# Making a spotlight from a car headlight questions



## Jon03 (Nov 25, 2004)

Could someone point me in the right direction as far as an ebay search, or particular models/brands... I am clueless as to where to start here. I just asked a friend what he thought of different lights, and he said this was the best way to go. Just to wire a headlight up to a DC plug and run it off the car battery. If I do it like this though, i definately want it to be brighter than the 10 million CP Thor, otherwise it's not worth the trouble.


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

You aren't going to take a headlight and get the throw of a Thor, car headlight reflectors are not designed for that type of throw and the bulbs are not the same either. If you want the throw of a Thor... try to find one on sale at costco or sams or somewhere I have seen people saying they are under $30.00 and you are not going to find anything close to a Thor except in offroad driving lights costing perhaps $50-$100 each. Nothing legal for car headlights will match the hotspot.


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## Zackerty (Nov 25, 2004)

Hi, I don't know where you live, but try a local scrapyard for as many headlamps and spotlights as they will sell you for your money. The lens usually has the wattage on the glass, or somewhere else on the body. Most wil be 55 watt, but if you can find bigger wattages there, then you will be lucky...


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

If you want less of a tiny hotspot find a large round offroad light and try a place like jcwitney and put a 135 or 150 watt halogen replacement bulb... you probably wont get the throw of a thor but a lot brighter flood than the thor can touch. Be careful to find glass/metal lights as plastic lenses and reflectors wont stand up to the heat of higher output bulbs.


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## Jon03 (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

people keep saying to try costco, but i don't have a membership there. I think i will call them and see if they even have it atleast, and then see what i can do to get around their little membership thing. 30 bucks...dam that is cheap. The lowest i can find anyway (not local either... just online) is 45 w/shipping. I will also call sam's since i am hearing things of them being there maybe? I looked on both of their sites, but did not find them.


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

I didn't see them at sams here but didn't really look hard and we have no costco in Oklahoma, perhaps if you gave people an idea where you are at someone would help you track one down on the cheap. I got a harbor freigh spotlight and for my uses it is plenty bright at $7.99. I can't see myself spending more money for brighter since I rarely use it.


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## sunspot (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

Buy a rubber "plumbers helper", wedge a sealed beam car light in it, hook up a wire to the accessory outlet. Bingo, you have a spotlight. Kids used to sell them for fund raisers in the olde days.


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## Zackerty (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

Jon 03,
you said...
" If i ask stupid light questions, it is because i am light stupid. (-: I am just looking for answers to get the best bright light i can with my puny teenage budget. " 

Jon, remember, the difference between a cook and a chef, is time and experience...
In no time at all, you will be a flashaholic, and advising and educating others, based on your own experience...
We are, I believe, meant to learn something new each day..
What comes around, goes around...

Stu


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## NewBie (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

Actually, if you take a look at this graph:






You will notice that the 130W uber high-end Narva lamp actually has less of a hotspot in a 7" (17.78 cm) reflector (THOR). You will note the stock bulb is almost as good as the best Narva 100W, and you'll see a typical automotive bulb labeled as CEC, which was by far the worst.

Now from this chart:






You will note that the 130W bulb by far comsumed the most power but had less output in a "focused" spot in a reflector.


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

Perhaps the thor is so finely tuned a larger filament bulb defocuses more from the parabolic intersection. I was considering an offroad lamp with no where near as tight a focus which I figure would be a bright light with a rather large hot spot... probably more of a flood but perhaps cheaper than trying to spend $45 for a thor.


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## Jon03 (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

no doubt i'm learning zackarty... i just put that up when i join forums so that people know why i ask things when i do. I am in Overland Park, KS (near Kansas City).


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 25, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

The best way to learn is to get involved, ask questions, and risk saying something absolutely stupid and wrong thus making an idiot out of yourself.. The more you get used to feeling like an idiot the more you realize you don't know as much as you need to. If you want a cheap light not near as good as a Thor but still nice Harbor Freight has a 500,000cp spotlight for about $8 with car and ac chargers. It is probably no where near a thor but nobody that doesn't have a better one will know and if you mess it up you can just use it for parts and buy a better one later. If you are really cheap look for handheld halogen spotlights at bargain stores and replace the bulbs with 100 watt halogen bulbs from walmart for about 5.00.

I am cheap also for the time being as unemployment and other problems has me pretty strapped financially. I am having more fun with cheaper 1-3.00 lights than ones costing 10-20.00. I dont worry about breaking them, so I rip em apart and mess with them. I have broken three so far lol.


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## twentysixtwo (Nov 29, 2004)

*Re: Making a spotlight from a car headlight questi*

To add more info to Lynx' post, car headlights are designed to light the road in a specific pattern, while minimizing glare to oncoming drivers. As a result, there are glare shields and funky optics which cut your overall output dramatically.

If you buy aftermarket ligths, look for driving lights and not fog lights. Driving lights are designed to light as far down the road as possible and will have better throw than a fog lamp, which is designed to light the road while minimizing glare back to the driver.


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