| Author |
Message |
Dose
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2017
Posts: 35
Location: Mammoth
|
 Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:46 am Post subject: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
 |
|
Anyone replaced your hi/low beams with Hella 500s or other "off road" lights in your street legal bajas?
They are a 6" 55w round light and have a slim depth, seem like they would fit good
I know they wont technically be street legal but was going to change out to a pedestal mount light and could point them down a bit to not blind other drivers.
My baja is not a daily driver so it would not see much if any night driving on the street.
Dont be afraid to post pictures  thanks |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
barrelroll
Samba Member
Joined: March 25, 2012
Posts: 27
Location: Denver, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 6:37 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
Having a low and hi beam is nice if you are driving on the road. With something like the hellas you have to compromise beam patterns and then run a second light to supplement it which is questionable from a legality stand point.
KC used to make a DOT high/ low beam light but I'm not sure if they've discontinued it.
LED headlights are awesome if you can swing them. The woman and I both have the heated rigid/ truck lites in our jeeps and love them. The quadratec ones are a little cheaper and still good quality. Amazon cheapies are hit or miss quality/ beam pattern wise. The truck lites were engineered for military trucks so they work better than those drawn to look cool in China. Probably not a concern but LED headlights do not melt snow well unless you get the heated lights. I work at 10,000' and many times will drive home with ice beards melting off my headlights. My co worker has amazon cheapie non heated lights and his will ice up bad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dale M.
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 20380
Location: Just a tiny bit west of Yosemite Valley
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 6:59 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
I switched my Jeep from standard 55/66 watt incandescent (sealed beams ) to 55/65 watt H4's and got a lot more light output and can visually see the line where the light ends (vertically) while also lighting the road probably 50% better than the sealed beams... Don't get any issues with people flashing me to dim light unless I am late or for forget to dim them... And they are noting exotic, and can get replacement H4 bulbs at FLAPS...
For cost factor H4's are going to be a lot less than converting to LEDS at the moment... Think my kit (reflectors and bulbs) was less than $50... Though I think the lights with LED rings (day time running lamps) around them are kind of cool, my Jeep is not wired for them and I don't have ambition to add circuitry...
Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.
"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12858
Location: North Carolina
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:10 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
Hella makes (or at least they did) a 7" round light for your application, although a H4 is still not technically legal.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dale M.
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 20380
Location: Just a tiny bit west of Yosemite Valley
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:45 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
Funny thing is my Chevy PU and wife's Honda came from factor with H4 (or equivalent) bulbs.... So I don't think there is much of a issue...
Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.
"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fenix
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2016
Posts: 468
Location: St Louis
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:14 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
How is an H4 not legal? 75% of the cars from the 90s use them, they are DOT approved Dual filament (Hi/low) bulbs.
Ok never mind...you were referring to Hella H4 sealed beams not an actual H4 halogen bulb...
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hla-h4/overview/
https://www.walmart.com/ip/CIPA-Vistas-DOT-Approved-H4-Halogen-Headlight-Bulbs/22614768
Unless you are referring to the conversion lens/reflector housing. Then yes you need to make sure it is DOT marked...in other words not the ones on eBay or most of the ones on amazon. Get from summit or you local hotrod shop. Or NC might be one of those states that still list the hb2 or 9003 as DOT but the H4 as non-dot yet they are the same bulb. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dose
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2017
Posts: 35
Location: Mammoth
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:35 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| barrelroll wrote: |
KC used to make a DOT high/ low beam light but I'm not sure if they've discontinued it. |
Looks like chirco still has those lights.
I was considering those but I like how the hellas are shallower for more tire clearance and come with a wire harness and relay, I am also slowly phasing out my 50+ year old harness and trying to simplify things since it will be a 75% off road vehicle. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dose
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2017
Posts: 35
Location: Mammoth
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:43 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Hella makes (or at least they did) a 7" round light for your application, although a H4 is still not technically legal. |
good call, the hella 700 is 7.3" with 55w bulb and may be a better fit. thanks |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12858
Location: North Carolina
|
| Posted: Tue May 01, 2018 3:50 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| Fenix wrote: |
How is an H4 not legal? 75% of the cars from the 90s use them, they are DOT approved Dual filament (Hi/low) bulbs.
|
The European code light pattern , while far superior, is not approved by the DOT, this is at the federal level. The DOT approved light pattern is based on a 1930s design & is the reason why so many US spec vehicles (especially in the 90s) have such an epically tragic light pattern. This is why most DOT lights have little to no patterns or fluting on the lenses to control & focus the light pattern & as the lighting has gotten more powerful on more modern cars, we find ourselves being blinded by oncoming traffic. The H4 bulb has a shield/reflector on one side of the low beam element that blocks light from being emitted to the lower part of the reflector thus giving that distinct cutoff in the light pattern that is designed to not blind oncoming traffic.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
barrelroll
Samba Member
Joined: March 25, 2012
Posts: 27
Location: Denver, CO
|
| Posted: Tue May 01, 2018 6:53 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| Dose wrote: |
| barrelroll wrote: |
KC used to make a DOT high/ low beam light but I'm not sure if they've discontinued it. |
Looks like chirco still has those lights.
