Lighting upgrade for (rural) ex-cop Crown Vic?

[Hamilton Felix]

Well, I finally sold the houses, am paying off the ex, and have a few bucks. My beloved Kathleen fell for a green ex-unmarked cop 2001 Crown Vic that the guy who bought a house from me no longer needs (he bought it at police auction to park in front of his urban house and keep vandals away, and she's an ex-cop who likes the way the car drives).

I don't have fistfuls of money to toss around, but I can spend a bit. I know I have the 130 amp cop alternator, so there's no point in spending big money on HID lamps; we can run with halogen.

The cop push bars should give me a place to mount auxiliary lights.

I gather the Crown Vic has notoriously bad headlights. They use 9007 bulbs. Previous owner got talked into ordering "super white" Chinese overwatt 9007 bulbs, and guys in China messed up the order and sent extra sets. So I have three pair of blue coated overwatt bulbs that claim "5900K!" still in the trunk that I'd like to get rid of.

The headlamps look fogged, so I'm thinking to try lens polishing before buying others -- unless the reflectors are degraded.

I'm thinking Philips Xtreme Power 9007 bulbs. I can go overwattage (with relays and heavy wire, of course), since I have the power. Not sure though, how well the lamps will handle the extra heat.

I'll be using the car on rural two lane blacktop, where seeing deer half a mile away is a good thing. She'll be splitting her use between that rural two lane and some freeway time on the way to work in a city.

I'm just wondering what the best relatively affordable total upgrade package might be, assuming plenty of power, heavy wiring and relays are available. I think I have some Cibie 175 and Marchal 950 lights around, but those are too humongous for even a full sized modern car; probably best saved for trucks.

I'll be rooting through my cache of past lights, but I'm open to suggestions for upgrade. In the past, I've been heavily biased toward Cibie headlights, fogs and driving lights, time change (and I must confess to at least a couple pair of Hella 200mm headlights).

 

[Alaric Darconville]

The 9007 (implemented properly) makes for a better headlight than the 9004 (implemented properly). Still, there may be faults with the Crown Vic's implementation. The Philips X-Treme Power are as good as it gets.

Might as well invest in a set of Bosch relays and sockets so they get all the juice they can get.

Additionally, polishing the headlights and making sure they are aimed properly will go a long way in bringing the lights up to snuff.

I get a little suspicious of people wanting to do a lot more upgrades to a vehicle that's used on public roads-- I always imagine people thinking that now that they've added a bunch of lights, they can drive at 100mph at night without worry.

I'll be using the car on rural two lane blacktop, where seeing deer half a mile away is a good thing.

I hope the car can stop shorter than in 2460 feet... :nana:

 

[-Virgil-]

Alaric D's advice is on target. If you can afford it, swap on the current (2010) Crown Vic headlamps and corner park/turn/sidemarker lights, as seen here. They have a larger headlamp optic since the turn signal is outboard in the corner lamp instead of hogging a big chunk of the headlamp area as it does in the '01 lamp. And the '10 lamp uses an H13 bulb, which is an optically cleaner, higher-performance bulb design than the 9007 in the '01 lamps. The '10 lamps aren't the world's best, but they are built to the newer beam standard which requires better performance than the old standard the '01 lamps were built to. They're definitely better than what you've got, even if you can bring what you've got up to clarity with polishing and recoating. Use Philips Xtreme Power bulbs. Definitely put in relays as explained here. Auxiliary high beams (so-called "driving" lamps) sound warranted given your usage; if the Cibie 175s you have are in good condition and are in fact "driving" lamps (look for the

---

mark on the lens) then you might install those on a Carr Light Wing.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

They have a larger headlamp optic since the turn signal is outboard in the corner lamp instead of hogging a big chunk of the headlamp area as it does in the '01 lamp.

The outboard turn signal is a selling point not only for it taking less of the headlight area, but for improving the visibility of the turn signal from the side. I hate inboard turn signals!

 

[-Virgil-]

The outboard turn signal is a selling point not only for it taking less of the headlight area, but for improving the visibility of the turn signal from the side. I hate inboard turn signals!

