Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: H4 headlights (Read 3010 times) previous topic - next topic

H4 headlights

i want to put the clear lensed H4 head lights in my cat, the one that have the blueish tint. i though i read you need a conversion kit or something to install the because they run on a different voltage or something. can anyone that has done this conversion help me out. were can i get them for a reasonalbe price? and how sell the kit? i know i read this somewere before but i dont remember where.
1986 Cougar LS

H4 headlights

Reply #2 –
Would there be any benefit of doing the conversion instead of using the Silverstar 4656? I have been contemplating this for a while and I noticed they now have the Silverstar 4656, and I didn't know what would be better. Any opinions?

H4 headlights

Reply #3 –
I've been contemplating the H4 conversion myself....

To do it right would take a complete rewiring of the headlight circuits... I tink if I could just get new H4 plugs with pigtails it wouldn't be a problem.  I'd hate to have to use anything from APC on my car.
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo - '85 Marquis LTS - '86 LTD Wagon-  '81 Granada GL 2dr
 

H4 headlights

Reply #4 –
OK, let me chime in here before things run rampant. I have a lot of experience with H4 installations on these cars.

The Silverstar replacement 4656's are good. Ric has them on his '85 and I've ridden with him at night. They have a very good pattern (for a stock-style headlight) and from the outside they are noticeably bluish but more toward the white range. If you do not want to modify your stock wiring at all, then those would be a good solution. (You also have to remember, though, that Ric almost never uses his headlights due to mostly daytime driving to and from car shows, so his wiring is practically "virginal" LOL).

Chuck, you don't have to hack up any stock wiring using the APC harness. I know, I know, it's an APC product. However...I am pretty impressed with the solidity of craftsmanship that has gone into the harness. It impressed me, and that's not easy to do! I mean, if it were , I wouldn't have it in the convertible, right?

So anyway, here's how it works: you string the harness along the inside of the header panel. There are 2 relays, 1 per side, in the harness. You have to figure out where to mount them; I bolted them to that tang that sticks out of the core support by the high beam hole:


What's nice is that this harness can be flipped around, for either passenger-side or driver-side battery locations. So, from there, you hook up the ground wires (convenient eyelet loops, like factory...in fact, you can hook them right to the stock ground wires on the core support), then the main power wire goes directly to the battery (for much improved voltage across all lights). It also has a nice quick-disconnect harness. Then put all of the H4's in and it's mostly wired.

Now, the beauty of the H4 harness from APC is how the power is distributed. In order to get the harness working, you must plug one of the stock low/high beam harnesses into a special socket on the APC harness. This is where you will get the high/low switching from. The bad news is that the stock harness is not pinned for an H4 bulb. You must repin that harness, but just the one you're plugging in. It's only 3 wires. And the cool part: if you ever need to go back, look at the other side to get the wires corrected. Nice, simple, efficient:


That's literally all there is to it. The wiring is heavy enough in gauge to handle 100w bulbs across the board. You just let the stock harness hang. Should you ever need to go back to stock, you easily can. I really couldn't recommend a better setup.

H4 headlights

Reply #5 –
Eric
Well I understand the wiring need for power requirments, and I would use relays and the "stock" circuit to engergize them.  I have a power junction block utilized since the battery is relocated.

It's kind of since I have already rewired the engine harness custom, why not do the lighting, and not have extra wiring in the car from the old stuff.  I'm not too concerned with "going back" in this instance, but I can see how that might be advantageous.

I guess for my application, if H4 plugs/pigtail are available, I can handle the rest myself.
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo - '85 Marquis LTS - '86 LTD Wagon-  '81 Granada GL 2dr

H4 headlights

Reply #6 –
I did the H4 conversion on mine back around 1990. I used a Hella kit for the conversion and it was a very simple bolt-in operation. After installation I immediately saw a loss in the amount of light output and was disappointed because I had spent about $70 for each kit (one kit for the low beams, & one kit for the high beams). My brother who is a design engineer quickly pointed out the problem and helped me assemble a new wiring harness with relays so that the lights could get full power from the battery instead of channeling it through the factory light switch. It made a world of difference and gave me what I was wanting in the first place.
Now you purchase already assembled wiring kits to do this and Eric mentions these on his website. I would recommend getting one even if you run standard wattage bulbs, it will help boost the output of the lights and is just that much safer.
The Hella kit that I bought back then was made to Europeon standards and does not meet DOT specs so technically it’s not legal but I wanted that specific kit for its lens fluting, knowing that it would most likely give me more light down the road than one that was DOT approved.
I wonder if the DOT kits that Hella has now are the same as my kit or if the fluting is any different

Brent
1985 Mercury Cougar XR-7 - 5-speed 
One of 1,246 built

H4 headlights

Reply #7 –
Chuck I know you can get those H4 plugs at oreillys. They have them in stock. I sounds pretty simple to me. How much are those APC housings?
84 Turbo coupe 2.3T Modded with 88 upper and lower intake, 88 injectors, E6 manifold, T3-4 AR.60 turbo, 31X12X3 FMIC, Homemade MBC , Greddy knock off BPV.
4 eyes see better than 2! 
Da Bird!

FreeBird

H4 headlights

Reply #8 –
Gotcha, Chuck. I didn't know if you were doing a custom harness or not...in your case, since you have the knowledge and access, then it makes a lot of sense. For everyone else that isn't rewiring the engine bay, then the instructions would apply to them. BTW, you've got guts doing that LOL.

Brent, looks great! I had that same fluting pattern on my original H4's. I've since stepped up to the diamond/"clear" style:


They look the same as everything I've seen lately. What I've found out is that almost all newer H4 lenses are marked as DOT approved. Whether or not they really are, though...flip a coin. I would bet that most of them aren't. However, if you get pulled over then you can at least point that out to the officer and feign ignorance. ;)

H4 headlights

Reply #9 –
Quote from: EricCoolCats;110116
Gotcha, Chuck. I didn't know if you were doing a custom harness or not...in your case, since you have the knowledge and access, then it makes a lot of sense. For everyone else that isn't rewiring the engine bay, then the instructions would apply to them. BTW, you've got guts doing that LOL.

Well I have to wire up the fogs as well...so it's really not a big deal.

As far as the engine goes...I wanted a new harness for the MegaSquirt ;)  Kind of fun actually :grinno:
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo - '85 Marquis LTS - '86 LTD Wagon-  '81 Granada GL 2dr

H4 headlights

Reply #10 –
how much does that haness run?

so all i have to do is repin the socket and everything else seems pretty simple,

how do i re pin it? i dont understand what you mean
1986 Cougar LS

H4 headlights

Reply #11 –
The location of the wires in the socket needs to be changed. simple to do, they just trade places.
1980 birds X 3, 1982 bird, 1984 XR7, 1988 TC

H4 headlights

Reply #12 –
got it!
1986 Cougar LS

H4 headlights

Reply #14 –
where would i get that kit? i looked for their website and i didnt get one. are they just wholesale and i need to get it from a different retailer?
1986 Cougar LS