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Originally Posted by The Rocknrod
How do the Cibies look on our trucks? They don't seem to be space-ship looking which is a plus.
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Originally Posted by rvrfoot
Any pictures?
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Not a 60-66, but in a '51 GMC.
And in my old '66.
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Originally Posted by The Rocknrod
I have started a relay wiring project with the rest of the new wiring (from my truck in a bucket). So you buy the Cibie, it's a reflector and then buy an H4 bulb? I remember Sylvania makes a killer H4. I see they also have a DOT version - https://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-Headligh...8AAOSwdGpZi63o
And there is room, no modifications to the bulb housing and sheet-metal? |
Yes, the Cibie headlight is a reflector/lens with a separate bulb. That way if the bulb goes bad you only have to replace the bulb. I have run across a few headlight buckets where the opening in the rear of the bowl was smaller than the dust boot over the bulb, but it's easy to trim the opening slightly larger. I had to trim the GMC buckets slightly to clear the dust boot. Otherwise they bolt in just like sealed beams. The original buckets were only designed to clear the thre prong connector on the back of a sealed beam.
For bulbs, stay away from anything with a blue coating on the glass; that filters out light and makes them dimmer. Phillips currently makes an excellent H4/9003 bulbs ( I think the 9003 was the US designation for the bulb, H4 was the euro name for them) that has great output and precisely located filaments to maintain a crisp beam pattern. The whole problem with the Watson LED's is they're using housings designed for a H4 bulb and the LED bulb they're using changes the size and location of the light source. The reflector shape and fluting pattern of the lens can only properly distribute light if the light source is in the right place and is the right size.
H4 dual filament bulb, notice the tiny filaments and the half-bowl cover over the low beam filament. The cover helps create the low beam pattern cut off to minimize upward light/glare for oncoming traffic. The high beam filament can illuminate the whole reflector.
The LED's made to fit in a H4 headlights greatly change the size and location of the light source in relation to the reflector and lens, so it's impossible for the beam pattern created to function properly. They create more glare on low beams and less distance visibility with too much foreground lighting on high beams. The added foreground lighting is what most people look at, and then they talk about how much "brighter" they are. Having the first 20-30 feet in front of you well lit at 60 mph doesn't help much; you need the proper beam pattern that shoots light straight out to see well farther ahead. The Cibie lights on highbeams let you see for hundreds of feet out without producing too much foreground lighting.
Link to Phillips bulbs.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQWQLPO/?tag=2402507-20
The lights in your link are cheap Chinese Autopal headlights, not Hella brand, and have a poor beam pattern. The seller list the interchange part number as "Cibie Sev Marchal Hella Autopal ARB, bosch" so they pop up if you search any of those brands. Sneaky.
From his listing:
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These are DOT/SAE approved. If you are shopping headlights, and you don't see any E-Code or DOT marking, that means they have NO standard to meet - they are NOT good lights and not worth the time and money to install them. I've tried them, I know.
I also sell a non-DOT H4 headlight on my other auctions with a CITY LIGHT (dim interior bulb for use with parking lights at dusk - it's a Euro thing). The beam pattern is slightly better than these, but they are not DOT legal, technically.
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The DOT doesn't "approve" any aftermarket headlights, they just list the specs they require and it's up to the manufacture to follow the rules. Having a DOT mark on aftermarket lights doesn't mean anything as the DOT hasn't actually checked any of these aftermarket lights, or rejected anyone's false claims that they produce an adequate and legal beam pattern. The exceptions to that are OEM manufactures like Hella, Cibie, Bosch, etc who actually conform to DOT or E-Code standards.