Consensus on best headlight upgrade for 1st generation

[RivNut]

As long as I’m updating everything else on my 64, what is the general consensus on the best update for the 5-3/4” headlamps.  Something not too complicated or ridiculously expensive.  LED, halogen, incandescent? 
Thanks for your opinions and insights.

Ed

[jframe]

Holley makes a good looking kit for round or square sealed beams that are LED, and supposedly, plug and play. Problem is, they seem pretty pricey to me. You might look at them though, and see what you think.

[Craig Balzer]

I am partial to these

 

https://www.amazon.com/IPCW-CWC-7006-Plain-Conversion-Headlight/dp/B001OMEPEU/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=20KMD37E79ZEF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LYmoIOv4UdDhPj96oLWEEfUu79TzvANgehUCuieBOnyHeBounCoCMqMyORwI3LKVpkYMTbmlPNuXkaa1TKm7C6CroWcxPiAQ0Jx7PisOVyC2M85xndKhcXvOeSY4tbmKB-miEh8ARvzlhVmqU25GsANFaPSS74C3EqMcbFGOk41uwO4vmAtFmOG7P8B5Fh3S-CL_o5pHV4cA1RiMNTe5oLlIBBCbNsOvN9J5u3Lq1okGFB5WPrMnjiw4wRM8CZhaC9KwJhh1W_hmLnAAaXtzxLJ_09uZv_Lu1BE7mPEGWBQ.kHzg7_ONL-1JIEvIvOvw9ffFIoYij9klDQzVPy9cY2A&dib_tag=se&keywords=ipcw+cwc-7006+7"+plain+round+conversion+headlight&qid=1725915442&sprefix=ipcw+cwc-7006%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1

 

Note the bulbs are sold separately - H7 bulbs

 

AND these have low and high beams. You'll need to search for the separate low and high beam lamps for your Rivi

Edited September 9 by Craig Balzer (see edit history)

[RivNut]

6 minutes ago, Craig Balzer said:

I am partial to these

 

https://www.amazon.com/IPCW-CWC-7006-Plain-Conversion-Headlight/dp/B001OMEPEU/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=20KMD37E79ZEF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LYmoIOv4UdDhPj96oLWEEfUu79TzvANgehUCuieBOnyHeBounCoCMqMyORwI3LKVpkYMTbmlPNuXkaa1TKm7C6CroWcxPiAQ0Jx7PisOVyC2M85xndKhcXvOeSY4tbmKB-miEh8ARvzlhVmqU25GsANFaPSS74C3EqMcbFGOk41uwO4vmAtFmOG7P8B5Fh3S-CL_o5pHV4cA1RiMNTe5oLlIBBCbNsOvN9J5u3Lq1okGFB5WPrMnjiw4wRM8CZhaC9KwJhh1W_hmLnAAaXtzxLJ_09uZv_Lu1BE7mPEGWBQ.kHzg7_ONL-1JIEvIvOvw9ffFIoYij9klDQzVPy9cY2A&dib_tag=se&keywords=ipcw+cwc-7006+7"+plain+round+conversion+headlight&qid=1725915442&sprefix=ipcw+cwc-7006%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1

Craig,

Those are 7”, our Rivieras take 5-3/4” lamps.

[Craig Balzer]

24 minutes ago, RivNut said:

Craig,

Those are 7”, our Rivieras take 5-3/4” lamps.

Right you are (I bought the 7-inchers for my Jag - and clicked on them vice the 5-3/4"-ers)

 

Try https://www.amazon.com/IPCW-CWC-7003-Plain-Conversion-Headlight/dp/B000NZUQ56/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1IDSN3OW5U93Z&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LYmoIOv4UdDhPj96oLWEEaIX3jRuIzy5h6Y03ca0vltjBqs3BwQ6VQlYJ92jTG2GXjzfGd-IXdw9ArWzFlQLeYZsTQ2wO_4pKnQ_UsIl5GSja33b0OERAtGbxnsd-MAuidxN2dtm94xAVwtRqceJy_ct4wAsSA7mtIiI7RPvxDIIzZ4hDYU1u8zngGw5GV6RlnW3Asho4oGqROJf06wGAG-AiVevuizHY7VA6Kg7NNjftf9YJdxgPd7bRtkj7hoY1H-WmN5FqcIWLsim6LLDWwdzUsXOFVEJCuzhK23GOvg.Os2QQGImqqPsjAThpdeBkaEQ49BcJ8DkfrpKa4Y8x_M&dib_tag=se&keywords=ipcw+cwc-7006+5+3%2F4"+plain+round+conversion+headlight&qid=1725917381&sprefix=ipcw+cwc-7006+5+3%2F4+plain+round+conversion+headlight%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-2

[Wayne R]

the only change  I made  with my  sixties Buick s was changed to halogen even with my last 64 Electra convertible, no need to mess around fits straight in; but a huge  improvment, plus I don’t use my car much at nights.

