i keep finding cowl lights on ebay cheaper than headlights. my thinking is that cowl lights are just driving lights (meaning one filament) couldnt i just change the light filaments to dual filament for headlights?
Thinking in terms of candle power put out by a cowl light vs a headlight, your night driving might be slow going. Drive down a dark and deserted highway at speed with just your parking lights on to get the feel of what you're considering. Keep us informed.
Cowl light reflectors can't throw anywhere near the some amount of light- although, with today's technology, you might be able to use modern internals. Do alot of testing/comparing before you go out for that midnight ride!
i was thinking of using brand new, modern filaments inside. im not a fan of the King Bee and Dietz headlights for my car and really want something with a bit more of a flat headlight but Speedway wants 349.99! (now discontinued, i wonder why.)
i was thinking of using brand new, modern filaments inside. The cowl lights seem to be less curved and im not a fan of the King Bee and Dietz headlights for my car and really want something with a bit more of a flat headlight but Speedway wants 349.99! (now discontinued, i wonder why.)
I've thought a few times about finding more modern reflectors/filaments to use inside of older shells- let us know how it goes- maybe a tech article?
Hella might be a good place to start if you are looking for a good set of internals. They have a number of different sizes and power ratings. (Think rally racing) I have a set of the 500's ($30-40 I think) on my Subaru and they are twice as bright and shoot A LOT farther than my high-beams. These aren't anything exotic, they are the ones sitting on the dusty bottom shelf at Autozone. The voltage or wattage is also legal (however they rate it) for street use. If I remember correctly, they are the same wattage (55 maybe?) as any other headlight today, just have perfected the filament placement and reflector. They required disassembly of the light itself to install a wire, so I know you could get the guts out of them pretty easy! That screw and tab at the bottom of the lens is the only thing holding the guts in!
Those 26-27 T headlamps are made by Vintique so you should be able to get them from them or CW Moss Parts(their retail store) or many other early Ford parts outlets.
So hit ebay and buy some 29 29 or 30 31 model a lights and then buy the halogen kits with turn signals and your in.. Ive ran em on my 34 my 32 coupe and ive got a set for my 32 roadster.. Cowl lights aint gonna cut it my friend.. I made a real deal on the halogen kit with turn signals on a buy it now on ebay.. I couldnt hit the key quick enuff You can buy new lenses and stainless rings for the 29-29 lights which i think are the best looking.. I actually had 2 sets but i gave a set away to the guys that were fixing my harley for a traditional rod the owner is building although he called it a rat rod Dave
done and done still winning on one, i might have to keep my eyes out for some more (the bidding is on two but i think one needs a new trim ring or something). thanks for the info, if it doesnt pan out this searching on ebay (or if 400 bucks magically appear in front of me), i'll be sure to check out CW Moss will do! they look so cartoony, like bugs. thanks for the info, it'll definitely help
Sounds like you already got things rolling, but My Hella's are 6 in diameter. They make up to 7 I think. The only part diameter-wise you would need is the reflector, so you could cut it down. They make a bunch of different models/sizes including some metal canned versions if you found a set you liked straight out of the box. The ff200 (just google it) is a pretty nice piece at 119 for a set. Also sell the internals separate if you do a little searching around online. NOTE FOR ALL HELLA'S, they usualy make two models of the same light: a "fog light" version and a "driving light" version.
Sorry for jumping in, I picked up a set of '33-'34 Ford pick up headlights at the Chickasha swapmeet and plan on updating the internals. Is there a website you can point me to for the halogen upgrades?
Did some research- Hella 4000's are 8 3/4", just like T headlights, but I don't know if the bulb and reflector are legal to use in headlights (and their about $250 a pair)...
If you're looking for some ultra-cheap, fairly flat headlights that take a regular bulb, I'd make a trip to your local motorcycle junkyard. There were tons of 70's and 80's bikes that had round, chrome headlights that could be used. Cowl lights are tiny compared to headlights, that'd look really strange.
I got a cowl light I bought for 5 bucks I'm planing on running on a chopper so I'm hoping I can rig a H3 bulb in some how. Its a 55w bulb which should be bright enough. That's the plan my little brain has anyhow
They will be WAY too bright. My 500's at $50 a pair are pretty bright. I have them pointed very high, but only use them in conjunction with the brights. I'm an idiot when it comes to electricity, but I believe you need some additional stuff to run those hella's. I think they come with a capacitor? regulator? flux capacitor? to run them through. Maybe you could bypass that new fangled stuff and get less power out of the bulb? Sorry man, not much help here. Just thought they were round and bright.
Dunno, I had the cowl lights on the 31 wired to stay on with the head lights on, and every commercial truck I came across flashed me that my lights were on bright (I have the Deitz type headlights and the Vintiques turn signal conversions in the cowl lights). They are quite a bit brighter than the 6V OE headlights were. Since I disconnected the running light filament nobody thinks the lights are on bright with the low bams on. I haven't been able to keep the cowl lights from roatating back till the cowl band stops them though (air loading on the lens, think 'sail'). I've been thinking about shimming the part of the lamp that goes over the cowl band some to make it do that less. My 'indicator' for when my signals are on is the hood and headlight bucket (the 'turn' filament lights up the whole side of the car in the front at night). As to how far they project and how the light is distributed, it's hard to say. I don't make a habbit of driving around at night without the headlights on. Oh yeah, if you put in the vintiques kit (reflector, socket and 1157 bulb) don't drill out the stainless rivet that holds the stock socket in, bend the OE socket back and forth till it breaks off. The brass rivet in the Vintiques kit looks like ass IMHO.
just go to an aftermarket HD shop and get some older FL model headlight buckets and put your own guts in them, they come with a plug and are bottom mount, 7 inch diameter and cheap, usually around 35 bucks each but I found some for 20
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