Electrical Headlight Upgrades For Your 64-78 Mustang

Headlight technology has come a LONG way since the good ol' 7" glass sealed-beam headlight ruled the road.
Just because our cars are old is no reason to keep using old headlight technology that has long since been passed by.

There are a TON of options available on Amazon, Ebay, and several other sites, in fact, there are so many it can be mind-boggling. There are now 7" LED headlights, 7" housing with LED turn signals built in, 7" with a socket for a 194 bulb so you can either use your headlight as a turn signal as well, integrate the parking lamp, or just add some color (not street legal).

I myself just wanted something brighter, a little cleaner looking, and the ability to upgrade bulbs.

I went with these:


The headlight housings are Chinese, and were on Ebay for a whopping $24 including shipping. They're DOT-legal, have real glass lenses, and are surprisingly well made for the price. The bulbs themselves are Phillips CrystalVision 9003 bulbs. I got them from Amazon for $27.



Here, I start with removing the two trim screws in the top of the trim ring, both are phillips.



After both screws are removed, tilt the bezel forward at the top and lift up gently, there is a tab at the bottom of the bezel that will stick a little bit if it's been years since yours were disassembled like mine.


You will find six screws around the headlight, leave the three for the adjustment alone (unless you know what you're doing with adjustments) and remove the three that just hold the retaining ring in.


You can actually remove the old bulb with just two screws removed and the third loosened, but getting the new one in will be a bit difficult.



At this point, I realized the rubber caps over the backs of the housings weren't going to fit with my headlights' cups. They're only there to keep moisture and dust out, and with these lights being mounted the way they are, it shouldn't be a problem, so I ditched the boots, but I'll hang on to them in case I find that I do need them (at which point I'll modifiy the cups).

(Continued next post, hit the picture limit.)