They'll make better DRLs, too, if the owner puts in a DRL-1 or equivalent. I don't have a huge problem with inboard turn signals as long as:

-They're not too close to each other (they often are; the worst offender here is the '96-'99ish Mercury Sable)

-They don't unreasonably decrease the headlamps' optical area (which they often do; e.g., the Crown Victorias prior to the new headlamps, or the last-generation Dodge Neon)

-The car has adequate outboard visibility of the turn signal function by means of flashing front sidemarkers or turn signal repeaters

Practically speaking, that means I'm not a big fan of most inboard turn signal implementations, because most of them fall foul of at least one of the above three points.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

They'll make better DRLs, too, if the owner puts in a DRL-1 or equivalent.

I used to not like turn signal DRLs, but they sure produce a lot less glare (usually). When I first saw them, I thought it was a car with the hazard lights on and the driver was braking (until he then signaled a turn).

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Hey, thanks! Some good ideas here. I followed that link to the interesting page about polishing and restoration of headlights. I never realized I could upgrade to lights from the newer Crown Vic (I guess they kept that same body for a long time). I do think corner signals are safer.

As it happens, I replaced a clouded left headlight on Kathleen's Grand Cherokee, so I have a more or less expendable light upon which to experiment.

But I think for the Crown Vic, I will look for a good (as in affordable) source of genuine Ford 2010 headlights.

The Light Wings are a neat idea. But given that I already have police push bars (showing a bit of use), and I have a welder and modest metal fabricating skills, I may just make aux. light mounts that anchor to the push bars.

I do have both fog and driving Cibie 175's, as well as fog and driving Marchal 950's. I even have a fresh set of Cibie curved lens 5-3/4" H1 high beams; they'll fit PAR46 housings if I want 'em as auxiliary lights. I just remembered my Cibie Series 190 Oscar+ driving lights (on a pickup that's been sitting in a shop for about 3 years), but they're big enough that I'd best save them for my F250.

I have a pair of yellow Cibie series 95I fogs, but I'm still hoping to put those on my motorcycle (which I just got back on today, after breaking my leg March 11th when rain turned to snow on the way to work - YAY!).

I get a little suspicious of people wanting to do a lot more upgrades to a vehicle that's used on public roads-- I always imagine people thinking that now that they've added a bunch of lights, they can drive at 100mph at night without worry.

I understand the sentiment, and have had my share of warp speed night driving. But trust me, there's no such thing as too much light, when alone on a tree-lined rural asphalt highway on a rainy night. The deer are definitely out there, and you won't see them until they are almost in the road. We're not planning to run the car at extreme speeds, and it does stop pretty well (though I wouldn't mind 2,640 feet of advance warning), but at normal highway speeds the extra light will help.

Thanks again for the ideas. :twothumbs

 

[-Virgil-]

Sounds like you are well equipped and well stocked to get the lighting performance you need. Those H1 5¾" dome-face Cibies are terrific lights, and so are the rest of them that you mention. Put in the '10-model headlamps, upgrade the headlamp circuit, put in the H13XP bulbs, pick a set of your existing aux lamps and wire them in with relays, aim everything carefully and the results ought to be rather good.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Sounds like a plan. Now to shop for a couple of Dietz or Grote housings, find those '10 headlights, and make a bulb order. :twothumbs

Kathleen's gonna love it! :kiss:

 

[Random Guy]

They'll make better DRLs, too, if the owner puts in a DRL-1 or equivalent. I don't have a huge problem with inboard turn signals as long as:

-They're not too close to each other (they often are; the worst offender here is the '96-'99ish Mercury Sable)

-They don't unreasonably decrease the headlamps' optical area (which they often do; e.g., the Crown Victorias prior to the new headlamps, or the last-generation Dodge Neon)

-The car has adequate outboard visibility of the turn signal function by means of flashing front sidemarkers or turn signal repeaters

Practically speaking, that means I'm not a big fan of most inboard turn signal implementations, because most of them fall foul of at least one of the above three points.

What is your opinion of implementations with the signal in the bumper below the headlight?

 

[-Virgil-]

What is your opinion of implementations with the signal in the bumper below the headlight?

Conceptually? No problem with 'em, as long as the visibility angles and intensity are good, i.e., they're good signals, not merely compliant ones.

 

[V8sofa]

the car shown above is a grand marquis, the headlamp housings cant be used on a crown vic with out replacing the whole front clip.

www.crownvic.net is a good resource for various upgrades that can be done

 

[-Virgil-]

the car shown above is a grand marquis, the headlamp housings cant be used on a crown vic with out replacing the whole front clip.

