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Composite Euro Style Headlight Housings for HIDs on my '99

Big T

Big T

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Location
Fullerton, CA
Two years back I installed the HIDs on my '99 Suburban using the aftermarket Euro Style composite housings. At installation, the housings required modification to get them to recess to the OEM position with the grill. They were never completely sealed against moisture, even after repeated applications around the housings. The latest problem is that the cup that covers the Lo beam HID bulb and reflects light to the back mirrors of the housing has detached in the driver's side housing and on the other side the cup has worked its way loose and is on its way to falling off:

1352912643.jpg


My first reaction is to see if I can split open the housings to re-attach these cups. Is this possible? They were never completely sealed in the first place. Should I have back-up housings at the ready in case I F these up? I've been looking all over ebay for the same housings with the cup over the bulb and cannot find them. There are plenty of Euro housings without the cup to choose from. Do I need the cup? The bare bulb creates a very bright spot without them.
 
By experience, I know you need the cups if you want a nice beam.

Unfortunately, these haedlights are poor quality, and I ended recommending them to my customers.

I have installed HID in stock headlights or TYC ones, same design, and it dooes wonder.

As for spliting open the housings to re-attach these cups, I think this is doable, but I'm afraid the palstic "glass" can be very brittle.

I know they are nice and creat an astonishing look on the truck, ut unfortunately, they are not worth it, IMHO.
 
I have an almost brand new set that look very much like those that are in like-new condition that I'll sell you cheap plus shipping if you're interested. I ordered them off of Ebay a couple of years back, ran them for a couple of weeks as halogen bulb, and decided that I wanted true blacked out projector headlights (which I converted to HID) for my '98 Burb instead.

I also have a set of slightly used LED style front turn/marker lights that are chrome/clear and look really good with the Euro reflector headlights that I had bought at the same time (and replaced at the same time as the Euro reflector headlights with a set of smoked black out LED turn signals) to replace the stock ones that always cloud over. The combo of the headlights and the LED chrome turns below look really sharp, it's just that I decided to go with a black out look for the front end shortly afterwards, so replaced them all with the black/smoke lights.

Contact me if you're interested
 
Husker6.5 said:
I have an almost brand new set that look very much like those that are in like-new condition that I'll sell you cheap plus shipping if you're interested. I ordered them off of Ebay a couple of years back, ran them for a couple of weeks as halogen bulb, and decided that I wanted true blacked out projector headlights (which I converted to HID) for my '98 Burb instead.

I also have a set of slightly used LED style front turn/marker lights that are chrome/clear and look really good with the Euro reflector headlights that I had bought at the same time (and replaced at the same time as the Euro reflector headlights with a set of smoked black out LED turn signals) to replace the stock ones that always cloud over. The combo of the headlights and the LED chrome turns below look really sharp, it's just that I decided to go with a black out look for the front end shortly afterwards, so replaced them all with the black/smoke lights.

Contact me if you're interested
Click to expand...

Interested in your light housings and sent you PM. Need to beat to the $44 with free shipping for the lights in Matuva's post. Let me know as I'm ready to move on this one way or another.
 
I'm familiar with Tuningimport as an Ebay seller, bought the first set of headlights (not the ones I'm selling) from them and returned them as the quality was crapola on a stick. The reflectors' plating was wavy and full of flaws and one low beam hood was off alignment. The base plates were of a very thin, non-fiberglass reinforced injection molded plastic that not only didn't have the bolt holes line up right with the radiator support holes, but didn't quite fit the contours, either. This caused several problems, including flexing of the base plates that caused the lights to not sit square in the grille openings, but the adjuster mechanisms for aiming the headlights were junk, too (one wouldn't adjust far enough to aim correctly, another popped out of the retainer on the first turn), so you couldn't compensate for the bad fit nor get a good aim. I returned them and asked for my money back, NOT an exchange for more junk. They, and several other California vendors, buy shipping container-load lots of this junk from China really cheap per unit and can thus afford to eat the cost of shipping anywhere in the US because I'm sure these are costing them less than $15/unit. You get what you pay for. To ship to Cali the lowest rate I could find for a box that size is around $20, and I'm not going to take a substantial loss just on the shipping for what I paid for mine. Take the $44 Chinese junk deal if the money is your only concern.

