1998-2000 Ford Ranger headlamps versus 2001-2010 headlamps

[ziprel]

First of all, I'd like to thank CPF and especially the highly knowledgeable people of this automotive sub-board. This board is an amazing resource.

During February of 2020, I performed some maintenance on my grandfather's 2000 Ranger, central of which was replacing the old lamps. For headlamps I went OE https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-headlamp-asy_f87z-13008-fb.html but elected for dorman housings for the front turn signals. Philips Xtremepower (Editing my brain fart: X-tremevision +100s) 9007s in the headlamps and Sylvania 3457 signal bulbs. Aimed using Daniel Stern's aim guide.

I was talking with my grandfather on the phone recently and our conversation touched on how the car was performing. He told me that the lights are holding up well but brought up that he'd read on a FB group for Rangers that a front fascia swap is popular and asked me if the lighting could be further improved with a retrofit of a newer model year design.

I told him I'd research it and the main change looks like going from a fluted lens reflector with aiming nubs to a freeform reflector with the same aiming nubs. Both use a 9007 bulb.
98-00 part #
F87Z-13008-FB
F87Z-13008-EB

01-10 part #
6L5Z-13008-BA
6L5Z-13008-AA

Last year I'd mentally penciled in better wiring and relays as an upgrade choice if my grandfather wanted more, reading this thread https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?413951-Headlight-Upgrade-9007-02-Ford-Ranger, set me on that path. The calculus leads to:
A) Leave things where they are with 1 year old OE Lamps and good bulbs
B) Swap the front end for 01+ Lamps and keep the good bulbs
C) Upgrade the wiring + add relays

The big questions are: Would updating the lamps to the newer design improve the lighting enough to make the swap worth it? Or would upgrading the wiring provide a better benefit for the money? Or maybe both together would be a big enough improvement to undertake?

 

[-Virgil-]

Welcome to the board!

Your choices so far have been good ones: genuine Ford headlamps, good bulbs. The weak links in the chain are Ford's usual substandard wiring, and Ford's usual cheap-junk headlamps. The '01-up headlamps have a more modern appearance, but they aren't much better in performance. Still built, as you note, to the old mechanical-aim specification. I don't think it would be worth the effort to swap the front-end parts to take the newer headlamps, especially since even the best available headlamps (genuine Ford) are made on worn tooling that should have been scrapped/replaced long ago.

Contra to the discussion in the thread you linked (because we now live in 2021, with different circumstances than five years ago when that thread was active), I'd say your best option would be to keep the front end the way it is and install a set of the Cibie (Valeo) H4 headlamps: right and left, with a good relay/wiring setup, good bulbs, and a good aim setup. Speaking of "good", you will need some good luck (or good fortune?) to fish them out of Brazil. They were also used in Argentina and Mexico. Valeo part numbers are 087564 and 087565 -- might be out of production now; I don't know, and I don't have the Ford part numbers that would offer another line of access.

If that's out of the question for whatever reason, then in your shoes I think I'd stay with the existing headlamps (they are almost new, after all) and put in good wiring and relays.

 

[ziprel]

Interesting that the south american H4 lamps seem to be available, I just cast them off as unobtainable while researching that thread. I know Pampa Direct offers a fairly streamlined service for buying off of MercadoLibre from friends buying yerba mate from Argentina. But, I think those lamps will remain curiosity with how my grandfather wants to use the truck, I'll give him a call and work on building up a good relay kit.

Thanks for all of your advice Virgil!