Electrical Headlight Upgrades For Your 64-78 Mustang

MustangIIMatt

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Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Mar 7, 2002
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Headlight technology has come a LONG way since the good ol' 7" glass sealed-beam headlight ruled the road.
Just because our cars are old is no reason to keep using old headlight technology that has long since been passed by.

There are a TON of options available on Amazon, Ebay, and several other sites, in fact, there are so many it can be mind-boggling. There are now 7" LED headlights, 7" housing with LED turn signals built in, 7" with a socket for a 194 bulb so you can either use your headlight as a turn signal as well, integrate the parking lamp, or just add some color (not street legal).

I myself just wanted something brighter, a little cleaner looking, and the ability to upgrade bulbs.

I went with these:
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The headlight housings are Chinese, and were on Ebay for a whopping $24 including shipping. They're DOT-legal, have real glass lenses, and are surprisingly well made for the price. The bulbs themselves are Phillips CrystalVision 9003 bulbs. I got them from Amazon for $27.

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Here, I start with removing the two trim screws in the top of the trim ring, both are phillips.

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After both screws are removed, tilt the bezel forward at the top and lift up gently, there is a tab at the bottom of the bezel that will stick a little bit if it's been years since yours were disassembled like mine.

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You will find six screws around the headlight, leave the three for the adjustment alone (unless you know what you're doing with adjustments) and remove the three that just hold the retaining ring in.

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You can actually remove the old bulb with just two screws removed and the third loosened, but getting the new one in will be a bit difficult.

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At this point, I realized the rubber caps over the backs of the housings weren't going to fit with my headlights' cups. They're only there to keep moisture and dust out, and with these lights being mounted the way they are, it shouldn't be a problem, so I ditched the boots, but I'll hang on to them in case I find that I do need them (at which point I'll modifiy the cups).

(Continued next post, hit the picture limit.)
 
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One installed! Let's see how they compare!

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That's the new light on the left, and the original on the right. Pretty big difference!

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The visual impact is kind of lost with the camera at the lights themselves, but you can see how much "cleaner" the light looks from the new housing on the right in this picture.

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Straight-on at the new light.


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Old light for comparison.


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When I went to install the passenger-side light, the socket crumbled in my hand. This is a distinct possibility with 40+ year old wiring and sockets. I'd honestly recommend replacing your sockets with something better if you're doing a headlight upgrade, or just happen to be in there and notice yours are in similar condition to mine. These work well: Dorman/Headlight Socket 84790 - Read Reviews on Dorman #84790 and are available at just about any parts store (they also work with the original headlights if you prefer to stay original). I'd be doing so, but a full re-wiring of this car in in the works for early next year, and I'd not likely to be driven at night any time soon, so I'm going to wait until then.


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The completed install!

Parts used:
View: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-CrystalVision-ultra-Upgrade-Headlight/dp/B00480J4QY/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1447297091&sr=1-1&keywords=Philips+9003+CrystalVision+ultra+Upgrade+Headlight+Bulb+%28Pack+of+2%29&pebp=1447297092734&perid=1T8YS5TZ1QK58GBB7Y5D[/SIZE][/I]
 
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Nice! We were looking at different headlights recently for the wife´s new to her 67. She likes these: Mustangs Unlimited - The Premier Source for Mustang, Shelby and Cougar Parts and Accessories . If we go that route, I may change mine to match... :)
Those are very nice. There are lights like that on Ebay for a lot less, don't know if the quality is the same or not, but they're definitely out there (I looked at probably 100 different types of headlights before deciding to keep it simple, I've done the projectors and LED-in-housing types on two of my pickups over the years, and loved it, but wanted simplicity this time.)
 
If we do go that route, I will probably wire the halo to ¨key on hot¨ so they operate like daytime running lights. If we do that, I will try to post a little info about doing it here so others may benefit. We´ll see what she decides since she´s only had her 67 since Monday 11/9. There is a laundry list of things that she/we want done to it. First order of business is a brake upgrade, then go from there....
 
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I installed a set of halo projectors I picked up on eBay two years ago. As you mentioned with yours, my housing didn't quite clear the bucket. In my case, removing the boot wasn't enough, I ended up trimming the bucket with an air nibbler. I wired the halo's to my parking lights which look good together.

So I guess my only suggestion might be if you're concerned about originality and don't want to potentially have to trim the bucket or return parts, be sure to ask the seller for the full dimensions and measure the holes in the buckets to make sure they'll fit. They may be standard 7" round on the front, but I was actually a little surprised mine didn't clear at all once they arrived.
 
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Can´t really even tell they are different than stock imo. How about a pic of the halos lit up-do you have one of those? Curious how they look although I can sort of mentally picture it....
 
Sure, I didn't have them but it was an excuse to go out into the garage (where of course I found one of my parking lights burned out so took a moment to replace that). The old girl is safely tucked away in there for the winter, so unfortunately this isn't a nice far-angle shot of the car. You'll have to use your imagination as to what it looks like at a distance, pretty good to me, and the projectors really light up the path ahead.
 

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