Holley Retrobright Headlights

1681 Views 30 Replies 17 Participants Last post by 123pugsy, 2 mo ago

Jerry Briggs

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago

Thought I would update the 67 wagon headlights as we drive quite a bit after dark with it. Saw a Malibu with the Holley Retrobright lights at local cruise-in. Was really impressed with the amount of light that they produce. Went to order some from Holley and boy what a shock $200 each for a total of $800 for 4 headlights. Anyone using a more reasonably priced product?

Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Land vehicle

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658Chevy

· #2 · 3 mo ago

I'm very happy with these:

www.ebay.com

5-3/4 Stock Glass / Metal Headlight 6k LED HID H4 Light Lamp Bulb Headlamp Pair 664979114351 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 5-3/4 Stock Glass / Metal Headlight 6k LED HID H4 Light Lamp Bulb Headlamp Pair at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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There is a newer generation that's supposed to be a little brighter and is a little more expensive. Mine, however, are already super bright and a huge upgrade even over the Halogen bulbs with relays installed.

You do have to take the time to aim them carefully. If they're pointed too low they'll be ineffective but if they're too high not only will they be ineffective but they'll also blind oncoming cars. The sweet spot is narrow but well worth the effort to find.

I didn't bother replacing the high beams as these LED's do the trick and I rarely use the high beams anyway. If you do buy and install them, be sure to use the rubber boots that shield the LED's from water. It's a little tricky getting them on but tech support can guide you if you need help. I say this as many reviewers on Youtube tossed the rubber boots which is a very bad idea.

Good luck! I love mine and now I can drive after dark without white knuckles.

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FORDvsCHEVY

· #3 · 3 mo ago

Wheel Tire Cloud Car Vehicle

I use the 7” rounds from Phillips. Good lighting. Maybe see if they make these in a 5”

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/phl-h6024led?seid=srese1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItv7Jspr0_QIV8w2tBh0iHwzXEAQYAiABEgJbT_D_BwE

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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123pugsy

· #4 · 3 mo ago

Jerry Briggs said:
Thought I would update the 67 wagon headlights as we drive quite a bit after dark with it. Saw a Malibu with the Holley Retrobright lights at local cruise-in. Was really impressed with the amount of light that they produce. Went to order some from Holley and boy what a shock $200 each for a total of $800 for 4 headlights. Anyone using a more reasonably priced product?
View attachment 765622

WTF???

That would be 1400 bucks up here to replace headlights. Wow..........
I figure I should be able to buy 100 headlights for that kind of money.....OK, back under my rock I go.....

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blm

· #5 · 3 mo ago (Edited)

I've got a set of these on my 69. They are high quality and are available with Hella housings and the lenses are glass. I am very happy with mine. Did a thread when installed them showing the light output. It is impressive. Did not have to modify my buckets to install.
When it comes to LED headlights the housing is probably more important than the bulb.

vintagecarleds.com

VC3500 CLASSIC 5.75 INCH LED HEADLIGHT KIT - Vintage Car LEDs

Each kit includes: 2 assembled Glass H4 DOT spec 5.75" housings 2 LED bulbs. Fits low beam headlight buckets without modification May require modification to fit high beam headlight buckets

vintagecarleds.com

GoFast Beaumont

· #6 · 3 mo ago

Basically any 5.75” round headlight off of amazon will do the same for a fraction of the cost

blm

· #7 · 3 mo ago

GoFast Beaumont said:
Basically any 5.75” round headlight off of amazon will do the same for a fraction of the cost

Well I respecfully disagree. Are you suggesting that an incandescent or Halogen bulb will have the same output as an LED? Or if strictly talking the difference between LED bulbs then there is a vast difference in quality and light output. LED bulbs cast their light output In a very different manner than incandescent bulbs. Therefore housing design is very important in the quality of LED light output.
Saying any 5.75 round headlight will do the same is akin to saying because they are both automobiles a Toyota Corolla will give the same experience as a Chevrolet Corvette.

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GoFast Beaumont

· #8 · 3 mo ago

blm said:
Well I respecfully disagree. Are you suggesting that an incandescent or Halogen bulb will have the same output as an LED? Or if strictly talking the difference between LED bulbs then there is a vast difference in quality and light output. LED bulbs cast their light output In a very different manner than incandescent bulbs. Therefore housing design is very important in the quality of LED light output.
Saying any 5.75 round headlight will do the same is akin to saying because they are both automobiles a Toyota Corolla will give the same experience as a Chevrolet Corvette.

