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The next project on the radar screen for the 914 is the headlights. I started a thread over on 914world.com that has gotten a ton of responses. Basically, I asked for an update from the board on the latest and greatest in the world of LED headlight conversions. The gist of the conversation is that buying a housing specifically designed for H4 halogen bulbs and using said bulbs is a plug-and-play upgrade that costs under $100 and gives good results. Better results are achieved by using a high wattage H4 bulb, but that entails installing another relay (and to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what that means - sounds easy, but what kind of relay and where does it go?).

You can take the exact same housing for the H4 halogens and plug in an LED bulb, also. Unfortunately, there is disagreement as to whether this will provide a decent light beam as the focus may be off. Most posters over there seemed to think this is not the best way to go.

There are some really good "sealed beam"-type LED units out there, the best known of which is the GE Nighthawk 68921. But, they are relatively expensive and they are thicker than stock, which requires adjusting the headlight buckets to make them open & close. So, that doesn't sound great.

Lastly, apparently there are "about 1,000" thinner LED "sealed-beam" type units made for vintage Jeeps, and those will fit our 914s. They are thinner and cheaper than the Nighthawks. So, I am going to look into those. Apparently, they are plug and play and use considerably less juice than the OEM lights (which is a plus on an older car).

Please don't put "drop in" LED or HID bulbs in housings designed for halogens. The focus point of the LED or HID light source is not in the same place as the halogen bulb and you will have massive light scatter and be blinding oncoming cars. You would be able to see very well, though.
Here in MA this would be an instant fail on the yearly state safety inspection - although many people do it anyway and seem to get away with it.

theprf wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:50 am Please don't put "drop in" LED or HID bulbs in housings designed for halogens. The focus point of the LED or HID light source is not in the same place as the halogen bulb and you will have massive light scatter and be blinding oncoming cars. You would be able to see very well, though.
Here in MA this would be an instant fail on the yearly state safety inspection - although many people do it anyway and seem to get away with it.

That is exactly the general consensus over there. My plan is to get one of the "sealed beam" LED units so that the housing is designed to have a good light pattern. The only trick is the cost vs. quality. I think you can get a cheap set that performs no better than the "drop in to a halogen housing" bulb. On the other hand, I'm not really interested in spending $500 or more as I don't drive the car much after dark. I'm looking for something in the $200 to $300 range that performs well. And if not, well the halogens are still an upgrade at around $100.

Have you done the Chicken Mod yet?

What’s the chicken mod?

FRUNKenstein wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:35 pm What’s the chicken mod?

There was a TSB. Hang on, I think I have it somewhere.

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:15 pm

FRUNKenstein wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:35 pm What’s the chicken mod?

There was a TSB. Hang on, I think I have it somewhere.

I'm not going to google that!

FRUNKenstein wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:08 am

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:15 pm

There was a TSB. Hang on, I think I have it somewhere.

A2ED30DF-710A-4647-88A7-E5E39EC01EB4.jpeg

Found it.

Somebody has been into the eggnog early this year and I don't blame him.

Cuda911 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 10:06 amFound it.