When updating old cars one thing often leads to another - sometimes bad, but in this case, good.
I decided to improve the night time driving experience of the Flaminia by fitting a pair of driving lights.
Not wanting to achieve a rally car look I elected to fit small 5.5 inch spots. A set of period Marchal's
would have been expensive and most of my costs would have been in the fitting and electrical work so I
opted for modern Mini lights at the unbelievable price of just £ 30 a pair. If I later decide on period correct
lights, it should be a relatively simple change.
My very trusty mechanic fitted the lights but they took all of the power from the other lights, so the dynamo was
refurbished at a very reasonable cost. This helped but the voltage regulator wasn't up to the mark.
The innards of the old regulator were swapped for an electronic type and bingo -----
1. The lights work perfectly
2. The indicators now indicate quickly. They used to be dangerously slow.
3. The dash board rheostat now turns to give a pretty reasonable instrument light. Before it was like a candle at 200 metres.
Obviously too early to recommend the quality of the lights, but so far so good. I think they give the car a little bit of 'attitude '
and a slightly more purposeful look ?
