Hi John
Aren't aftermarket halogens available? I agree my standard lights aren't that strong although the vac assisted roller adjustment helps but I don't drive much in the dark!

 

Hi Graeme,you're right about upgrading as I had already fitted osram night breakers but my lights before yesterday were outby a mile. When I drove to Sydney last Xmas I resorted to the high beam and adjusted the vacuum control accordingly so as not to blind oncoming drivers. I drove the SL again tonight and couldn't be happier with the results, so yeah,well worth looking into.




John


PS,let's get a Gold Coast 107 GTG happening.

 

When I'm aiming lights in my cars I follow these instructions http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html
I wonder how close this will get you compared to aiming with Hella machine.
You can also check his website for info on higher wattage light bulbs and read a lot on automotive lights in general...

 

I was out this evening in my car and pulled up at a convenience store with car facing a wall. I noticed that the passenger side lo-beam was shining way high. High beams were also out of alignment, but about same height as driver side low beam. This is a US spec 4-beam system.

Looked in my shop manuals as well as in Maintenance manual and found no help. I have adjusted my 300D and E320 and in those cases, I think I had Bosch instructions and MB instructions.

I read the link from sternlighting which covers many types. Is there anything specific to 107 4-beam system on-line anywhere?

 

For those who have US 5 3/4 round headlamps, I installed these Hella H4's that are still on sale as of this writing.
Hella H4 Headlamp Replacement - 5 ¾" Round
Inside of each H4 I installed Sylvania SilverStar Ultra High Performance Halogen Headlight Bulbs. I aimed the headlamps with a 4 by 8 piece of insulating foam that already had a grid on it, and used the handy priority mail cardboard to isolate each beam. My 560SL now lights up the road better than any other car I have owned.

 

For those who have US 5 3/4 round headlamps, I installed these Hella H4's

As did I plus the H1's. I also added a relay system for both using Daniel Stern's guide. If your unsure about the stock wiring the relays are the way to go.

 

Graham, Find level ground with a wall in front of it. Park the car ten-fifteen feet from the wall and note the pattern of low beams, they should be straight and level. High beams should point up and to the right. I used blue masking tape on the wall to mark center points, horizontal and vertical lines. This is when I discovered my adjusters were toast and had to get new ones.

 

High beams should point up and to the right. I used blue masking tape on the wall to mark center points, horizontal and vertical lines. This is when I discovered my adjusters were toast and had to get new ones.

Um, is that up and to the left, facing the wall?
Kroil works wonders on sticky adjusters.

 

The best way to do it is still the old fashioned one. Find a really quiet straight road, block off whichever lights you are not adjusting and just shine them down the road to the point that makes sense. Adjust accordingly. I first used this method on a 1955 Hillman Minx convertible when I converted the Lucas headlights to Marschalls. Worked like a charm

 

I've been wanting to do something about my headlights for some time. Can't really tell about the alignment because the bulbs are like driving by candlelight. Only really think about it when I turn them on which, as I recall, is only twice in the last 5 years. Maybe this thread and PanzerPuff's heads-up sale find will inspire me! Thanks.

 

The sale goes for a full set of 4, too, for $176. One thing I did notice, though: according to the site, Hella sells those in the US for offroad use only. Is there a legal issue that might pop up with using them on the highway?

 

The sale goes for a full set of 4, too, for $176. One thing I did notice, though: according to the site, Hella sells those in the US for offroad use only. Is there a legal issue that might pop up with using them on the highway?

I believe the legal issue is not the headlight itself but the bulb in it. Legal (IIRC) is 55 watts. You can upgrade to higher wattage bulbs. I run 85/80 watt bulbs in my H4's...55 watts in the H1's. It's one of those gray areas. As long as your headlights are adjusted correctly I doubt if you'll ever have a problem.

 

What I was hoping for, was a diagram specifically for the early107 4 beam system showing where beams should be. Some cars use 3ft, 10ft, 15ft and many 25ft for adjustment. On-line guides say to check your owners manual for correct distance!

Owners manual does show roughly where adjusters are, but no additional information!

Lots of generic sites with methods or adjustment though. Just gotta get them adjusted a bit better. Way off now. Don't drive the 107 at might much anyway.

 

Weather Man, please share with us where did you acquire the plastic adjuster clips for a US 4-beam headlamps.

 

Hi!

I just recently adjusted my W124 300E's Euro headlights, which is similar in design to that SL's, after replacing the housing. It is a Depo housing with Hella lenses and Bosch LE 12V 60/55W H4 E4 2xw U 520 ECO (that's what's engraved on it in full but it's a standard spec H4 in short). A full original Hella set is available for $80 USD (one side) but I already had clean original lenses and decided to just get Depos for half the price for the housing and stored its lenses, which are of good quality actually but that's off-topic.

What I did was stretching the left beam to as far left as possible and the right one as far right to spread horizontal coverage as much as possible. Then I used the help of a friend by standing away a space of 3 sedan cars lowering his body to the height of a sedan driver to see if the lights bother him. I had the main and fog beam height adjusted accordingly as highest possible without bothering him while the driver's headlight dial is at max height so I can lower it with extra rear weight present.

We're 100% LHD's so the beam inclines halfway upwards to the right.

I'm a practical kinda person in this and no expertise is available locally to help me in this so that's how I improvised.

 

Dragon Man, if you need them I wish you luck. In my case, a fellow member had just totaled his beautiful red 560 and was parting it out. I bought some brake lines and one complete headlight bucket just for the 4 adjusters which I distributed as needed. I gave the brake lines to member Rowdy because my 380 does not have ABS and so they didn't fit! Duh.

 

Thanks Weather Man, I now know to fashion a solution on my own instead of wasting time looking for replacement.

 

I can’t find the thread right now but I rigged up a solution with some metric stainless steel nuts and butterfly nuts from ACE hardware. The butterfly as I recall was needed to have the nut lock in place as the wings were wedged in place.

When I made the fix it was a temporary thing, but that might be a year ago now and a few thousand miles and the McGuyver solution still works. I’ve been looking for those plastic bits but no luck so far and frankly I think I have the fix that I need. Not sure if this is your issue as well but if so hope this helps and the photos come through