I know the title doesn't sound too off topic but wait. If you want your sealed beam headlights brighter, but still a focused beam (not a flood pattern) and a stockish looking (not convex but flat) bulb that's great quality. Retofit for older Toyota Land Cruisers 81110-60p70, Made by Toyota and can be had at online dealers for anywhere from $16-$55. I personally bought some last year for $17 each kit, the key is it HAS to be online (if you walk into a dealer it will be $200-$300). Look online to see if your local dealer has an online store, order them and have them sent to the dealer for free shipping. It's been getting harder to get them and you might have to wait if you get multiples but it's worth it. I have them on my panel truck and they work great. I don't know why they went down in price the last few years (you where lucky to find a kit for $150 before). The kit comes with a harness and relays of great quality (everything in the first picture is the kit). Here a write up on them: https://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html Check these out:
About 20 years ago I bought almost identical lights from a Volkswagen Air Cooled store here in Riverside California. The lights were sold as EMPI H4 conversion lights. The store I got them at is long gone but apparently you can buy the lights from Speedway and they are the same ones I bought 20 or 25 years ago they pretty much identical to the Toyota lights although I'm sure probably not the same quality but the price is also 18 bucks each which is probably about what I paid for the 25 years ago. Anyways here is the link. My experience years ago this is before modern LED lights obviously, the lights were pretty bright, but still had a warm feel to them. So if you glanced at them they looked traditional. Unlike the ultra white lights we see today. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/EMPI..._content=be202f5d-5139-4565-80f1-f310502cc1e9
The Toyota ones are glass with steel locating tabs, have a spread pattern on the face REAL close to a sealed beam and take a regular bulb that you can get at any parts store in different hues and brightness to your liking. It'll be a LONG time before they stop making the bulbs since they fit a LOT of cars (9003) and the housings will last a lifetime. I've seen the post on the Holley LED, but I'm not sold on them yet. I want to see them in person and see how long they last and Holley continues to make the insert. The Empis don't look too bad.
Thanks for posting this. I just got a set for $23 including shipping! I previously picked up these H4 Hella's a few years ago, still on the shelf for the wife's wagon when its gets built up https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FKIURK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You are correct they were plastic lenses, if I remember correctly it was actually perfectly flat also. They used a standard H4 bulb if I remember correctly and back in the late 90s to early 2000s they were some of the brightest headlights on the road, I never got pulled over with them but they were really bright for that time frame and I was in my early twenties so I hung out all night long whenever I didn't have to work in the morning so I used those lights in everything where they would fit. My buddy had them in a pre-67 Volkswagen (the ones that have the headlight covers and you could not tell any difference until they were on. Now that being said today I have a few extra dollars I would probably go with the glass lenses but if you're building a budget-friendly car the plastic ones on speedway I think would be just fine for the average person.
The Jalopy Journal
