I just fitted the first of a pair of Holley Retrobright LED headlights on my Federal '71 +2, and wow what an improvement over the old Lucas units. Subjectively I’d say 3-4x brighter. I haven’t driven with them yet, but look forward to seeing how they perform on the road. (I don’t know if my Lucas units are defective, but they seem exceptionally dim)
These are completely plug and play 7" replacemets, with the same 3-pin connector as original. A 5 minute job to install (not counting getting the exterior trim ring off lol).
They are a snug fit in the bowl as the connector is on a short lead that has to be wound up inside. Otherwise the back of the lamp is about the same depth as original. The glass lens is a fair bit flatter.
They come in different color temperatures, I got the 3000K so it has the warmer light.
Not cheap, and I don’t know if available outside the US. But seeming like they work well, and dead easy to install with no electrical rework required. They draw less power than the Lucas units, and will run cooler too.
Someone on USA7s recently posted about these after installing them on his Caterham and he had the same reaction. It appears these are a great option for someone who wants LED output but a more traditional appearance. Thanks for sharing!
I fancy some of these for my Plus 2. Are they available in the UK? A quick search didn’t turn up anything quite like these. I’m off to the US in June so if they are a better buy in the US I might pick some up then.
It’s a bulb only conversion bat are a big improvement. Mine have been in since 2021 with no problem other than they do interfere with the radio a little . I’m sure I could eliminate this but haven’t got round to it .
Cheers
Baggy
PS I’m in UK - I see the price on the link has come up in dollars - no idea why !
The software tool that creates the preview screen is hosted on a server in New York. Classic Cars software is geo smart and switched it over to USD. When you click on the link, it will switch to the correct currency based on your locale.
In the UK, I fitted H4 lamps in warm white sold by Classic Car LEDs in my Plus 2, easy to fit and very good: The difference with the normal bulbs is night and day so to speak…!
For those in the US looking at the Holleys, before I put the 2nd one in I did a crude brightness comparison using an iPhone lightmeter app. The difference was about 5x brighter at the brightest part, so a nice bump indeed.
Second one now installed and working. Looking forward to trying them out on the road once I can drive the car again! I live in a fairly rural area without much street lighting so good headlights are a necessity.
Thanks - understood