Headlights

@To4E440   ck out octaneLighting.com in sini valley ca   i got the stock looking LEDS  but they have EVERYTHING HEADLIGHTS!!...great service & quality product

If you go with just a bulb change on your H-4's Be sure to check the base. There are two. One is US and is a P43T, The other is Euro and is P45T. There is a guy up in Canada that will print an adaptor that will work that has to be modified to actually work and that is even difficult. So my recommendation is be sure of what you get that will fit. I like the LED over the HID...........Bruce

I went with a pair of Hella 7" H4 replacement conversions for motorcycles.  They came with 65/85 watt bulbs and are quite bright and I'm driving them via relays for max power and brightness.  Mine have flat front lenses and the lens has flutes that have a low-beam cut-off at about mid-way up the car in front of me and a kip-up to the right to see street signs, walkers in crosswalks and such.  I didn't see them in a quick search, but these are close:

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-0...6283225945&psc=1

Be sure your alternator light is working. If it doesn't come on when you turn on the switch check the bulb. If the bulb is not working (burned out or corroded connector) the alternator will not alternate...you'll be running on the battery.

356 had 6 volt systems and everything worked! The only relay was at the starter.

Your replicar has a 12 volt system and should be much much better.

I'm running 12 volt incandescent headlights just like God intended.

Another option worth considering,  https://vintagecarleds.com/  

Some of us have been using these on these cars since 2013-2014.

Reference recent reviews.  https://www.speedsterowners.co...eedsters-and-spyders

and recent discussion in the same topic:  https://www.speedsterowners.co...7#634923632895301317

Confirm you have a good ground jump the ground on each headlight direct to the neg post on the battery see (no pun) if that improves the brightness.

@jncspyder posted:

@To4E440   ck out octaneLighting.com in sini valley ca   i got the stock looking LEDS  but they have EVERYTHING HEADLIGHTS!!...great service & quality product

jncspyder- what a gold mine in light options. Which model or item number did you go with. Thank you,

Michael

@Micheal b (aka bluespeedster So Cal)   best i can do is 7' stock H4 LED...call and ask one of the guys about the black 356..they should remember me...either way..tell them what you need and they'll hook you up

halogens are very bright if they get the juice. 

So I was messing with it today and hard wired some 12 gauge to see if I could get it any brighter. The headlight was not any brighter that I could see. 
It has a h4 bulb that has a decent pattern in it, although the drivers side is not as nice as the passengers.Now I just want more light output. Watching videos I think I’m going to go with a led conversion kit. 
and the headlights are not yellow it’s just the light shining on my yellow wood garage door. 

Just another reminder about the grounds, as Alan mentioned above.

You won't see much of a difference unless you use heavy gauge wire for both the hot  AND ground wires. As Alan said, this means running dedicated grounds from the lights back to the battery.

My first upgrade was from halogen sealed beams to the (cheap) EMPI H4 conversions (the sealed beam headlight is replaced by a reflector housing shaped like the old headlight that contains an H4 bulb). This made a substantial difference.

Then, I replaced the stock wiring in my VS with short runs of dedicated 12-gauge wire for both hot and ground (controlled by relays). That made another substantial difference. The lights are now about as bright as standard lighting in a basic, modern car (Toyota or Honda without any lighting upgrades).

You should be seeing that level of light out of a basic H4 conversion, properly wired. If not, you may have other problems, like corroded connections at the battery (either hot or ground - or both). Or, there may be some corrosion in the the three-pronged connectors at the headlights.

These can be hard to spot. They may feel solid, mechanically, but be corroded internally. Pull the wires off the battery, sand down to bare metal, and reconnect.

Or, of course, the battery may just be tired. Any Autozone will do a free battery and charging system check for you.

Another thought is that if you're using a basic H4 conversion, the bulbs might be really cheap and substandard (like the bulbs that came in my EMPI units). Try swapping the bulbs with name brand (i.e. Sylvania) bulbs rated for at least 55/60W (55 watts low beam, 60 watts high beam).

Good luck!

One more thought...

I did a similar shot to yours in my garage. Do your headlights seem aimed up a bit, compared to mine (especially on the driver's side)?

If they're aimed up too high, they won't light up the ground in front of the car very well and can seem as if they're hardly on at all while driving.

These are my low beams.

Yes the drivers side was the side I was messing with. It is just placed in knowing I was going to work more on it this weekend. Also I had to show the wife your pic as it looks just like ours minus the hub caps. 

I will pull the headlight out tomorrow and mess with it more to if I can get it to be any brighter. Thanks for all the support guys. 

Hey, could someone do a quick line drawing of this relay thing, and the part number of the relays used?  

I have a wiring loom and a pair of relays that came with a pair of driving lights I put on my 911SC. Didn't need it because it was already built in to that car. I think they'll work dandy, but I'm unsure how it splices in to the regular headlight wiring. 

TIA

After checking the grounds and power supply I decided to order a new set of bulbs. I found some leds on amazon and got them in today. Just need to adjust and find out why the drivers side pattern is so different then passenger side. 

@To4E440 wrote- "... I decided to order a new set of bulbs. I found some leds on amazon...)

Do you have a link or brand name?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d...pop_mob_b_asin_title

The cost was about about what I was willing to spend on a test. Now that they are in I will keep them till they go dead and find something nicer. 

A couple guys on the FJ Cruiser forum like the Sealights. For the cost (not much more than a good set of H4 bulbs) it seems like you can't lose.  These are $100 more                 http://www.supernovaleds.com/i....html?fitment=109475                        but made in the USA and are supposed to be top quality.  I may try them in the FJ