Changing 7" round headlights from Halogen to LED

[1nolaguy]

I previously posted a question about identifying our 7" round sealed halogen headlight with LED. The process of replacing these has lead me on a journey I want to share in case anyone else finds themselves wanting or needing to change  their 7" lights.

First, for many years the DOT and auto industry standardized the 7" round seal beam Halogen and then later also the rectangular sealed beam halogen. If your coach came with either the round or rectangular seal beam they are one standard size each. It was not until the introduction of the smaller Halogen bulbs in poly-carbonate lens housings that this changed. I am not sure when this design was adopted by Monaco but it appears to be after 2005.

For replacement 7" round headlights you have 3 basic options; replacements 7" seal beam halogen, 7" round poly-carbonate / plastic lens housings that require a separate halogen or led bulb, or Glass lens LED replacements. For this last option there are only a few sources I could find. Because of hazing and yellowing issues I have experienced with poly-carbonate on other vehicles this was not my preference. I found the standard Halogen not bright enough and so opted for the Glass LED option. This is probably the more expensive route as replacement SB halogen are about $35/40 each and the poly-carbonate lenses are about the same plus that amount again for bulbs. The Glass lens LED's seem to run from $100-200 a pair.

I ordered a pair of SMD Glass Hi/Lo LED bulbs from Amazon ($98) They are well made and a good bit heavies than the OEM halogens. The front is a thick glass faceted lens that looks a lot like the OEM. The back is heavy aluminum with fins for heat sink and a whip tail with 3 prong male connection for easy hook up. The lamp bucket on our 2005 Safari Cheetah would not accommodate the additional thickness of the new lens so I had to cut out part of the lens suport using a dremel tool and reversed circular saw blade from harbor freight. This is not difficult, just requiring some time an patience. I found it was best to make a series of small cuts between 3/8 and 1/2" at a time for the best control. The reason for using the reverse blade is to reduce plugging up the teeth with melted plastic. By modifying the bucket I eliminated the need to modify the lens which would void any warranty. Also plastic is easier to cut and shape than metal.

This modification allows enough of the original bucket structure to be maintained allowing for lens adjustment. The lens still fits a bit proud of the housing but when you attach the chromed metal ring and screw down the three attachment points it secures the lens in place tightly.

You should note that to do all this more easily I detached the light bucket from the MH by opening the generator door and then removing the screws that go through the three aluminum support pieces that are attached to the FG front cap. I also removed the two additional bulbs (yellow blinker and the one that goes in the 5" round poly-carbonate lens). This may very with your rig design but made working on the housing easier while eliminating the need to remove or change the screws that set lens pitch. I have attached a few pics to help show the process. After spending about 2 hours figuring out how to go about this the process on the second lens only took about 30 minutes. I unfortunately did not take any before and after pictures but the difference in light output was amazing. I would say the new lights are 4X as bright as the OEM Halogens and are white not blueish. As I recall the new LEDs are 60W each so the electrical system ie easily able to accommodate them.

As a last tidbit. When the lenses arrived one was cracked. Amazon said to return for refund but listed the item as out of stock and uncertain if it will be replaced. I had already modified the buckets with one light fully installed when I discovered the crack. I googled SMD and contacted them directly. After exchanging info and photos of the damaged lens they promptly sent me a replacement. If you have trouble locating a lens to meet your needs you might try https://smd.lighting/smd-headlights-hid-lights/led-headlights.html.

I hope you might find this helpful.