Project Steph's 1978 Honda Civic 1200

[Steph]

I replaced all my bulbs with LED replacements today. I bought these front parker LED 'globes' that have little lenses on them that direct most of the light forward. They're a little bright and make the front parker lights shine like low powered headlights. I love them! I put some photos below. I also ordered some Philips 'Vision' LED-type brake and tail light globes. They only emit red band light, that way they can concentrate all their energy in the specific area of the light spectrum that the red lens allows to pass through.

[Steph]

That is a pricy mod

For a show car it will attract attention. I'm still not sure why, but they look soo good on classic cars (seems counter-intuitive to me). Maybe it's the prestige of having expensive headlights over $20 generic replacements? They also look really tidy looking at them from behind.

[Kurt]

Steph, I used LED light bulbs in my trailer so that I would not overload my flasher and overall electrical when lighting up 4 brake lights and at least 2 signals at a time. Do you have any issues with the signals "hyper flashing" with those bulbs from the lighter load?

[Steph]

Steph, I used LED light bulbs in my trailer so that I would not overload my flasher and overall electrical when lighting up 4 brake lights and at least 2 signals at a time. Do you have any issues with the signals "hyper flashing" with those bulbs from the lighter load?

Hey Kurt, I'm going to switch out the standard flasher relay with an updated LED version. If you search "3 Pin LED Relay Flasher to Suit Japanese Cars - 12VDC" you'll see the one I'm using. You can pick them up on the bay for about $10.

[Kurt]

Good to know Steph thanks. I will have to pick one of those up. Would be good to convert over.

[Steph]

Good to know Steph thanks. I will have to pick one of those up. Would be good to convert over.

Also, those flashers are supposedly rated all the way up to 20 amps. Technically speaking they should operate with a mixture of globes, both LED and incandescent. All my research pointed me towards the Sylvania and Philips retro-fit as the only choice for brake/tail lights. I went with the Zevo range from Sylvania. You can buy them in red, amber and white. A brake or indicator lense is essentially a filter, by using an LED that is designed to emit light the exact colour as the lense means it shines brighter and uses less power. I believe the brake/tail LED replacement draws 1.7 watts and shines brighter than a 21 watt incandescent. These 'globes' are designed with the LEDs pointing back/down at an angle towards the reflector so there are no hot spots like a bare globe produces. They have a heat sink which is important for an LED brake-light that can be on for long periods of time (like when you're stuck in traffic). I bought the red and amber sets for my rear brake/indicator housing. Also, I read somewhere that the difference in the response time for the person following someone with LED brake lights, as opposed to incandescent globes is about 18 feet. The reason being that an LED emits light immediately, whereas an incandescent globe takes time to heat up before it lights up. 18 feet is a big safety gain. LED brake/tail lights should be made mandatory IMO.

[mielko]

Never seen a LED like that.
Nice!

[Steph]

Just putting the finishing touches on polishing the headlight bezels. I'll post some photos in the next few days. I managed to get a pair of the Anzo 7" chrome LED headlights from Bezos for A$468.51 which was about a A$100 saving over the best price I could find on the bay. The Aussie dollar had just rebounded and I raced over to see what the price was. They're the last parts I needed to buy. I also ordered a bunch of stainless screws to replace all the M4 screws up front that adjust the headlights and secure all the lenses mounted in the front and rear bumper. These screws have small heads so I had to special order them from a place in the UK that stocks them. Stainless philips-head screws all have huge heads for some reason? The ones I ordered are A2 stainless and made for Japanese restos. Cost me A$53 for all the screws I need that go into the front of the car. I now have everything I need to reassemble the car. It feels like all the hard work is over. It's going to look really trick with the 881035 Anzo 7" headlights.

[Gusto]

Good info Steph! Looking forward to seeing the headlights in there. I bet Phil will be dying to see your car when it's all back together too!

[Phil]

Good info Steph! Looking forward to seeing the headlights in there. I bet Phil will be dying to see your car when it's all back together too!

He's not wrong. I really enjoy reading your thread and would love to see your car in person. Excellent motivator!