FFR MK4 headlight upgrade and head restraint

[Selo]

I took delivery of my Roadster a few days ago and it's CLEAN, delivered with a couple trophies in the trunk.
Tentatively my Mechanic is really impressed. He says the attention to detail is great. It wasn't built by a dummy or on the cheap, but I knew that. That said, the headlights are really dim. Also, I'd feel a lot better if I could rig up some head restraint. Some of you have already given a couple ideas but I haven't come across the exact right idea yet. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on both of these things, as well as some guidance toward shift knob replacements. Mine just has a little black thing, nothing fancy.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Selo

...your thoughts on both of these things, as well as some guidance toward shift knob replacements. Mine just has a little black thing, nothing fancy.

You might like this: Walnut Shift Knob from C&G Woodcraft

[ACHiPo]

I'm in a similar situation with my sealed beam headlights--they are period-correct, but pretty abysmal at lighting the road.

I just pre-ordered a pair of these LED lights. Kinda rolling the dice, but the company seems to have a good reputation on their other products, plus they are the nicest looking LED lights I've seen to date (and they are pretty low powered, too).
https://www.dapperlighting.com/products/oe7

[Unique427]

Originally Posted by ACHiPo

I'm in a similar situation with my sealed beam headlights--they are period-correct, but pretty abysmal at lighting the road.

I just pre-ordered a pair of these LED lights. Kinda rolling the dice, but the company seems to have a good reputation on their other products, plus they are the nicest looking LED lights I've seen to date (and they are pretty low powered, too).
https://www.dapperlighting.com/products/oe7

Those light assemblies look well made. The website omitted (2) things
you should inquire about. Total lumen and color temperature
of the output. Standard H4 halogen bulbs put out about 1000 lumens.
Color temperature of 2700K is yellowinsh, 4000K is natural white light.
Output will take on a more white/blue tint at 5500-6500K.

During installation you may not be able to fit that power plug and inline
power adapter within the small allowable space behind the headlight
when mounted inside the light bucket. This will facilitate mounting
the power adapter and plug-in on the outside of the light bucket.
Not a big deal, just be prepared to McGyver an acceptable solution.

Once installed you will certainly enjoy the improvement.

Best of luck.

[ACHiPo]

Originally Posted by Unique427

Those light assemblies look well made. The website omitted (2) things
you should inquire about. Total lumen and color temperature
of the output. Standard H4 halogen bulbs put out about 1000 lumens.
Color temperature of 2700K is yellowinsh, 4000K is natural white light.
Output will take on a more white/blue tint at 5500-6500K.

During installation you may not be able to fit that power plug and inline
power adapter within the small allowable space behind the headlight
when mounted inside the light bucket. This will facilitate mounting
the power adapter and plug-in on the outside of the light bucket.
Not a big deal, just be prepared to McGyver an acceptable solution.

Once installed you will certainly enjoy the improvement.

Best of luck.

Thanks. I called and talked to a tech. The headlights are rated at 1800 lumens, although that doesn't mean a whole lot as beam pattern and resulting lux is more important. Color temperature is on the blue side--about 6k I think. I figured I'd get them and send 'em back if they don't fit or if I don't like the illumination. The other lights have good reviews, so I think they're pretty high quality.

[ACHiPo]

Originally Posted by Unique427

Those light assemblies look well made. The website omitted (2) things
you should inquire about. Total lumen and color temperature
of the output. Standard H4 halogen bulbs put out about 1000 lumens.
Color temperature of 2700K is yellowinsh, 4000K is natural white light.
Output will take on a more white/blue tint at 5500-6500K.

During installation you may not be able to fit that power plug and inline
power adapter within the small allowable space behind the headlight
when mounted inside the light bucket. This will facilitate mounting
the power adapter and plug-in on the outside of the light bucket.
Not a big deal, just be prepared to McGyver an acceptable solution.

Once installed you will certainly enjoy the improvement.

Best of luck.

