I was thinking of replacing the headlights in my 3.8 with LED ones. Can anyone recommend one? I see several that look good, but they seem to come with a lights, heatsink, cord and box. In heavens name, where do you fit all that stuff?
I was going to take off the headlight this weekend and take a look. Assume there is some room behind the headlight? Then how do you fasten it all so it doesn't shake, Bailing wire, methinks?
Anyway, appreciating any words-o-wisdom from others.
Regards,
Larry

 

If you want to stay with original look the LED headlights are not for you, there is not the room to hide the drivers etc in the headlight domes so they will be in the wheel arches or engine bay, most that do convert to LED tend to stick with the Halogen lights, you can switch to the H4 lamps doing away with the sealed beams and stay with the pretty original look, this is the usual change to the original that most tend to do.

 

So you are saying to stick to halogen lamp. Can you recommend a specific one that fits and close to original look?
Thanks for the feedback!

 

What I used on a 1970 Mercedes:

 

I did a lot of research and highly recommend the Vsion X LED, they are the best LED headlight and worth the money https://headlightrevolution.com/visi...ed-headlights/ Get the optional relay so when you go to high beam all five elements go on. the light is bright and nice and even. this is what all of the 4x4's use as the best 7" LED

They look very nice. I would NOT recommend any bulb change or HID's. The LED is way better and it reduces the amps on the weak Jaguar electrical and uses so much less power than any stock or HID. I have done HID's and bulb attempts with my Z cars which also use the same 7" light as the Jaguar and those are not that great compared to LED. Now I have changed my Z cars to the same LED and would never go back to HID's and bulb swaps never give as good of a light output

 

https://www.sngbarratt.com/uk/#!/Eng...b-94c30c83b96c

They also do a left hand drive option

https://www.classicbritishspares.com...eadlight-units

https://jollyrogersmotors.com/store/...-Pair-New.html

Just search for Lucas H4 7" headlamp and you will get plenty of options.

The ones Primaz has used have a good rep, but not original look due to the optics used, they are probably the best 7" LED, but do not look original.

 

I fitted Lucas H4's with Xenon bulbs to my car instead of the sealed beams. They look period correct & the light output is decent.

Edit ~ Philips Ultinon LED lamps are available to fit the H4 units should you wish.

 

Great suggestions. Thank you.

 

LED's are by far a better quality light, gives you greater vision, and has a drastically low demand on your electrical system. Yes they are a slightly different look but unless you are a stock fanatic most people will not even think twice looking at your car but that is up to you.

If you really want stock look the best is the Hella 7" glass headlight and upgrade them to PIAA or a similar quality hi/lo HID. Z cars, 911's, Jeeps all use the same headlight as the Jaguar and in Z cars this has been debated to death and the clear winner for stock look is the Hella with a high quality HID bulb upgrade but now most are using the modern LED's like I have as the light output is so far better, the amps/electrical demand is a fraction and you can just plain drive faster and more safely. The Hellas are way better than the Lucas and others mentioned and will look stock but again I would recommend to consider the LED as the old school lights even with H4 bulbs, etc. are just do not meet up to the new LED quality. For me the solution was clear the LED as I have four cars with the same 7" round and all but one are using the same LED. I still have one with the Hella 7" with PIAA bulbs but when those bulbs go out I am most likely going to LED.

 

One problem is we can't retrofit the best LED lights. The best & brightest LED lights have to be intelligent to be legal with proper cut off, auto leveling & anti dazzle. (as with bi xenon projectors before them). The Benz S Class has some of the finest LED lights but this will give you a flavor as fitted to the CLS. Many LED headlamps are also the wrong colour temperature for the human eye. Colour temp should not really exceed a maximum of 6000 Kelvin.

https://www.f-sport.lt/play/4715230/...eadlights.html

BTW ~ some of the finest Bi Xenon burners & LED elements come out of the ultra high tech Philips plant in Aachen, Germany.

I also prefer Hella quality to Lucas but wanted Lucas on the lens. The lenses are glass & build acceptable.

 

The Mercedes LED is cool, but for any of the Jaguar saloons there already are 7" LED's that are a direct replacement that provide far better lighting than the stock or even with better quality than the 7" stock looking housings upgraded with H4 bulbs. Our headlights use one of the most common headlights sizes, the 7" round found in almost all 911's, Jeeps, Z cars and other makes. That is the fortunate thing, as there are so many quality LED designed headlamps that are a direct bolt in that will fit perfectly with the stock chrome trim, etc. and which provide incredible better vision using only a tiny amount of electrical AMP draw, and are all legal in every country. The Vision X meets every country's legal rating as to most other LED's. There are many 7" round chrome LED headlights that will look great in the Jaguar and some have built in turning light indicators as well as the cool Halo accent light. If you drive the car you will appreciate the great vision you get with LED's and you can keep the stock headlights in your garage if you sell your car and what to enable the new owner to make it into a concourse car that is not driven much...

 

Yes ~ as I said "The best & brightest LED lights have to be intelligent to be legal with proper cut off, auto leveling & anti dazzle." No getting around that.

Less bright LED's with more severe & thus compromised light when dipped can be used in most locations. Some legislation is still catching up.

The real benefit of LED's is low power consumption for output. There is nothing magic about their lighting capability. It is a specific intensity at a specific colour temperature like any other light source.

The biggest benefit of LED's other than power consumption is in multi element intelligent units where the highest intensity LED's can be used because they are area dimmable & steerable.

 

With the Lucas electrical reducing the amp draw is very good thing for reliability

The Vision X is legal in every country,

".DOT Certified Driving Light
Take your Vision X VX Series LED Headlight anywhere without worrying. Every part of the headlight has been approved and certified by the DOT in all states. There’s also E-MARK and ADR models available, just in case you from another corner of the world.

Universal Applications
The 7″ VX Series was designed to be used by any vehicle that currently has a 7″ Factory Headlight, or has a custom fit 7″ mounting area. Jeeps, Classic Cars, and Motorcycles were all kept in mind while the VX Series was engineered, making it the perfect light for those applications.

E-MARK And ADR Models Available
One of the toughest challenges when engineering a vehicle light for a global market is dealing with so many different regulations and laws from all over the globe. Vision X wanted to make sure that any customer, no matter where they’re located, can enjoy their top-of-the-line LED Headlights worry free"
https://www.visionxusa.com/shop/7-vx.../#comment-6422

I build all of my cars to be street driven and driven very hard; I can attest that compared to my old school 7" headlight even upgraded with H4's I find the LED just provides a better light that I can push the car faster with confidence. The nice thing with our Jaguars is that we use the same 7" headlight that tens of thousands of other cars use and those cars are all performance cars so we have some great new technology to choose from for improved vision with the many great LED's

Here is a great review of most of the 7" LED headlights there are about 6-7 really top notch 7" LED's, many reviews put the JW Speaker or the Vision X as two of the best but each has their own features so you have plenty to choose from. Nice thing is this video shows the ones to avoid as there are cheap ones that will NOT last.

 

The point is that people have choices to suit their preferences & while the Vision X is excellent for what it is it is compromised when compared with the best because it is not intelligent which restricts the design to keep it legal. Simple. It's not a right & wrong situation. I don't like what they look like & would not have them on my car.

 

If you want LED headlights can I suggest you have a look at this firm in the UK. These LED bulbs are a swap out for H4 type bulbs.

https://www.bettercarlighting.co.uk/...ewCat&catId=58