either under the car or in the sky as i can see nothing with them on (I used to just use a driving lamp) How dose the focus work screwing it in and out ? or do I un do them and manualy try and re set them ? and if i do that will high beam still work ? any help before

h14	Apr 27, 2009 3:49 pm
Subject: Re: P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help Hi Bru, My cars are 1939 so different P100 internals. But, firstly, it won't be focussing. To focus the bulb you need to slide it in or out of its holder, presumably there will be a locking screw or clamp. My car as purchased was really bad...didn't know until my first night-time drive. The lamps projected huge rings of light with black centres...so you couldn't actually see the road! To focus them you need a really dark area with ideally a dark wall to shine the light on, & from a good distance, experiment! Unfortunately I don't have my motoring books handy, but a really good set is called "Motor Overhaul & Repair", published by Newnes. They're not particularly rare & often come up on ebay. You could probably still buy a decent set for £10-£20 stirling. These cover jobs such as this in great detail. Probably best to check publication date as they were printed way into the sixties, so a pre-war (mine is 1940 so perfect for me!) to early fifties set would be good. Back to your problem...the issue is more likely to be that an adjustable stop for the dipping mechanism needs re-setting. My P100s have solenoid dip whereas yours are probably mechanical? Whatever, follow the mechanism through, & hopefully you'll find an adjustment, a bent rod, or a stop needing a tweek! Laurence

h14

Apr 27, 2009 3:49 pm

Subject: Re: P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help

Hi Bru,
My cars are 1939 so different P100 internals. But, firstly, it won't be focussing. To focus the bulb you need to slide it in or out of its holder, presumably there will be a locking screw or clamp. My car as purchased was really bad...didn't know until my first night-time drive. The lamps projected huge rings of light with black centres...so you couldn't actually see the road! To focus them you need a really dark area with ideally a dark wall to shine the light on, & from a good distance, experiment! Unfortunately I don't have my motoring books handy, but a really good set is called "Motor Overhaul & Repair", published by Newnes. They're not particularly rare & often come up on ebay. You could probably still buy a decent set for £10-£20 stirling. These cover jobs such as this in great detail. Probably best to check publication date as they were printed way into the sixties, so a pre-war (mine is 1940 so perfect for me!) to early fifties set would be good.
Back to your problem...the issue is more likely to be that an adjustable stop for the dipping mechanism needs re-setting. My P100s have solenoid dip whereas yours are probably mechanical? Whatever, follow the mechanism through, & hopefully you'll find an adjustment, a bent rod, or a stop needing a tweek!
Laurence

h14	Apr 27, 2009 4:40 pm
Subject: Re: P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help Hi Bru, I should have added that "Newnes" set is 4 or 5 volumes, plus a separate folder enclosing "data sheets"...if you decide to buy them, make sure you're getting a complete set. The chapters/articles are strangely random, ie 1 volume doesn't relate to solely transmissions, for example. Earlier sets might not have had the data sheets, but these are often sold separately on ebay. The books are fairly large (but a little smaller than the Arnold & May History of Lagonda)...so they're quite heavy. The data sheets (unbelievably) do cover Lagonda, certainly my ones include V12 & LG6 & probably older models as well. I can certainly recommend that set in particular, especially as there's so much information for still so little money. There are of course other books, I also have a single volume one by Odhams from the late fifties which was very helpful for focussing my lamps. Laurence

h14

Apr 27, 2009 4:40 pm

Subject: Re: P100 Bulls eyes need glasses? are out of focus help

Hi Bru,

I should have added that "Newnes" set is 4 or 5 volumes, plus a separate folder enclosing "data sheets"...if you decide to buy them, make sure you're getting a complete set. The chapters/articles are strangely random, ie 1 volume doesn't relate to solely transmissions, for example. Earlier sets might not have had the data sheets, but these are often sold separately on ebay. The books are fairly large (but a little smaller than the Arnold & May History of Lagonda)...so they're quite heavy. The data sheets (unbelievably) do cover Lagonda, certainly my ones include V12 & LG6 & probably older models as well. I can certainly recommend that set in particular, especially as there's so much information for still so little money. There are of course other books, I also have a single volume one by Odhams from the late fifties which was very helpful for focussing my lamps.
Laurence