Headlight and light conversions.

[Ματθιας]

My grocery getter is an old Ford F150 that I inherited from my dad. My dad kept it bone stock and is mostly all original except for the usual stuff. He did a few reliability mods but nothing drastic.

He did put CB radio in it - remember that fad from the late 70's? It's a REALISTIC - you all remember that brand?

Anyway, I don't normally drive it at night and when I had to turn the headlights on, I forgot how bad/dim the original sealed beam headlights were/are! I'm pretty sure these are the factory originals. They throw light right in front. They suck!

The dash lights aren't much better! I turned it all the way up and it's about as bright as the lowest setting on a modern car. There might be a burned out bulb in there...

I've decided to convert all of the lights, except for the headlights, to LEDs. The headlights, I'm going H4.

The LEDs will just be plug and go. And they have a fraction of the power draw compared to a conventional bulb. Because of that low draw, I'll probably have to wire in a relay or load resisters so the turn signals don't flash a hundred miles an hour.

The headlights are a different story. The H4s draw a LOT of power, so I'll have to wire the power directly to the battery. Thankfully the wiring is primitive and robust.

I'll probably go with HELLAs as I've had them before and I like the pattern and I still have extra H4 bulbs. (And, I'm cheap. I don't want to shell out big bucks for LED headlights)

Any upgrade will be an improvement!


Here's what I'm working with:

Here's what I'm working with:

 

[Farmer17]

I have about the same problem but with a new 2018 Ram 1500 quad cab I just bought. I love everything about the truck but the headlights since they seem a little dim and shoot too low, is there a quick and easy headlight bulb replacement?

 

[WR Moore]

I just bought & installed Hella 003 427 291 replacement light assemblies (they come in round & rectangular sizes) in my big truck. Back in '96 I put a set into my 92 Toyota. Massive difference in light on the road, no difference noted in current draw. If you look around you can get 2 for ~$100. The best part on the 'Yota was that I didn't need foglights.

I previously looked at the LED headlights for the big truck, but at $400 each, it wasn't gonna happen.

BTW, just cause your vehicle is new doesn't mean the lights were properly adjusted. Those Hella replacements will probably not aim in the same place as the sealed beams did.

 

[Ματθιας]

I have about the same problem but with a new 2018 Ram 1500 quad cab I just bought. I love everything about the truck but the headlights since they seem a little dim and shoot too low, is there a quick and easy headlight bulb replacement?

A quick google search shows an LED upgrade kit for $70. Search "H13-HLV4"

 

[Ματθιας]

I just bought & installed Hella 003 427 291 replacement light assemblies (they come in round & rectangular sizes) in my big truck. Back in '96 I put a set into my 92 Toyota. Massive difference in light on the road, no difference noted in current draw. If you look around you can get 2 for ~$100. The best part on the 'Yota was that I didn't need foglights.

That's if the 55/60s are used. I'm going to be running 80/100s or 90/130s.

As I said I ran HELLAs before. I had to upgrade the wiring harness because of the draw.

 

[vonn]

Had cataracts removed last year and amazing how much my headlights improved! Glare and halos from others bright lights not as bad but so many people run illegally bright lights I still have to be careful to not get caught in them.

 

[rwsmith]

I remember when....

...cars used generators rather than alternators, the light would dim when you let off the gas. And the lights were a yellow brown color that you didn't notice until they came out with halogen lights and beyond. Now the durn things are blinding.

The headlights on our '63 Galaxy looked like cathode ray tubes when you took them out off the car.

 

[dswancutt]

My daily driver is a Chevy pickup of about the same age. Changing over the dash lights is really not needed. Most often, the lights are old, covered in 40+ years of dust and the contacts are corroded. One thing to improve the brightness is the paint the INSIDE of the gauge cluster silver to reflect more light.

 

[muddocktor]

That's if the 55/60s are used. I'm going to be running 80/100s or 90/130s.

As I said I ran HELLAs before. I had to upgrade the wiring harness because of the draw.

Are those even street legal? I don't know about now, but back in the day DOT regulated how powerful the lights could actually be. I would only run DOT approved headlights in my car or truck, otherwise you might get an expensive ticket.

 

[Ματθιας]

I've been running them since the mid 90s on the other vehicles that I've owned. I've never had a problem.

