1937 Halogen headlight conversion

Seth Swoboda

Seth Swoboda

Well-known member
I want to do a halogen headlight conversion on my '37 Tudor. Dake sells a kit with reflectors, sockets/pigtails, and bulbs. However, they are out of stock at least through the end of 2024. Does anyone know of any other sources for these?
 
Check with Michael at Third Gen or some of the other Drake dealers to see if they still have any of the conversion kit.
 
Remember this kit will pull a lot of amps -current. Some components can't handle the amperage draw. Newc
 
If it doesn’t come with relays, you should add them to help out your switches with the amps. They’ll make sure your lights are bright too.
 
aussie merc said:
just curios why not leds lot less current draw
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I have ordered two sets of LEDs. None of the two contacts on the back of the bulb line up with the original Ford socket. In other words, they don't make contact. If you are familiar with these bulbs they only go in one way.

Is there something I'm missing with the LEDs because they are the cheapest and easiest way to go about this.

This is a daily driver car. I do drive at night. Well not the '37 because the original bulbs are not bright enough for safe driving.
 
I don't know what kind of bulb a '37 takes. But after trying ill fitting LED bulbs off ebay for my '35 Fordor, I ordered a pair of flanged LED bulbs from ledlight.com. They fit perfectly and light up the road very well. I can now run my stock 6v generator at a very low setting and still show a positive charge with the lights on. A great cimbination.
 

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ndnchf said:
I don't know what kind of bulb a '37 takes. But after trying ill fitting LED bulbs off ebay for my '35 Fordor, I ordered a pair of flanged LED bulbs from ledlight.com. They fit perfectly and light up the road very well. I can now run my stock 6v generator at a very low setting and still show a positive charge with the lights on. A great cimbination.
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ndnchf said:
I don't know what kind of bulb a '37 takes. But after trying ill fitting LED bulbs off ebay for my '35 Fordor, I ordered a pair of flanged LED bulbs from ledlight.com. They fit perfectly and light up the road very well. I can now run my stock 6v generator at a very low setting and still show a positive charge with the lights on. A great cimbination.
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I have ordered from ledlight.com before and they did not fit the '37 bulb socket.
 
Seth Swoboda said:
I have ordered from ledlight.com before and they did not fit the '37 bulb socket.
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Sorry to hear that. Not sure what the difference is. BTW, there are two very similar websites/companies that often confuse people.

Ledlight.com
Ledlights.com

Steve
 
I had halogen bulbs in my ‘37 when I inherited it. I switched back because the light scattered all over. I found out later that there are lenses just for the halogen lights that do not have the prisms in them. They might work better than the standard lenses.
 
I had an original pair of reflectors nickel plated then sent them to a company in Oregon called Uvira. They do reflective coatings and they turned out very nice and way more durable and cheaper than silver. These were for my 39 Zephyr still 6 volt system. Had bright white headlights with original bulbs.
 

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Ken/Alabama said:
I had an original pair of reflectors nickel plated then sent them to a company in Oregon called Uvira. They do reflective coatings and they turned out very nice and way more durable and cheaper than silver. These were for my 39 Zephyr still 6 volt system. Had bright white headlights.
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Fritz said:
If it doesn’t come with relays, you should add them to help out your switches with the amps. They’ll make sure your lights are bright too.
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Agreed, I have fitted period relays to my cars. I know that it protects the switch & wiring from burning out and, as stated above assures the brightest of lighting from the bulbs. My '42 Sedan had lights equal to or better than most modern cars with its 6Volt halogen bulbs in semi-sealed beam units. and no need to convert to 12 volts either.
 
My experience exactly, meric42.

I don’t trust LED bulbs to last or have consistent quality. Too many have failed me of home and antique auto use. I also prefer the color of halogens/light bulbs and beam pattern than the bluer LEDs.
 
ndnchf said:
I don't know what kind of bulb a '37 takes. But after trying ill fitting LED bulbs off ebay for my '35 Fordor, I ordered a pair of flanged LED bulbs from ledlight.com. They fit perfectly and light up the road very well. I can now run my stock 6v generator at a very low setting and still show a positive charge with the lights on. A great cimbination.
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The parts book show 1935-39 use the same headlight bulb.
 
My '38 came to me with the Drake halogen conversion (12V). Although not as bright as LED, they match the prism in the lenses and work fine for my limited night driving.
 
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