Firstfives.org

I'm guessing these are euro headlamps.
Are they plug-n-play?
I'll also need the grill assembly, correct?
Anything else I should know before attempting to buy and do this modification?

What would be a fair price to both seller and buyer?

I think there should be a different connector and the tabs where it screws to the body should be symetrical (doesn't look like they are in the photo, but it might be an optical illusion).

Cheers

No change to the grilles on an E12 for euro vs sealed beam US lamps (unless you are doing euro headlight washer/wipers).

They should be plug and play, but those look like US sealed beam lights.

Adam W in MN wrote:No change to the grilles on an E12 for euro vs sealed beam US lamps (unless you are doing euro headlight washer/wipers).

They should be plug and play, but those look like US sealed beam lights.

My untrained eyes deceive me often.
I was thinking possibly they would be the same as on an E28, different size lamps.
Not so, huh?
Thanks.

I don't think they are for an E12. To the best of my knowledge, and doing some peeking on RealOEM, all E12's came with the same size high and low beam lamps, not the big/little like euro E28's came with. I don't know what they do fit, but I don't think it's an E12.

This is the ad content:

Selling left and right headlight assemblies for BMW 5series E12 '74-'81. Parts removed from a '76 530i. All mounting brackets and adjusters in good condition. Quad headlight design. $93 for both, make offer.

Is the seller wrong then and these are not E12?

It's hard to tell from the size of the picture, but I bet they are sealed beam US headlights. They're likely the same size and it's hard to tell because of the angle/picture.

That'd make them the same as what you already have (just out of an older car).

Slap some Cibies or something similar in your 528i and go.

swatterssr wrote: Is the seller wrong then and these are not E12?

That's what I'm thinking. I've been playing with E12's since the early 90's and I've never seen big/little headlights. Check RealOEM, or some of the car of the month pics, a lot of those are euros, but I don't think you'll find any. And even if they are, you still need grills.

Mike W. wrote:

swatterssr wrote: Is the seller wrong then and these are not E12?

That's what I'm thinking. I've been playing with E12's since the early 90's and I've never seen big/little headlights. Check RealOEM, or some of the car of the month pics, a lot of those are euros, but I don't think you'll find any. And even if they are, you still need grills.

I've looked too and I think I've come to that conclusion myself.
Thanks Mike and good to see you, virtually anyway, over here.
I'm trying to learn all I can about my new purchase as quickly as possible.

They came on the E28s and E23s.
Some people have modified E12 and installed staggerred headlight. I don't even think they were any aftermarket versions either.
As far as regular lights are concerned, euro kights will fit US buckets. they are the same.

As far as I know the e12 never came with staggered headlights,
but as Pierre noted it can be done. Here are some pics of my conversion.
The buckets were made by splicing euro e23 and e12 parts.
The grills are part euro e28 and e12 and required many hours of fabrication.

Don, nice work! Briefly, how did you do it? Starting with what parts?

Don Daynes wrote: As far as I know the e12 never came with staggered headlights, but as Pierre noted it can be done. Here are some pics of my conversion. The buckets were made by splicing euro e23 and e12 parts. The grills are part euro e28 and e12 and required many hours of fabrication.

Looking good, unique, I like that.
Would be interested in knowing/seeing more details.

Don, you're still around. Still looking for a black e12?

Kind of still looking for a black one. Health issues would keep me from picking one up. At least for now.