I was considering those but I like how the hellas are shallower for more tire clearance and come with a wire harness and relay, I am also slowly phasing out my 50+ year old harness and trying to simplify things since it will be a 75% off road vehicle. |
Look at the rigid LED's, they are slim and use a standard connector. They are DOT approved and the light pattern is great. I do 100 miles a day, 20 of which is twisty mountain roads and they work awesome, one of the best upgrades we've made to our jeeps. In the desert at speed they work nice till you really start moving and then there's no replacement for a good true spot beam HID or LED light.
These connectors are $3.13 a piece from rock auto and look nice https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=599411&cc=1368851&jsn=392
Just wire them up your self, the rigid LED draw 3.6 amps so I'd wire them without a relay. I'm not a fan of relays in offroad cars. I've seen too many fail. Just use the proper sized wire and switch. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fenix
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2016
Posts: 468
Location: St Louis
|
| Posted: Tue May 01, 2018 8:24 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Fenix wrote: |
How is an H4 not legal? 75% of the cars from the 90s use them, they are DOT approved Dual filament (Hi/low) bulbs.
|
The European code light pattern , while far superior, is not approved by the DOT, this is at the federal level. The DOT approved light pattern is based on a 1930s design & is the reason why so many US spec vehicles (especially in the 90s) have such an epically tragic light pattern. This is why most DOT lights have little to no patterns or fluting on the lenses to control & focus the light pattern & as the lighting has gotten more powerful on more modern cars, we find ourselves being blinded by oncoming traffic. The H4 bulb has a shield/reflector on one side of the low beam element that blocks light from being emitted to the lower part of the reflector thus giving that distinct cutoff in the light pattern that is designed to not blind oncoming traffic. |
Actually the initial reason that the H4 was not DOT and the 9003/HB2 was had to do with the H4 spec did not have a tight enough tolerance on the low-beam filament orientation to the light housing. Which caused it to violate the DOT requirment that replaceable bulbs not change light pattern more than +/- 1/10 of a degree.
Hella and dozens of others make 7" DOT approved and marked conversions for nearly all vehicles that use a 7" sealed beam and guess what they ship with Hella or Phillips H4. I put a link to one of the ones I've used on Jeeps and Model As in my last post.
There used to be a great write up on this subject either on Jalopynet or candlepower cant remember which one.
here are the specs for the KC ones I just put on my rail.
KC's 7" Halogen Headlight features a 55/60w Halogen H4 bulbs, in a DOT Street legal approved beam pattern, UV treated Lexan lens and multi-surface reflector optics. System includes replaceable H4 Halogen bulbs and easy plug n play wiring.
DETAILS
FEATURES
-2 x 55W or 60W 7" H4 Halogen Headlights
-Direct Replacement for 97-06 Jeep TJs
-Hard Coated Polycarbonate Lenses
-KC Precision Multi-Surface Reflector Optics
-Street Legal SAE & DOT Approved Beam
LIGHT PERFORMANCE(PER LIGHT)
-Raw Lumens: High Beam- 1,650 lm, Low Beam- 1,100 lm
SPECIFICATIONS
-Wattage: 55W-60W
-Bulb: H4 Halogen
-Amp Draw: 4.58A-5.0A
-Voltage: 9V-32V
-Product Dimensions: 7" Diameter
Parts Included in Pair Pack system
-(2) Replaceable 55W and 60W H4 Halogen Bulbs
PERFORMANCE HALOGEN AND PRECISION OPTICS
KC's 7" H4 Headlights are significantly brighter than factory Jeep headlights, delivering maximum DOT approved candlepower using CAD designed multi-surface reflector optics and powerful 55/60W H4 Halogen bulbs.
UPGRADE YOUR FACTORY JEEP HEADLIGHTS PERFORMANCE
When it comes to out of the box headlight performance for your Jeep, KC's 7" H4 Headlights significantly improve light performance over factory headlights. Not to mention, easy-to-install with Plug'N Play direct replacement fitment.
