I read the earlier comments on LED head light upgrades, mostly from about 2020- I did the LED upgrade in my instrument cluster, and sadly underwhelmed. My headlights still work, but my eyes aren’t in as good of condition. Oncoming lights at night really bother me, especially the new very bright, very white lights. Anyway, I found these on Ebay, and it seems like they might be a good choice-4PCS 5.75" Round LED Headlights Hi/Lo for Mercury Cougar 1967-76 Monterey Comet | eBay
I know you get what you pay for, but sometimes you get what you pay for. I love driving my 69, and am still only almost out of my 500 mile break in period for the new clutch, with the fresh rebuilt engine. But driving after dark is not fun for me anymore.
There is a major difference between driving my modern car vs the Cougar.
It’s like there aren’t any lights on at all. That is why an upgrade is in the future.
IMO, those are a very poor choice. With a 6000k color temp, you’ll have a lot of difficulty seeing. LEDs right now are either cheap junk or expensive for good quality.
My favorite upgrade for a four headlight system is a relay pack harness along with an Hella H4 conversion low beam housing, and a standard H5001 halogen high beam. I have the same setups in both my 71 XR7 and our 71 Country Squire wagon.
Relay harness
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XJ771YQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Low beams
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G7A9YS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
High beams
https://a.co/d/aGKFKFi
woodsnake-Read the reviews on those lights. I decided to switch to led and went with these:5-3/4" Stock Glass Metal Headlight LED 4000Lm H4 Light Bulb Headlamp Set of 4 | eBay
Recommend here:
LED Headlight Conversion - #11 by MikeyinTX
All I can say is they are incredible!
Agreed. I have bought the Octane kit several times and installed it. Awesome and half the price of halogen.
I agree as well on the Octane LED kit. I decided after a 3 1/2 hour night trip back from the regional show in Maryland a couple years ago I needed to make the change for safety. What a difference. I can see again at night on a dark road. A little difficult getting the lights and trim rings in but manageable.
Steve
For the guys who have installed the Octane kit. Do you keep the headlight relay setup if was already installed for halogens or ditch it ?
Interesting reading! I have saved the Octane kit- the difference of a hundred bucks from my link, vs utility in today’s world is nothing. The Cougar is pretty much away for the winter, certainly no more night driving, (after 4:30 in the afternoon, this time of year…) But this seems an easy weekend project.
The Octane kit is LED’s so the current is dramatically reduced. No need for the relays.
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Afterthought….the one downfall I can see is the absence of a beam pattern. Although they are extremely bright, they don’t project the light in one direction. It goes everywhere. Lights up the tops of trees! So the glare factor to on coming traffic is high.
I’ve had them for 11 months now and have used them only a few times.
I’m parked on the a bike path to the right side of the road, there. And I always told my son, ‘that white line is your best friend when you encounter a vehicle with bright lights’.
The low beams should have a cut off line that prevents them from illuminating above a certain height and when aimed properly and they should not blind oncoming traffic. The high beams don’t have that cut off line and they will blind oncoming traffic. That’s why you always switch off the high beams when you approach other vehicles.
I fully agree with your comments. I upgraded my instrument cluster to LED, and I am totally disappointed. And my 73 XR7 has absolutely woeful headlights, but I am undecided about LEDs for them. I am at the stage now, where I try to avoid driving at night because I find oncoming bright white lights nearly blinding, and I don’t wish to inflict that on others if I upgrade my headlights. So, where to now??
You need to find a pair of night driving glasses.
I’ve prescription glasses with a yellow tint that helps. May switch to a light brown this year
The other problem could be a pitted windshield which could increase issues.
Remember when halogens came out?
The plastic lenses have now faded from UV which is why they now have lens cleaning kits or services.
They are now about the brightness as our old school lights!
I installed LED taillights and headlights on my 73 convertible and now I can drive at night without any issues. Before making the change I had to make sure I was home before nightfall.
Here is where I aimed the low beams to ensure they would not blind on coming traffic.
With LED tail lights and head lights.
Low Beams. Aimed properly.
Makes a world of difference.
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Thanks for the pics Electric Wizard! Those are very helpful. Can you tell me which brand of headlights you installed?
Dapper Lighting.
Dapper Lighting- The Most Trusted Name in Classic Car Lighting
I chose the classic style as I wanted the lights to look like the original.
Thanks! I’ve been looking at Dapper for a while now. I missed a group buy on VMF a while back. They’re on sale now. Hmmmmm…
A couple more questions since you chose Dapper.
-what LED low beam did you chose-13w or 30w?
-what did you do for the high beams-halogen or LED?
-are all 4 headlamps dual beam-hi and low?
Having a proper cut off pattern is the key to not blinding other drivers and putting then light where you can actually use it.
Seems like the dapper kit is the way to go based on the cut off alone. I don’t like the projector look on a classic but it seems theirs are not too bad of a look