I swapped my original lights out for some 5-3/4" LEDs. They just plugged right into the original sockets and look great. Like the Big Guy said as long as you have clearance I think they should be fine. Mine made a huge difference in visibility.
There are a few posts on this -- I used some parts from Amazon. I bought some headlight lenses and LED bulbs. It all plugged in, cost me like $75, amazing improvement. The LEDs don't use much power so no need to add relays or re-wire, etc. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NZUQ56/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And a set of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074GZ3S4P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That's maybe $75 USD and you are done. I did this on my 68 Wildcat, amazing difference
Huh, that's a good way to go... I like that much better than the crazy looking lights that started this thread. I see there are vendors like Dapper Lighting that want like 700 dollars for this!
I hear that they don't use much power but they all seem to have a heat sink. Some have fans. All that heat comes from energy. I don't get that. How many amps do they draw?
If you think about it an LED is a super small surface area that produces a huge amount of light. This means the heat is quite concentrated at that spot, so the greatest cause of failure is this heat. Therefore cooling the hot spot is the #1 goal if you are trying to make a long lasting product. This issue is even tougher if the the lamp is fully enclosed. Many inexpensive products don't last for this reason. The higher quality ones will have better cooling.
I've been looking at LED's as well. I want the classic look but LED technology without cutting my headlight buckets and plug and play. Dapper is the only one I've found so far. By the time you by the Amazon one's above, you have $150 into that (four $17 glass housings and two sets of $40 bulbs) and it's from you know where. Ain't buying that stuff. Baseline Dappers with the clear glass and only LED's for low beams and using the free halogens for highs (because how often do you use high beams) and no halos is about $479. Not bad when you divide it by 4 headlights. I don't like the goofy looking headlights and would rather see the classic look, so I'd add the OE looking glass option and they go to $579. If I'm going this far, what's another $75 for Halo's. So yeah, its about $650 for the configuration I want. Haven't pulled the trigger yet, still on the fence. As for Power, they say 17W...So 17W/12V = 1.4A in an ideal world not accounting for voltage variation, wire resistance and tolerances. Just ball park. I think sealed beam headlights are 3A for low beams and 5A for highs a piece. So at least for the Low Beam, power and current are cut in half.
I used for low beam only. The conversion glass housings don't fit the high beam buckets (the notch placements are different for high vs low beam). I see zero reasons to swap out the high beams. The Auxbeam LED bulbs I used for low beams are plenty bright by themselves, if you need the high beams, the old ones are still bright enough to provide a wider beam pattern. IMHO it's just a waste of money with no real benefit. Love the LED bulbs from Auxbeam, plenty bright and no fan - convection cooled and good value! The glass conversion housings are OK, I think they could diffuse the beam a bit better but they were the best I could find and are a great value - cut-off is not bad... They also look pretty stock (the glass face is flat vs curved but only a trained eye would notice). Someone asked about amp draw -- sorry I don't know it offhand (look at Auxbeam site) but I do know the wiring does not get warm (unlike halogens) and no relay is required. Look at how little wattage an LED taillight or LED replacement for 194 dash bulb uses vs brightness and you can appreciate that these headlights are bright and not power-hungry. As someone mentioned -- they do need to be cooled but that's not because they draw massive power -- it has to do with the voltage transformer used to step down to the LED's lower operating voltages (creates heats).
I'm sure there are several threads about this conversion and I have looked around for a while myself to change to LEDs. I really like the idea of using these bulbs... https://www.headlightexperts.com/carfinder/?find=1972-buick-skylark--gs-26560&sid=j54T7cgToF They aren't cheap but apparently are plug and play. I recall hearing a couple of people trying them out and really liking them. I will likely give them a go at some point as well. Good luck!
Thanks for the lead on Dapper Lighting. Looks like a great company with a great product! I've been undecided about a headlight upgrade for years, but this really looks like the ticket.
I did mine a little over 2 years ago and it was made into a sticky. I used the inexpensive stuff from Amazon and the Aux fanless LEDs. They draw about half the power of the old halogen bulbs and on bright, they really reach out down the road. I had about $110 in my conversion with only a little modification required and absolutely none of the mods were to the original car parts. https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/h4-conversion-and-led-elements-the-journey-begins.333285/
I ordered a set of these and have to say I'm pretty disappointed, especially for $400 for all four lights. There is no difference between the low beam and high beam housings or lamps. The housings won't fit into the factory buckets without some modification, and all four lamps I got have three prong connectors. I definitely ordered one set of low beam and one set of high beam assemblies, but it either they sent me two sets of low beams or there is no actual difference between the low and high beam kits. I'm going to call them Monday and see what's going on.
I have bought lights from Oracle in the past and they fit perfectly https://www.oraclelights.com/produc...-sealed-beam-headlight?variant=18192330195041 I am considering these or just the amber led ring with the optional LED headlight, for a different car of mine. They seem to be are a reputable company and are always are at sema,
I have Oracle LED headlights in my LeSabre wagon. The issue I have is that there is no fluting on the lenses, and light goes everywhere. They're very bright. I have them aimed down a bit so as to not blind oncoming drivers, but I'm not happy with the outcome. I would not buy them again. I don't know why it's so hard for someone to manufacture a T3 style lamp housing that will accommodate LED bulbs.