[RivNut]

16 minutes ago, Wayne R said:

the only change  I made  with my  sixties Buick s was changed to halogen even with my last 64 Electra convertible, no need to mess around fits straight in; but a huge  improvment, plus I don’t use my car much at nights.

That answers a question I’ve had. I don’t plan on driving that much at night.  And I drove my ‘63 as a daily driver for 15 years with the old fashioned incandescent bulbs. Maybe I don’t need to get too fancy.  

[NTX5467]

Check Daniel Stern Lighting website for halogen headlights.  Many with the sharp upper cut-off Euro beam pattern, which pute a LOT of light "down the road" rather than in front of the front bumper.  Much better for seeing at night.  Plug 'n' play.  With a defined beam pattern, you then realize just how "everywhere" the USA beam pattern is.  Can aim them higher without light getting into oncoming driver's eyes or the mirrors of other cars.  MUCH better.  Replaceable bulbs, too.

 

The Holley Retrobrights have a good beam pattern, but NOT as good as the Euro-code lights.  Hate to spend the money for Holleys, even on sale!

 

NTX5467 

[XframeFX]

1 hour ago, Wayne R said:

 I made  with my  sixties Buick s was changed to halogen

Keep in mind, 1st generation cars or any GM in the early 60s had AWG #18 wire for Reg. Beam.

 

In anticipation when I was swapping to a later inst. panel harness, I switched the Hi-Beam indicator w/reg. beam.

Further Mod. to the underhood harness by using the former reg. beam #18 to trigger a relay for all 4 filaments.

This left former #16 hi beam directly connected to only 2 filaments.

I never did upgrade my sealed beams. Alhough one T3 burned-out. I replaced it with a run-of-the-mill sealed beam halogen. When up against a wall, can see a nice white light versus a yellowish  light from the T3.

Now after 5 years, LED headlights were highly touted on a Mustang forum.

[RivNut]

I found these on Amazon.  The thing that drew me to them was the integrated DRL.  They’re a plug and play and do not have the replacement bulb in a mirrored housing. 
 

AUDEXEN 4PCS 5.75 Inch LED Headlights with High/Low Beam and DRL

Edited September 10 by RivNut (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

Cleaning the grounds and terminal connections after 60 years is the first thing that comes to mind. The headlight switch and dimmer switch can build up a lot of resistance before eiterh fails completely.

 

Halogen bulbs have always worked well on my older daily drivers. I am just not a big fan of those testosterone driven lights I see coming at me every time I go out at night. I would avoid joining that group.

[EmTee]

More candlepower doesn't necessarily equate to better vision if the light isn't well focused.  The car was designed for sealed beam lamps and provides for appropriate aiming adjustments.  As you say (and I can attest) the car will probably rarely be driven at night.  I would go with halogen sealed beams.  FWIW, I drove my Riviera back to my hotel after the Strongsville awards banquet and had no issues even with my incandescent sealed beam headlamps...

[NTX5467]

Some "street rod" headlight bulbs have had the integral DRLs for many years.  ONLY thing is getting the circuit to run them!  Does NOT mean they have a decent beam pattern, though!

 

Unless the headlights were from the later 1950s or so, all headlights still have the same wattage ratings.  Halogens were NOT more than the lights that came before them.  Just a better use of electricity and updated beam patterns to corral more of the light in a more useable manner.

 

Using relays to run the headlights, rather than after the current goes through the headlight switch and bulkhead connector, can raise the available voltage to the bulbs by a volt or so, resulting a little more light output.  IF that might really matter.

 

NTX5467

[60FlatTop]

23 minutes ago, NTX5467 said:

and bulkhead connector,

The bulkhead connector is an often overlooked circuit point. I have found a lot of corrosion in them and the connector pins are a bit delicate. NAPA/Belden makes replacement terminals. I have also made a bypass for the plug for a single wire in a couple of instances.

 

I have done more wiring work on Rolls-Royce cars than any sane person should. Those cars fit a capacitor-condenser at most of their switches to extend their life and reliability. They are found on power window switches, signal lights, wipers headlights, and the like.

