Looking for a replacement for a sealed beam headlamp

[Echo63]

Hi All,

Hoping the collective knowledge here can point me in the right direction.
I recently purchased a 1987 Subaru Brumby (aussie spec BRAT) that takes a single 5x7" sealed beam headlamp on each side.

the headlamps that are fitted are pretty average (used to driving a 2009 forester with Osram Rallye bulbs) and I would like some help finding a reasonably priced options to replace them.

my criteria.
for a LHT/RHD country (Australia)
not crazy expensive (sub 300USD for the pair would be preferred, I might go a little higher for an amazing product.
Im not worried about LED/HID/Halogen - i prefer the 3000-4500k colour range in my flashlights, and most LED options I see are 6000k, or have dodgy claims of output and legality (probably shouldnt be looking on ebay)

any suggestions are welcomed please

https://imgur.com/a/LLZcD3s

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I recently purchased a 1987 Subaru Brumby (aussie spec BRAT) that takes a single 5x7" sealed beam headlamp on each side.

Talk about a blast from the past, and at least here other than in Colorado the BRAT isn't a common sight.

If that picture is of the exact car (and I suppose it is, judging from the state on the registration plate), WOW, that looks to be extremely well-kept.

for a LHT/RHD country (Australia)
not crazy expensive (sub 300USD for the pair would be preferred, I might go a little higher for an amazing product.
Im not worried about LED/HID/Halogen - i prefer the 3000-4500k colour range in my flashlights, and most LED options I see are 6000k, or have dodgy claims of output and legality (probably shouldnt be looking on ebay)

What matters here is ONLY the LHT (left hand traffic) since it's car position, not driver position, that determines the headlamp directionality. If you expect to encounter snow and ice, then these (black inner bezel, a chrome one also available) would be the gold standard, but if you're not expecting such conditions, then these.

While pricing for the LHT versions isn't given, for the DOT/ECE RHT versions they're USD 326.90 heated, USD 232.37 unheated, prices might be slightly higher for the LHT versions. They appear to be sold somewhat 'locally' (in Nedlands, for example) and can be purchased online-- but JW Speaker states on their dealer locator page that they do not honor the warranty on units sold on Amazon or eBay (most likely due to the proliferation of counterfeits).

Once you install them, get them aimed, because the best headlamps can be rendered useless (or extremely dangerous) by bad aim.

 

[-Virgil-]

Wow, I haven't seen one of those Subarus in that kind of condition for decades!

Alaric's link is to a primo, top-pick option for sure. Another such option is this one made in Japan by Koito (best price I'm seeing is here). Stepping downward from there is the American-made Truck-Lite 27491C (left-traffic for Australia). Another option there in Australia is this lamp which probably isn't too bad.

There's a lot of trash on the market, too, best avoided. Don't buy cheap LED headlamps; if a less expensive solution is needed, and/or you want to keep this Subaru looking as close to original as possible, you could upgrade the sealed beams to carefully-selected replaceable bulb halogen (H4) lamps. Bunch of trash on this market, too. A well-made and affordable option is this Koito unit, which, like the LED unit linked above, can be made to escape out of the notoriously insular Japanese market via a shopping/shipping service like this one.

Pick your bulbs carefully; it makes a big difference as you can see in this thread. And put in relays and upgraded wiring.

And Alaric's also right about lamp aim; as described here it's centrally important. Many garages in your part of the world will want to set the lamps too low for sufficient/safe seeing distance, in the mistaken notion that minimizing glare is the "safest" thing to do. Find a garage that will set your lamps to 0.8% drop (within your legal range), not the 1%, 1.2%, 1.5%, 2% types of drop figures.

 

[Mr. Merk]

If it matters (it doesn't,) my vote is for either of the Koito lamps. The Koito H4 would maintain the period-correct look. The Koito LED doesn't look absurd, and would be a good compromise between the H4 & the best-in-class JW Speaker.

 

[Echo63]

Talk about a blast from the past, and at least here other than in Colorado the BRAT isn't a common sight.

If that picture is of the exact car (and I suppose it is, judging from the state on the registration plate), WOW, that looks to be extremely well-kept.

yes, the photo is of my car.
I wasnt intending to buy one so soon, hoping to start looking next year, but this one came up for a good price, and already had most of the work I intended to do done already (EJ22 engine swap, Air conditioning, came with a 5spd gearbox in the tray)
It is in pretty good condition, if you ignore the dent in the tailgate.

What matters here is ONLY the LHT (left hand traffic) since it's car position, not driver position, that determines the headlamp directionality. these or these.