I emailed Dapper to get some more details on the the LED headlights. (Note that I messed up the lumens in my previous post)

Color temp: 6000k
Current draw: 2.1 Amp on High, so Low beam is less than that.
Heatsink temp: Bulbs have a fan in the back for cooling
Brightness: ~2200 Lumens on low and 2400 Lumens on High Beams

Here's quick breakdown for bulb performance by types/models:

Stock sealed beam - 800-900 lumens
Standard halogen (V1,V2,575) - 1200-1300 lumens
LED (LED SEVEN, 575) - 2200 lumens
HID (V1,V2,575) - 2400 lumens
Her comments on fit: Shelby cobras typically have plenty of space behind the stock buckets which makes it perfect candidate for ANY of our 7" headlight systems including OE7. The auto manufacturers made different tab setups and we chose the most popular setup for our bases. You may need to shave a tab as needed for perfect fit. Note this doesn't void the warranty.

My comments: I'm still skeptical on the lumen spec--LED brightness specs remind me of watts per channel back in the stereo days.

[Unique427]

Originally Posted by ACHiPo

I emailed Dapper to get some more details on the the LED headlights. (Note that I messed up the lumens in my previous post)

Color temp: 6000k
Current draw: 2.1 Amp on High, so Low beam is less than that.
Heatsink temp: Bulbs have a fan in the back for cooling
Brightness: ~2200 Lumens on low and 2400 Lumens on High Beams

Here's quick breakdown for bulb performance by types/models:

Stock sealed beam - 800-900 lumens
Standard halogen (V1,V2,575) - 1200-1300 lumens
LED (LED SEVEN, 575) - 2200 lumens
HID (V1,V2,575) - 2400 lumens
Her comments on fit: Shelby cobras typically have plenty of space behind the stock buckets which makes it perfect candidate for ANY of our 7" headlight systems including OE7. The auto manufacturers made different tab setups and we chose the most popular setup for our bases. You may need to shave a tab as needed for perfect fit. Note this doesn't void the warranty.

My comments: I'm still skeptical on the lumen spec--LED brightness specs remind me of watts per channel back in the stereo days.

2200 lumens is a good number especially at 6000K. It will look great.
It is also not so crazy bright as to upset oncoming traffic.

If everything fits INSIDE the bucket and BEHIND the lamp it will be super easy.
If the plug and power adapter need to be mounted OUTSIDE and BEHIND the
bucket, there's plenty of space but requires more time and care.

The solution I worked out used a Hella 7" round conversion lamp with a
fanless LED bulb generating 2200 lumen at 6500K. The fanless H4 design
allowed enough room for everything to fit inside the light bucket without heat issues.
Whole task including alignment took about 20 minutes.
Hella 7" Glass Conversion Headlamp, High/Low Beam (SAE/DOT) 002395301
JDM 4S-H4-2200 LED Conversion Bulb Lumens=2200 (low) 3000 (high)

I also converted everything else to LED including position, directional, brake,
license plate and Stewart Warner instrument lights. Big improvement.
Instrument cluster markings really standout with LED light.
Everything plug-n-play with the exception of (2) relays replaced
with solid-state units so directional flasher worked properly.

Have fun with your car this Summer.
The "Ford vs Ferrari" movie with Matt Damon (Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (Ken Miles) is out in June.
Your little Cobra will get lots of second looks when the movie trailer promos start.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Unique427

2200 lumens is a good number especially at 6000K. It will look great.
It is also not so crazy bright as to upset oncoming traffic.

If everything fits INSIDE the bucket and BEHIND the lamp it will be super easy.
If the plug and power adapter need to be mounted OUTSIDE and BEHIND the
bucket, there's plenty of space but requires more time and care.

The solution I worked out used a Hella 7" round conversion lamp with a
fanless LED bulb generating 2200 lumen at 6500K. The fanless H4 design
allowed enough room for everything to fit inside the light bucket without heat issues.
Whole task including alignment took about 20 minutes.
Hella 7" Glass Conversion Headlamp, High/Low Beam (SAE/DOT) 002395301
JDM 4S-H4-2200 LED Conversion Bulb Lumens=2200 (low) 3000 (high)

I also converted everything else to LED including position, directional, brake,
license plate and Stewart Warner intrument lights. Big improvement.
Instrument cluster markings really standout with LED light.
Everything plug-n-play with the exception of (2) relays replaced
with solid-state units so directional flasher worked properly.

Have fun with your car this Summer.
The "Ford vs Ferrari" movie with Matt Damon (Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (Ken Miles) is out in June.
Your little Cobra will get lots of second looks when the movie trailer promos start.

"It is also not so crazy bright as to upset oncoming traffic."

Upsetting oncoming traffic is usually less an issue of brightness and more often a result of poor aiming, poor pattern and/or mismatched lens/reflector/light source (e.g. LED bulbs in headlamp assembly designed for halogen bulb).

