May be a dumb question, but here goes . . .

[Steve McMahan]

Does anyone know if this kit will fit in the 71-73 Mustang buckets? I saw this on VMF, but couldn’t get an answer to that question. If I’m off base, I claim a senior moment coupon.

https://parts.toyotasouth.com/oem-parts/toyota-headlamp-assembly-8111060p70

 

[Bentworker]

Looks like they are 7”, should fit

 

[Hemikiller]

7" Koito housings, that's a really good deal. You might need to open the back of the bucket to clear the rubber shroud.

 

[Stanglover]

They don't mention the size, but they look like 7" / 178mm and are H4. You may be able to upgrade them to LED's, but you may also need to do a little work on the relays as the socket to join in with the existing harness and wire length could be different. As for the rubber shield, it may work, but from my experience, probably not without reworking the buckets.
Your choice, your money, but personally, I'd pay a little more and go for a known brand that we know fits, like the Hella Vision Plus 7" H4 and add LED's with water shields. I may be bias here. I'm sure you've seen my posts on this subject.

 

[Steve McMahan]

I was kinda surprised at the pricing from an OEM. I’m not ready to make the upgrade, but when I do Stanglover, I know who my go-to guy is! Thanks for the quick responses.

 

[basstrix]

Those look pretty much identical to the Hella (I think that's the brand) kit I've been running in mine since the 80's. I've never had to replace a bulb, but I'd just remove the entire lamp if I did. Back in the 80's, these were a big improvement over standard lamps. Compared to what's used today, they aren't very impressive....however, it's possible the 35 years on the wiring is contributing.

 

[Hemikiller]

Koito is a Japanese OEM, the equivalent of Hella in Germany. Considering this comes with a relay harness, it's a heck of a deal. I don't need a set as I already have Cibie housings in the 71. but I may pick one up just out of curiosity.

 

[Stanglover]

Those look pretty much identical to the Hella (I think that's the brand) kit I've been running in mine since the 80's. I've never had to replace a bulb, but I'd just remove the entire lamp if I did. Back in the 80's, these were a big improvement over standard lamps. Compared to what's used today, they aren't very impressive....however, it's possible the 35 years on the wiring is contributing.

Powered via relays, you bypass most of the old wiring, just using the headlight switch as a trigger.
If you already have Hella H4 lamps, an easy upgrade to LED's is the way to go.... plus water shields!!

 

[basstrix]

I'm sure my application would benefit from a relay harness. Shortly after I installed these lights, the breaker in my headlight switch began tripping when I ran high beams for any length of time....I put a new switch in it, and never had another problem with the breaker tripping.

That's an outstanding price, but to ship to my location was $34. There's a slightly better deal on ebay...I think it was $77 and change with shipping.

 

[Stanglover]

I'm sure my application would benefit from a relay harness. Shortly after I installed these lights, the breaker in my headlight switch began tripping when I ran high beams for any length of time....I put a new switch in it, and never had another problem with the breaker tripping.

That's an outstanding price, but to ship to my location was $34. There's a slightly better deal on ebay...I think it was $77 and change with shipping.

Got Amazon Prime? Hella H4 Vision Plus would likely be free shipping. You can get a ready made harness for our cars as well, but Chinese. The Hella are a bit more money but quality is very good.
I'm wondering if those Japanese lights are for left hand drive vehicles. Japan drives on the left, therefore the lights would dim to the left. I say that because I saw on an ad I was looking at and the lamps were listed for the UK. Maybe something to check out and be aware of.

 

[basstrix]

Does anyone know if this kit will fit in the 71-73 Mustang buckets? I saw this on VMF, but couldn’t get an answer to that question. If I’m off base, I claim a senior moment coupon.

https://parts.toyotasouth.com/oem-parts/toyota-headlamp-assembly-8111060p70

If it will help you, I can take some pictures of what I have and post them up.

 

[Steve McMahan]

Sure, and did you modify the buckets for fitment issues, and if so, can you show your work?

 

[basstrix]

It turns out, mine are Carello. I didn't modify the buckets. The boots feed through the existing hole. With a little massaging of the boot, the flange portion will pop right through. That last picture is from the web, but shows the boots installed. I think those may be a little deeper than what I have.

 

[Stanglover]

Basstrix, Those are the first boots I've seen that actually might help keep water out and away from the plug connectors. However, I wonder if they would stop water seeping under the boot from the top side of the lamp globe. There is a large hole at the top of the bucket formed by the top adjuster screw "bracket" for want of a better term, see pic. This is where I found the majority of water can got onto the lamp and therefore run down to the bulb socket and from there, enter the lamps.
This is why the direct fit water shield I designed, eliminated that possible problem in all of my testing.
As said before, it is NOT the fault of the lamps regardless of brand people choose, but the design of the 71-73 Mustangs whereby the headlights are totally exposed to water getting on to them through the hood and fender gaps.
I'm pointing this out not to be self serving, but to be informative so people can make their own decision what they want for lighting on their Mustangs.

 

[Steve McMahan]

I’ve always wondered, if making a rubber plug that would fit into that opening would cure/build water resistance enough to solve the problem. Not to dissuade anyone from your fine product Stanglover. I suspect the close fit of the back of the bulb would limit what sort of “plug” would fit.

 

[basstrix]

The light housing has a metal flange that the boot positions behind. It's a tight fit....a little difficult to install the boot. The 2nd picture shows the parts covered by the boot....they still look new. They were installed somewhere around 1988.

 

[Stanglover]

I’ve always wondered, if making a rubber plug that would fit into that opening would cure/build water resistance enough to solve the problem. Not to dissuade anyone from your fine product Stanglover. I suspect the close fit of the back of the bulb would limit what sort of “plug” would fit.

I see what you mean. I actually thought about making a shield that would attach directly into the bucket, and indeed, I could still do that. To give credit where credit is due, Hemikiller made that suggestion some time ago, but as I had already made the vacuum form tool for the direct fit shield, I decided not to pursue it further. One advantage of a shield fitted directly to the bucket inner surface is that any LED type lamp could be used as long as the bulb heat sink fits through the bucket opening with good clearance to allow for a cover, if you will, to protect the heat sink.
Looking a pictures of the Holley RetroBright lamp, there appears to be a large opening at the top which seems to be a vent. Water will for sure get into the lamps if that's the case. My current shield may not work on this one due to the finned design of the lamp body which may not provide sufficient surface to attach the Velcro dot fasteners. I do have a member currently looking at this issue, but I have not yet heard back from him.
If others are interested in a shield fitting directly into the bucket rather than the current design, I'll be willing to make that available. Let me know.

 

[Stanglover]

The light housing has a metal flange that the boot positions behind. It's a tight fit....a little difficult to install the boot. The 2nd picture shows the parts covered by the boot....they still look new. They were installed somewhere around 1988.

That's interesting. I have not looked to see if that lamp design is still available. The only rubber cover I've seen that would fit LED bulbs, did not fit tightly enough to seal against the bucket and lamp to prevent water seeping under it.

EDIT: H4 Carello lamps are still available, but it seems from Europe only from the websites I found. They are Italian and designed for European cars, so would dim to the right, just like ours. It also looks like the bulb adaptor (holder) could be switched to an LED style. The 3 locate tabs are universal, so no problem there.