I'm trying to get my Karmann Ghia on the road after Xmas, and I'm having no luck finding either some 58-61 lenses, or some 62-67 headlight buckets. Until I get some can anyone tell me if Lucas mini/morris headlights will fit into the Karmann Ghia headlight bowl on a 1961 Ghia?

Thanks

Steve

Steve,
The lights you refer to are I think the Lucas 6 inch sealed beams. They were also fitted to MG midgets.
I've got at least 4 of them I think but not the buckets- I think I replaced them on the Midgets with Hella QI equivalents.
Let me know if you want them- FREE!
You can at least try them out.
Actually, if you like I'll remove the lights from my '60 ghia & see if they can be made to fit the buckets. Then if you use the Hella units at least they will fly the correct flag & not the emblem of The Prince of Darkness- Joseph Lucas!

[Edited on 18-12-2002 by geodon]

Cheers Geodon, Could you check them out on your Ghia for me please? Why the hell do people call Lucas 'prince of darkness?

Also I've got a rego paper and receipt for the splitty to send you. Only problem is my missus misplaced it during our move!!! As soon as I find it I'll send it to you.

Cheers

Steve

I not only have the 4 Lucas sealed beams. I also have a left over Hella H4 unit. BUT
The Hella is a flat lens & looks wrong- it is also hard to fit(a bit too small)
The Lucas has a rounded lens & fits to the inner (black) rim using the winged w-clips that attaches the KG buckets.It looks OK(ex for the Lucas emblem!) This then screws into the headlight hole on the body & the chome dressing ring goes over it. However ther are 2 problems:
You have no parking lights as the Lucas units go on cars with sep. parkers. Plus you have no adjustment for the beams.
You may need to get Mini/MG buckets but they are designed to go in a hole with a fat lip to attach to. The K/G has none.

The reason Joe Lucas is called the Prince of Darkness is the same reason so many MG's run Bosch distributors!

Steve, here is the Lucas unit clipped into the k/g inner black rim.

Sorry revered moderators! Will fix asap!

LMAO

Thats HUGE - lifesize even - Glad you didn't take a piccy of the whole car

Geodon,

I think the proper procedure is:-

Weld or rivet three mounting lugs to the inside of the ghia headlight aperature.

Get a mini headlight bucket like this one:-




Pop a 7' sealed beam in the bucket, and mount this to the 3 tags on the inside.

Put your Hella or repro headlight ring on as normal.

The key thing is to bin the mini headlight ring and use the bucket!!!

I just had a thought, maybe Mk1 golfs have the same bucket as the proper one for the Ghia, as their headlights mount in the same way! I'll have to check that one out!!

Steve

Sounds OK. But what about parkers?
BTW, I remember the Hella units as giving out heaps of light.

Steve

Joe Lucas is called the Prince of Darkness and is the same reason why pommies or you chums drink WARM beer.

sorry mate couldnt resist that one

Lucas was the Name in Headlamps in the UK... and i believe the prince of Darkness headlamps were the VERY Large lamps on Rolls Royce Daimlers and Large Austins etc. I could be wrong... but please don't tell everyone....

I don't really know anything about Karmann Ghias but I have read somewhere that the Mini H/lamps do fit, I am NOT sure whether they are talking of the complete Lucas headlamp assy or just the bucket and the chrome ring....
I have fitted sealed beam or Hella H4 headlamps to many VWs over the years, with a little bit of modification... and it is possible to adjust the lamps otherwise they would be illegal... If You use another brand of headlamp itself.. bosch hella GE etc that have the clear circle for the parking lamp bulb to shine thru....
another thing You can do is add another bulb to the front blinkers to be used as parkers. I have done this on Beetles and I actually have already modified the blinkers for My 68AutoBug for amber parkers using very small bulbs. I also did the same using larger bulbs in a Type 3 Variant many years ago....
:tree

I have always used early Ford headlamp buckets... the correct ones make the modification very easy, but they are now very hard to find.
especially at the local wreckers....
I am sure that the chrome rim for Karmann Ghias is very similar if not the same as the BMC MINI..
Best of Luck...
Someone did mention 6 inch headlamps... I'm sure they meant 7 inch which is standard along with the 5 3/4" sealed beams for dual headlamps.... the Main exception being 8 inch round Headlamps in some of the Volvos a few years ago...
A bit different to todays cars with a different headlamp for each model......