How do I convert to LED? 73 Cougar uses 4 bulbs H5001 (HI), H5006 (Low)

edpdx

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 10, 2009
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9
Is there a kit with different LED bulbs for Hi and Low, or do I need four H5006 and adjust the "HI" bulb to shoot further down the road. The Halogens are different, so I'd guess that the LEDs will be?

The Hikari LEDs I put on my Roadmaster are awesome- I'd like that kind of brilliance on the Cougar. Please help, if you know.
 

-Virgil-

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Mar 26, 2004
Messages
7,802
Is there a kit with different LED bulbs for Hi and Low, or do I need four H5006 and adjust the "HI" bulb to shoot further down the road. The Halogens are different, so I'd guess that the LEDs will be?
The Hikari LEDs I put on my Roadmaster are awesome- I'd like that kind of brilliance on the Cougar. Please help, if you know.

I'm afraid you're not going to like this, because the answer you need is nothing like the answer you want. "LED bulbs" in halogen headlamps do not work effectively or safely -- no matter how much you might mistakenly think they're awesome -- which is why they are illegal. Even though you think you can see better with them (you can't). Even though the maker/seller made big claims for them and you think they were telling the truth (they weren't). Even though you can find a bunch of positive "reviews" and a bunch of people making recommendations as if they're qualified to be giving advice on the subject (they aren't). So you need to get those "LED bulbs" out of your Buick before they cause a crash (yes, they will).

As far as your Cougar goes, there are real LED headlamps to replace the 5.75" round sealed beams. They're very good, and very expensive. They come with or without built-in LED turn signal/parking light/Daytime Running Light.

You might not have $600 to $1400 in your pocket for fancy new headlamps, but still want to get away from the useless sealed beams, in which case you would want to talk to a reliable expert (my go-to is Daniel Stern) about what the best replaceable-bulb lamps are in that size. I'm betting he'll probably say it's the Koito lamps, and I wouldn't disagree. There's a detailed article on his website about why it's such a bad idea to use so-called "LED bulbs". Good idea to read this article and get de-programmed from the marketing babble you've been fed on the subject.

Also, no matter what kind of headlamps we might be talking about, no, you cannot "convert" a low beam to a high beam or a high beam to a low beam by aiming it differently.
 

eggsalad

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Mar 30, 2013
Messages
268
As far as your Cougar goes, there are real LED headlamps to replace the 5.75" round sealed beams. They're very good, and very expensive. They come with or without built-in LED turn signal/parking light/Daytime Running Light.

You might not have $600 to $1400 in your pocket for fancy new headlamps,

If the price tag shocks you, and you don't mind things looking a bit odd, it's *possible* although not perfect, to replace your outer/low beams with the JWS units now and replace the inner/high beam as finances allow. this advice comes with two caveats and/or assumptions... (a) that a '73 Cougar is being used as an occasional cruiser and not some high-speed banzai road tripper, and (2) that like 95% of most people 95% of the time, you're driving with the low beams on.

Back in the olden times when quad-sealed-beam headlights were popular I certainly owned many vehicles on which I upgraded the low beams first, and the high beams later on or not at all.
 

Alaric Darconville

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Sep 2, 2001
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Stillwater, America
this advice comes with two caveats and/or assumptions... (a) that a '73 Cougar is being used as an occasional cruiser and not some high-speed banzai road tripper, and (2) that like 95% of most people 95% of the time, you're driving with the low beams on.
While in the US a lot of people DON'T use high beams when high beams are necessary, definitely low beams are the lamps to upgrade first anyway. Also note that when driving with high beams and then going back to the lows (when you get close to other traffic, for example) you don't want to be plunged into what seems like total darkness when you're back on suboptimal low beams.
 
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