Hello all!

I am curious as to whether anyone with a RHD XJS has completed a conversion from the euro style headlights to the quad headlights using the LHD US spec assemblies?

What modifications would be necessary to make this conversion work in regards to aiming the headlights/dip/high beams/etc?

I've got some friends coming home from the states in the next couple of weeks who have offered to bring some parts back over for me, and I've always loved how the quad headlights make the XJS look that much more of a bruiser.

Thanks in advance!

 

As far as physically mounting the lamps I think the parts from any 4-lamp XJS would work. Then you just need to buy four lamps that are intended for RHD cars. I'm sure Cibie, Hella, etc offer what you need; shouldn't be a problem, I'd think.

I'm not aware of any way to convert LHD lamps to give the proper light pattern for RHD use.

Cheers
DD

 

my headlights, 78 RHD XJS.

outer lights HID, inners projector beam!

looks are to each his own!

 

Ahhhh. So I don't even really need the lamps that come with the assemblies I'm looking at buying, just the actual assembly that affixes to the car to hold the lamps, the chrome trims for the lamps, and the wiring harnesses.

It seems that finding 5.75 inch lamps is the easiest part of the process, and as long as they are intended for RHD use by design, shouldn't be much more than a plug & play operation?

Cheers for the reply!

 

look at sng barrat they sell a complete conversion. pain in the **** to find it but its here
SNG Barratt - The Ultimate Jaguar Parts Specialist

 

If I'm remembering it right, the US 4 light system was a jury rigged thing because the US law at the time didn't allow the European one piece lights, so they used the awful sealed beams. Any 5 3/4" light should work, and you can get them designed for RHD traffic.

I much prefer the lights the car was designed to have!

 

Cheers for the link mate. I found the kits, but at three times the cost of a decent second-hand unit, I couldn't justify the costs for a cosmetic change when the current euro headlights are working fine. At the cost of the second hand unit however, the cosmetic change is a luxury I can afford to indulge.

Then maybe a Lister Mark 1 body kit One can only dream!

 

You're right about the change to the quad headlights being a forced change to appease US design rules and regulations, from the research on the forums and thanks to Kirby Palm's XJS Bible.

Funny how this change worked for the XJS but against the XJ6/XJ12. But the for the XJS, I think it's great because it now afford us enthusiasts now, the ability to pick which headlights we like based on preference, and still have this modification be a Jaguar original rather than an aftermarket thing.

Personally, I feel the quad headlights evoke a more classic styling cue, reminds me of the XJ6/XJ12, and also reminds me of US muscle cars of the 60's and 70's, which I also love, but just can't afford to have here in Aus.

 

Some years ago i did just this, using s/h hardware, as the new kit was far to dear for me to run to. If you can get the hardware from a breaker, then all your friends need to bring from Europe is the actual light units. The best units are Valeo ones, and you need two units for H1 bulbs (the main beam only inner unit) and two for H4 bulbs (the outer, dipped and main beam unit). They are really cheap and far far better than any other make optically. Your friends can find them on Oscaro.com (a French parts online supplier). If you need part numbers, let me know.
The best bulbs I have found are the Osram super type, really good.
Greg

 

Dont forget that the 2 extra globes at 55w each, will add 10 amps to that NEW alternators load. Higher wattage globes will add even more.

Wattage, divided by the voltage = amps.

Gets scary when you add all the electrickery stuff up.

Cibie 5 3/4 beam units are readily avaiable.

 

I prefer the quad lights as well. Tastes vary, of course. Don't laugh but I think the Euro headlights look like insect eyes!


Too expensive for many Americans as well. I owned several muscle cars (and muscle boats!) but drifted out of the hobby. Wife, family, that sort of thing. Then, years later, couldn't afford to get back in. That's one of the reasons I ended up being a Jag nut. I could afford Jaguars!

Eight years ago I was able to return to the muscle car hobby .... but as a profession, not as an owner!

Cheers
DD

 

I definitely see the costs of getting into muscle cars have risen dramatically, from watching those auction shows On Discovery Turbo/SPEED Channel/etc! The money restored and resto-modded examples are bringing in is unbelievable, moreso when a name like "Gas Monkey Garage" is associated with it. I can only assume that as a result, the price for unrestored, original, and rebuildable/restorable examples of muscle cars have risen based on their higher potential return on investment.

Here in Australia, even the 80's model Camaros, Firebirds, Trans-Ams, and C4 Corvettes, are quite pricey just to purchase, not to mention the cost of insurance of a grey market import, and availability of parts/shipping costs. In addition to this, our states and territories all have different rules regarding LHD cars and private imports.