$55 Canadian dollers none the less. 5000lumen each.

www.amazon.ca

New Brightest DOT Approved 80W 5-3/4" 5.75" Round LED Projection Headlight Compatible with Motorcycles Black, Lights - Amazon Canada

New Brightest DOT Approved 80W 5-3/4" 5.75" Round LED Projection Headlight Compatible with Motorcycles Black in Lights.

www.amazon.ca

blm

· #9 · 3 mo ago

GoFast Beaumont said:
$55 Canadian dollers none the less.

Well I have done a good bit of research into automotive LED bulbs/lights of all types exterior and interior. In the above example aside from any quality issues I would embarrassed to install those on my Chevelle from the appearance alone. I can assure you that the user of that particular light will, end up being disappointed. There is no free lunch. Cheap LEDs are just that, cheap LEDs.

123pugsy

· #10 · 3 mo ago

GoFast Beaumont said:
$55 Canadian dollers none the less. 5000lumen each.

New Brightest DOT Approved 80W 5-3/4" 5.75" Round LED Projection Headlight Compatible with Motorcycles Black, Lights - Amazon Canada

New Brightest DOT Approved 80W 5-3/4" 5.75" Round LED Projection Headlight Compatible with Motorcycles Black in Lights.

www.amazon.ca

Nice to get a decent price but too ugly to use.

Reactions: 3

Coppertop

· #11 · 3 mo ago

Jerry Briggs said:
Thought I would update the 67 wagon headlights as we drive quite a bit after dark with it. Saw a Malibu with the Holley Retrobright lights at local cruise-in. Was really impressed with the amount of light that they produce. Went to order some from Holley and boy what a shock $200 each for a total of $800 for 4 headlights. Anyone using a more reasonably priced product?
View attachment 765622

All I can say is "shop around and do your homework!".

In another thread, I pointed out the fact that Holley likes to mark up their prices due to them boasting their name. There were two identical LED bulbs (for dash instrumentation), one was on the superbright LEDs website, and the other was on the Holley website. Holley wanted almost DOUBLE for the same bulb just because it was from Holley!

So, buyer beware. Most of the time, these designs/products all come from the same overseas manufacturer, then they are re-distributed and re-labled.

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Robinls5

· #12 · 3 mo ago

Option # 2. Spend 8 or 10 dollars on two relays and a some Sylvania Halogen bulbs & 3 hours of time. NO. These are NOT L.E.D.s Headlights. BUT, Using Batt. voltage ( VIA Relays ) You end up with almost the same candle power as my 2010 Silverado. Remember, With stock Chevelle headlights get LEFTOVER voltage from INSIDE the car, Stock wiring does NOT send BATT. Voltage to headlights. My old stock wiring was sending 9--11 volts to headlights, With relays the Headlights get 13 or 14.2 or whatever the Batt. puts out. Trivia. Now at night when a car with the BLUE or L.E.D. headlights come near me and I flip on my Store bought Advance Auto,, Sylvania Halogens ( in my FAKE 1970 SS 454 Wagon ) that get 14.2 Volts, The BLUE light or L.E.D. car hit his DIMMER SWITCH !..... P.S. All new cars use relays for the headlights, I Wonder Why?

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Coppertop

· #13 · 3 mo ago

Robinls5 said:
P.S. All new cars use relays for the headlights, I Wonder Why?

That's actually for a different reason Bob. It's not to ensure they lights are "bright". ....

Robinls5

· #14 · 3 mo ago

As Richard Dawson would say " And the Answer is ? ".

Coppertop

· #15 · 3 mo ago

Robinls5 said:
As Richard Dawson would say " And the Answer is ? ".

Everything in modern cars is dictated by microprocessors. Every switch you touch simply provides an "input" to something like a body control module, power control module etc. If the "computer brain" approves of your action (when I say "approve", it means the request will be granted if other parameter are met, like the engine is not overheating, the voltage in the system is not too low, there are no other diagnostic trouble codes that could cause major issues), then the corresponding output is sent to a relay for the "heavy lifting". Modules, except for the ignition control and a select few others can not handle the heavy the loads of lighting, motors, etc. The electronic circuitry can only handle a small output current. Enough to drive a control relay. The relay in turn switches on anything from a few to let's say 60 amps of current.

