Headlights - Duuude, confused, disappointed, and what the heck?

[67 Sunroof]

Background:
67 bug
‘66? Front fenders
CIP1 “best” repop headlight assemblies
Vintage car leds VC5000 ultimate leds (7”)

I feel so down-haha! Please tell me what a mess I have here!!
I started with taking the assemblies apart using the tutorial here as it is very well written...
The 7” led assemblies will not fit into the rings. I considered cutting the notches into the ring and then they would drop in and I could “sandwich” them in with my rubber gaskets.
THEN I decided to test fit the assembly into the headlight bucket.
It looks like it’s going to be too deep!!!???
I don’t know what it have here.
Has anyone done this!? I read some good posts on the leds and was pretty excited about getting them in. The cip1 headlight assemblies appear to be just a tad too small too? Aren’t they supposed to fit around the fender ring snugly on the rubber gasket? I need some up close pictures but not having much luck here. Looked at WWest website to see if I am missing parts too....
I even took the original headlights out of the ‘67 fenders and tried using the trim ring and bracket in combination but I am confused as heck now!
I hate the way the glass on the repop assemblies “stick out”. The Hella ones look WAY better and fit the assemblies perfect!! I even have a factory headlight assembly to compare and it didn’t fit the led bulb either!!
Lots of pics so.....enjoy😡

Any ideas? Help a brotha out here. Hoping someone has been through this before-what a mess.

[Mos6502]

That ring with the three notches goes behind the headlamp assembly. Note the three little "legs" on the back of the rim of the lamp assembly. These fit into the three matching notches of the ring your photos show you have in front of the lamp assembly.

This might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gitC1RJeXT4

[67 Sunroof]

Correct. The three notches don’t come close to lining up with the headlight bulb. Plus it will only put the bulb deeper into the bucket and it won’t fit. If I notch the ring where I marked it, dropped the bulb in from the front and then use the ring with notches to go on the front and bend the tabs over the ring it will work-but it’s not exactly right.
I guess I’m asking if there is any difference between a ‘67 bulb and a ‘66 bulb-other than the 6vt and 12vt.?
I’ve got a bit of a Frankenstein project going on here eh?
Any other pictures needed just let me know and I’ll post them!
Maybe this can help us some:

[Mos6502]

The tabs/notches are oriented so they will only fit one way, and will not fit any other way (so one out of three potential locations works).

All the U.S. cars used sealed beams, with the notches in the same positions, regardless of whether they had a glass cover (pre '67) or not. I don't know if the euro-spec housings are the same as regards the positioning of those notches.

[67 Sunroof]

Well guess what? None of the positions work! Ha
I sat for over an hour on the floor scratching my head! I appreciate your help!

[TDCTDI]

Don’t put the Porsche lenses in front of the headlights. The light pattern is already being focused by the lens on the headlight, using the Porsche lens in front of it will just refract the light pattern again causing decreasing the performance of the light output, especially since the bulb has a DOT pattern & the Porsche lens has an E-code pattern.
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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.

[TDCTDI]

The headlight is supposed to be installed into the assembly from behind, while the assembly is out of the car. That little ledge where you marked with the marker is wher the FRONT of th headlight is supposed to make contact. The ring with the notches is then supposed to be installed so that the notches fit the corresponding tabs on the BACK of the headlight & then the tab on the ring fits into the slot on the headlight bucket.
_________________
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.

[EVfun]

I suggest you go back to your first picture before you start modifying anything. Set the new headlight assembly up just like in that picture and then remove the clips from around the headlamp bulb retaining ring. Remove the ring and place your headlamp into the housing, rotating it until the bumps on the back of the headlamp are aligned so that you can reinstall the retaining ring with the 2 tabs on it once again aligning with their slots. That is the correct headlight orientation so it will cast the light correctly down the road on low and high beam. With the headlamp and retaining ring in place install the retaining clips.