I will try and get photos of the headlights I have for sale, which look very similar to what Tuningimport's Ebay listing has. I have a technical difficulty, as when my Burb was broken into this summer and the DVD system stolen, the assholes also broke open the glove box and stole my digital camera. I'll have to use my crappy cellphone camera and interface it with my laptop to upload some pics.
 
Are your lights the same as the junk ones offered by Tuningimport?

I'd rather find another model that's better and would be willing to pay more. I did find headlights with glass cover lenses, but no cups, thus my original post.
 
No. The ones I found look similar (the facets of the reflectors are shaped/arranged differently and are much better finish quality and the low beams do have the shades). The base plates, while not GM OEM quality being fiberglass reinforced nylon, are about twice as thick as the ones that I got from Tuningimport and lined up nicely with the OEM mounting holes and contours of the radiator support. The adjuster mechanisms are beefier and mounted with screws, not snapped into place like Tuningimports were, too. They currently have the new halogen bulbs in them that came with them, but would be easily convertible to HID.
 
Husker6.5 said:
No. The ones I found look similar (the facets of the reflectors are shaped/arranged differently and are much better finish quality and the low beams do have the shades). The base plates, while not GM OEM quality being fiberglass reinforced nylon, are about twice as thick as the ones that I got from Tuningimport and lined up nicely with the OEM mounting holes and contours of the radiator support. The adjuster mechanisms are beefier and mounted with screws, not snapped into place like Tuningimports were, too. They currently have the new halogen bulbs in them that came with them, but would be easily convertible to HID.
Click to expand...

Need pics please.
 
Like I said above, will take a bit of finagling to do so from cell phone to lap top to here. Won't be today, dinner's shortly (CST), but will be likely over the weekend when I have a chance to play with the interface of cell-laptop-Truck Stop.
 
matuva said:
Or you can get these new ones here : http://www.ebay.com/itm/EURO-CHROME...pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

make sure they are waterproofed, if necessary, add silicone sealant all around the housing glass to make sure.

Hope that helps ;)
Click to expand...

I ended up buying these. The seller happens to be located in Hacienda Heights, which is about 8 miles from me. I inquired if I could walk in to inspect and purchase and they declined. Not a good sign. However, I needed them so I ordered. They are actually better than the original ones you recommended here. Better in the sense that you do not need to make any modifications to get them to seat flush with the grill. They sit flush right out of the box. They do not have the nylon nuts the screws go into. I did place a bead of silicon all the way around the housing. It was apparent that the corners would be a likely spot to leak. The adjusters cannot be worked with a Philips Head screwdriver, only a tiny socket which I'll have to find. Otherwise, same level of construction as the prior, but without the modification headache.
 
dka99burb said:
So, how are the headlights working out? I need to do something.
Click to expand...

They're ok. The spread is not what the former lights had. It's very narrow. Haven't figured out whether they can even adjust yet, tried but no movement. Fortunately it's pretty close. Unlike the former, they do sit flush with the grill without reconfiguring them. One light is shining a purple color. Not sure if the bulb is going out or what. The high beams seem to have little impact vs the former housings. If I can't get this corrected, I'll be searching for another solution.
 
I'm running 5000* K 50W HIDs in my true projector lows and highs on mine. Great pattern, throw and cut off on the projectors lows, nice tight long range projection on the Euro reflector highs, I can get signs to reflect 3 miles off on the interstate without having oncoming traffic flashing me from across the median. I want to add the diode harness so I can run my lows at the same time the highs are on so I can get great ditch to ditch coverage near and the long range lighting, too. The key is finding quality merchandise and being willing to pay for it. I got lucky and was able to get my headlights on clearance from the vendor, same with my HID kits, H3 5000K 50W for the lows, 9005 5000K 50W for the highs and two sets of H3 5000K 50W for my driving lights and fog lights. 400W of HID damn near takes the paint off of the garage door!
 
