Front headlamp assemblies differ between chrome-bumper and rubber-bumper Midgets. Chrome-bumper cars use a separate headlamp bowl mounted in the front wing, with the sealed beam unit or halogen conversion sitting within a chrome rim.
The rubber-bumper 1500 uses a different bowl arrangement to suit the revised front panel design, with a black surround rather than chrome.
Upgrades
The original sealed beam headlamp units produce a relatively dim, yellowish beam by modern standards. Halogen headlamp conversion kits replace the sealed beam unit with a reflector housing that accepts a standard H4 halogen bulb, providing a dramatically brighter and whiter beam. The conversion fits within the existing headlamp bowl and uses the same electrical connections, making it a straightforward upgrade. For maximum improvement, a headlamp relay kit should be fitted at the same time, this delivers full battery voltage to the bulbs rather than the reduced voltage that arrives via the headlamp switch and its ageing wiring, which can lose up to two volts across the switch contacts.
Headlamp Adjustment
Headlamp adjustment is carried out using the screws on the headlamp bowl, and should be set using a beam setter or against a wall at a measured distance to ensure the beams are correctly aimed. Incorrectly aimed headlamps are both a hazard to oncoming traffic.