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A PI Member wants to upgrade to the low profile or rectangular style headlights. If you have made this upgrade to your Pantera, would you please respond to this posting and tell us:
1) What brand or source did you use?
2) What was the cost?
3) How difficult/easy was it to install?
4) Did your headlights require painting?
5) Are you satisfied with the final result?
6) What recommendations can you make to our member?
Thank you for your response to these questions! Dave
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I had the set-up from Hall in my car until my former teenage son backed the car out of the garage w/o permission and hit the wall going back in. Did about 3k in damage. I called Hall to try and get one replacement setup and he would only sell me the entire set for around $700. I decided to look elsewhere and wound up building my own set using the fibreglass buckets from Hall with PIAA 4 beam driving lights. I have a low beam, Hi beam, turn signal and running light. It took me a couple days of trying various combinations to mount the lights in the bucket, I wound up using 3.5 inch stainless machine screws with springs so that there is some adjustability. I then cut and mounted a sheet of acrylic to finish off the hole. All told, I spent about $350 and am reasonably happy with the way it came out. You might want to search this site there have been several postings from Larry aka lildevo or lil devil or something like that. If you search this forum under the term "headlight" there are many topics that come up regarding this issue. I started one in June 2003 that had 5 pages of response to it, look under "headlight" then "chris darling" he did a how to article in "Pantera International" Spring 2003 page 10 by Chris Darling 'Do It Yourself Quad Low-Profile Headlights For The Pantera' with sketches/diagrams and photographs.

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Like Mark, I have pre-purchased the new headlight kit from Kirk Evans. As one of the first customers, the introductory price was $700. I know I'll have to remove the headlight "buckets" from the car & perform some careful cutting. I also know the new bezels have to be painted either black or body color (the buckets do not have to be repainted, my preference is to have the bezels painted body color). I'll need to do the headlight relay mod to my wiring to handle the current of the new lamps too. This much I have confidence in, Kirk has an excellent eye for design & is an honest business man. Kirk worked on this system for months, working out the bugs, building in oem type quality that you would expect from a "package system" & designing it to operate flawlessly. I've attached a scanned pictue of Kirk's Pantera.

George

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Last edited by George P
I haven't done the project yet, but I'm thinking about this attached Cat's-Eye 3-in-1 Lighting System as the main component. 5 3/4" W x 2" H x 3 3/4 D means it would only be a 2" to 2 1/2" frog eye, headlight assembly opening.

So my Pantera's front lights would only open to the lowest possible level, 2", and they'd be parallel to the pavement, i.e. horizontal, or flat when wide open, headlights ON. Least air drag, greatest styling element: low profile, IMHO, of course. I think it would be much better if you could put a kit together like this to get my business and be different from Kirk Evan's design. That is if you're contemplating new products to offer us, and I'd greatly appreciate anything which reduces my skill requirement in the "handy with tools category." As I was designing and measuring in my head, it seems like a guy could reinstall the original headlights and the chrome bezel ring would cover the cut-out requirement on the existing bezel mounting surface. There would be no need for re-painting the top of the headlamps, but a nice new rectangular custom bezel would add value, something else I haven't figured out yet. Then there's the prototype and getting legal headlamp light bulbs as other issues that need sorting out. JCW.com p/n we494977y, 1 pair $99.99, that's if you just bought one pair, then you'd have to buy the correct light bulbs, the right custom bezel, and wiring connectors and instructions for guys like me. I'd be a buyer at $350.00 or whatever ... if it was gonna be easy and slick looking, and PI Motorsports could make some profits off me, no problemo. Please!

Anyway, here's the link-up:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Search?catalogId=101...=10101&sku=we494977y

Newer, better, faster, cheaper, easier to install, isn't that how we do it in the USA?

So here's the photo from the JC Whitney online catalog:

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Nice stuff guys...all look great.
I have, or are going a different route....pretty much following Goran "The Mad Swede"'s, 'Weighless-Way' as described in the last PI News mag. We are trying to lose as much weight in my replica Grp.4 and have taken Gorans's fine efforts a touch further in that we have 'thrown away' all the heavy Pop-Up 'stuff' that has never really worked properly in all three Panetra's I have been fortunate to own,- ( ...always flopping around when up & looking dreadfull...a bit like my.... no never mind...)- by fitting 'fixed,' round projector lamps ( Toyota 2000 Sports )in each newlly made up housing, permantely postioned. With a Acrilic / Plexi covers which gives the car a much more modern look and saves 21kg on each side. Yes, believe it. Goran was right, i weighed all the 'stuff' we pulled out....read Gorans article...u wont believe how much weight can be taken out of the cars...Will post pics when ready. Enjoy, tai
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