I'm thinking of changing to LED headlights...

[F4R/T]

It really sucks when oncoming traffic has LED lights and blind the heck out of you, even worse is a four wheel drive that hasn’t readjusted it’s lights after a huge lift ...

 

[Kern Dog]

I surely don't want this:

 

[64fury74charger]

OK let me see if I can hide my technology short comings and maybe give some food for thought. Bare in mind my buckets and the tensioner/adjuster spring were all shot long ago.
Here are some pics and I do not have too many pics because at the time I was not really thinking of documenting. just excited to get the candles off my dash.. Top pic is the Hella H4 capsules that have led bulbs. The others are these projector beam led

 

[64fury74charger]

I replaced the old h/l buckets with a flat so-called universal s/s mount made for the complete led with the big heat sink on the back. Replaced all the 1157 and 1156 bulbs w/led and while I had lenses off I added some strips of chrome tape inside over that old argent paint. Sure makes things brighter.

 

[64fury74charger]

These projector headlights are DOT certified and are a complete replacement unit and that was one thing I had to have. As mentioned in other posts here, there are waaayyy toooo many idiots driving around trying to light up anything other than the road in front. My current crazy looking high beam leds are just for those types. Those are aimed slightly up and LEFT...and the work.

Having driven 18 wheels all over this beautiful country I am very aware of how a vehicles lights or LACK OF lights affects anyone on the road.

 

[64fury74charger]

The Hella capsules I removed probably would have worked better if I were able to aim properly. There are the exact same capsule and led H4 on the 64 Fury and they work real nice with minimal adjustments after the install.

 

[Nacho-RT74]

Regarding adding relays without cutting into the harness.... I don't have all the terminals that I would need and am not sure what they even look like.

I added relays without cut a wire either and all relays are into the cab ( headlight relays back of the kick panel ), so nothing visible and away from elements ;)

Is just about personal prefferences. I can post the pic and info of the work and parts needed if you like! Just for the future. Nice you got crackedback setup anyway.

 

[Nacho-RT74]

In one investigation, NHTSA found that a converted headlamp exceeded the maximum allowable candlepower by over 800 percent.

Killer!!!!

We are able to produce the LED Sealed Beams (which replace Halogen Sealed Beams) because the sealed beam unit in itself is a headlamp (contains a lens, reflector, and light source). When it is replaced, all these components are replaced with something new. When the integral beam was tested and passed to DOT/SAE requirements for beam the entire unit is passed, not just the light source.

...

Long story short, (I know its already to long) it is illegal to replace a filament bulb (light source only) with a nonfilament bulb in the United States.

So if they are able to produce LED sealed beams DOT/SAE aprooved, why not make them ? ( I hope in decent power, brightness and temp rates ). Specially being ilegal change the kind of bulb/light source from a lamp assembly ( or screen ), so needing to replace the entire lamp.


In Europe incandescent bulbs for home are not being made anymore so if you want incandescent lamps just have what is still available in stock at shops at this moment. But I guess is just for energy saving and not really for some contamination reason about the lamps itself.

 

[Nacho-RT74]

It really sucks when oncoming traffic has LED lights and blind the heck out of you, even worse is a four wheel drive that hasn’t readjusted it’s lights.

Not just LEDs, but also HID/Xenon

Even badly adjusted Halogens!

 

[Nacho-RT74]

about the wiring job for the headlight relays upgrade

diagram:

-untape dash harness at floor dimmer switch section. Maybe around 8-10" will be enough
-remove violet and red wires from floor dimmer switch. No need for cut, but just press the tab terminal and pull them out from swicth plug. Reset the tab terminal and reinsert those on a relay socket at terminal 87 ( output )
-Build a couple of wire links with two female packard terminals on each end. Packard 56 or 58, either one will work. If you use same colors than the harness once everything is installed the upgrade will be unnoticeable. Install these between 86 relay prongs and floor dimer switch. This will be the trigger ( input ).
-Feed relay 30 prongs from amm stud at black end.... For safety use a fuse... or better a breaker. This will reinstall the breaker function headlight switch got, but is being missed with the relay upgrade
-Ground as shown at 85

retape the harness.

this is how it looks on kick panel after the job

these sockets and terminals will make the job. They are "stackable". Along with the required wiring

SURE will need to upgrade the alternator path up to ammeter for safety and healthy connections at bulkhead.

and DONE. NO ONE WIRE CUT

RIDING LIKE THIS SINCE EVER WITHOUT A PROBLEM

 

[1 Wild R/T]

about the wiring job for the headlight relays upgrade

diagram:

-untape dash harness at floor dimmer switch section. Maybe around 8-10" will be enough
-remove violet and red wires from floor dimmer switch. No need for cut, but just press the tab terminal and pull them out from swicth plug. Reset the tab terminal and reinsert those on a relay socket at terminal 87 ( output )
-Build a couple of wire links with two female packard terminals on each end. Packard 56 or 58, either one will work. If you use same colors than the harness once everything is installed the upgrade will be unnoticeable. Install these between 86 relay prongs and floor dimer switch. This will be the trigger ( input ).
-Feed relay 30 prongs from amm stud at black end.... For safety use a fuse... or better a breaker. This will reinstall the breaker function headlight switch got, but is being missed with the relay upgrade
-Ground as shown at 85

retape the harness.

this is how it looks on kick panel after the job

these sockets and terminals will make the job. They are "stackable". Along with the required wiring

View attachment 1072001

SURE will need to upgrade the alternator path up to ammeter for safety and healthy connections at bulkhead.

and DONE. NO ONE WIRE CUT

RIDING LIKE THIS SINCE EVER WITHOUT A PROBLEM

So your still sending the headlight power through the bulkhead..... Sorry, I don't agree....

