The low beams on my recently acquired '87 (rectangular) aren't very
good--much worse than the Hella H4's I put on my '74 (round). The
reflectors in the '87's lights look kinda strange to me--there is a tubular
shaped metal thing surrounding the bulb that is made of a dark-colored
metal. The round lights I put on the '74 don't have anything surrounding
the bulb. I figured this tubular metal thing was compromising my light
output so I purchased a new pair of Hella lights with a concave reflector
that was made of shiny metal. However, the new lights would not fit.
Apparently the Vanagons went to a non-standard headlamp at some point. I
understand that aux low beams are a good option, but I'm wondering if I can
improve the standard lights. I see two options:

1. Get new headlights from a dealer (maybe they have a better shinier
reflector or something). I'm dubious of this approach and it probably costs
more than aux low beams.

2. Install more powerful bulbs. I currently have Sylvania bulbs probably
55/60W. 80/100W bulbs are available. But what if the reflectors are the
problem?

Any suggestions?

-Mark McCulley
'74 bus
'87 syncro