Husker6.5 said:
I'm running 5000* K 50W HIDs in my true projector lows and highs on mine. Great pattern, throw and cut off on the projectors lows, nice tight long range projection on the Euro reflector highs, I can get signs to reflect 3 miles off on the interstate without having oncoming traffic flashing me from across the median. I want to add the diode harness so I can run my lows at the same time the highs are on so I can get great ditch to ditch coverage near and the long range lighting, too. The key is finding quality merchandise and being willing to pay for it. I got lucky and was able to get my headlights on clearance from the vendor, same with my HID kits, H3 5000K 50W for the lows, 9005 5000K 50W for the highs and two sets of H3 5000K 50W for my driving lights and fog lights. 400W of HID damn near takes the paint off of the garage door!
Click to expand...

What brand of housings and where did you get them? Can you post pictures of them?
 
Husker6.5 said:
I'm running 5000* K 50W HIDs in my true projector lows and highs on mine. Great pattern, throw and cut off on the projectors lows, nice tight long range projection on the Euro reflector highs, I can get signs to reflect 3 miles off on the interstate without having oncoming traffic flashing me from across the median. I want to add the diode harness so I can run my lows at the same time the highs are on so I can get great ditch to ditch coverage near and the long range lighting, too. The key is finding quality merchandise and being willing to pay for it. I got lucky and was able to get my headlights on clearance from the vendor, same with my HID kits, H3 5000K 50W for the lows, 9005 5000K 50W for the highs and two sets of H3 5000K 50W for my driving lights and fog lights. 400W of HID damn near takes the paint off of the garage door!
Click to expand...

What brand/source housings are you using? Can you share pictures?

Oops. Didn't see Big T's post before I posted this. Sorry.
 
The vendor on eBay was out of Florida, I bought them spring '11. Tthe lights were being discontinued (my guess, low on inventory and clearing them out for the next style/design to come in) and were discounted with a limited number available. They are black with a clear lens cover and a 198 bulb between the projector low and the reflector projector high that can be used as a DRL or running light if desired. Bought the HID sets on clearance sale on eBay back in July from a different vendor. I would LOVE to supply pictures, but the asshats who broke out the side window on my Burb this summer and tore out the DVD player and screen in the entertainment console also rifled the storage compartments and took my digital camera, too. My cell phone takes crappy pics, and I would have to plug it into my laptop, interface and download, then reassign the file and upload to TTS, what a PIA. I'll see if the vendor links to the items are in my eBay buyer history. If they are, I'll post them.
 
OK, this is not the vendor I got them from, it took a lot of scrolling through "98 Silverado projector headlights" to find ones that looked the same as mine, but these are it. I have them sitting over a set of black LED marker/turn lamps in a black grille. Looks pretty good on a white with black flares/trim/running boards 'Burb.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-PROJECTOR-HEAD-LIGHTS-LAMP-1988-1998-CHEVY-GMC-C10-CK-C-K-PICKUP-TRUCK-SUV-/310561172440?fits=Year:1998|Submodel:Silverado&hash=item484ee36bd8&item=310561172440&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

The HID kits I retrofitted in (some modification was necessary on the H1 projectors for the HID lamps to fit in and lock in place) were 50% off on a sale by a reputable eBay vendor.

I did not have to silicone the edges of the lenses to waterproof them, I've had NO fogging or leakage in two years with mine. The mounting bases were a good grade of fiber-reinforced nylon, not cheap, thin recycled milk jug plastic. I can't speak for these, but they LOOK identical to the ones on my Burb.
 
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Here's what my headlights look like currently:
1358011823.jpg


Hard to see, but the driver's side bulb is pinkish/purple.

Here's how they shine against the garage door:
1358011890.jpg


You can clearly see the pink/purple beam for the driver's side. Not sure what's causing this but it looks like it's coming from the bulb which is a 4000 color and bought from MadMax here. Also, the beams are just spots and do not spread the light very well. The prior housings recommended by Matuva here did a better job. The main difference between the two housings is that the mirrors in the newer ones have horizontal hatch lines in addition to vertical lines, whereas the older housing mirrors only had the vertical hatch lines.
 
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