Lighting experts - where can I find Par36 housings for aircraft landing lights?

[Arcticat]

I am looking to really get insane with my auxilirary lighting. I stumbled on the idea of using GE aircraft landing lights in 6" par46 housings while surfing the Ford board. Here a couple of threads that go into the details http://forums. ford-diesel.com/ubb/Forum17/HTML/003596.html http://forums. ford-diesel.com/ubb/Forum17/HTML/000104.html My idea is to use a GE 4522 290,000 candlepower lamp in a 6" housing on a seperate switch and use the H7604 110,000 candlepower lamp wired to come on with the factory hi-beams. I know that they fit a par36 housing, but I don't what that equates to in inches or if it is sold by an off-road company. The only housings I have been able to find are music lighting systems. I would like to get the 6" par46 and the par 36 housings out of the same company line so they look matched on the truck. I could go with the par46 version of the 110,000 candlepower lamp, but I have heard that the fillament is to thin to stand up to the vibration and impact of a truck, whearas the par36 H7604 halogen is a much longer lasting lamp. Or maybe I've just gone crazy or run out of legitimate projects for the truck. Any ideas?


Added on edit - you are probably thinking "why doesn't this fool just get some regular off-road lights?" The cool thing about this way of doing it is that the GE 4522 lamps can be had for a measly 27 bucks apiece. That means I could put together the whole 4-lamp system described above for a couple hundred bucks with the housings, relays and switching. Comparable candlepower off-road lights in the same 4-lamp setup would end up costing close to a grand.
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'00 2500 reg cab LB 4x4, 5spd, LSD, Hot Poweredge, 275 injectors, Warn HS9500I winch, Trans4mer grille guard/winchmount, TracRack, Line-X OTR, G-tech, Loadsaver, and a bunch of other crap I don't technically "need" Name a factory option-I don't have it!


[This message has been edited by Arcticat (edited 12-25-2000). ]

 

[Mike Vonada]

Arcticat,
Don't have the answer for you but I am sure interested in the end result! I think you are diffently on to something, I will be watching.

 

[gitchesum]

I've got a set of 4522's on the front of mine. 250W a piece. Like having a couple of q-beams mounted on the front of your truck. The housings were given to me be a friend so I'm not exatly sure what kind they are.

Added in edit:
I went out and looked at mine. They have "Dietz 5500" stamped on the housing.
I've got mine wired with a relay to come on when the hi-beams come on. Can't run these things when your behind or approaching someone. Very bright

[This message has been edited by gitchesum (edited 12-25-2000). ]

 

[illflem]

I always thought it was illegal to run very bright lights on road,they are for off road only. Was told that they had to be covered while on public roads. Is that just some old rumor?

 

[B.G. Smith]

I saw an add where someone just came out with a lawnmower that cuts grass (pulverizes it) with a lazer, also will do 50 mph on the street. I don't know if you will be able to cut grass with the lights but you sure should be able to wilt it.

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White 99 3500, QC, 3:55, auto. most options except leather, Line-X bed liner, fiberglass running boards Rancho 9000s, bug shield and window vents, black vented 5th wheel tailgate, 100 gal. aux. fuel tank.

 

[thepitts]

You need to check the lights, the one's we use on our F-16's are 28 volts DC and 250 watts. They don't last very long as they pop thesealed beam in the back. Rock chips are bad for them also. Our's are GE 4551's if that helps.

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Eric Pitts Terre Haute Indiana
2001 Properly Valved 2500 Qcab 4X4 auto Transgo shifts it 4. 10 LSD Prime-Loc Weston Nerf Bars Smith built brush guard Command Remote Starter Scotty Air DD stage 1’s, boost fooler, elbow 32psi boost 247hp,657tq Neophyte B. O. M. B. er
The Pitts Home Page
Member GLTDR

 

[Rock Tumbler]

Arcticat... check out
www.galaxymall.com/auto/microlite/

and

xenonshop.com

 

[thepitts]

You need to check the lights, the one's we use on our F-16's are 28 volts DC and 250 watts. They don't last very long as they pop thesealed beam in the back. Rock chips are bad for them also. Our's are GE 4551's if that helps.

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Eric Pitts Terre Haute Indiana
2001 Properly Valved 2500 Qcab 4X4 auto Transgo shifts it 4. 10 LSD Prime-Loc Weston Nerf Bars Smith built brush guard Command Remote Starter Scotty Air DD stage 1’s, boost fooler, elbow 32psi boost 247hp,657tq Neophyte B. O. M. B. er
The Pitts Home Page
Member GLTDR

 

[Motorhead]

Perlux housings I believe is the par 36 size. You could cut the louvers out and have the protection of the lense on the Perlux to protect the sealed beam. I had a '58 Chev. pickup with the 4 headlamp set up. My brother was in the Airforce and found an extra set of those type of landing lights. Just loved to use them #ad
#ad
Chris

 

[Arcticat]

Eric, according to the Ford dudes that have tried this already, the 12V 250W 4522 lamp has a much bigger fillament and lasts longer. It still only has a 25hour life, but I wonder if that's because of being on an airplane and the wide atmospheric pressure changes it goes through. One guy on the Ford board has had his settup on different vehicles for ten years without a problem.

