What is up with these things?

"traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn" (el-peasant) 09/07/2015 at 18:20 • Filed to: None

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In the era of about 1978-ish to 1992-ish, this same rounded-rectangle headlight was used in EVERYTHING of the Big Three. In the two-on-each side fashion.

Well, there might be a few vehicles without them, but not enough to to prevent this topic.

-1981-1993 Chevy/GM trucks

-1981-1991 Chevy/GMC Suburban

-Most, if not all, American large cars from about ‘77-’90. (Cadillac Brougham, Chevy Caprice, Olds Cutlass, Lincoln Continental, Ford LTD Crown Vic, etc.)

-1982-2002 Trans Am, albeit hidden

-1982-1997 Camaro

-1979-1986 Mustang

-Most, if not all of the K-cars

-It’s still used in the GM cargo vans, plus a lot of 18-wheelers

The late-70s to early 90s was a dreadful era for American cars. Maybe since cost cutting was high on the list, and quality was low, they had to use this same headlight for nearly everything.

EDIT: Also, predating this rectangular headlight was the circular headlight, used from probably about ‘39 to ‘78, when the rectangle took over.

Alex from Toronto > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 18:29

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I think it was part of some goverment regulation that wanted two sealed headlights. One for low beams and one for high beams.

Übel > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 18:30

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealed_be…

Sealed beams were the way to go back then, and square headlights were the style. Stick ‘em together, and boom!

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 18:30

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I think every (American) manufacturer used these universal sealed-beam headlights.

Leon711 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 19:00

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ah, the Mayonnaise Era!

Cé hé sin > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 19:01

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Sealed beams. Came in standard sizes, of which these were a later innovation in place of the previous round ones. The rest of the world used lights specific to the car which lead to quite a variety of strange modifications so models could be sold in America, like the Citroen XM.

Rest of the world:

North America

Merc SL:

Rest of the world

North America

Peugeot 504:

Rest of the world

North America (see how they’ve nailed round sealed beams into an opening designed for trapezoidal lights)

thethePete > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 19:26

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For what it’s worth, I still strongly feel that sealed beam headlights are the way to go for service vehicles. Work vans and the like. Ford even offered the early 2000s F-series super duty with a modern headlight and a sealed beam variant.

Plus you can swap them for some nice modern JW Speaker headlights now.

Viggen > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 19:29

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I think Jeep was the only one to get away without using them. I might be wrong though.

Bandit > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 19:30

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They look good on cars designed around them

ly2v8-Brian > Cé hé sin 09/07/2015 at 19:48

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The latter two look better imo

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 19:59

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That’s what happens when the Feds mandate a particular technology rather than a standard outcome. Same reason why we do not have laser headlights now.

Composite halogen and LED and HID are approved. Nothing else is.

AMC/Renauledge > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 20:00

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The Datsun 810 and 1G Maxima had them. The 1980-81 510 did. The 1979-85 Datsun/Nissan pickups, too. Same with the 1979-84 200SX.

Honda’s Accord had them from 1982-85. Toyota Corona’s last generation and the Camry’s first. The Celica/Supra had them. The Cressida had them. And the Land Cruiser. Subarus from 1981-87. Mitsubishi Galant and Mighty Max. Isuzu Impulse. Mazda 626. And a whole raft of JDM stuff in that era, as well.

Volvo had them on the 240 and 740/60. Fiat had them on the ‘82 Brava. The Audi 4000 and 5000 had them, along with the Quattro coupe. Rolls and Bentley used them on their SZ cars. The Maserati Biturbo had them until the early ‘90s. Renault 9 and 11. Alpine A310. Peugeot 604. And probably a few others, too.

lone_liberal > BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE 09/07/2015 at 20:11

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Every manufacturer period. Sealed beams were required by law and you only had the choice of round or rectangular and two or four. If you look at European cars of the same era the Euro versions had different headlights than the US market ones because of this.

lone_liberal > Alex from Toronto 09/07/2015 at 20:12

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Sealed beams were required but they could either have two or four. That was a styling choice.

BigBlock440 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 20:18

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In the era of about 1978-ish to 1992-ish, this same rounded-rectangle headlight was used in EVERYTHING of the Big Three .

FIFY

Government regulations, not cost cutting.

bobkustofawitshz > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 20:43

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Sealed beams! Funny, I was just thinking about those as the GMC u-haul I rented yesterday still has them.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 20:45

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Headlights were all modular semi-universal fitment with only a few variants, and those were all that were legal for use by the Department of Transportation from the WWII-era until the mid-1980s.

Whether round dual-beams (High and low in one round headlight), or dual round fixtures (smaller round headlights for low or high beams, in pairs) or rectangular versions in dual-beam or pairs.

The whole glass lens, metallized-mirrored glass reflector backing fused together, with an electrical filament inside in a vacuum, later available with a hotter filament in a halogen inert gas environment, with an electrical blade and socket fitment on the back. The whole thing was a replaceable lamp.

The fixed size was a styling limitation, and many cars solved the aerodynamic problem with motorized or vacuum-operated armature fitting assemblies, known as pop-up headlights, where the headlights were stowed in the bodywork, or covered, when not in use.

In 1985, for the US market, DOT finally approved aerodynamically, and customized shapes of plastic housings for the reflector and lens, with a bulb capsule fitted in the back, which is still common today.

The 1984 and early 85 Ford Mustang SVO was designed during that time, but couldn’t use it’s plastic aero-freindly headlights, until the DOT regulations changed the regulations. (and also started requiring Center High-Mount Stop Lamps, aka, third brake lights, and other regulatory changes.) The 85.5-86 models had the new lamps, and the trend spread across the industry quickly.

Now, halogen capsule headlights don’t even requiring fluted lenses, or incorporating projector lenses, HID arc capsule bulbs, or solid-state LED or even new experimentation with laser emitters.

That technology has also served to replace sealed beam bulbs in service vehicles and other segments that still use modular light fixtures, with lens/reflector housings that fit bulb capsules, or ones that fit halogen or HID projectors, or increasingly popular use of sealed-beam replacement LED light fixtures that permanently replace the sealed beam bulb for the lifetime of the vehicle, with 50,000-100,000 hours of emitter life, lower electrical draw, and less thermal waste, and no ignitors or ballasts, which HID does require.

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > lone_liberal 09/07/2015 at 22:13

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Yeah that's what I figured

ranwhenparked > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 09/07/2015 at 22:53

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Sealed beam headlamps were mandatory on all vehicles sold in the US up until 1983, when modern composite lamps were legalized. That lead to some European cars having to be retrofitted with some pretty ugly sealed beam conversions to be sold here, the Rover SD1 being a particularly egregious example.

The rectangular headlamps were allowed starting in 1975, before that, they were all required to be round. Once automakers had a new shape to play with for the first time in decades, they kind of went to town and it became the new fashion.

facw > Viggen 09/08/2015 at 03:06

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Nope, Jeep had to use standardized sealed beam headlights just like everyone else. And in fact they used them far longer than they were required to. There were four sizes available, two rectangular, and two round. The larger rectangles were used on the YJs and the 7” circles were used in other Jeeps.

Cé hé sin > ly2v8-Brian 09/08/2015 at 04:45

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Not in mine, but I suppose I’m used to seeing them as they were originally designed.