[Selo]

Excellent, thank you both.

[joyridin']

Are the headlights run through a relay? If not, this would be a great place to start even before you look at upgrading the headlight itself.

[Selo]

Originally Posted by joyridin'

Are the headlights run through a relay? If not, this would be a great place to start even before you look at upgrading the headlight itself.

Not sure.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Selo

Not sure.

The big danger is that the current required for the headlights is running through the switch on your dash. That is the traditional method of wiring 1960's car headlights. Even with just a regular 60 watt bulb, that is pushing a Lucas toggle switch to its limit. If you upgrade your headlights to something that draws more amperage then a relay is absolutely, positively mandatory. Personally, I think you should do it on these cars if you do much night-time driving at all. On all of our cars, it's a very easy and cheap upgrade. See my thread here, for example: Headlight Wiring Upgrade

[MKS427]

Here are some links for what I am using. They are great compared to standard halogens. They light up the road well and do not seem to bother oncoming drivers, never had anyone flash their highbeams. They have 165° beam that light up the ditches next to you.

https://www.amazon.com/Headlight-201...8-1-spons&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/SPL-Classic-H...ateway&sr=8-19


Hope you find what works for you.

[Selo]

Originally Posted by MKS427

Here are some links for what I am using. They are great compared to standard halogens. They light up the road well and do not seem to bother oncoming drivers, never had anyone flash their highbeams. They have 165° beam that light up the ditches next to you.

https://www.amazon.com/Headlight-201...8-1-spons&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/SPL-Classic-H...ateway&sr=8-19


Hope you find what works for you.

Awesome, thx.

[Jim Vander Wal]

An option.

Now, I'm old and don't like the LED headlights, either the look or the color although there are now many newer options.

I've run an older version of these and this is what I'll use in my current build. Excellent light and they look "right". Wire with a relay and good power for best performance.

https://www.rallylights.com/hella-su...t-hl39519.html Susquehanna is a great supplier.

Choose a H4 bulb that meets your needs, there are many varieties in color and output.

Jim

[120mm]

Originally Posted by Jim Vander Wal

An option.

Now, I'm old and don't like the LED headlights, either the look or the color although there are now many newer options.

I've run an older version of these and this is what I'll use in my current build. Excellent light and they look "right". Wire with a relay and good power for best performance.

https://www.rallylights.com/hella-su...t-hl39519.html Susquehanna is a great supplier.

Choose a H4 bulb that meets your needs, there are many varieties in color and output.

Jim

I run those on my Land Cruiser. A nice upgrade with zero modifications necessary.

[kevins2]

Originally Posted by Jim Vander Wal

An option.

Now, I'm old and don't like the LED headlights, either the look or the color although there are now many newer options.

I've run an older version of these and this is what I'll use in my current build. Excellent light and they look "right". Wire with a relay and good power for best performance.

https://www.rallylights.com/hella-su...t-hl39519.html Susquehanna is a great supplier.

Choose a H4 bulb that meets your needs, there are many varieties in color and output.

Jim

I drive with my headlights on all the time for better visibility but know that the 6014 sealed beams in the car now are close to pathetic. I do drive at night in the heat of the summer, so have always wanted to upgrade and this thread got me off my butt to do so. I wanted to go LED but, didn't want the high color temperature once I looked at what's available. I spoke with Susquehanna and, unfortunately, they can't get the Hella Super 7's for 3 months so I had to order them elsewhere. I also learned that it would be a mistake to put LED bulbs in these lights because the reflectors are designed for halogen/xenon bulbs and the pattern would be screwed up with LEDs. The lights come with "standard" Hella H4 bulbs but Susquehanna recommended the Hella xenon plus 50% bulbs. Not sure what the real difference would be but I may order a set after installing the lights and keep the standard bulbs as spares. I'll have to compare the specs to decide if it's really worth it. I expect these lights will be much brighter and better pattern as shipped with the standard bulbs.

Kevin

[Grubby]

I found the Sylvania Silverstars to be a pretty big improvement over the tripods and they look period correct.

John

[RUFdriver]

Does the car have a Tremec? If it’s not been registered for warranty they will send you a free shift knob. Lots of sources for shift knobs, find out the thread size and start searching. I like a nice white knob, but that’s me.

[Selo]

Cool, thanks.