What I's worry about is the fact that the
wheel pants take some pretty good jolts on landing and that can't be good
for the filiments in the lights.

Skip,

 

Maybe he means legs.  I have been running the same Halogen 100W projector lamp on my left gear leg for about 6 years and hundreds of landings.  It takes a lot less punishment that the GE 100W bulb in the cowl mounting - heat and continuous vibration.  I have replaced the GE bulb 4 times.