Well, that sucks. Could've sworn I'd seen it done, but I guess the angles don't match up as closely as they look like they do; let's hear it for Ford doing badge-engineering in the most expensive possible way. :-(

 

[Alaric Darconville]

let's hear it for Ford doing badge-engineering in the most expensive possible way. :-(

Well, in their defense, it does give the two vehicles more distinctly different looks.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Hmmm.... Well, I'll go ahead and join that Crown Vic net. I'll look around a bit more before ordering any headlights. But I need to do SOMETHING soon. Kathleen loves the car, but someone talked Bill (the seller) into some of those blue coated bulbs as in "improvement" to the headlights. They suck. And the present lamps are definitely frosted. I'm either going to be doing some plastic polishing or buying replacements.

At least I'm starting with a big alternator and a place I can mount auxiliary lights.

 

[-Virgil-]

Yeah, hold the phone a minute on that "whole front clip needs replacing" idea. I still don't know for sure, but I just spent a few minutes digging through the Hollander interchange manuals, and the fenders are the same for Crown Vic and Grand Marquis. So are the hoods. So no, a whole front clip swap is not required; the Grand Marquis lamps will line up correctly with the Crown Vic hood and fenders. The remaining question is whether the Grand Marquis headlamps will line up correctly with the Crown Vic grill and whether they'll bolt to the Crown Vic header panel. Grill lineup looks like a probable "yes" just going by eye, but side-by-side scrutiny is difficult without the actual parts in hand. Can't find good enough rear (housing) views of the two headlamps to tell for sure. But the other piece of relevant news is that the "2010" Grand Marquis headlamps were in fact introduced in '06. They are '06-'10 headlamps (and header panel, etc). So it looks like at most all you'd have to do is find a good used Grand Marquis header panel (and while you're at it find good used Grand Marquis lights) and swap 'em onto the Crown Vic. When you shop for good used lights, be sure that's what you're getting; lots and lots of wrecking yards sell new aftermarket lights, which are all junk.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

That's good advice. I made the mistake of buying "direct OEM style replacement" fog lights for the Corolla. One has "sort of" a fog beam, the other doesn't even have the bulb aligned correctly and the beam is ridiculous. So I bought a good used Toyota fog, and it has a good beam.

I'll take another look at the car when I get home tonight. I think, after looking at the title I'm about to transfer, that it's a 2000 not a 2001, but there's little difference. The grill is horizontal chromed bars, and I'd prefer the black honeycomb I see on most of the current State Patrol cars.

The push bars have been used, but there's plenty of steel there to support some auxiliary lights.

I've got to get her something besides the crappy lights it has now -- and give those blue bulbs to someone I don't like.... :sick2:

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

I bought a pair of OEM-style replacements for my 2000 corolla. I wasn't going to use them, so I never tested them on the car, but I did power it up with a 12V battery. Blech!!! It amazes me how much these look like OEM, but how poorly they perform. You can tell, though, if you look at the little facets of the reflector. The OEM facets looked like little mirrors. The aftermarket facets looked like they had been molded out of clay-doh and then somehow chromed. Image was all wavy, where in the OEM it was, well, a mirror.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I bought a pair of OEM-style replacements for my 2000 corolla.
(snip)
Image was all wavy, where in the OEM it was, well, a mirror.

More proof that "you get what you pay for". Not preaching at you, just commenting that this exemplifies the reason that "OEM-style" and whatnot aftermarket crap is, well, crap. People try to sell themselves on the "OEM-style" stuff citing the price being about 1/10th of the genuine article "and just as good"-- but I'd rather just buy the real thing and be done with it. You don't see Contadina claiming that their canned diced tomatos are just as high quality as "Always Save"!

Would anyone buy an "OEM-style" *engine* for their car?

"The Nokya Varivalve 1.8L engine is engineered to give the performance of the Yamaha/Toyota 1ZZ-FE 1.8L VVT-i engine at a fraction of the price!
Save even MORE money when you buy it with our WAE245, engineered to match the performance of the Aisin-Warner A245E transmission!"

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Yes, sometimes it's tricky sorting "direct OE replacement" and "OEM style perfect fit, DOT approved" from genuine OEM parts. If the price is too good to be OEM, then it's not OEM.

As soon as I get it sorted out whether or not I can put later headlights on the 2000 Crown Vic (I believe the minor changes in 2003 don't affect headlights on the 1998-2004 Vics, but I think the 2004-present cars have a different body), I'm going to make sure it has genuine Ford lights, in good condition. Then we'll look at auxiliary lighting...