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Author Topic: What do you use for headlights?  (Read 2646 times)

LlamaLover

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    • 91 Capri XR2
What do you use for headlights?
« on: July 30, 2020, 06:24:18 PM »

Well next thing on my list is taking apart the headlights, cleaning out the motors and testing them to see if I can't make my headlights go up and down

While I'm there, I figured I'd replace the 30yo lights it has in it with something new that might actually let me see more than 3ft ahead at night.

What do you guys use for the headlights? I've seen regular sealed beam replacements pretty cheap, some questionable eBay LED replacements that more or may not actually work, and then all sorts of H1 conversions. What worked for you?
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Rocketman

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2020, 03:43:55 AM »

I have stuck with the stock sealed beams. They're not great, but they're not terrible.

I had plans to go to a projector style and set the lids lower, sleepy eye style, but projectors are generally long and don't fit well in the limited space we have
The ones I was working with would have required fabricating a new hinge & mount and the angles are wonky as can be

I picked these up on sale last year with the hopes of getting these to work some how. They're not sealed so it would take some work
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B21R0TA/

There might be some decent aftermarket direct fit stuff out there now, the stuff available 10 years ago was not good.
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


greywolf27030

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2020, 09:23:23 AM »

Cool, Hella conversions for a Euro style light pattern.
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Jack Byrd

redsteve

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    • 1991 Capri, the rest are red or appliances...
Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2020, 04:36:50 PM »

 
I've stuck with sealed beams, using the Sylvania SilverStar replacements to good effect. Rarely is the car out at headlight time, but these do fine for what I'm doing.

Halogens run hot, or have historically (still?), and I wouldn't want to drop my buckets down and melt something. LEDs are too expensive for what I am after.

One thing that helps sealed beams deliver better light is direct wiring to the battery, using an aftermarket headlight harness. Better voltage delivery provides better light. I put one in my Jeep and it made a difference.

And, overall, I'm not terribly impressed with the headlight conversion kits out there.

Steve



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chrispoe

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2020, 05:47:53 PM »

The current H4 conversion kits available today are for the most part are mediocre and the plug and play led options are generally worse unless you're willing to spend a half grand. I've seen numerous people on facebook with these
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-LED-Rectangular-Headlight-Replacement/dp/B079C5DB89/ref=sr_1_6?crid=D9YE3MBZFXC6&dchild=1&keywords=4x6+led+headlights&qid=1596576061&sprefix=4x6+led%2Caps%2C537&sr=8-6
but after seeing the reviews like this one
https://www.thedrive.com/tech/19906/upgrading-your-sealed-beam-headlights-halogen-versus-led
the leds look like a downgrade to say the least.


I recently ordered a pair of these.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000760348708.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000060.2.51945883xTlDbu&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.13339.146401.0&scm_id=1007.13339.146401.0&scm-url=1007.13339.146401.0&pvid=cedfd94a-c715-4380-ba6a-39a35d354104&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller,scm-url:1007.13339.146401.0,pvid:cedfd94a-c715-4380-ba6a-39a35d354104,tpp_buckets:668%230%23131923%230_668%23808%237756%23629_668%23888%233325%2317_668%232846%238111%23486_668%232717%237561%23305_668%231000022185%231000066055%230_668%233468%2315607%2391
Still waiting for them with the shipping time from China due to Corona has been painfully slow, but the output pics from the reviews on HidPlanet look amazing, just hope i can make the bulb retaining ring clear the bucket hinge.


At the current moment I'm still using the 2.5" mini H1s similar to the ones in the link Rocketman posted in the aluminum frames i built and they are a massive improvement over the stock halogens. I've been designing some new frames for them in solidworks so I can 3d print them out of ABS. This would allow me to make multiple sets faster and hopefully find some people to help test them for durability.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2020, 05:52:05 PM by chrispoe »
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belleaudb

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2020, 07:59:24 PM »

I use Autopal E-code H4 setup for RH rule of the road. I also installed a high current relay harness. Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs.
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LlamaLover

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2020, 12:11:27 AM »

Hey guys, thanks for all the info! Life got in the way of working on the Capri for the past couple weekends, but I'm hoping to find some time this week after work.

I really appreciate everyone's input and getting to hear the different ways everyone went with this. For the short term, I'm thinking I'll throw new sealed beams in to see if they're any better and probably look into an aftermarket wiring harness to give them a little more life. I won't be too deep in cash-wise to mind going a different route later if they're still godawful at night.
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Rocketman

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2020, 11:36:23 PM »

A headlight re-wire will likely help. Should be pretty easy to piece together with some relays and thicker wire. I need to do this on my truck.

Also check your alternator charge voltage, I've had one that was low, in the mid/low 13 volts, that worked properly but my headlights were very dim. I replaced it and my headlights were much better
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


LlamaLover

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #8 on: August 15, 2020, 11:56:34 PM »

Good tip, I'll look into that. Thanks again!

Cleaned up the headlight motors, one of them is going up and down most of the time but doesn't settle in the proper positions. The other one isn't working at all. The service switch on the center console to just raise/lower them doesn't do anything either.
Going to check the signal going to the non-functioning motor and figure out what I need to do. I couldn't hear if the motor was running at all, but I'll get to the bottom of it.
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Rocketman

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2020, 10:17:21 AM »

The headlight motor has a rotary switch inside, it has a segmented copper disk as the position "encoder" with some fingers that make/break contact as it rotates. This disk and the fingers often become slightly corroded over time, or as the lubricate degrades. Cleaning it and gently re-tensioning the fingers usually fixes the motors.

I have a picture of the motor posted somewhere on the forum here.
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


LlamaLover

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Re: What do you use for headlights?
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2020, 12:47:46 PM »

So I had taken apart the motors and cleaned them up already, as they did have quite a bit of nastiness on the contacts. I did not re-tension the fingers though, and now that I think of it, the "working" but out of position motor had on finger lower than the others and the non functioning one did not, maybe I need to push down on all of them a little. Thanks!
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