Headlights

[North Maine]

I do have fuses in there, i dont remember what amperage, its been too long since I did the install... also this system doesnt put any extra current through any stock wires, so I think its pretty safe to run

 

[RayMich]

That's one of the reasons I hate composite headlights. The other is that if you break one you have to pay through the nose for a replacement.

Sure is hard to beat a sealed beam; you can get them at any part store and you can even get them with halogen bulbs in them. I especially like the mini quads like I had on my 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix. They are cheap to buy and they are not RH or LH specific, so they are easy to get and replace.

 

[JMJNet]

and by relay its more a of ballast, i suspect the "relay" mentioned previously is part of the kit or re-vamp that reduces the voltage drop to the headlights that occurs in our model trucks.

Correct. They are usually using at least 16 ga and 14 ga cables to remedy the voltage drop. There are several place sell those. The best quality if probably the one from Kennedy since it is using waterproof relays. I use the one sold by DSG Canada. Similar to the Kennedy. To do both HI and LO together, they provided a diode that you put on the one side of old connector. Found them on ebay for cheap from somebody. There are some cheap version at the bay (china made). I used the china made one in my camry.

A lot of HID kit can sell you the relay cable or comes with it. The HID itself comes with balasts and bulbs. There are different colors (brightness), the brightest one is somewhere around 4K to 5K which is pure white. 6K is the most popular but it start to become blue instead of pure white. 3K is yellow.

 

[Detroit Dan]

I learned a trick for refreshing lightbars when I was a hose dragger (fireman). Will work for composite headlights as well. Take an orbital polisher and polish the lens with plastic polish (after you wash it good). Then wipe it really dry and do the same thing only with metal polish. Metal polish is much finer and gets a smoother finish. I think it stays smooth and clear a little longer too.
I also did the all 4 on high mod with my truck, got a cheap relay kit from Summit or JCW. I also put Silverstars in the high beams. Now if I could just get them to aim properly.

 

[JiFaire]

Thanks for the idea and the pics, Major Dan... I', gonna get right on that with mine, so I can quit feeling like it's darker out than it is.

 

[North Maine]

Since I demanded pics, I figured I'd show you all what my set up looks like. The relays are simple, technically my one 40 amp relay could handle everything, but I chose to use two just to ease the load. The relays cost me 2 bucks a piece or less online, no joke. The aux lights are brand new today, identical to the previous Trucklite's but are now Hella's. The truck dealer told me these should perform better and last longer. We'll see, but they DEFINITELY put out a TON of light!! they cost 42 bucks per light.

this is what the truck looks like with the high beams on...

 

[DEERE3594]

I got all four of mine working at once also :thumbsup:

 

[GM Guy]

That's one of the reasons I hate composite headlights. The other is that if you break one you have to pay through the nose for a replacement.

Sure is hard to beat a sealed beam; you can get them at any part store and you can even get them with halogen bulbs in them. I especially like the mini quads like I had on my 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix. They are cheap to buy and they are not RH or LH specific, so they are easy to get and replace.

Thanks! both of mine are that way

 

[Bullseye240]

I used the 3M kit for 20 bucks and it works great....

One thing I learned was to grind/sand off the little alignment pins that no one ever uses anyway.

 

[Dan Hunter]

That's a good point on the pins. I just mindlessly worked around them. I'm warming to a kit. Did the GM have a sealant or UV protection? I'm gonna do mine again before I head to WA.

 

[Bullseye240]

Not that I knew about, so if it did it's too late now.