Hi Guys, as tittle reads I am wondering if the nice looking P700 headlamps were ever fitted new as an option. About to buy a pair of new lamps for my rebuild 1964 Mk2.
They should look quite nice, please post pictures!
Gerard
They do indeed look nice. There are several varieties of replicas. There is some commentary over on the E type site about the various options IIRC. Might be worth a look. Paul.
I’ve been with this group since 2000 and seen lots of great stories. Being in the USA I had the pleasure to serve as a JCNA Chief Judge when my good friend Dick Maury was president. Here’s what I’ve learned: Unless you have a lot of money don’t turn your car into a museum quality trailer queen that you are afraid to drive. Sit and admire your 100 point trophy you paid 300 grand for. Ninety percent of concours judges don’t have a clue about originality. They are there for the show and it comes down to who has the cleanest car. I showed my 150 with a Moto Lita steering wheel and nobody caught the non authentic part. Purchase a car that to PO put all they money into it and has lost interest. Have it checked out by a qualified mechanic (like Maury). Keep it as original as possible and make any changes reversible. From this thread, sure, if the headlamps look great then change them. Bottom line is to enjoy your Jaguar. Off the soap box. Drive safe my friends!
Pat H.
Wise words Pat. Yes, I plan to keep my Mk2 original as much as I can and if I can’t get correct Lucas P700’s at an affordable price I am happy to stick with standard Lucas beams. Chances are I doubt if they will ever be switched on very often. It is not a concours Queen as I prefer to drive my classics but I do like to have it as Jaguar rolled them of the line. I did have them fitted to a 3.8 Mk2 I once had and felt they complimented the car very well.
Keep safe wherever you are.
Any part numbers and reference for converting to LED bulbs as I am getting a bit of a drain on the volt meter when I turn the headlights on. I can turn the headlights off and see a marked difference in the volt meter. This should not be happening as I am running a good alternator and negative ground conversion with electronic ignition. A plug and play optoin would be best. I thought I might have terminal connection problems so I cleaned many of the bulb terminals but may also have a grounding issue. Going to LED would also cast more light on the roads.
Gerard
I think LED bulbs have a lot going for them, although I read that it’s not straightforward - I don’t know why.
And expensive, and I don’t know why that is it either - if you go to somewhere like India or China they’re dirt cheap.
But if you are beginning to see problems when you switch on your lights and you didn’t before, this is something going wrong and if it isn’t fixed it’ll only get worse… when I was a lad it was drummed into me to fix the cause, not the effect 
I have no headlamps as undecided about buying new or good used P700’s ( anyone selling a pair ? ) or stick with original sealed beams. Plenty of other jobs to do while I make up my mind.
Hi Gerard. My XJ6 does the same - big dip in indicated volts when either the AC or headlamps are on (still just “on charge”). When I check across the battery with my multimeter all is good. This alternator has a brand new regulator as well - no better. So, seems to be a meter issue. FWIW, Paul.
To further add confusion, every so often even with the headlights on, the meter goes into the charge position. I have never tried driving and using a volt meter on the back of the gauge, as that might require a beautiful “Tabitha” apprentice!
I have replaced my “quick to burn out” fog ranger bulbs with white and green halos which look pretty cool and are always on with the ignition. As I always drive with my headlights on to let others others know I am on the road the best I can, I can turn off the headlights temporarily and just have the “halos” on and the gauge soon swings back to the charge state. The halos are actually bright enough to traverse a back country road at 30MPH in an emergency. Of course with headlights, wipers, fan all going that gauge will stay in the barely charge position. So, hopefully it is just a matter of the gauge being off kilter a bit. The battery always seems to be strong enough to start the car again even with my electric fan sometimes running for ten minutes after shut down.
I was in the supermarket awhile back and there was an announcement over the intercom that a Jaguar was running in the parking lot. Silly me I left the “Halos” on and the electric fan was automatically running!
Gerard
Loveland, Colorado
Going to sell my 1967 quite straight bodied, 420 soon. Too old and weak to have so many Jaguars.
You’re not Robinson Crusoe there.
Not a McGyuver anymore!