HID or LED headlights without installing relays?

[Kern Dog]

It seems that the new crop of lighting draws less amperage while putting out more light than the traditional sealed beams. I am considering an upgrade to HID or LED headlights for the Charger to replace the sealed beam halogens.
In 2013, a friend and I tried to rewire the engine harness and install headlight relays at the same time. Something went wrong with the relay job. The headlight doors would not open and close normally. The headlights worked but I didn't notice themto be any brighter. Since I didn't like the way he was rerouting the engine bay wiring, I just went ahead and bought a new harness for each. In short, all the wiring under the hood is new as of 2013. The headlights did get brighter with the new harness but these old headlights just do not compare to what new cars have.
I see that there are a few companies making HID and LED headlights for classic cars in the 5 3/4" round size. I'm interested in hearing from people that have tried them. I'd actually LOVE to have the HID setup in the wifes 2015 Challenger but they are priced waaaay too high!

 

[eric383]

Besides the wiring, the contact in the headlight switch is the other issue. Normally LED's use less current than conventional lamps. You need to find the wattage/current draw of each lamp. I installed a relay on the headlights of my 63 Dodge and they are noticeably brighter but I didn't have to deal with headlight doors.

 

[Kern Dog]

Come on! Nobody else wants better night vision???
107 views so far and just one reply???
What...you guys all eat a bunch of carrots and don't need the light to see ?

 

[Dennis H]

I plan to do the crackedback wiring upgrade. Waiting to have help. As much for fire prevention as improved visibility.

 

[DeltaV]

I haven't tried them yet, but this guy over at the registry has the 5-3/4" round ones on his Charger.

http://www.1970chargerregistry.com/mboard/index.php?topic=4193.0

Please note he needed to make cuts/trim to install.

 

[NJRR]

Come on! Nobody else wants better night vision???
107 views so far and just one reply???
What...you guys all eat a bunch of carrots and don't need the light to see ?

I have to upgrade to front disc brakes before I drive around here at night. Too many deer roaming around my neighborhood. Jump right out in front of your car.

 

[747mopar]

I don't see why everybody buys these wiring kits.... It's so simple to do yourself! I can draw it up if someone wants?

Kern Dog, do you run all 4 on high beams? I installed Halogens with all 4 on in high and they are BRIGHT!! Also explain the headlight door issue as they are vacuum operated (yours is a 69 correct?). They do offer some great alternatives now but Halogens should be capable of putting plenty of light out. Also if your interested in cleaning up the vacuum hose mess on your doors I figured out a dirt cheap way of doing it. I have 1 hose from the motor going under the fender and that's it, the rest is electrical using mostly what's already there.

Are you sure his wiring is routed out of the way of the bucket mechanism?

 

[Kern Dog]

My car is a 70. The headlight doors are electric. The relays caused the headlight doors to only close by cycling the dimmer switch. There was something else they did that was odd, something with the headlights only able to shut off with the ignition off or something unusual.
Yes, all 4 lights are Halogens and they all come on when the high beams are on. I see cars like the Wifes 2015 Challenger and I want that level of brightness. They have a single HID outer that is a halo, turning to an HID for both high and low beam. The pattern is great and the lighting is too.
The system works great now just as it did before the friend tried the relays. The new harness did result in slightly brighter lights.

 

[747mopar]

My car is a 70. The headlight doors are electric. The relays caused the headlight doors to only close by cycling the dimmer switch. There was something else they did that was odd, something with the headlights only able to shut off with the ignition off or something unusual.
Yes, all 4 lights are Halogens and they all come on when the high beams are on. I see cars like the Wifes 2015 Challenger and I want that level of brightness. They have a single HID outer that is a halo, turning to an HID for both high and low beam. The pattern is great and the lighting is too.
The system works great now just as it did before the friend tried the relays. The new harness did result in slightly brighter lights.

I could have sworn yours was a 69. You'll have to make sure you include front end shots in the future lol.

Definitely sounds like something got buggered up in the wiring.

Keep us posted on what you do, I've got another car to do... maybe I'll like it.

