It is possible that the electrical wirings are grounded. You'll probably need to get an auto-electrician to take a look at it.
If just one headlight quit working it probably burned out. If both headlights quit working at the same time the fuse probably blew.
I believe the '76 was the last Impala to have round headlights. The '77 Caprice had the rectangle shapped ones.
Defective Flasher Relay.
i was driving in the rain last night my headlights and wipers quit working and i stop the car for 15 minutes and they starting working again and they are still working what could have cause this my car is 2002 cavalier
Replace the flasher relay.
I would replace the headlight switch as Ford has had their share of these problems.
It is possible that both of the fuses are bad for the low beam headlights and the cruise control. A loose ground wire could cause the fuses to blow.
check the fuse panel for blown fuse/check headlight switch
Check fuse or turn signal flasher
Bill Wyman
This happened to me . Was the switch when you turn on the headlights,not sure what it was called.
The first thing I would check would be the headlight fuses. (There may be one fuse per headlight.) Also, examine the headlights carefully for any damage.