When lighting got more complex, (daytime running lamps, optional fog lamps, automatic dimming, etc), it only increased the need for smart control, thus more relays. Long gone are the days of pulling a switch out and sending full power out to lights or motor, etc. etc.

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dyno jonn

· #16 · 3 mo ago

Coppertop said:
Everything in modern cars is dictated by microprocessors.

Coppertop, got any ideas how to disable DRL's on a 2002 Impala? I know the 02 cop cars had that option.

Coppertop

· #17 · 3 mo ago

dyno jonn said:
Coppertop, got any ideas how to disable DRL's on a 2002 Impala? I know the 02 cop cars had that option.

That's hilarious timing. I own a 2000.

I was probably the first 'civilian' to disable mine. I waited till the warranty was over on my car till I rewired it..... I had to go about it the long way since there was no technical info out there to the masses. I mounted dummy load resistors under the grill with relays to disable the dummy loads when the parking lamps were turned on (for normal lighting operation). I had to put high wattage resistors to "fool" the system, as if there is no current draw (from someone pulling a relay or trying to disconnect things), the Driver's Information Center displays "HI BEAM OUT".

All of the cop cars had that option. 9C1 and 9C2 detective specials. The lighting control module had an input in which a ground from the "SURV" switch (surveillance) mounted where the fog light button would be on civilian cars.) when the ground was seen, all lights would be extinguished.

I never dug into whether the civilian programming in the lighting module was different, or just the input was needed for all cars. My "Rube Goldberg" system is still working after 20 years).

There was a kit later offered thru the National Impala Owners Association website (now defunct), which I believe just tricked the computer by providing a voltage into the monitoring input. 1/2 the system voltage. I'll have to see if I still have any notes on the simpler method....

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Brian L34

· #18 · 3 mo ago

Hi Jerry,
I bought a set of LED headlights for my 72 El Camino from Headlight Experts LED and HID Headlight Conversion Kits and OEM Ballasts
Check them out.

Jerry Briggs said:
Thought I would update the 67 wagon headlights as we drive quite a bit after dark with it. Saw a Malibu with the Holley Retrobright lights at local cruise-in. Was really impressed with the amount of light that they produce. Went to order some from Holley and boy what a shock $200 each for a total of $800 for 4 headlights. Anyone using a more reasonably priced product?
View attachment 765622

Reactions: 1

658Chevy

· #19 · 3 mo ago

Robinls5 said:
Option # 2. Spend 8 or 10 dollars on two relays and a some Sylvania Halogen bulbs & 3 hours of time. NO. These are NOT L.E.D.s Headlights. BUT, Using Batt. voltage ( VIA Relays ) You end up with almost the same candle power as my 2010 Silverado. Remember, With stock Chevelle headlights get LEFTOVER voltage from INSIDE the car, Stock wiring does NOT send BATT. Voltage to headlights. My old stock wiring was sending 9--11 volts to headlights, With relays the Headlights get 13 or 14.2 or whatever the Batt. puts out. Trivia. Now at night when a car with the BLUE or L.E.D. headlights come near me and I flip on my Store bought Advance Auto,, Sylvania Halogens ( in my FAKE 1970 SS 454 Wagon ) that get 14.2 Volts, The BLUE light or L.E.D. car hit his DIMMER SWITCH !..... P.S. All new cars use relays for the headlights, I Wonder Why?

Before I added the low-beam LED's, I had that very same setup with the Sylvania bulbs and relays to the battery. It was a huge improvement over stock, but the LED's are as much brighter than the relay system than the relay system was over the factory setup. Much better than the Halogens on a relay.

You have to be very careful with LED headlights as as some are extremely bright but don't "cast" a lot of light. That makes it so others can see you from a mile away but you have trouble seeing 20 feet in front of you. The technology has improved tremendously over the last 5 or so years. I tried it back then and was disappointed, but these Octane Lighting headlights work really well.

Although I kept the relays installed, the LED headlights have a much lower wattage and don't require relays. Another advantage for those starting from scratch.

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oldguy67

· #20 · 3 mo ago

look up MAD ELECTRIC and get the relay kit,did it years ago and used NAPA Halogen bulbs.very nice upgrade.

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