Having had to drive my '92 Coupe at night recently I found the lights (stock items) pretty useless and the dip pattern is still to the right, as it was originally configured. I followed all the links documented in this post above and found that most of the replacement items mentioned still seemed to be for left hand drive cars (also confusingly referred to as right hand traffic). Right hand drive versions of the original sealed beam bulb have been sold in the UK - some of the later 80's Jeep, the Toyota Supra mentioned above ,and Daihatsu G7 fourtrak also used these same 5x7 unit in RHD configuration. However I was unable to source any of them.
Unfortunately the Hella 1AE 003 427-011 mentioned above as a potential replacement is for right hand traffic and not suitable for the UK. Trawling the internet for a week or two I found that this Hella 5x7 H4 bulb unit (see pics below) is for left hand traffic (ie appropriate for the UK) but has a number of tabs on the rear of the bulb that would prevent it fitting in the C4 lamp pod. The part number is ...HELLA 1LE 003 427-04. Better still, these units seems to be generally available from a number of stockists.
Unlike the sealed beam unit as originally fitted which is all glass, this new Hella unit is glass at the front bonded to a metal rear. Thus these tabs can be removed by carefully drilling out the spot welds.
After doing this the stainless steel trim fits nicely around it and it can be fitted in the pod.
I'm hoping to convert mine to LED at the same time although a standard halogen H4 bulb will fit too. The original bulbs are I believe are 65/35W, (or about 5Amp/3 Amp max) whereas a standard Halogen H4 its 65/55W so a bit more current (about 1.5 amps) than before. The fuse is 10Amp though so still safely within that rating. The LED H4 bulb that I am going to experiment with consumes a max of 1.2Amps. Mot rules state that a pre 1986 car can have LED lights fitted but (as I understand it) for a 1992 car that did not have LEDs as standard that a halogen for LED bulb swap wouldn't pass. So I will experiment with all types. The LED bulbs that I am using are supposed to be completely compatible for existing headlamp glass patterns so I don't understand why they should not work. Some experimentation required then.
Here's the 5x7 bulb with a high power LED (with integral fan) from my C3 which takes about 3Amps. It is physically a bit longer and has a control box to find a home for but it does all fit inside the C4 pod. It needs some tying up to stop the control box rattling around though, hence my experimentation with a lower wattage LED which doesn't have the fan or the control box.
This bulb unit has a side light built in (top right in photo below). The side light leads are a tight fit but I think they could be made to work with a little thought and persuasion. I have removed the side light for my purposes and will fit a blanking grommet to provide a seal. I might come back to this later - it's nice that the provision is there though.
I have also got to rebuild the pod motor units this week as both are over-running, with the clack, clack, clack sound for 5-10 secs after opening or closing. There seems to be a repair/rebuild approach for this which is effective and seriously cheaper than fitting new replacement units - I hope that works ok, you''l be the first to know. After doing both these repairs I'll experiment at night with the different lights and post some pictures of what I find.
Hope to update this post by the end of next week if the weather cooperates. If it all goes well I should have original looking, UK compatible, 5x7 headlamp units with a dip pattern to the left and significantly better brightness. Fingers crossed.
Unfortunately the Hella 1AE 003 427-011 mentioned above as a potential replacement is for right hand traffic and not suitable for the UK. Trawling the internet for a week or two I found that this Hella 5x7 H4 bulb unit (see pics below) is for left hand traffic (ie appropriate for the UK) but has a number of tabs on the rear of the bulb that would prevent it fitting in the C4 lamp pod. The part number is ...HELLA 1LE 003 427-04. Better still, these units seems to be generally available from a number of stockists.
Unlike the sealed beam unit as originally fitted which is all glass, this new Hella unit is glass at the front bonded to a metal rear. Thus these tabs can be removed by carefully drilling out the spot welds.
After doing this the stainless steel trim fits nicely around it and it can be fitted in the pod.
I'm hoping to convert mine to LED at the same time although a standard halogen H4 bulb will fit too. The original bulbs are I believe are 65/35W, (or about 5Amp/3 Amp max) whereas a standard Halogen H4 its 65/55W so a bit more current (about 1.5 amps) than before. The fuse is 10Amp though so still safely within that rating. The LED H4 bulb that I am going to experiment with consumes a max of 1.2Amps. Mot rules state that a pre 1986 car can have LED lights fitted but (as I understand it) for a 1992 car that did not have LEDs as standard that a halogen for LED bulb swap wouldn't pass. So I will experiment with all types. The LED bulbs that I am using are supposed to be completely compatible for existing headlamp glass patterns so I don't understand why they should not work. Some experimentation required then.
Here's the 5x7 bulb with a high power LED (with integral fan) from my C3 which takes about 3Amps. It is physically a bit longer and has a control box to find a home for but it does all fit inside the C4 pod. It needs some tying up to stop the control box rattling around though, hence my experimentation with a lower wattage LED which doesn't have the fan or the control box.
This bulb unit has a side light built in (top right in photo below). The side light leads are a tight fit but I think they could be made to work with a little thought and persuasion. I have removed the side light for my purposes and will fit a blanking grommet to provide a seal. I might come back to this later - it's nice that the provision is there though.
I have also got to rebuild the pod motor units this week as both are over-running, with the clack, clack, clack sound for 5-10 secs after opening or closing. There seems to be a repair/rebuild approach for this which is effective and seriously cheaper than fitting new replacement units - I hope that works ok, you''l be the first to know. After doing both these repairs I'll experiment at night with the different lights and post some pictures of what I find.
Hope to update this post by the end of next week if the weather cooperates. If it all goes well I should have original looking, UK compatible, 5x7 headlamp units with a dip pattern to the left and significantly better brightness. Fingers crossed.
.
but it wouldn't dazzle on coming traffic.