 

[Kern Dog]

Front end.

 

[Kern Dog]

I was planning on swapping on a 69 front clip when I bought the car but the grille and fenders were in such good shape! After a short time the 1970 style just won me over.

 

[Dennis H]

Who says headlight doors never line up. SON of a. Those are closer than most. Were they electric from factory or converted from vacuum? Had a 79 Fifth Avenue that I thought were vacuum.

No front plate, I'm on the phone with CHP.

 

[Kern Dog]

Ha ha.... I omit the front plate on most everything I drive.
The doors have adjuster stops to allow them to be tweaked to sit right. Stock electric from 1970 and later. The motor for it interchanged with almost every hidden headlight Mopar from 1970 and later.

 

[5.7 hemi]

I run Crackedbacks h/l relays on my 69' Dart with H4 h/l's, works awesome. I just bought som led h13 h/l's and waiting on the conversion harness to show up.

 

[747mopar]

Love your car as I'm sure you already know.

I'm waiting to get pulled over for not running the front plate, really messes up the appearance on these cars. They must give the classics more slack on some rules?

 

[MT_Mopar]

It seems that the new crop of lighting draws less amperage while putting out more light than the traditional sealed beams. I am considering an upgrade to HID or LED headlights for the Charger to replace the sealed beam halogens.
In 2013, a friend and I tried to rewire the engine harness and install headlight relays at the same time. Something went wrong with the relay job. The headlight doors would not open and close normally. The headlights worked but I didn't notice themto be any brighter. Since I didn't like the way he was rerouting the engine bay wiring, I just went ahead and bought a new harness for each. In short, all the wiring under the hood is new as of 2013. The headlights did get brighter with the new harness but these old headlights just do not compare to what new cars have.
I see that there are a few companies making HID and LED headlights for classic cars in the 5 3/4" round size. I'm interested in hearing from people that have tried them. I'd actually LOVE to have the HID setup in the wifes 2015 Challenger but they are priced waaaay too high!

I did this upgrade almost two years ago, worth every penny. My 67 has lights just like a 2016 model off the showroom floor!

https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...ht-conversion-1969-plymouth-roadrunner.47376/

 

[Kern Dog]

With my obvious limitations with doing electrical work, I have hesitated to add relays after the first attempt. The headlight doors must add some complexity to the mix because when I attempted the relay conversion in 2013, I never cut into the wires leading to the door motor.
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I just went back and read from my pile of notebooks for the car. April 2013. The headlights came on but would not go off unless I switched on the high beams. The headlight doors are supposed to only open by the switch with the ignition power ON. They did it at any time but once, the lights were on while the switch was OFF and the doors would not shut until I hit the dimmer switch for high beams again.
If someone has experience with the unique 1970 Charger design with electric headlight doors, I'd consider adding the relays. Otherwise, I'm going with something that allows the use of stock wiring.

 

[bm02tj]

It is likely ground as using a relay will not let it ground through the light

 

[747mopar]

Trust me you can make it work, I still think whoever wired it last time did something wrong. I'll try to remember to look in my manual tonight and see how that motor is tied in. Do you remember where he tied in the wiring last time?

 

[747mopar]

Guess google has that covered. Looking at the diagram there's a separate relay for the headlight motor and it appears to be grounded itself not threw the headlights as suggested. If it were me I'd mount the relays up front using the actual headlight wires (that's really where they should be anyways and Can be done without messing with your new wiring).

To set your mind at ease do a trial run just to prove that it will work. Unplug all the headlights, leave the right lights unplugged and use the left high and low to trigger the 2 relays. You can either disengage the spade from your headlight socket using a torch tip cleaner to unlock the tab or make a jumper wire using a male and female spade to make the connection to terminal 85 of the relay. Ground terminal 86 and using your old harness to temporarily wire the headlights plug the high and low supply into terminal 87 of each relay (make sure low go's to the relay being triggered by the low from the dimmer and vice versa). Supply terminal 30 with a fused battery supply and you should be good to go. This should allow you to test it without messing with your wiring.