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Posted by: SKL1 Nov 18 2011, 07:11 PM

Restoring my '73 914 2.0 to park next to my original (and my first car) '71 914 and want to seriously upgrade the headlights. The car will spend most of its life in Arizona where it is VERY dark at night as street lights are few and far between.
I've gotten spoiled by the great HID or halogen lights in various Audis, BMW's and even my VW GLI.
Anyone know of a good BRIGHT aftermarket light that will fit the original sockets??
I've got Cibie lights in the '71 and they are only marginal.

TIA

Posted by: Tom_T Nov 18 2011, 07:19 PM

Try the Hella, Bosch, etc. 7" diam. H4's with uprated 80/100 watt bulbs (you may have to buy the bigger watt bulbs separately or in addition to the 55/60), & the High Power Relay Kits sold by various vendors.

PP/Automotion, AA, Pelican & the usual suspects carry them, BusDepot.com had some, perhaps TC'sGarage.com, Sierra Madre Collection, etc. & maybe GPR & other member vendors on here may too. Bulb/Housing wise it should be the same standard 7" diam. set-up works for 911/912 or any car of the era.

I did the similar upgrade on my 88 Westy (rectangular housings there though) with the GoWesty kit & it made a huge difference!

PS - the Euro 914s could be had with those H4s as an option, but US-DOT hadn't yet approved them nor any halogen headlights, so it should be a fair-game upgrade for them.

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 18 2011, 07:20 PM

Bosch, Hella, or Cibie housings.
Get some relays - you'll need them.
Then get some quality 100/130 H4's.

or go to my favorite HID supplier: http://www.ultrabrightlights.com/ and get some McCulloch HID Hi-Lo's and be done with it.
Actually - I have a used set from my old Subie if you're interested - make you a deal... They were actually useful, unlike some of the HID-Lo/Halogen-High setups I've used.

If you're (borderline illegally) using HID conversions, the responsible thing to do is make sure you have 'em aimed low and right to minimise blinding oncoming traffic..

Posted by: mepstein Nov 18 2011, 08:21 PM

Busdepot.com has good prices and a very good write up on the H4's.

Posted by: a914622 Nov 18 2011, 11:58 PM

I upgraded my vanagon with the Hellas H4 and thought it was great.THEN I put in the Cibies. Way better light patteren. They are a little more but money well spent!!

Add relays and some 80/100 you wont out run your lights


jcl

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 19 2011, 04:45 AM

While there is a little more 'stuff' to try to package (ballasts and such - about the size of a pack of cigarettes) for those of you marginal on amps, a good 'performance' halogen bulb draws 80W per side - ~12.5A total - on low beam. (Probably a good thing they were never designed to run with both on at once...) A HID draws 35W per side - about 5.5A total.

Posted by: SKL1 Nov 19 2011, 08:14 PM

In looking at the McCullough ( had a McCullough gokart engine way back in the 60's!) H4 kit, I assume you already have the headlight units (like Cibie or Hella) and this kit just replaces the bulbs?? Hope the standard 914 alternator has enough juice to power the little transformer...

Posted by: partwerks Nov 19 2011, 08:57 PM

Can a person just put in the bulbs in the lights that I currently have?

http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=725543

Would I need to add a relay, and if so, where does it get put in at?

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 19 2011, 09:14 PM

different spelling, different company...

Regular sealed beams are 55W - HID's are 35W. Not for nothing are they used in electric cars !

Posted by: matthepcat Nov 19 2011, 10:22 PM

http://www.tlg-store.com/product_p/hid-xp6024.htm

Posted by: lagunero Nov 19 2011, 11:09 PM

What is the condition of the reflective backing? Big factor.

Posted by: KaptKaos Nov 20 2011, 12:25 AM

Who are you and what have you done with Alberto??

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 20 2011, 07:08 AM

If you have H4 headlights, yes, you can uprate to a higher wattage bulb. Relays are a good idea even with the stock lights, so yes, you''ll need them if you try to run way more watts,

Articles abound on headlights relays, and there are pre-done setups.
They aren't even a little magic. A relay is just an electrically-actuated switch.

'Basically' the original headlight circuit just connects to the relay's coil to work the switch. Then you replace that wiring the to light with thicker wires from the relay contacts and your BIG +12 wire from the battery.

And that is the challenge in a 914 - running an 8-ga or so wire from the battery to the trunk area to wire into the relays. Figure out how you will do that safely, and then the relays is a piece of cake.

Posted by: partwerks Nov 20 2011, 10:39 AM

By looking, how can I tell if I have H4's or not? I'm guessing I don't, as I have dismal lighting.

My battery is in the front trunk.

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 20 2011, 11:04 AM

Sometimes, there are clues...



If the connector plugs directly into the back of the glass envelope - you have plain ol' sealed beams, circa 1950. Halogen replacements (e.g. SilverStar) will give you a Big improvement at minimal cost and hassle.

For 'more' you'll need something like an H4 - which are plentiful from all the various manufacturers. If you are thinking about going HID some day, something like a Cibie Z-Beam will give you a good non-dazzling pattern. 'Euro' lights tend to have very low-directed low-beams and high-beams that go _everywhere_ because the European environment is either dense city traffic or unlighted wide-open wilderness. (Northern NV was like this, and my 'Euro' Hella's were a good match...)

