Upgrading my headlights

[rblake3]

I spent about $135 on my single round conversion.

Lights = $76
Relays/wires/connectors = $17
Round grille from junkyard = $20
Round light buckets from junkyard = $20

I sold my rectangular light assemblies on Ebay for $160 so I actually made money by upgrading. I used the extra cash to put towards Hella FF1000 driving lights for serious illumination in the back country.

It can be done fairly cheap if you are resourceful. The improvement in safety alone is worth it. Think of how your reaction time is affected between dull DOT lights and E-code lights where you can actually see stuff going 50mph at night. It could save your van and/or your life.

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90 Vanagon Carat Wander Wagon
88 16v GTi
01 1.8T Beetle
94 Miata
Vanagon H4 E-Code Lighting Upgrade page

[Zeitgeist 13]

I need to add some fogs like that. Nice van.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[IdahoDoug]

Or you need the more manly version:

Those FF1000s are a good light what pattern did you choose? how did you mount them?
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[rblake3]

[IdahoDoug]

Nice - as driving lights those things probably push light a mile out on a straightaway, eh?

If your lights wobble on rough roads, consider a simple backing plate. I have thick aluminum plate under mine and they are remarkably stable despite their size, using the same bolt through strategy as you are. I also made custom mounts that help spread the load on top of the bumper as well. I'd do it again - worked great!

Mine are fog beams and they can handle high output bulbs due to the interior volume. Drive safely.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[LemonCove]

[IdahoDoug]

Lemon,

Nice. You have to know lights to be willing to part with the money to get Cibies. Those are terrific units. You are certainly well set up for fast night driving.

We do a lot of that as well - with all our vehicles, actually. I painstakingly set up every vehicle we own with highly upgraded forward lighting equipment. My LandCruisers both have the exact setups with great optics, powerful bulbs, wiring upgrades, etc. With everything on, tooling down the road, I have a huge wide swath of hotspot-free light that reaches out nearly a half mile in useful light and picks up reflectors at more than 7500'. As you know, there is a certain satisfaction to a well thought out, diligently aimed lighting system when its midnight and nobody else is out there. The reward is seeing the cow elk step out into the road 2000 feet out, easing off the gas for a bit without even waking the family, and then continuing on without missing a beat when she leaves the roadway....

Probably singing to the choir, as you also appreciate the whole night driving zeitgiest as well, eh?

Regards
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[Merian]

http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/holly-andre...picks=true
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[jimf909]

[Turk.380]

Sorry to reactivate a (yet another) dying lighting thread. I cam in here after doing a search for people's thoughts on adding Driving Lights and if they are worth it. Found a few good opinions here.

What I wanted to add here, is that on our last trip out west, I had one of the 80/100 9004 bulbs burn out on us. Now, I've got "all the tricks" done.. relays, dedicated grounds, cleaned and bright shiny reflectors, etc..

Since we got pulled over just hours after the gorram thing burned out, I stopped the next morning at the FLAPS and picked up whatever 55/65 (or whatever they are) 9004 they had on the shelf.
That night, I was surprised to find that from the driver's seat, I really couldn't tell a difference between the two.

So anecdotaly anyway, my conclusion is that assuming everything else is proper order, that a standard good quality 55w 9004 bulb is already pushing the limits of usable beam from a lowly DOT-spec lens.

My other question / navel gazing exercise is, just where the heck are y'all driving that uber high beams and driving lights are even worth the effort? Assuming you are using the high beams, and have the DL's relayed from the highs.. i mean damn.. even way out west I still find myself having to click the highs on/off/on every gorram 20 seconds. it just gets old man. a few miles and i'm just like "frack it!" and leave them off.
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Brian W
St. Louis, MO
'64 SO-33 Hatch Top Westy | '87 Syncro Westy: Subaru EZ30D powered | 2002 VW Winnebago Vista

[SCM]

[Merian]

Lots of lonely 2 lane roads in the intermountain West - and deer and pronghorn love them

1st thing is to get rid of the DOT reflector design...
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[Turk.380]

[goffoz]

As I said earlier my H3 euro high low rectangles have been great at stock wattage.
But these 37W LEDs from Amazon are amazing..about $50 with a harness 3hr install(for me..OCD )
These fill the near distance amazingly and do not seem to piss off the on coming drivers....they make great DRLs and Fogs
very happy with them

LEDs only on a dark night

[takeiteasy]

So my '85 came with square headlights, and I do like the look of the rounds to start. I know there are different lamp options etc, but are the rounds considered an upgrade vs the squares? Thanks
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'85 Weekender 1.9L

"With your past and your future precisely divided.
Am I at that moment? I haven't decided."

[IdahoDoug]

Factory original the squares are better - 4 lamps with 2 being dedicated high beams. However upgraded rounds to new euroH4 lightsare cheap and rhen outperform the squares. Some like me upgraded their factory squares with a wiring harness and higher output bulbs and are happy. The problem with changing squares to rounds is you then must factor in a harness, mounting buckets and grille to the upgrade.

Some day I would like to compare my maximally upgraded factory squares to someones round H4s.....
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[djkeev]

[Paulbeard]

The squares might have been good for a few years but the consensus is that 30 years on, they are worse than useless. You think you have headlights but you really don't.

The Hella E-code upgrade is not that hard to do or go to rounds if you can find a grille.
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Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
Formerly -> Steward of a 73 Super Beetle (Beater) and 67 Beetle 1300 (Little Max) both names by POs

[Merian]

cheapest and best upgrade is to get the '85 & earlier sheet metal mounts from a wrecking yard, and buy the round headlights from Amazon - a thread on here somewhere gives the exact info

then you will need to find a grill from an '85 & earlier to make it look pretty, or build your own

I put in the SA kit but is a lot of bucks and i had to buy the better lights from Amazon anyway
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[djkeev]