924Board.org

[jcontova]

I am a proud new owner of a '81 924 turbo! I have started to address some things that need replacing on the car and one of these is the passenger headlight. I wanted to know if anyone has any detailed knowledge of the types/brands/PNs of bulbs that would have been factory equipped on an 81 turbo (car is extremely low miles and I want to retain its concours quality). I suspect that the bulbs I currently have are factory original but I wanted to confirm here. They are General Electric H6014 bulbs. I have been unable to find any for sale online of even a photo of an identical bulb except for one listed on Performance Products site here:

https://ppeporparts.com/i-30519918-crystal-vision-ultra-headlight-bulbs-halogen.html#!model%3D924%20TURBO%7C%7Cmake%3DPORSCHE%7C%7Cyear%3D1981

This bulb looks identical to mine, but these look like repros with possibly a non-sealed beam type construction. I have found a few 6014 GE bulbs on Ebay but they lack the H in the part number and the 'HALOGEN' writing on the center of the glass lens.

Anyway, before I go down a rabbit hole of trying to locate NOS H6014s I wanted to confirm that these are indeed factory original (or just factory correct).

Thanks!
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1981 924 Turbo

[Beartooth]

I couldn't tell you what exactly they came from the factory with, but it's a standard 7" round sealed beam headlight. You can still get 6014s, it seems, but the halogen version (6024 - I think the only difference is it's halogen) is more commonly available and brighter anyway. I went with Hella's H4 conversion, which gives you the sharper, euro-style beam pattern and more brightness yet; I'm pretty happy with it, but I might upgrade to relays just to squeeze a bit more out of it yet. Lastly, there are LED 7" conversions available. Philips and Sylvnaia both make them - but they're more expensive, and you've gotta buy a whole new headlight if it quits on you.
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1980 931 diamond in the rough

[Cedric]

[Beartooth]

I can't argue with that: the US Department of Transportation came up with a byzantine standard for headlights in the 40s and 50s that took a long time to back down from, and their mindset still lags far behind current technology. Halogen bulbs squeezed a little more out of the DOT standard, but still had a crummy beam pattern and were limited to 35W on low beam. So the extra 20W low beam and more focused beam on euro H4s makes a difference. They're also still not entirely legal in the US, depending on who you ask...

What's even more mind-boggling is, it wasn't until the mid-80s when automakers were able to break from the old sealed headlights - and it was Ford who spear-headed that by arguing that flush, integral headlights would improve fuel efficiency. It wasn't even the more obvious safety advantage that tipped the scales.

I'm big on headlights because I live in an area where deer are everywhere (Montana has the second-highest rate for deer strikes in the US), and the best possible headlight, properly aimed, could be the difference between seeing and avoiding a deer and a smashed-up car (or worse). My Mercedes have euro headlights that are also a big improvement, but unfortunately, my 560SEC is still awaiting repair after hitting a deer a few years back...
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1980 931 diamond in the rough

[Cedric]

[Legitimate Salvage]

I ordered/installed a pair of these Koito H4 headlights in my '79 924.

https://www.busdepot.com/h6024k

Perfect fit and an order of magnitude better light than the sealed beam halogens that were in it. Very nice low beam cutoff. Made a world of difference in nighttime driving. The lens itself has a flatter profile than the original sealed beams. Not a deal breaker for me.

In another life I owned an '84 Mercedes 300D. I put a similar pair on that car and got the same outstanding improvement in lighting.

I have no advice on finding a set of NOS sealed beams from the late 70's/early 80's. Maybe ePay? If you do get a pair, don't drive your baby at night.