Chris, is Perlux the outfit that makes the housings for the planes or do they do aux auto lighting? I've never heard the name before - where do I find more info?

Rock Tumbler, have you seen these lights in person? Those are by far the cheapest HID lights I've seen. KC wants 1300 bucks for their setup. These sound like a screaming deal if they are legitimate HID.

Thanks all, happy holidays


[This message has been edited by Arcticat (edited 12-26-2000). ]

 

[Bill Lins]

Originally posted by Arcticat:

Chris, is Perlux the outfit that makes the housings for the planes or do they do aux auto lighting? I've never heard the name before - where do I find more info?

Perlux makes automotive lighting- our ambulances have their fog lights on them. Very heavy-duty cast aluminum housings- sharp looking! I'll see if I can find out where we get them.

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Bill Lins Wharton, TX 98 2500 QC SLT,12 (the CORRECT # of)valves,NV4500,3. 54 LSD,Manik grille guard,Semi-Psychotty Air,Amsoil everywhere, Reading aluminum utility body and bumper,Optima yellow tops- silencer ring & muffler stolen.

 

[David_VT]

4522's are hard to find... ALSO not real comfortable on the size of the needed bulb housings. Ariticat, what housing do you have now and for which bulb? I looked for your original thread but the search keeps crashing my computer. #ad


4522's try this: http://www.topbulb.com/find/Product_Description. asp?intProductID=42033

Interesting aircraft thread talking about halogen alternatives to above: http://www.avtek2.com/halogen_lights.htm

The halogen version (less current, maybe 160Kcp): (big) http://store. yahoo.com/supplylight/h7635.html
(smaller) http://store. yahoo.com/supplylight/h7604.html

 

[The patriot]

Did you try aircraft spruce?

 

[Dane]

Have you looked at KC Daylighters? 385,000 candlepower #ad
23 year warranty #ad
shock mounted housing and bulb can be had for $65 each replacement bulbs are $23. 67 Ea, but thats after the 23 year warranty is up #ad



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2001 HO 6 speed Regular Cab SLT 4x4 3. 54 anti spin 2500. Used for the daily grind and sneaking away to some secret Baja beaches toting a cabover

 

[David_VT]

One of these sites I found last night has a bulb with...

600,000 candle power

Forget about swamp cow detection devices, that would simply vaporize the swamp,moose, etc!!

#ad
#ad


Don't look for it, we don't generate enough power to drive the bulb. Probably needs a BOEING 777 engine #ad


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Links to those KC'c http://www.google.com/search?q=KC+Daylighters

[This message has been edited by David_VT (edited 03-01-2001). ]

 

[Arcticat]

The patriot is right, aircraft spruce is the place to get the 4522's. They are in stock always, I got mine for $23 apiece and they were on my doorstep in two days.
Dane, I have compared the daylighters side by side to these - the landing lights are quite a bit brighter. They should be, after all they are running on 2/3 more wattage than daylighters. Plus the housings I put my lamps in are all stainless steel construction and hardware, the KC's in SS are quite a bit more money. My experience with chrome plating is no matter how good they say it is it'll fail sooner than later, so I just buy SS now when I can so I don't have to worry about it.
David, if you want a smaller light, get a PAR36 lamp, such as the H7604 Higher candlepower lamps are also available. They will fit in any of the daylighter style 5" housings and most of the 5" armored tractor lights as well.

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

While we are on the topic of insane lighting... #ad
#ad
I suggest this:

Locomotive Headlights...

I beleive that we use PAR 56?s on the units here at WC... and depending on the unit... they run on 30 or 74 Volts... Most of the class 1 roads... . (like UP. . the one that KAT Diesel works for. . ) run 74 volts thru the headlights and ditchlights.

Federal regulations state that a locomotive headlight (1 bulb only. . not both. . in case of failure of one enroute) must be able to clearly pick out and define a man sized object on the tracks at 800 feet... #ad
#ad
#ad
(meaning u should see the different colors on the mans plaid checkered shirt... #ad
)

Id love these... hehehehehe the nice thing about it is that the light beam isnt wasted... its channeled.
HWY 10 paralells the WC main between Alburndale and Junction City... and I frequently run by a train going into work at o dark thirty... the lights dont bother me much... but if u happen to get inline with the headlight... holy cow... . its strong... LOL
*scratching head*... . now how to get a 74 volt system into the truck... #ad

 

[David_VT]

I want the big ones. Not sure which JCwhitney setup you ordered, can't find your old message.

Which housing will take the 4522's?

 

[TowPro]

I used to go to the junk year, get headlight buckets and front biezels that hold them in the buckets, then build a frame out of "L" steel mounting the buckets to the frame with automotive style adjusters. This works great if its hidden behind the grill, but would look like hell mounted out front.

But I think I did see the complete system, housings and all on some altra light aircraft pages (when I was looking at EGT gauges. )