I posted this info in the "For Sale" forum - since no one will ever find this info there, I decided to cross post this info here.
Getting early style headlights on the cheap
First, for those who want early style lights on the cheap, you can convert readily available (and inexpensive repro) 356 lights to use in an early 911:
http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ad.php?t=31242
The repro guts are a bit different, as well, but fit up perfectly to the early 911, as you'll see in the thread above.
Early US versus Early Euro lights - what's the difference?
There there is the question of Early US versus Early Euro lights. Adding "Euro" style headlights to a US car is an easy conversion using an existing set of early US lights. Euro were actually the same headlight as the US lights, just with different lenses and H4 non-sealed beams.
Comparison of Early US 911 headlights:
On the US units, the sealed beam units were fluted and the bucket lenses were transparent:
Here are the correct sealed beams for a US headlight:
The differences between US and Euro headlights are that the Euro were H4 units (with removable bulbs) that didn't use the sealed beams and didn't have fluted glass...the flutes in the glass for Euro units were in the lenses, as below (please ignore the fact that these are shots of 356 light - the only meaningful difference is the tab at the bottom of the ring):
Comparison of Euro Headlights:
Adding Euro Lights to your car
Simply buy the fluted glass from Stoddard and convert your sealed beam assembly to a non-refractory H4 type and you are good to go. I took the liberty of buying yellow H4 enclosures for some added effect - it works well and looks cool! I used these very inexpensive units I bough on Ebay from seller "carpartnation":
Although the reflector is faceted, they work extremely well! Here are mine:
I believe that the Stoddard lenses are marked "Hella" and there is some debate regarding whether the original 911 lenses were marked "Bosch"...I am interested to hear more, but think I have one original Euro lens, so might be able to check.
Relays
I also recommend using a relay to help with improving the performance of these lights. the 40+ year old light switch is invariably costing you lumens. Here's my thread on Pelican regarding how to fit the Sucro/JWest relay into an SWB:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...relay-swb.html
Restoration: Grommets
The grommets used for adjusting the beams on original lights are often deteriorated beyond usefulness. The good news is that you can replace the cracked grommets using off-the-shelf Home Depot parts. My thread here explains how:
http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ad.php?t=26785
Restoration: Paint
One last detail: you can get the correct paint color and finish for the buckets from any auto paint store. The color is a perfect match for an old Ford color, Titanium Gray, which can be mixed and put in a spray can. Here's the formula and Ditzler code from the can:
The above info should get you where you need to go in pursuit of restoring and converting your lights.
I hope this helps.
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Originally Posted by rick2