 

I am in favor of the headlight relay systems as these cars age. There had been times when I pulled a hot key out of a 1960's Cadillac after driving and recommended some investigation. Never got any takers and the cars weren't mine.

 

Always remember the power lead to the bulb is only half the circuit. The ground path can be quite a circuitous circuit in itself.

[RivNut]

Oops. Wrong thread for my reply.

Edited September 10 by RivNut (see edit history)

[JZRIV]

Best plug and play headlight upgrade......as far as seeing at night? https://vintagecarleds.com/5-75-inch-round-headlights/

Whether you need it or not is another thing. The old yellow incandescents remind us of the way it really was driving these old cars so offer a bit of nostalgia so I like them.....but then again we were younger with better eyesight to begin with so just slow down. LOL

Halogens strain the old wiring systems unless relays are installed.

 

Edited September 10 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[CTX-SLPR]

I have a set of Delta's that take H4 bulbs but pretty sure they aren't available anymore as I bought them in 2005.  I just spliced in relays at the core support behind the battery on my '64.  I did replace the wire from the relay location to the nearest headlight to get the wire length.  Relays came off of an early 90's Park Avenue and I bought a terminal kit to just replace all the wires instead of soldering/crimping onto the original stuff since I new I need wire length for the output.

Edited September 10 by CTX-SLPR (see edit history)

[XframeFX]

After navigating Daniel Stern's website. It is clear a pair of plug 'n play sealed beams is the way to go.

 

Sealed beams with DRLs add a safety feature without altering the original body. But how about Rivieras with hide-a-way headlights? Also, how to terminate wiring? A 2nd connector?

DRLs for 1963 - 64 Rivieras would be better in corner light assemblies.

 

I added a snap-action switch to the Shifter for DRLs in the corner light assemblies.

[65VerdeGS]

I've been running halogen sealed beam headlights on my '65 for over 30 years without any problems.  These are 100% plug and play replacements for the stock T-3 headlights.  My halogens were made by "WAGNER".  I bought them at NAPA and they were cheap.  I'd say they give about 30% more light than the T-3's, so are a worthwhile upgrade, providing a brighter, whiter light that the stock headlamps.

 

I upgraded the T-3's on my '67 Corvette with LED units, after being unhappy with the stock T-3's which don't give enough light to feel safe driving at any speed at night. It's too easy to out-drive these headlights, which isn't safe.  I researched options to upgrade the Corvette 4-lamp headlight system to LED.  The upgrade I landed on uses glass housings designed for H4 replaceable halogen bulbs, but instead of using halogens, I substituted LED bulbs, which are easily 2-3 times brighter than halogens.  The LED's made a huge difference when driving at night, thanks to the better visibility afforded by the LED headlights.

 

I investigated several kits sold by various vendors including Holley.  Many of these kits are very expensive.  I found that you can do a plug and play LED upgrade for around $200 for all 4 headlights, which is way less than the Holley kit, for example.  I've seen a car with Holley LED's and my setup is definitely on par in terms of performance, for considerably less money.

 

I did a write up on the Corvette Forum detailing the parts I used to upgrade the 4-headlight system on my Corvette to LED:

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c1-and-c2-corvettes/4495055-led-headlight-upgrade-to-my-67-a-2.html#post1608160194

 

I plan to duplicate this setup on my '65 Riviera, which will be easy to do. 

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[Chasander]

This is harness I used from “Octane lighting”when I went to halogen headlights, easy to hide and install. 

[rodneybeauchamp]

Hi Ed,

just for my two bobs worth, fitted Cibie QH conversions for both inner and outer headlamps. Stayed with the standard 60/55W for high/low and 55W for high beam but could have gone to 100W if necessary. Located in country Encounter Bay/Victor Harbor, ended up doing a fair bit of night driving or early morning driving to attend swap meets or travel to shows in Adelaide.

 

Chose to fit Cibie because of their quality and more importantly that they use a curved lens keeping an OEM appearance and not a flat face like Hella and other QH conversions which in my eyes always shout out that they are QH conversions 👎👎👎👎

 

I was very pleased and felt like I had enough light to spot our Skippy kangaroos which are our main issue here. 
 

I chose to fit relays to both high and low beam circuits to ensure no voltage drop and to stop a high current draw running through the light switch. Also I pulled the switch apart and cleaned up the contacts and the dimming rheostat.

 

I also wired the second turn signal globe as a full time DRL and used a warm white LED. IMO I think the conversions  were done well and enhanced the stock look. Pictures otherwise it never happened.

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