Before I picked up my current XJS, I was leaning very heavily towards picking up a third generation Trans Am GTA with the B2L 350 TPI, or a C4 Corvette with the 350 L98 as those were the cars within my price range. But comparing the cars model year for model year, they just did not stack up against the XJS for power, refinement, aesthetics, ease of maintenance, parts availability, and luxury, especially for the price of an XJS (which was significantly cheaper than what was being asked for similar year Corvette's and Trans-Am's.

Though I could be swayed by a Bandit Trans Am... I've got the cowboy hat, can always shave the beard for a moustache, just need the car and a Sally Field of my own Would definitely look the goods in the garage side by side with the XJS!

 

I had the Euro style on my XJS when I bought it, but the lest one had a small hole, not sure what from since I live in farming country USA, may have been some smart *** kid with a BB gun, could have been from grain. Anyhow, those lights are hard to find hear, but found a complete set of quads, bracket, trim ring and even the lights for something like 250.00 US dollars. Just removed the euro style and mounting brackets, disconnected the wire adapter for it and the other went right in. After doing that, I thought the car had a better look.

 

I've just dealt with doing this conversion. It was one of the first things I knew for sure I wanted to do to it when I got it. I got a donor set of quad lamp brackets and bezels and the 4 lamps (but they were old/used so I got some new Wagners for $7 ea on Amazon) and all I needed were the wiring connectors since the ones on the single big lights is a different design.
Much gratitude to William W. at SNG Barratt for dealing with me! I ordered their conversion kit minus the brackets since I had some already, but one pair of the lamp units they sell in this kit have a daytime running light that inserts into the lamp housing at an angle and prevents it from fitting into the original Jaguar lamp brackets.
So I am returning them for a refund, and just keeping the wiring harnesses since that is all you need to connect 4 of the original style Wagner or Sylvania lamps to the car.
The rings and bezels all fit, and now I am a very happy camper!
I told William at SNG that for the conversion, they need to sell just the wiring harness pairs, since that is all you need to convert from single to quad lights, when/if you can find a set of original brackets and bezels.

 

So, got the assemblies and the bezels, which are in pretty decent condition for their age.

In regards to picking up the actual lamp units to put into the assemblies, and taking into account the load of running four units with H4 bulbs rated at 60/55w, would it be possible to run the outer headlights as the the primary beams on the H4 lights, and the inner headlights as high beam only H1 lights with 100w bulbs?

Or is this just over-complicating the matter further, for very little gain?

 

Yes, it is. 100w lamps are illegal in most countries except off road. All you need to do is bung a higher amp fuse into the wing-top fuse box to replace the original. Also, this lighting mod would fail a road worthyness test this side of the pond.
It reads as if you have the wrong setup in mind. The system you should have been supplied with works as follows:
Outer lamps have H4s and work on dip (the dipped filament of the H4) AND on main beam (the main beam filament).
The Inner lamps have H1s and work on main beam only.

 

Exactly! All four lights don't stay on all the time, only when the highs are on. Otherwise it is just the 2 low beams (which HAVE to be the outer ones due to the 'detents' and position of the mounting bracket rings and the 'posts' on the sealed beam glass lamps (they are manufactured to only fit into the proper places (low beams in outer rings, high into the inner rings) and Jaguar built their brackets+rings in keeping with that law/regulation.
The cars originally had lows and highs, not all 4 highs, which sounds like trouble for the electrical system should you attempt that.

 

Ahhhh, okay. I figured I was a bit confused about the situation.

The only reason I brought up the 100w H1's is because I found a set of 5 3/4 headlamps that come with the 100w bulbs, but now I see that those are overkill.

So basically, when the four headlights are installed, the outer beams will be the primary driving lights, with the inner lights off. When high beam is selected, the inner lamps will illuminate, and so will the high beam filament of the H4 (in addition to the low beam filament), and that's where the extra current draw over the euro spec headlights will occur?

 

So basically, when the four headlights are installed, the outer beams will be the primary driving lights, with the inner lights off.
YES


When high beam is selected, the inner lamps will illuminate, and so will the high beam filament of the H4
YES


(in addition to the low beam H4 filament),
NO, the low beam filament switches off when high beams are selected


and that's where the extra current draw over the euro spec headlights will occur? NO. the extra current draw is because you now have H1 high beams AND H4 high beams on at once, instead of just the H4 high beams on the euro one piece lights. The twin lights thus give better illumination.

 

Greg has it sorted, and it will be exactly the same as both the S2 cars you preiously had.

Outer =lo beam, 55w each

Inners, + outer 60w (X2) filament = hi beam.

"SImples" as the Meerkats claim, ha.