While pricing for the LHT versions isn't given, They appear to be sold somewhat 'locally' (in Nedlands, for example) and can be purchased online-- dealer locator

Once you install them, get them aimed, because the best headlamps can be rendered useless (or extremely dangerous) by bad aim.

thank you for the advice - I will get in touch with the local dealer and see what a set of JW speakers are worth.
I suspect they will be out of the range I want to spend, but I will investigate and ensure I get my lights aimed properly (those instructions were very helpful when I did the spotlights on my forester)

Wow, I haven't seen one of those Subarus in that kind of condition for decades!

Alaric's link is to a primo, top-pick option for sure. Another such option is this one made in Japan by Koito (best price I'm seeing is here). Stepping downward from there is the American-made Truck-Lite 27491C (left-traffic for Australia). Another option there in Australia is this lamp which probably isn't too bad.

There's a lot of trash on the market, too, best avoided. Don't buy cheap LED headlamps; if a less expensive solution is needed, and/or you want to keep this Subaru looking as close to original as possible, you could upgrade the sealed beams to carefully-selected replaceable bulb halogen (H4) lamps. Bunch of trash on this market, too. A well-made and affordable option is this Koito unit, which, like the LED unit linked above, can be made to escape out of the notoriously insular Japanese market via a shopping/shipping service like this one.

Pick your bulbs carefully; it makes a big difference as you can see in this thread. And put in relays and upgraded wiring.

And Alaric's also right about lamp aim; as described here it's centrally important. Many garages in your part of the world will want to set the lamps too low for sufficient/safe seeing distance, in the mistaken notion that minimizing glare is the "safest" thing to do. Find a garage that will set your lamps to 0.8% drop (within your legal range), not the 1%, 1.2%, 1.5%, 2% types of drop figures.

Thank you for the advice
those Koitos look quite nice, not a super futuristic design like some others. I will attempt to find a local reseller, or see if any of my friends are comfortable with importing stuff from japan (never done it before and dont speak the language)
I think they may suit the look of the vehicle the best.

I have paid close attention to the bulbs, wiring and aim in my other cars, using advice from you and Alaric.
My forester had Osram Rallye bulbs in the headlights (I notice Daniel Stern has a "remake" available now) and oversized wiring and relays for the spotlights.
work should be moving premises around christmas, so I will use the nice big empty workshop to aim whichever lights I do install using the instructions Alaric linked to.

 

[-Virgil-]

those Koitos look quite nice, not a super futuristic design like some others. I will attempt to find a local reseller, or see if any of my friends are comfortable with importing stuff from japan (never done it before and dont speak the language)

Hit the "shopping/shipping service" link I provided.

 

[Echo63]

Another option there in Australia is this lamp which probably isn't too bad.

So, I got a pair of these lamps (turns out the truck shop just down the street from work sells them) but ran into a few problems.

1. the Subaru is negative switched, the polarity on the plug is backwards to normal and the LEDs dont work.
2. I built a relay harness, but it seems to be "sticking" on high beam, requiring the headlights to be turned off and off again.

and finally, #3 the real issue - the immobiliser is linked to the high beam, the ignition wont spin the engine over without holding the high beam stalk back into the "flash" position - and the car wont start with the relay harness in place.

so, its back to the original sealed beams (one Koito, one Stanley) until I can get my auto sparky to change the immobiliser to work just with the chip, and modify the relay harness to not have the high beams stick on (thinking I need a diode to block a current going where it shouldnt and keeping the relay open)

 

[Echo63]

Ok, after having the immobiliser changed, building a relay harness and doing some electrical fault finding, the LED sealed beams are in and WOW what a difference.
I know humans dont see the difference between lights all that well, but the difference between the stock wiring/sealed beams and a relay harness/LEDS is like night and day, much wider swath of light (and more reach on the high beams)

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions !
They look pretty good too (not that its a huge consideration, but they do look a kinda normal, not like a bug eye)

 

[-Virgil-]

Well, great! Which lamp units did you end up getting? Want to show us some photos of your install and its output?

 

[Echo63]

I went with these you suggested.
https://ledautolamps.com/driving-head-lamps/356-7x5-head-lamps.html

I will get some photos of them on the car this weekend, I will be taking the car to a meet with a bunch of other similar "classic" subarus.
heres a "just getting started" and a "installed and powered up" pic.
https://imgur.com/a/QRPU4vf

will get some output photos when I get a chance (i can't find the video on my phone at the moment, so I will redo it)