I've gone and bought new H4, H1 Halogen lights to retire the 4 sealed beam units. The existing plugs will plug directly into the new bulbs.

Do I need to change anything else? relay, loom etc? or is the existing stock setup ok?

The new halogen bulbs are standard wattage, ie; 55/60w H4, 55w H1.

Thanks for looking.

 

Why would you need to change anything else? Why would anything else need to be changed? As you say, they're plug and play. Just install them and drive the car!

 

Agreed. Sealed beam halogens were introduced as standard equipment in 78 North American cars, but they've been around a lot longer than that. They were retro designed to be compatible for previous model years so you should have no issues with the install and use. As you are also aware they are also brighter than conventional beams.

 

If you drive with the main beams (high beams) on for any length of time the breaker will blow in the headlight switch and so you should install a relay to operate the two high beam lamps to take the load off the headlight switch. I have had H4 & H1 lamps in my 442 from about 1974 and had to add the relay to resolve the breaker problem. There is a thread in a dark corner of this site about these lights.

 

Thanks Yellowstatue, thats just the kind of tip I was looking for

 

Original headlamps were 4002 Hi/Low bulbs (on the outside) at 37.5W low beam / 55W High beam, and 4001 High Beams (on the inside) at 37.5W each.

That means that on low beam they draw 75W, and on high beam they draw 185W.

The new lights you list will draw 110W on low beam and 230W on high beam.
That's 55W more than the stock setup, and may be enough to trip the breaker, as stated above.

I would agree that adding a relay in each circuit would be a very good idea, and it would also very likely bring more current to the bulbs than the stock setup, as it would bypass a bunch of fairly narrow wire, and some corroded contact sets.

- Eric

 

I put all halogen lights in my 72 Cutlass years ago and never had a problem out of it. Maybe I was just lucky.

 

You probably used the externally identical sealed-beam halogens, which are the same wattage as the originals.

The OP is talking about using non-sealed-beam units that use separate H1 and H4 bulbs of a higher wattage.

- Eric

 

You would be correct Eric. I should pay more attention. Heck, I have sealed beam halogens in my 54. I also have two sets of 6 volt halogens if anybody is interested. I bouth them for a 1949 Ford I didn't buy.

 

And now we have been trampled upon by progress, as we can now purchase 'LED' headlights @ what? two watts each!!! maybe a little more. I haven't checked, and we can use wire as thin as our hair.

 

Which would be a pretty thin wire indeed in some of our cases.

- Eric

 

In my case that would be the gray wire.

 

Check wiring config when plugging & playing, IIRC some if the pin positions in plug change w/ the replaceable bulbs. I did this not that long ago and feel moderate shame for not remembering.

I would definitely put it on relays, one for low, one for high & don't scrimp on the wire size. IIRC fed relay w/ 10 or 12 gauge & then next gauge lighter to each bulb, ground wires should be as large as feed.

 

I've had a rethink on this after re-reading Yellowstatue's post,
I went back and revisited Nop's thread, https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-hella-h1.html and although all the info is there, it looks like a lot of work, SO, I have decided to go for the 21st century option and put in LED head lights.
This should negate the need for relays and extra beefed up wiring, as Yellowstatue is correct in that LED setup will draw less than the existing sealed beam head lights.
Only drawback is the cost of the bulbs. They have the same pin configuration as the existing plugs and are a direct replacement for H4 and H1 bulbs, so will fit directly into the new lenses.
I am about to go to the auto parts shop so I will keep this thread updated.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Cibie headlights I have, use a metal reflector (the back of the light is metal and the lense is glass) and so you must ensure that the ground wire for the lights is on the ground terminal which is the metal reflector, otherwise you will blow a breaker. It shouldn't happen on the low beam plugs but the high beam plug can be inverted.

 

If you are worried about cooking your existing headlight wires, you can always install a plug and play relay harness.
I found one on Amazon that was designed for a 4 headlight system just like our CS’s.
It took me 30 minutes to install completely on a 71 cs and light my 4 lights with more power directly from the battery and not via thin 16 AWG (??) headlight wires.
The new harness is hidden under the Radiator cover and uses signals from your existing lighting system to active the dedicated relays.
The new harness had all 14 AWG wires and dedicate Relays for High and low beams. Each circuit can handle over 300 watts. And cost less than $60 bucks including shipping.

In my case I do not run high wattage bulbs, I just wanted to reduce the voltage drop to my yellow T3’s.
My lights are brighter since they are running at batter voltage, without the loss of going though the dashboard wiring.

Question:
What is the stock gauge for the Headlight wires in a CS?

 

After reading through this thread and others as well, I "think" I am ready to upgrade to the semi sealed units. Does anyone have any recommendations of what mfg to go with?

 

I like Cibie, but they are hard to find and expensive. Take a look at the halo type lights available.