I have to get my '67 Amazon through the British MOT vehicle test next month. The one thing I know is wrong but don't know how to fix (a unknown known in rumsfeldian) is the alignment of the headlights. Would it be right to test against a wall and measure where they fall? But how far away and how high should they be shining? Also when I look at the light when they're on, the lower half of one of them is much dimmer than the upper half. Surely something wrong there.

Thanks for any advice.

Tom

Have a look at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html. There may be some help there.

Cheers,
--
Barry -- 1967 122S 'Betty'

A rule of thumb from many years ago.

Park the car on a level surface with the headlights 25 feet from a wall.
Mark the wall at the same height as the center of your lights on the car.

For side to side alignment, both headlights should shine straight ahead. The centers of the beams on the wall should be the same distance apart as on the car.

For vertical alignment:
Driver's side; The top (roughly) of the brightest illumination of the dipped beam should be at the height of the mark on the wall.
Passenger side; The center of the brightest illumination of the dipped beam should be at the mark on the wall.

I have no idea what they require where you are, but this is what I've used for years. But, my cars haven't had to go through an inspection so I cannot verify this procedure. Does seem to be pretty close though even though the lighting requirements were pretty archaic here in the US when this method was used.

--
Tom - '60 544, '68 220S, '70 145S, '86 745T, '06 Mazda MPV

There are charts on the web and diagrams in the manuals but I've always driven the car out to a piece of quiet and dark road and adjusted them there. Road needs to be very flat and without any camber if possible. If you adjust the main beams to hit the road about 75 yards ahead you should be fine. A little bias to the gutter is not a bad idea but it only needs a few degrees.
Depending on what lights you have fitted the main and dip beams are usually about the same brightness. If one of the dips is dim it's probably just a corroded contact somewhere. Check the multi blocks and earths to the inner wing.
Good luck with the MOT.