8 inch Headlights

[Ray White]

If you want the best light reflection, have them aluminum coated. It will look similar to original, last much longer than silver, and although it reflects slightly less light than silver, it will reflect a LOT more light than chroming. About 30% more, in fact. Result, brighter headlamps.

They used to use silver on telescope mirrors but today aluminum is mostly used, along with special top coats to make them even more reflective and longer lasting. You can still get silver coating done, if you really want it.

Great suggestion Steve. I have never heard about aluminium coating. I would not know who to go.

[Franz Tenbrock]

With Google it was easy
never heard before
with these words I found it immediately
autoscheinwerfer reflektor aluminium beschichtung
https://www.refoptik.de/
so cheap ;-)
i will write them
the reflector from my Ya is not the best

[Ray White]

Franz. I found a similar service being offered in England. They seem to say the desired results can only be guaranteed with a sealed lens.

[Duncan M]

Surgical light reflectors are mostly aluminum now, also. Silvering is fairly resistant to salt air. Bright zinc plating was/is sometimes referred to as chrome or silvering, and also stands up well in certain harsh situations. Chrome is good because it will stand up to salt air and other contamination, and is the only one laid on thick enough so it can be polished clean from time to time.

[Steve Simmons]

Chrome is definitely more durable, it just doesn't reflect nearly as much light. It's probably also the cheapest process. You can coat aluminum so it's also very durable, but at extra cost. Realistically, any of the coatings should last quite a long time. The headlamp shouldn't be getting much of anything inside it to cause rapid corrosion.

[jddevel]

Was the aluminium coated with something to stop oxidation? If not totally air and and therefore moisture free surely the surface would oxidize due to air moisture content and the condensation created by the bulbs` heat.

[Rob Reilly]

I found in the TA Spare Parts Book that "Near Side Dipping" ceased at TA3253 (i.e. the last one) and "Non-Dipping" commenced at TB251 (i.e. the first one).
TA used the same bulb for both sides, a single filament type.
TB used different reflectors and different bulbs for near side (left) and off side (right). They were single filament, so why different? Perhaps they were focused at different angles?
All the other TB headlamp parts including glass were different from TA.
The wiring diagram in the TA Instruction Manual shows wiring from the main lighting switch and dipping switch on the dash only to the left hand headlamp. Power to the right hand headlamp comes from the left hand. The dipping switch operates the solenoid in the left hand headlamp, which in turn cuts off power to the right hand headlamp.
The TB wiring diagram in Blower's manual shows a single filament in each headlamp, but separate wiring to the dash; the right hand one goes off directly from a dipping switch on the dash.
Looks like I will be wiring up my TA lights like a TC EXU. I see Malcolm Green has that diagram in his book.