Sidenote - I once spent big money for a set of Marchall flat-front H4's and they were great - for a while. Due to the inverted position when stowed and the condensation ingested when the lights cooled stowed, it took only one winter for the reflectors to corrode totally non-reflective - and there was no easy way to get them out to be refinished. Had to toss 'em...

Posted by: lagunero Nov 20 2011, 01:00 PM

Yup.

Hi Joe!

Posted by: partwerks Nov 20 2011, 06:32 PM

I must have the old style as I don't see H4 stamped on it and the gizmo on the inside looks like it is made of metal as best I can see. It has 2D1 stamped on the glass.

I wonder how much better this would be as compared to what I currently have and I would venture to guess I have to get the glass part of the H4 to go along with the bulbs as they go in from the back??

http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=78155

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 20 2011, 07:20 PM

Yes - you're going to need H4 headlights.
The good news is - they'll almost always come with at least one bulb set - but you must read the fine print. Some places try to lowball the price and sell them with no bulb - and then when you complain, use weasel-speak like "we couldn't know if you wanted a 6V or a 12V application..." Just read the ads really carefully before concluding you're getting a deal. They should clearly state whether you are or are not getting bulbs.

If your headlight has 3 bumps in the exterior glass, it is an almost certainty it's a sealed-beam -- they're for the automatic headlight adjusting machines to index. Hx lights use other means to aim, and have no external bumps.

Before jumping headlong into the H4 abysss, you might try something like a pair of Silverstar. They're not expensive and they are a hugs improvement over original.

Posted by: ewdysar Nov 21 2011, 03:27 AM

Obviously, I'm a little slow. I looked at each one of the links in this thread and I have no idea what would work with my stock 914 headlight setup. Can anybody here walk a headlight novice through the basics?

Posted by: ewdysar Nov 21 2011, 03:35 AM

Would these headlights fit in a 914 housing? Or would they stick out too far and foul up the folding parts?

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 21 2011, 05:28 AM

No problem.

Start here:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/9144/POR_9144_ELlite_pg1.htm#item0

This item ($54 each, 2 req) will get you started. pictured with bulb, I'd infer it's included, ask 'em to be sure.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/more_info.cgi?pn=70476-M44&catalog_description=Hella%20H4%20Halogen%20Headlamp%20Upgrade%20Kit%2C%202%20req%20per%20car%2C%20Each

Posted by: matthepcat Nov 21 2011, 01:44 PM

My bet is that you would have to modify the headlight buckets to make them fit, and there is a possibility of the 3" dome impacting the eyebrow during open/close.

There are dimensions on the link I posted, so it would take some measuring and possible modification.

Make it work, and the night driving experience would be transformed (speaking from my experience with HID projectors on my 914)

Matt

Posted by: dflesburg Nov 21 2011, 02:23 PM

http://www.rallylights.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=354

Posted by: dflesburg Nov 21 2011, 02:24 PM

in case you can't tell, I am into auxillary lighting....

Posted by: underthetire Nov 21 2011, 02:31 PM

A 1000 bucks for headlights on a 914

I put some Evilbay H4 conversions on mine....HATE them. If I had to do it over again, I would have just ordered the Silverstar's from Flaps and been done with it.

H6024ST SilverStar: The brighter and whiter light. Up to 35% brighter, up to 30% more downroad visibility and up to 35% more sideroad visibility.

Now the Pilot lights rock in the stock fog light location.

Posted by: partwerks Nov 26 2011, 12:26 PM

I'm thinking about going with the H4's and the bigger bulb?

My battery is in the front trunk but I'm not exactly sure on how to hook up the relay and is the relay something I can purchase locally and if so, what type of relay do I need?

I do have a friend who is a electrician and so I suppose he could baby sit me on the wiring issues......

Posted by: underthetire Nov 26 2011, 01:04 PM

Just need a generic 30 amp relay. Radio shack used to carry them. Last one I tried to buy at flaps, they had no clue.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062477

Posted by: partwerks Nov 26 2011, 03:08 PM

Do I need one relay for each headlight?

I'm wondering if it would be a better contrast to have the 55/100 watt bulbs?

Optional High-Output Bulbs: We also offer higher-output 55/100 watt and 90/100 watt bulbs, although they may require the use of relays due to their higher current draw.

http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=0301600118

Posted by: underthetire Nov 26 2011, 03:27 PM

You would need one for high beam and one for low beam if you go 90/100. 55/100 you would need one, but could do 2 if you wanted to. Watts divided by volts gives you amps.

Posted by: partwerks Nov 26 2011, 04:41 PM

I don't know but the way the have it worded when I get ready to check out? I'm assuming that they are $45.00 per head light, but when I order 2 it still shows $45.00 and then above that it shows "pair" so, I don't know if that is for one or two headlights.



Bosch European H4 Headlights - PAIR

Incredible Deal - Were $100! This is the best $44 you will ever spend on your VW - a huge improvement over your stock sealed-beam headlights! Direct bolt-on replacement for your 7" round headights - install in minutes. Also fits all other cars that take 7" round (H6014 or H6024) headlights, from Mazda to Mercedes. $44.95

Posted by: ArtechnikA Nov 26 2011, 07:57 PM

Clearly shows pair. Remember, that's pair -less bulbs.-

Just spend the $100 and get their 'Vision Kit' (next item down or so) that has the H4's, the lamps, the relays, and instructions. OK - so $50 is a bit much for the uprated bulbs and relays - but the instructions are worth something... Round numbers - lamps $10 each, relays $10 each - so it's not a big premium...