new headlights

-
7

73Scamp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Messages
173
Reaction score
0
Location
Abbotsford, BC. Canada
does anyone know of a place to get a conversion kit to convert my headlights to the new style of headlights or if theres a different vehicle with the same size diameter headlight bezel as the round bulbs i'm really sick of driving down a dark road and not being able to see anything unless i have the high beams on

rob
oh yeah it's a 73 scamp :afro: [/b]
 
i assume they are the "standard sized" 7" sealed beams.....just like on my mustang...i never looked close at them, but there aren't many choices in old headlights, so i guess they are.....
anyway....I put Xenon-bulbed assemblies made by Delta in my 68 mustang, and like them very much...they are really bright, and cost me 50 bucks, with the bulbs already in them....

if Mopar used the same 7" sealed beams, they will work (as long as the plug is the same too)...new to mopar as of august, so i don't know a bunch about them yet....

they also have a non-xenon bulb setup...the xenon gives a SLIGHT hint of blue...just enough to make the emitted light white

ahhh....found them.....(800)888-6473
CJ Pony Parts......part # HLA1H, HLA1X, HLA1HC, and HLA1XC

the first two: the H is halogen, the X is xenon(blue)
the second two: the C is for "city lights", which is an extra bulb inside the housing that can be wired separately and can use the supplied white bulb for a "city light", or you can put in an amber bulb and have a blinker or park light inside the headlight.....kind of a "trick" thinbg, i guess......
 
Do not use higher wattage lamps with the existing wiring. It was barely adequate when new, and the additional strain of more current flowing trough the wiring and switch could cause a meltdown or worse a fire. At a minimum you should add a headlight relay and power the new lights directly from the battery. Someone posted a link in a different thread yesterday showing how to do this.

Also, the original alternator was probably only 35amp. Anytime you start adding additional electrical loads (lighting, audio gear, fuel pumps, fans, water pumps, etc) you need to access the power requirements vs what your charging system can support.
 
Just pick up a set of 7" halogen sealed beams at Autozone or your favorite chain store. This is what I have in my 68 Barracuda and they made a nice improvement over the standard sealed beams that were in there and only cost about $9 each.

You can also get 7" european spec assmemblies from Cibie, Hella or Carrello that use a seperate H4 halogen bulb that plugs into the back of the reflector.

These options have similar power requirements to the standard sealed beam.

The H4 bulb is available in higher wattage ratings too. Be carefulwith your wiring. The best thing to do is use the exisiting wiring to control relays with appropriate sized wiring providing power through the relay to the bulbs.
 
yes, don't go to a higher wattage...those Delta lights are stock wattage, just a better design than the sealed beam....I had the halogen sealed beams before I got these (they're all "halogen sealed beams" now, but he's talking about the "cool blue" halogen sealed beams), and they ARE an improvement over the standard sealed beams. i forgot about those after having the ones i have now.
 
FWIW, I still see non halogen sealed beams on the shelf at the parts store. They are typically cheap around $3 or $4 each.

My 99 Dakota does not have very good head lights. I have tried the "Cool Blue", zenon, plasma bulbs in standard and higher wattage ratings than stock and did not see anywhere near the improvement I did when I tried the Sylvania Sliver Stars http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Silverstar/ProductLine/

They have them in the 7" round sealed beam size.

You get a little bit of the blue tinge around the edges like the more darkly colored ones but not nearly as much but more importantly they are the best I have tried to date. My son has PIAA bulbs in his GMC pickup and they seem to work great but I don't know if thats because of a beter designed assmebly or not. His truck uses a different style bulb that the Dakota so I can't try them abd haven't wanted to spend the $80 for a set.
 
If you upgrade to better headlights you need to add relays to bolth the high and low beems. Look in the Tech Archives for a link to the info on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top