H4 Headlight Question/HID Question

[JDJ]

What is the best H4 headlight conversion? Is there a particular brand or vendor you would recommend purchasing from?

I have found a Hella 7" Round E Code H4 Halogen Replacement Headlight with 100/55W H4 Bulbs for $95 bucks for the pair. How does that sound as far as price for the product? They are glass.

Also has anybody installed a HID kit on their rig? If so, what brand, do you like it, where did you get it, and what kind of cash are we talking about?

Thanks for your help/input in advance!

JDJ

 

[blazinchuck]

i just ordered these...metal housing with glass face like Hellas...i hope they get here soon. cheap enough to try i think
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230154579474?item=230154579474&viewitem=&vxp=mtr#ht_4179wt_948

 

[Heus33]

I think you should get the ones like chuck posted.

Saw there was another thread you started about this too - the ones that hdx has are the same e-code type and are priced right.

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188625&highlight=classicgarage

Dont get an HID kit for hallogen lenses. The output is too high for the lens design which means you'll end up blinding everyone on the road as if you drove around with your high beams on.

If you want HIDs, try something like I did here: http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165868&highlight=projector+retrofit

 

[JDJ]

BlazinChuck/Heus33, thanks for responding. To be honest with you, I completely forgot that I had started that other thread back during the summer. I have gotten side tracked in my project (thanks 66ALRIDE...) but I am hoping to get it wrapped up within the next few weeks. I have not ordered my lights (as you probably have noticed) and was curious if others could let me know what to get or not to get.

I will look into the lights that were mentioned by BlazinChuck.

 

[JDJ]

Any Pros/Cons to the Hellas that I found?

 

[Sporto]

i just ordered these...metal housing with glass face like Hellas...i hope they get here soon. cheap enough to try i think
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230154579474?item=230154579474&viewitem=&vxp=mtr#ht_4179wt_948

I got a set of these for my Bronco, and for the money they are well worth it. I got the ones with the city lights in reflector so they have a nice look with the parking lights on at dusk. These are made in India, and are ceramic and glass all around. My Bronco went through PA inspection with these on and did not have any objections from the inspecting garage. The H4 bulbs that came with them are bright enough, however I may upgrade them at a later date. I used the Centech harness to draw power from the battery and not through the system, so they are as bright as I can make them. They have a nice cutoff when shined on a wall, not as clean as projectors, but still respectable.

I would not suggest using the HID kits to convert these types of lights. HID bulbs installed into housings that were initially for halgoen bulbs creates an over abundance of unfocused light, and this creates a severe glare for oncoming traffic even if you have the low beams on.

The best replacement for H4's is to use the projectors, and if you read Heus33's article, you will see what is involved in building a set of projector based 7" H4 design lights.

I intend to do that some day.

Good luck...

 

[JDJ]

I failed to mention that I have the upgraded headlight harness from RJM that I plan on installing with the rest of the new wiring.

I looked through Heus's thread about building a set of HIDs.....it is cool, but looks like a PITA. I think for now, I will just stick with a H4 conversion. Should be cheap and easy.

Now just to decided which housings to go with.......

 

[Sporto]

Any Pros/Cons to the Hellas that I found?

Nothing wrong with these lights except price. When talking about 7" H4's we need to look for DOT or ECode certified. I like the Ecodes because they offer a clean cut off point with the low beams, while offering a nice wide spectrum of light side to side. These lights are cut a certain way to allow driving at high speeds on European highways. Hence the term Ecode.

Most h4 lights will pass a normal inspection, but some of the cheaper lights on ebay are neither Ecode or DOT certified and a fussy inspector fail you for having them.

I run the AutoPal lights like above and they are Ecode and have a nice clean cutoff, they came with a 55W bulb that I intend to update sometime soon, but overall I am happy with them and glad that I bought them over the Hellas or Bosch h4's.

R

 

[Heus33]

I looked through Heus's thread about building a set of HIDs.....it is cool, but looks like a PITA.

That about sums it up.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with the eCode Cibie knockoffs. The projectors were really cool though. I have a problem with leaving well enough alone...

 

[JDJ]

The Cibie knockoffs.....are those the ones listed above? If not, do you have a link to them?

 

[Heus33]

The Cibie knockoffs.....are those the ones listed above? If not, do you have a link to them?

http://classicgarage.com/7rounheadwit.html

These are the ones I purchased for my red bronco.

 

[daddycreswell]

I drove the EB tonight and I noticed that the lights left something to be desired. I my look into either set of these. Can I just run the power supply from the battery?

 

[ilovemaui]

Hijack warning! I would really like to do a projector conversion but I don't want to fabricate them.

 

[blazinchuck]

new headlights showed up the other day. packing was ok, the housings are metal,front is glass(with DOT), also each one has a rubber boot. the bulbs look like the bottom of the bunch...nothing special.

my old sealed beams were yellow...these are alot whiter. the lighting looks nicer, more of a concentrated area.high beams are better, here are some pics. these are the ebay lights i posted. 4 day shipping, total about $43


the 1st pic with lights on are the old lights, the last light pic are the new H4's...not that day time do them justice lol

all in all...they are better. i still want to compare them to BucknEB's...he bought some really nice sealed beams a while back(always been impressed with his) hope to see how they compare at night.

i think the bulbs that come with this kit are bottom of the barrel, im sure if used with a high quality name brand...they would even be better. as for the harness...im running a Centech with standard headlight harness. so i didnt upgrade any of that yet. ill probably use the LMC harness kit(its 1/2 normal prices)

anyway, hope this helps..Chuck

 

[GusI]

Do you have to pull the grille to change the reflector / projector? I can barely reach the bulb or plug as is.

 

[mattyq17]

I might have to give those a try thanks for posting the pics blazinchuck

 

[blazinchuck]

Do you have to pull the grille to change the reflector / projector? I can barely reach the bulb or plug as is.

not sure exactly what you mean...but ill try to answer

i dont think i would try to reach between the grill and radiator support to change a bulb. its way easier to remove all the sheet metal screws and headlight housing to swap bulbs.


is that what you getting round to?

 

[GusI]

not sure exactly what you mean...but ill try to answer

i dont think i would try to reach between the grill and radiator support to change a bulb. its way easier to remove all the sheet metal screws and headlight housing to swap bulbs.


is that what you getting round to?

That answers my question, thanks.

 

[JDJ]

Birthday Present

So the wife got me some headlights for my birthday! ;D

She got me the Hellas with the 80/100 W bulbs.

She almost didn't believe me when I told her I was going to put them in right after I opened them.

Here are the pics!

 

[blazinchuck]

those look good, where did ya get them from? im gonna plan to upgrade the harness from LMC