 

[Nacho-RT74]

So your still sending the headlight power through the bulkhead..... Sorry, I don't agree....

remember I'm a hard rock ammeter defender LOL... I have a bulkhead parallel wire path from alt up to ammeter

 

[1 Wild R/T]

remember I'm a hard rock ammeter defender LOL... I have a bulkhead parallel wire path from alt up to ammeter

Yup... I realize that... I prefer to drop OE completely if a better design is easily accomplished..

 

[Nacho-RT74]

I just try to play with the stock system without mods and some touchs here and there for better performance. I can say the results are the same than getting the relays on engine bay, but cleaner look. Sure wiring and terminals needs to be in good conditions too.

All 4 halogen high beams being on suck 15-20 amps. Safe for terminals and wiring yet. And I barelly use those. Low beams are the normal setup for driving and barelly reachs 8 amps. Sure having a good alt too. I don't have any dimming light sympthom even at iddle

 

[64fury74charger]

I found a few more pictures of the led as mounted on my car. I think that one of the issues involved in production of the “complete “ LED capsule is the large heat sink that has to be part of the whole assembly. Just my opinion from playing with several different lights.

My 2017 Camry has projector beam lights and when I upgraded to the LED bulbs it was night and day. The cut off lines seem to be very clear on projector type headlights. This projector beam I have put on my charger really make a tremendous difference on how the beam pattern spreads and the cut off line is well defined.

 

[64fury74charger]

64/74 are those DOT compliant bulbs on the charger?

The low beams are DOT certified and has the DOT on the edge of the lens. The high beams are not. Those are only for certain types of drivers that don’t understand how headlights are supposed to be aimed.....

Since these projector beam lights have low and high beam I may just swap out the high beam lights as well.
I zoomed in on the lens and hope you can see the DOT and SAE markings

 

[signalsparks]

I'm in the automotive parts business, and our company checked into this. This is from Philips lighting on why they don't make LED headlight capsules and for those using other may want to reconsider.

The US Federal Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108 specifically states for forward lighting (headlamps) that "You cannot replace your filament type light source (bulb) with anything else other than another light source"

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has concluded that it is impossible to produce a conversion kit (converting a halogen system to LED) that would be compliant with the federal lighting standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) no. 108. These noncompliant kits frequently include LED modules, control boxes, relays, and wiring harness adaptors. The NHTSA believes this equipment presents a safety risk to the public since these kits can typically produce excessive glare to oncoming motorists. In one investigation, NHTSA found that a converted headlamp exceeded the maximum allowable candlepower by over 800 percent.

We are able to produce the LED Sealed Beams (which replace Halogen Sealed Beams) because the sealed beam unit in itself is a headlamp (contains a lens, reflector, and light source). When it is replaced, all these components are replaced with something new. When the integral beam was tested and passed to DOT/SAE requirements for beam the entire unit is passed, not just the light source.

This is the same thing the OEM does to validate headlight assembly on a new vehicle, and why they can sell vehicles with LED headlamps.

Long story short, (I know its already to long) it is illegal to replace a filament bulb (light source only) with a nonfilament bulb in the United States.

Again, this is our suppliers reply, so if you want to use LED conversion headlight kits in you rigs, remember, this is at your own risk.

Mark

So if I understand you (and NHTSA), if your car came off the assembly line with sealed-beam headlamps, it must always and forever have a one-piece headlamp. It can never have a lens/reflector assembly with a removable bulb like most modern US-market cars since ~1986 and most Euro-spec cars since before the muscle-car era.

So LED Sealed Beams are a thing. Perfect. Who makes them for our configuration?

BTW, to other posters, I'm not opposed to adding a relay to keep the headlight switch from being an effective finger-warmer. I did, after all, bypass my amp gauge and replaced my alternator-starter relay-battery wiring with #6. The rest of the demands on my previous list remain. I'll summarize:

1. Street Legal (DOT/NHTSA or Euro approved as required for the customer's jurisdiction),
2. Fits existing buckets with no butchering,
3. Warm hue like incandescent/halogen
4. Affordable (let's say below 5x the cost of a standard halogen headlamp)
   
   I hope someone's found something.

 

[Master Gunner]

The sealed beam style LED lights are available, but they are in the $150-200 price range. I'm not sure if they're coming down any time soon