It was long overdue but I finally wired up the replacement for the melted left side license plate light socket. I had bought cheap phillips bulbs that were really yellow but a new neighbor who happens to have an aftermarket lighting business gave me 3 led bulbs, props to him!
The right side bulb was burnt out but now both sides light up perfectly for the first time in who knows how many years.
He then offered me a low and high beam HID setup (bulbs, ballasts, etc) for $99, although from my basic knowledge I'm hesitant to put that into the stock halogen housing. Thoughts?