Even with the higher wattage, H4s still aren't as bright as the HID lights being sold as street legal.

 

[LVSteve]

Are those even street legal? I don't know about now, but back in the day DOT regulated how powerful the lights could actually be. I would only run DOT approved headlights in my car or truck, otherwise you might get an expensive ticket.

The US DoT wouldn't know a decent headlight if you smashed it in their face. I fitted a set of Cibie Z beams to a Firebird years ago. Same wattage rating, but the improvement in light pattern was amazing. They had a sharp cutoff so as not to create glare for oncoming traffic, too.

I called the DoT standard lights "dark projectors" because of their uneven coverage produced areas of contrasting light and dark. Utterly hopeless.

 

[Ματθιας]

The US DoT wouldn't know a decent headlight if you smashed it in their face. I fitted a set of Cibie Z beams to a Firebird years ago. Same wattage rating, but the improvement in light pattern was amazing. They had a sharp cutoff so as not to create glare for oncoming traffic, too.

I called the DoT standard lights "dark projectors" because of their uneven coverage produced areas of contrasting light and dark. Utterly hopeless.

And the cut off kicks up on the right side - at least on the HELLAs. It's all on how they are aimed.

 

[LVSteve]

BTW, just cause your vehicle is new doesn't mean the lights were properly adjusted. Those Hella replacements will probably not aim in the same place as the sealed beams did.

That's a fact. My Xterra had the lights set way too high. Same on buddy's F150. When we lowered the lights both of us found we could see BETTER. It was especially noticeable on high beams as some of the light now actually hit the road.

 

[Ματθιας]

My daily driver is a Chevy pickup of about the same age. Changing over the dash lights is really not needed. Most often, the lights are old, covered in 40+ years of dust and the contacts are corroded. One thing to improve the brightness is the paint the INSIDE of the gauge cluster silver to reflect more light.

I've thought about that.

It's easier to convert to LED than taking apart the entire cluster to prep, mask, and paint, only have the same dim, comparatively, incandescent lights.

The only thing I'm repainting are the needles.

 

[chief38]

Looks like your dad took excellent care of it - at least from the picture you posted! I'd leave it stock, and just address the burned out bulbs and headlight issues. Personally, I'd leave the headlights stock as well, just make sure they are properly aimed and if they are defective, I'd replace them with another set of OEM's and keep it all original - but that's just me.

 

[steveno]

you should consider yourself lucky for any headlights in the states. a guy in our avionics shop had a middle 1950's VW beetle. you could tape a couple of 4 cell flashlights on the fenders and improved it by 1000%. you could out drive the lights going 10 mph

 

[4barrel]

Have you thought of installing a single wire Delco alternator like the hot rodders do? About $100 and does away with the regulator. They will put out 13.4 volts at idle. I have done older tractors that way.

 

[WR Moore]

Are those even street legal? I don't know about now, but back in the day DOT regulated how powerful the lights could actually be. I would only run DOT approved headlights in my car or truck, otherwise you might get an expensive ticket.

And a more expensive tow bill since the vehicle isn't street legal. Or, depending upon where you happened to be, you could leave it there, get a ride home and come back for it in the daylight if they let you.

The Hella website offers the choice of DOT approved (and marked as such on the face of the light) or not. Doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out if your lights are legal. Blind an oncoming trooper on a slow night, get a big bill and a potential long walk. Plus the expense of replacing the lights again.

You did note in your OP that any improvement would be welcome. The Hellas I mentioned earlier will provide a massive improvement without needing heavier wiring, relays and possible other changes. They're plug and play.

 

[johngalt]

I've been researching replacement headlights for my Corvette. I've discovered that it isn't so simple. Brighter lights draw more current, which requires an upgraded wiring harness. Trying to cheat creates a fire hazard.

There is more to it than just replacing bulbs - you also need projectors that are designed for the bulb. This is especially critical for LEDs. There are limited options for projectors that are designed for a Vette. LED is not one of them. The 'cheap' options are apparently never executed correctly.

As a simpler approach, some just replace the lights with OEM European-spec. Technically illegal, but superior for the reasons LVSteve already mentioned.

 

[joe44va]

If all your lights are dim you may want to check the system voltage which is controlled by the voltage regulator, usually in the alternator these days.