Thread: What are the options to upgrade to brighter headlights?

Tweet

How do you go about upgrading to LED, Halogens etc? The stock incandescent headlights on my '47 ford are terrible, I can barely see at night even with the high beams on
Are there any conversion kits available? The car has been converted to 12v... Thanks for any suggestions.

I went with 7" halogen replacements that had H4 bulbs in my 46. They are available from several different suppliers. They just bolted in without any mods to the stock bucket. Be aware that halogens can be hard on wiring and dimmer switches due to higher current draw. I had to add a couple of relays behind the grill with a dedicated 30 amp supply from the battery to get my halogens to put out good light.

LED's are also available that will replace the 7" bulbs that you have now. They will draw less than halogens, but they usually have a large ballast and heat sink on the back that may not fit in the bucket without modification. I've looked at them, but never ran them.

I forgot to add that you should check your grounds on the headlight sockets. Bad grounds are often the cause of dim lights. Also, considering the low voltage you reported in the other post, I would get that corrected before working on the lights.

Read this, I took their advice with the relays on my '54 Ford huge difference after now "I see the Light" https://watsons-streetworks.com/a-current-topic/

I put sylvania halogen silver stars in my 40 and it was a big difference. The relay mod is a good idea and will save you from melted wiring and burnt up head light switches if you put in the brighter style head lights.

There are a lot of options to put a newer style 7" housing in these old buckets. There are also a lot of different options for bulbs. LED, HID, and projector. IMO I wouldn't get any of the drop in cheap stuff because it usually is a PITA to get the stuff setup to not blind other drivers. Buy a nice manufactured setup if you plan to go LED is my recommendation.

Originally Posted by 47Fordcoupe

I can barely see at night even with the high beams on

Have you tried adjusting the headlights?

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

Have you tried adjusting the headlights?

no because they seem to be well focused, just not bright enough.

Originally Posted by Hotrod46

I forgot to add that you should check your grounds on the headlight sockets. Bad grounds are often the cause of dim lights. Also, considering the low voltage you reported in the other post, I would get that corrected before working on the lights.

The lights have been weak since before the low voltage issue. But yes good call on the ground wires, I will check on that.

There is a another possible issue. The ground for the light socket may be hooked up to the wrong cavity. As you look at the rear of the light, the ground connection is to the right. I have seen them hooked up to the center post. The light will burn, but it will be very dim. Probably a long shot, but I have found this problem.

Also, depending on how the lights are wired, there are many spots that bad connections can occur. If salvage yard parts, such as the light switch and dimmer, were used they may be getting bad or worn.

Start at the main supply with a voltmeter and check at each switch. Look for voltage drop across each one.