1965 LED lights conversion

[Flyqnimbs]

I have a 65 tbird
Want to change my headlights over to LED
Am I able to, once changed out, have all four lights wired up so that they are on during low & high beam , using the correct LED bulbs? Pretty sure I need H4 LED bulbs as they are high & low beam. Any input would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

 

[DannyInNJ]

I would check out this article:

Try this simple LED headlight upgrade for classic cars - Hagerty Media

Light duty.

www.hagerty.com

from Hagerty's. GREAT information there, which will send you to:

7" LED Headlight Kits | 5.75" LED Headlight Kits | LED Headlights

LED headlight kits for all US and international vehicles with 7 inch and 5.75 inch Round Headlights. See specific specs to ensure a perfect fit.

vintagecarleds.com

for 5 3/4" LED's. Not cheap, but great stuff. Looks like the real deal only better. I have seen guys with the VC4000's and VC3500 in other cars and they're both terrific.

 

[Gary Tayman]

Replacement headlights are just that -- replacements. You should be able toi remove your current lamps and replace them with the new ones.

I did this some years ago with halogens. My main reason for doing this was to help protect the switch. I had a problem with those breakers, the lights would go out and come back on. I replaced the switch with a new one for a Lincoln (1964 switches are now available, but weren't at the time) and decided to make the load easier with modern lights. So far, so good.

In the case of halogens, these lights are more efficient than incandescents. There is a DOT standard that says the low beams cannot be any brighter than the current design, so what this means is lights that look the same but use less current, rather a lighter load on the switch. The high beams can be brighter, but cannot draw any more current than the incandescent counterparts.

I'm sure the LED types are much more efficient still. No wiring change, just replace them. I guess the only decision here is, do you want the original warm color, or a bluer shade of white?

 

[Seabird]

I have a 65 tbird
Want to change my headlights over to LED
Am I able to, once changed out, have all four lights wired up so that they are on during low & high beam , using the correct LED bulbs? Pretty sure I need H4 LED bulbs as they are high & low beam. Any input would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

This will work. You should consider protecting each circuit with fuses and taking the load off the switch by adding relays inline up close to the headlights. My avatar is a photo of LED H4 lights on my ‘64.

 

[Gary Tayman]

This concept of using relays, I simply don't understand.

The original design has a set of breakers inside the headlight switch. The purpose is safety. If there is a current overload, instead of blowing a fuse, the breaker points will open, and then close again. So if you're going 70 mph on a moonless night and your headlights go out, they will come back on, flashing to allow you to see where you're going until you can pull over and deal with it. Relays remove this safety option, as such an overload will never be sensed by the breakers.

You could argue that two relays with two fuses still allow the safety, as only one light will go out at a time. I don't know how DOT feels about it, but as I said earlier the newer design lights are more efficient, meaning considerably less current, and less strain on those breaker points. No need to rewire the car.

 

[Bond007]

Interesting discussion. Has me thinking of upgrading my 1975. I rarely drive it at night so it would mostly be a fun project.

 

[Gary Tayman]

There's one more factor in this that I forgot to mention. There is a transmission access hole inside the console, with a rubber cover that gets old, rots, and falls out. Suddenly there's engine heat gathering underneath the dash. What happens? The breaker points inside the headlight switch get hot, and combined with the normal current of the lights being on, can make them start flashing. In other words your lights will work just fine at first, but after the car gets really hot, especially if sitting in a traffic snarl, the headlights start flashing off and on. Feel the dash -- if it's hot to the touch, shazaam! Unfortunately there are no replacement parts for that access hole. Even the original cover is not even mentioned in the Ford parts books. Get out some stock metal and a pair of tin snips . . .

 

[tbird]

please follow the posting directions moving forward. The word "lights" does not summarize your post or have the car model year. Revising for you.