The Ford Barn - LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

The Ford Barn (https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/index.php)

- Model A (1928-31) (https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3)

- - LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs (https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=242395)

LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

Has anyone tried the LED headlight replacement bulbs offered from

RESTORATION SUPPLY COMPANY
15182 Highland Valley Road
Escondido, CA 92025
800-306-7008
760-741-4014
[email protected]

are they bright enough so you do not need high beams?
their bulb replaces the 32/32 not the 32/50.

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

Sounds like a SURE way to get a TICKET to see the JUDGE!
Bill Bright

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

No, I haven't tried them, but going to see the judge is a possibility. The reflectors for filament bulbs are designed so that the parabolic reflectors have a certain focal point that can be controlled and the bright beams can be aimed with a fair amount of precision.

So many people are so danged willing to get maximum bright, ignoring the fact that without aiming the headlight beam, they are actually blinding oncoming drivers.

LED lamps do not have the light emitting from the same physical place in the bulb as a filament bulb, so any aiming is sometimes non existent. Maybe the ones being sold by Restoration Supply are aim-able. If so, then great.

Some police departments enforce headlight aiming, but sadly I think most cops are too busy these days to pull people over for blinding headlights. This goes for any car, not just model A's.

The older I get, the more sensitive my eyes are to excessively bright lights. I think I am not alone in this group.

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

Bill thank you, this is the information I am looking for, being new to "A ing" I have a lot of questions, a lot answered by past posts. In your experience do you see a worthwhile difference between the 32/32 vs the 32/50 bulb. That is with all components in proper order. Properly aimed and focused do you feel you have enough night driving light at a speed of 45 mph?

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

The 32/50 is a great bulb and provide enough light for night time driving.

I have compared the 32/50's to the halogens and like them better. Cheaper and run way cooler and provide the same light.

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

So we still don't know how the led bulbs are. Be the first to try them and we'll all be grateful. They should work well with original generators where halogens most often need an alternator. By the way, the 32/50 is a measurement of light briteness called candlepower. Lumens is another scale. The 50 is the second filament, the brighter one.

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

Quote:

Originally Posted by 100IH (Post 1617110)

By the way, the 32/50 is a measurement of light briteness called candlepower. Lumens is another scale.

Except you can't really compare the two. Candlepower is a measure of the brightest part of the beam of a headlight whereas lumens is a measure of the total amount of light put out by a headlight. Why can't they just make things easy? :p:p

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

Quote:

Originally Posted by old31 (Post 1617036)

The 32/50 is a great bulb and provide enough light for night time driving.

I have compared the 32/50's to the halogens and like them better. Cheaper and run way cooler and provide the same light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead (Post 1617115)

Measuring light has been a game of liar's poker since man first used fire!

You may have heard some of these terms: Lux, Lumens, Candlepower. Less known terms: Circular candlepower, Candela, Isotropic lumens. They are all units of different properties and thus cannot be directly converted mathematically like you can convert inches to centimeters.

The earliest light unit, the 'candle' was replaced with 'circular candlepower', usually incorrectly listed by bulb manufacturers as just 'candlepower'. WRONG!

Since no two candles are alike, the only true measure of visible photon production stems from photographic development and WWII research. In 1948 this method was officially dubbed 'Candela'. Today only scientific and technical light sources are rated in candela.

Modern lighting is usually rated in 'lumens' which is actually a wavelength biased measure of 'flux intensity'. Of note here, the term 'Lux' is derived from 'flux intensity'. Lumens may be directional and the number will change with spread concentration while the source is constant in 'candela'. The mix of wavelengths in white light, often weight averaged to a color temperature number in degrees Kelvin (K) affects computation of 'Lumens".

The same photon flux density from two sources, one red light, one green light, will exhibit lumen rating bias. The green source will have a higher lumen number despite equal photon flux densities.

Isotropic lumens (isotropic = nondirectional) are an attempt to quantify a light source in a manner similar to circular candlepower or candela but with some human eye response wavelength bias.

Keeping in mind it is inherently impossible to directly convert any of these units to each other, or to units of work or power such as Watts, I offer up the following numbers based on conditional and debatable algorithmic assumptions:

35W halogen ~ 649 lumens
32/50cp bulb = 29/45 watts (measured) ~ 470/729 lumens
(the above are for halogens @ 7.2V, original 32/50cp @ 7.1V

Now, getting all that down the road into a usable beam shape without blinding oncoming traffic is a whole 'nother can of worms. Skew caps, beam linearity, reflective and transmissive coefficients would all come into that discussion.

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

Thus endeth the lesson of the day.
Thank you
JB

Re: LED Headlight Replacement Bulbs

i plan on trying some, not sure if they're the same as those though. I'll let you know (Bet they blow after 2 weeks)