Just wondering about differences between the headlamp gens. A quick search yielded nothing or like some members on here apparently think I'm a lazy idiot. Please helpful members only chime in. Thanks in advance.
interchangeable - yes
exact fit - no
what does that mean - there is a small gap between the bumper and lenses
Ok but the bumper design same for all years, right ?
Ok so back to original post - what are the differences in headlamps between the gens ?
Side markers for one thing.
Ok but mounts are same ? No structural difference ? Just by a visual aspect, can you tell a difference other than side marker delete ?
Is it possible the only difference between gens is the addition of HID ?
Is it possible the only difference between gens is the addition of HID ?
well the inside of a gen1 and a gen 2 headlight are definitely different.. as mentioned, the yellow portions are diff. its been mentioned by i dunno how many ppl that it is believed that the exterior dimensions are slightly different too, but there is no definitive info where someone measured or snapped pics of gen1 lights in a gen2 vs gen2 lights in a gen 2 vs gen 2 lights in a gen 1 vs gen1 lights in a gen1... so those ppl are 'probably right' but i dont think anyone has proved it.
back when i rebuilt my car i had one good gen2 halo and it made more financial sense to stick w gen 2 halos than to guess if gen 1 lights would work. plus the gen2s looked better imo. like is aid tho, if you were hell bent on doing it, you could just buy from a yard that lets you return stuff that dont fit. car-part.com will help you search from home
Also the bezels are different.....
The GEN 2s have smaller inner radius for the High beams and GEN 1s have same size radius for the high and low beams
GEN 1
View attachment 828473635
GEN2
View attachment 828473636
Aha I see it now. Definitely different appearance wise but I can't help question how the dimensions are different relative to fender, hood & bumper ( ? )
the fit to the hood and the fender is fine / no difference.
the bigger problem is putting a 2nd gen bumper on a 1st gen car wither 1st gen headlights. the 2nd gen headlights a little bigger, so putting a bumper on a car that was designed for bigger headlights makes a small gap. now if you're trying to put new headlights onto a old car, I would expect the opposite, the larger headlights on a bumper designed for smaller headlights hides the gap even more... i guess it would help to know the exact intention you have instead of just guessing .
i dont think anyone knows the exact answers bc when i searched a few yrs ago i didnt see anything definitive, just similar comments to those posted above, which are probably correct.
you probably should have searched better, there have been a few threads on here showing exactly what you were looking for...
for instance, this one up until recently still showed pictures
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?61406-1st-gen-to-2nd-gen-lse-bumper
and while the title may not seem what you were looking for, it specifically covers the difference in headlights shapes
also first result after spending 10 seconds on my first search
http://bfy.tw/1jCl