I had fitted discreet amber indicator lights under the bumpers on the front of my TD in the interest of safety, but felt that indicators incorporated in the torpedo side lamps would be even more discreet.
Having priced those commercially available I felt that I could make the conversion much cheaper, so I set about finding suitable lampholders and bulbs that could be fitted.
The lampholders I found in Maplins (Stock No. KJ71 @ £1.49 each – four required). The bulbs were from a local motorcycle shop (bayonette fitting 23watt amber [£1.47 ea – two required] and 4watt clear bayonette fitting [49p. each – two required]).
The brackets were made from 3mm (1/8th) flat steel shaped as per diagram (below), with the uprights welded on. I also used two 6mm. nuts and bolts to fix the lamp back to the wing. The nuts were again welded into place to act as captives.
The wiring was soldered to the lamp holders and insulated with ‘shrinkwrap’. The lampholders were attached to the upright with a small BA nut and bolt. The result can be seen in the photograph below.
Altogether a nice little project to work on, during the miserable winter months – and all for under a tenner!
I would advise physically checking the drilling dimensions against your own torpedo lamps before actually drilling. The dimensions I have given applied to mine, which I assume to be original.
Gordon Davies (Wrexham)
