[TransAmRAFormula]

Hey guys I have a headlight question... My dad and I own a 1972 Formula 400 and it still has the original wiring harness in it with the original headlights. The lights are really dim and I try not to drive the car at night, especially since there are no street lights in my town. A deer ran right in front of me on my way home from a car show two years ago... thank God I was going the speed limit or the deer, and my car, would have been in bad shape! My girlfriend's family is living up in Vermont now and her younger brother picked up a 1970 Mustang convertible last year and I went to Hemmings in Bennington with him a few times, and I really would like to make the 3 hour drive up there in my bird this summer, so I am trying to prepare the car for the trip. I installed new shocks and did a total brake re-haul last year, and this spring I need to replace all the rubber bushings and a few seals in the driveline, as well as new tires. That leaves me with one area that I do not want to overlook, the headlights. It gets even darker at night up there, so I definitely want to install a brighter set of headlights for the trip. I don't want to have any issues driving at night.Are there any good options that you guys would recommend? Thanks for your help!

[nytrainer]

do a search for headlight relay mod. Old wiring, switch, etc. will contribute to voltage drop (dimmer HL's). With relay mod you are feeding the lamps directly from the battery (through the relay) and you use old wiring just to energize the relays.

[AdamIsAdam]

Yes, this is a good idea. Also, while I have not looked into this for the Pontiacs, on my Jeep (which has the single worst headlight setup of any modern car I've ever driven) I replaced the OEM assembly with E-Code assembly. The Europeans allow a much better beam than DOT does. I DO NOT use higher wattage bulbs, although I can, but the change to E-code was, well, a night and day difference (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Anyway, E-codes allow for a very fine, razer sharp beam that's almost as good as xenon. They are strong and focuses with a straight line that rises slightly on the right side of the beam to illuminate those deer on the shoulders waiting for you to drive by before they decide to meander out onto the road.

Check out and contact Daniel Stern at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/. He's VERY slow to respond at times but he's the foremost authority on the subject. When you do get him, he'll spend all the time in the world with you. For that, I try to buy from him whenever I can even if it's a few bucks more than other places at times.

Post back what you find out. I'd love to improve my Pontiac lighting too. It's horrific!

[TransAmRAFormula]

Thanks for the info guys! I also posted this question on a few firebird facebook pages that I'm on and I think I am going to check all of the grounds, look into a relay kit, and I am also going to try these bulbs out: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/s...4-st/5080065-P

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by TransAmRAFormula

Thanks for the info guys! I also posted this question on a few firebird facebook pages that I'm on and I think I am going to check all of the grounds, look into a relay kit, and I am also going to try these bulbs out: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/s...4-st/5080065-P

Grounds are on the very ENDS on the Radiator core support, on the INSIDE , under the fender slightly, there are harness grounds on BOTH sides of the core support.
Do NOT be tempted to put in higher watt bulbs without a relay or harness change as you'll eventually melt your wires.

THIs is best advice for a inexpensive upgrade..>>
"nytrainer do a search for headlight relay mod. Old wiring, switch, etc. will contribute to voltage drop (dimmer HL's). With relay mod you are feeding the lamps directly from the battery (through the relay) and you use old wiring just to energize the relays. "
These, http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/s...5-P#fragment-2 at 4.3 amps per bulb WILL work IF your grounds are good, your wires will be warm though..

[Blackened]

The headlight mod posted by NYT sounds like it will help.
The other problem with original wiring is that over time it can build up corrosion beneath the insulation that is not visible . This creates more resistance so that even if you clean off the ends where it attaches, you still have high resistance and poor performance .

[fbody_mike]

Originally Posted by TransAmRAFormula

Hey guys I have a headlight question... My dad and I own a 1972 Formula 400 and it still has the original wiring harness in it with the original headlights.

Are you saying these are the same sealed beams that came from the factory? If so, that is probably a lot of your problem. Filaments degrade with use and even if they are not burned out the light output will be diminished.

The cheapest and easiest solution is like what was mentioned above, the relays mod, you will probably get 2 more volts to the lamps by bypassing the switch and factory wiring.

Any new sealed beam halogens will be brighter than the factory sealed beams too, if that is what you currently have.

[TransAmRAFormula]

I bought Sylvania bulbs from Advanced Auto and they were actually dimmer than the sealed beam bulbs... I am going to take the car to my mechanic to have him check out the grounds and I will ask him to do a relay for me.

[SD73]

Just curious as to what that amp rating is of the alt you're using? I've got a 63 amp with original Power Beams and the lighting is fine. I imagine of you have an original 37amper you may run into problems. Other than that I agree with checking for corrosion and your connections. You may also want to try hooking up your light directly to your battery to see if the brightness noticeably changes to rule out any corrosion problems.

[TransAmRAFormula]

Originally Posted by SD73

Just curious as to what that amp rating is of the alt you're using? I've got a 63 amp with original Power Beams and the lighting is fine. I imagine of you have an original 37amper you may run into problems. Other than that I agree with checking for corrosion and your connections. You may also want to try hooking up your light directly to your battery to see if the brightness noticeably changes to rule out any corrosion problems.

I am not sure to be honest. The gentleman who owned the car before me installed a chrome alternator that quit working a few years ago. I replaced it with a remanufactured original alternator from Classic Industries.

[SD73]

Originally Posted by TransAmRAFormula

I am not sure to be honest. The gentleman who owned the car before me installed a chrome alternator that quit working a few years ago. I replaced it with a remanufactured original alternator from Classic Industries.

Well, how about starting by hooking those lights directly to your battery and compare the light to what you were getting through the circuit? I'd personally also get a known good 63 amp on there too and see how that works out.

[TransAmRAFormula]

Originally Posted by SD73

Well, how about starting by hooking those lights directly to your battery and compare the light to what you were getting through the circuit? I'd personally also get a known good 63 amp on there too and see how that works out.

I will try that. Thanks for the advice.

[SD73]

No problem. Post your results.

[TransAmRAFormula]

Will do!

[Jim Doran]

Step by Step instructions:
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/4417/

[TransAmRAFormula]

Thanks for the article! I'm going to check it out!

[AdamIsAdam]

It's a wonder manufacturers didn't, and still don't, do use a setup like this. Daniel Stern, lighting guru, (google him) has been preaching this benefit for years. Back in my high school years when we added 'fog' or 'driving lights' to everything we drove, the kits all came like this.

[Old Goat 67]

As an extra added mod, consider adding a third relay controlled by the Ign buss to provide the park lights in the front to act like DRL lamps for day and on at night also, anytime the key is on and engine running.

[Will]

Definitely add the relays. The biggest part of the problem is high resistance in the ancient factory wiring.

Check voltage at the battery with the engine running - should be around 13.2 - 13.6V. Now check it at the headlight, I bet it's down over 10%.

Once you have the relays installed the next step is a conversion to a modern reflector assembly that holds an H4 halogen bulb. Here is an example, I have no experience with this particular kit but this is the kind of thing you need - do your research on which ones to actually buy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMPLETE-7-I...451f85&vxp=mtr

Note that standard high/low beam bulb wattages are 55/65 W. Hella makes a 55/100W bulb that has standard brightness lows and super bright highs - "for off road use only."

Don't bother with the conversion lights without doing the relays first - they won't work right and will actually burn out faster and may overheat your factory wiring.

[HO Kenny]

Back when I was about 20 I installed one 12 v aircraft landing light in my 68 bird left high beam socket. That my friends was bright. The wires got a bit warm, but not bad considering the high beams usually weren't on to long. Not recommending it though. I can't imagine what the fine would be.