You did not look at my link did you, it speaks of things like this, using housings with reflectors specifically designed for the bulbs in them, LEDs do not reflect, that is why the ultra bright LED lights have multiple LEDs in them, ALSO, to make them bright, they sacrifice their longevity, they burn hotter, require a heat sink, the housing need be designed for them or risk over heating and burn out. I saw an awesome LED light on Ebay, guy is using a pc processor heat sink, with a fan, not even 12 volts and brighter than any offroad lamp I've seen, but without that large heat sink it would last only a few minutes.

 

I glanced over it. I will have to see if I can find he ones I ws talking about. They were rated for more light output than the halogens. They also had a built in heatsink and fan. They were not the simple bulb replacement.

 

I am speaking from collective knowledge of many who have tried them:

Reports from various automotive, motorcycle, and lighting forums, and personal friends who tried them and went back to halogen lighting.

Quality name-brand LED headlamps are fine, but cheap chinese LED replacement bulbs, used in DOT housings, are great for show and tell, but rarely outperform a standard H4 halogen bulb.

But you seem to be firmly on the path to LED bulbs...so let us know how it works out for you.

 

REDOVAL on this forum makes projector headlights for our vans,I have a set and they are awesome !!URL=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/Gordy_Foster/media/vanprojectorheadlights-1.jpg.html][/URL

 

Those look nice, there are several company's on ebay, they don't light the road all that good tho, not sure how well those work.

 

Output shot from the projector HID lights GFoster showed above



Low beam output shot




High beam output shot


Scott

 

Redoval:

Projector HID housings would surely get my interest if they were a drop-in replacement for the standard sealed-beam/6054 style. (not just a cheap HID H4 bulb in a DOT housing)

Those look good in the forward looking image but I cant tell if thats HID on Low, and HID plus Halogen on high, maybe? and where is the sharp Lo beam cut-off line? Is that it at the base of the beige-colored wall? (or maybe thats a reflection off a wet surface...hard to tell)

Do you have an image showing Hi and Lo beams projected on a plain, flat wall?

 

tx2sturgis,
My lights are direct replacements for the sealed beam version and composite version headlamps. They come complete with the parts needed for either job. I will have to take pictures of the light output against a wall for the cutoff and high beam patterns. In the photo, the cutoff line on the low beam is at the base of the wall. That wall was about 200ft from the front of the van so the cutoff will be less clear than if the wall were closer. The second pic was with the high beams on. With these lights, the high beam is simply the cutoff shield moving out of the beam pattern. When this happens, the lights illuminate both above and below the low beam cutoff providing more distance and a fuller light pattern.

Scott

 

Looks great, if I was going to keep my 99 I'd consider getting those, but I'm gonna stick with my 73, I'd like some HID driving lights.

 

Scott, thank you for all the good information...do you have a website or maybe an ebay listing for these lamps?

And here is the really tough question: Are they at all compatible with DRLs?

 

No website or listings other than this forum, SMB and Expo. These work seamlessly with the stock daytime running lights if they came on your van.

Scott

 

I like your option Redoval. This is probably the best solution for the lousy headlights we have.
I have 9007 HIDs on the standard headlights. I love them and, after some adjustments, they do not bother the oncoming traffic but the light pattern is a little bit sketchy. A projector seems the right way to go.

Have you tried painting everything flat black? Since the reflector is useless once you install the projector it will look a lot meaner and cleaner.

In addition to the HIDs I have a LED bar for the lovely UFO landing experience.

 

What are the details? Are these made from scratch? or are they projectors from another car/truckl that are adapted to the ford van housing? Price?Where are you located?

 

GreeVan,

The light housings and shrouds can be painted since they don't add any value to the light output with the projectors. Personally, I think they would look a little odd to be completely blacked out, but to each his own! After all, it would be pretty boring if all our vans looked the same!

Scott

 

The light housings are aftermarket units readily available through internet sources and are intended for the Ford E-Series vans. I purchase them retail and remove the lens to install the projector housing assembly. They are re-glued back together using professional 3M products and tested on my fixture (OEM van header panel) for functionality and light output/beam adjustment. I modify the mounts since they don't work seamlessly as delivered (still can't convince the manufacturers...long story). After my mods they actually slip into your car like the OEM units.

I sell them in kits and there are many options. The base models start at $350 (as of 5-13-15) complete with everything you need to upgrade your vehicle including the lights, matching turn signal housings, HID kit and bixenon relay wire harness. Additional options are available and include LED daytime running lights (+$30) and halo led rings around the shrouds (+$100). The light kits come in either all chrome or black/chrome in any of the options listed above.

Hit me up for a quote and we can discuss details.

Scott