DAY RUNNING LAMP AND HIGH BEAM OPERATION
KC's headlights feature a relay system which allows the operation of high beams while simultaneously providing active low beam Day Running Lamps for safety while meeting DOT approved compliance.
OFF ROAD TESTED DURABILITY
Designed to handle extreme off road environments, KC 7" H4 Headlights featured a sealed rubber boot design for H4 bulbs with UV and impact resistant, hard coated Lexan lenses.
Last edited by Fenix on Tue May 01, 2018 8:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fenix
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2016
Posts: 468
Location: St Louis
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dose
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2017
Posts: 35
Location: Mammoth
|
| Posted: Tue May 01, 2018 8:30 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
Barrel roll and Fenix, are we still talking about pedestal mount lights? Once you start talking about jeeps it makes me think your talking about replacement bulbs and lenses.
If so do you have a link?
I want to mount the lights to the cage and get them out of the fiberglass. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fenix
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2016
Posts: 468
Location: St Louis
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dale M.
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 20380
Location: Just a tiny bit west of Yosemite Valley
|
| Posted: Wed May 02, 2018 6:40 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| Dose wrote: |
Barrel roll and Fenix, are we still talking about pedestal mount lights? Once you start talking about jeeps it makes me think your talking about replacement bulbs and lenses.
If so do you have a link?
I want to mount the lights to the cage and get them out of the fiberglass. |
For street driving, check DMV laws.... There may be height limitation that limits how high you can legally mount street legal "driving lights".... Are you in Mammoth Calif?
From Calif Vehicle Code.... Your state may be different but IT would be nice to stay withing the requirements so you are not inviting attention of the man...
https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/vehicle-code/veh-sect-24400.html
(a) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped with at least two headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches.
Just a FYI....
Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.
"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dustymojave
Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5802
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
|
| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 12:13 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
Guys, I believe he's referring to mounting his pedestal mount headlights to the front bumper cage work instead of mounting the lights to the fiberglass. Like mine is. He's probably NOT talking about mounting lights to the top of the roll cage.
I have Dietz (genuine) shells, with 7" Cibie H4 conversions, from back when they "HAD" to be DOT legal. They work quite well and have passed headlight inspection. Some broad at DMV decided that when I renewed my registration for the Baja after a little while on Non-Op, the car needed brake and light inspection. She was wrong and her boss later told me that she had confused the requirement for when a car has been "Salvaged". But he wouldn't get back the $100 bucks and near 1/2 day the inspection cost me.
I think that 6" or 7" H4 dual beam headlights with reasonable light pattern and adjustment would be fine. I've seen EMPI imitation old school KC 6" light housings used with 5-3/4" sealed beam lamps. I think you could also use LED lamps. While some of the guys on here seem to get ruffled by something that's not entirely according to the book of Hoyle, most Bajas on the road have illegal fenders anyway. And many the exhaust too.
I see a lot of inappropriate headlights being used these days with cops driving right by. And even with what I estimate as nearly 1 out of 4 vehicles including cops, driving down the road with their headlights on high beam, who's gonna have a valid gripe about what the OP is asking about?
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dose
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2017
Posts: 35
Location: Mammoth
|
| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 10:01 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
| dustymojave wrote: |
| Guys, I believe he's referring to mounting his pedestal mount headlights to the front bumper cage work instead of mounting the lights to the fiberglass. Like mine is. He's probably NOT talking about mounting lights to the top of the roll cage. |
Exactly, you get it. I appreciate your posts and experience. This is my first Baja but not my first off-roader and will be building it similar to yours.
I bought a set of hella 700 lights with harness and switch for $80. I think they will work fine and will post my results. Im hoping since they are shallower than what Richard has I won't have to push them as far forward.
Yes I live in mammoth lakes ,ca |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dose
Samba Member
Joined: September 09, 2017
Posts: 35
Location: Mammoth
|
| Posted: Wed May 23, 2018 11:55 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
I have installed the hella 700 lights and am happy with the results.
I traced the outside of the bucket to get a nice circle.
It was pretty hacked up behind the bucket
Then used a die grinder to open it up.
I made 3/16 plates to use bolts already holding the fenders on.
Then welded 1" tubing to a 1 1/2" pedestal with a washer welded on top.
Hopefully the photos will help others.
[/img] |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dale M.
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 20380
Location: Just a tiny bit west of Yosemite Valley
|
| Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 6:02 am Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
Well done....
Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.
"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Armadillo1954
Samba Member
Joined: July 31, 2018
Posts: 21
Location: Albany Ga.
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: Hella 500s for street legal baja headlights? |
|
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