I have never had a problem with sealed beam or H4 headlamp systems fitting in a stock fender. If the headlight bucket was cut down (sometimes done on very lowered Bugs) there could be a problem with a halogen H4 system. LED replacement headlights are different. Some will fit, others will not. It is likely you will need an LED bulb that uses a separate power supply, as the built in drivers do make the LED lamp assembly a bit deep. I've got a beach buggy with the typical chrome shell headlights and I found an LED H4 bulb that fits. You may have to return your current LED setup and look for another.
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[67 Sunroof]

OK I’ve got a quick update on what I came up with last night. The sealed beam fit but I had to Dremel out the holes some...I spent a few hours on it this morning and mounted it from the back like you said it should be. Got it all back together after fooling with those headlight clips. What a pain in the butt! But I’m very happy with the outcome! Now for the outer chrome rings and the wiring. The leds fit bit it was pretty tight. They have heat sinks on the back of them that was hitting the back of the headlight bucket. The bucket had not been cut down but it was still a tight fit. Once I realized that the headlight assembly didn’t go in as far as I had originally thought I realized it was going to fit!

[67 Sunroof]

How do I know which side is which? They are both different and light emitted from each is meat for each side of the car.
I’ll post a picture of the LEFT headlight and let me know if it is the correct one by the looks of how the ridges in the glass is cut.
Here you go:

I have also decided to mount the turn signals behind the grilles and leave the factory “running lights” alone in the headlamp assembly.
I might need some wiring help in that area soon....should I run the brown back to the fuse panel and ground it there instead of grounding to the body?
(Idea taken from Mr. Goodspeed’s article)

You can’t tell very well from that picture but one side has more “ridges” in the headlight. I’m trying to figure out which side should have more ridges....left or right??

Okay, okay!!!
Last photo! This has the best picture of what I am trying to explain:
Should this be the LEFT or RIGHT headlight??

[67 Sunroof]

[TDCTDI]

The headlights are the same, there is no left or right.
_________________
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.

[67 Sunroof]

I can clearly see by looking at each headlight that one side is different from the other. I know that will change the light dispersement when it shines. One side is more of a “tight” beam and the other is more “scattered”.
I should pm Thomas Duncan or Matt McEntire to verify I guess...
Only wanna put them in once!
I appreciate all of your help!

[KTPhil]

I think the word "side" is being used to mean two different things here.

The left and right headlight assemblies are identical. There is no left or right in that sense. You could snap the whole assembly or just the lens side to side, and it would make no difference.

However, the beam from any given headlight is not symmetrical. This is because of the need to accommodate both RHD and LHD cars.

You want more light to the side of the road you drive on, and less into oncoming driver's eyes, at least on low/dipped beam.

This is the right side in most countries, where you have the driver's seating position on the left. The British, Aussies, Japanese, and a few others are reversed and need different headlight lenses.

[67 Sunroof]

So the bulb pictured above-there will be no difference in light dispursement from the left of the BULB or the right side of the BULB?
It really looks like one side of the bulb looks as if the light will shine off to the side more than the other side of the bulb....
You can see the “ridges” in the bulb are not symmetrical.
??

[mukluk]

Yes, in the low beam position light will be directed toward the right side of the vehicle for bulbs meant for markets with vehicles driving on the right side of the road (the opposite being true for markets that drive on the left side of the road). The important thing to keep in mind is there is no difference in the bulbs mounted on the left and right side of the vehicle -- markets with vehicles driving on the right side of the road such as here in the USA will have both headlights dipping down and to the right on low beam. If both of your headlight bulbs are DOT certified, they will both shine to the right on low beam and can be installed on either side of the vehicle, regardless of how the diffuser flutes in the lens appear to differ. Now the light pattern might differ slightly due to the different lens fluting, but they still do not have a specific side they need to be mounted.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[67 Sunroof]

Ok..I’ll put it to rest then. I get a thought and can’t get it outta my head!!

[KTPhil]

Here is a comparison of the US DOT low-beam pattern, and the European E-code pattern, as viewed from the driver's seat:

You can see the yellow DOT pattern is symmetric left-to-right. It throws as much light into oncoming traffic as it throws to the right to light up roadway signs and pedestrians.

The superior E-code avoids glare to other drivers, while lighting up more the upper right.

The diagram is for one headlamp. The other one is identical, and aimed the same.

in RHD countries, this is mirrored.

Yours has "DOT" on the lens, so it is the poorer (but US-legal) pattern.

Even though almost all modern cars come with the E-code pattern, retrofitting that pattern to older cars that came with sealed beams (like our classic VWs) is technically illegal in the US. I'll risk the ticket to be safer!

[glutamodo]

Still, it's always never been a great idea to "stack" headlight beams through two sets of fluted lenses...
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Andy T.


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[KTPhil]