Headlights with turn signals

[CUDA JAS]

I want to put headlights with an intergrated parking lights / trun signals into my cuda and then get rid of the ugly factoy parking lights / trun signals.

I found these on ebay and it looks liek they will work (of course I would change the color of the little bulbs).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2&item=120412693773&category=33710&viewitem=

I have no real knowledge on these new fangled headlights... so anything you can tell me about them would be cool (like do they work as both high and low beams, do they have the ugly blueish tint, are they good for everyday driving, what is a projector style).
 

Thanks,

Jas 

 

[Beck]

i want some for my car too some day,
here's another option:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Halogen-headlights-7%22-w%2Fbuilt-in-turnsignal%2Fpark-lights_W0QQitemZ170324904897QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090427?IMSfp=TL090427147006r18635

[426HEMI]

That does look pretty good I must admit.  Could just fix the turn signals and they would stay in better condition not having the heat of the bulb on them,

[CUDA JAS]

i want some for my car too some day,
here's another option:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Halogen-headlights-7%22-w%2Fbuilt-in-turnsignal%2Fpark-lights_W0QQitemZ170324904897QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090427?IMSfp=TL090427147006r18635

Yeah, I like those too.  Joe Rogan;s cuda uses somethign similar (that is where I got the idea from).  But they are so expensive!!!

[hotrod98]

Summit has some that are very similar for half of the price, but theirs have the amber portion at the bottom instead of the clear which doesn't look as good.
I've always hated the 72-74 turn signals. They look like an engineering afterthought. I plan to replace the headlamps on my wife's 73 and then use a 70 valance insert.
I've also thought about taking an old tail lamp housing and cutting it open. Then taking a trailer light with the led panel and cutting it open and using the led panel in the cuda tail lamp. I would use four of the tail lamps instead of two tail lamps and  two reverse lamps.
Has anyone tried that yet?  If not, I'll post some pics when I get around to that project. Would be much cheaper than using the Lotus tail lamps which run around $1000 for a set of four.

[CHL2T]

I've also thought about taking an old tail lamp housing and cutting it open. Then taking a trailer light with the led panel and cutting it open and using the led panel in the cuda tail lamp. I would use four of the tail lamps instead of two tail lamps and  two reverse lamps.
Has anyone tried that yet?  If not, I'll post some pics when I get around to that project. Would be much cheaper than using the Lotus tail lamps which run around $1000 for a set of four.

Do it!, I too have thought of engineering a light set up for the reverse lenses and your idea seems very likely to turn work well.

I was thinking of drilling holes and inserting led's but I don't have an extra set to experiment on

[hotrod98]

Do it!, I too have thought of engineering a light set up for the reverse lenses and your idea seems very likely to turn work well.

I was thinking of drilling holes and inserting led's but I don't have an extra set to experiment on

That won't put out enough light. You need an LED panel. The trailer versions are by far the cheapest way to go. I talked to a guy at SEMA last fall whose company sells a larger version of the trailer light, but I haven't been able to find the literature that he gave me. I may do a little more research before buying the trailer versions. That larger LED panel would fill up the entire tail lamp. More is better.
I also need to install a high mounted tail lamp in the back window of my wife's cuda. Wouldn't work on my cuda though due to the rear louvers. Being rear ended in these old cars is becoming a big problem. People are so used to seeing more and brighter brake lights on the new cars. A friend of mine lost a real nice 74 Cuda due to someone hitting him. The lady said that she never saw any brake lights in the back window so just didn't stop in time.

[Old Moparz]

Are those things even legal? Don't they have to be DOT approved? We all have made modifications to our cars over the years, but I'm more interested in the "less is more" approach. I like being able to go through a moto vehicle inspection without problems & sure as heck don't like to part with money to pay a ticket.

[hotrod98]

They should be DOT legal. Anything with an LED is sure to be brighter than those lousy 1930's vintage turn signal bulbs that we have in our cars now.
Thankfully, they no longer inspect autos here in Arkansas. They decided to just increase the fines for the offenses instead. 
I'm definitely going to convert the 73 to the new style headlamps with the turn signals and use the 70 style valance insert. I'll also convert the tail lamps to LED and use four tail lamps instead of the back-up lamps.
Once the a/c is hooked up, I'll finally feel like the car is where I want it to be.
With the fuel injection, overdrive trans, cruise and great fuel mileage, the 73 is pretty much our main driver nowadays.

[CHL2T]

I was bored this morning so I yanked the reverse light from the Cuda, and proceeded to open 'er up

It was actually pretty easy, I CAREFULLY removed the foam gasket, cut the tangs off the housing, scraped the extra glue from foam attachment, the ever so slowly pried up @ the cutouts and out it popped. There was no glue holding the lens to the housing (thank you Mother Mopar).

So, I was looking online for LED lights to potentially install and found these, http://www.vehiclelight.com/4ledstkit.html

Or these, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=95974

I haven't searched too exhaustively yet, but seems like these are the standard.

Clearly these will require some severe modification to work, but for the price,  whatever

I want to find something just a little bigger i.e. 4 1/2 would be perfect since the reflector inside is 5 3/8.

How I will  continue to use the reverse lights will be the next question, I was thinking about simply using a black sharpie and duct tape (LOL) to cover the center of the new led setup and then use the reverse lights as is.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

By the way, does anyone have a spare set of trim rings for the reverse lights? mine were long gone before I got the car

[hotrod98]

Do you need the reverse lamps? I was just going to use four tail lamps. The LED's draw much less amperage so four LED tail lamps will draw much less current than the old style two bulb setup.
I don't think there are any DOT laws concerning reverse lamps on the old cars. I know there's not in this state.
 

[CHL2T]

Hard to say if we "need" reverse lights, I was just thinking of keeping it looking stock and functioning since I dont have an extra set of brake lights, if I did, then yeah, I would go with the four brake lights and heck with the reverse lights.

[hotrod98]

Our '73 is nowhere near stock so changing the tail lamps would be a minor modification on this car.

Here's what it would look like with four tail lamps.

[CUDA JAS]

Hey guys,

Cool idea for the tail lights, but I soemthgin a little more involved in mind...not that I havce any idea how to do it yet.

I also found these headlisghts.

http://www.optionracing.com/features/products/productDetail.jsp?itemID=29

not a bad price...and you are not buying from ebay..so if there is anything wrong it is easier to take them back.

I might try them out eventually.

Jas

[GoodysGotaCuda]

These too

http://www.chevsofthe40s.com/detail/15610.html