Dual headlights vs. Single headlights

[aGood'olBoy]

I have the single style headlights on my truck. Frankly the amount of light and the distance of the light is sad and borderline unsafe driving on backroads at night. Any input on if its worth switching to the dual style? Maybe Nicer bulbs (HID's?) and a headlight aiming job? All and any input is appreciated

 

[Jims86]

I have the single style headlights on my truck. Frankly the amount of light and the distance of the light is sad and borderline unsafe driving on backroads at night. Any input on if its worth switching to the dual style? Maybe Nicer bulbs (HID's?) and a headlight aiming job? All and any input is appreciated

Aim them first, may make the difference your looking for. I have driven both, no difference really.

 

[jux]

What Jim said. Pull up to a wall or your garage door if you have one, and adjust them up and make sure they line up with each other. Be sure to pull straight up to the wall instead of a little crooked.

 

[austinado16]

I'm a big fan of the Hella Ecodes with H4 hallogen bulbs for systems that use the old school 7" round, or the single big rectangular headlights. If you're not happy with the standard H4 bulbs, you can purchase a variety of replacements in different wattages. Just don't use the blue or purple tinted, as the tint is like putting sunglasses over your eyes at night....it actually dims the amount of light output.

Here's an example of the 7" round H4 Ecodes on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/h4-headlights-vw-volkswagen-bug-beetle-karmann-ghia-jeep-willys-bmw-2002tii-e10-/321222846788?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aca5fa944&vxp=mtr

 

[77 K20]

I'm a big fan of the Hella Ecodes with H4 hallogen bulbs for systems that use the old school 7" round, or the single big rectangular headlights. If you're not happy with the standard H4 bulbs, you can purchase a variety of replacements in different wattages. Just don't use the blue or purple tinted, as the tint is like putting sunglasses over your eyes at night....it actually dims the amount of light output.

Here's an example of the 7" round H4 Ecodes on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/h4-headlights-vw-volkswagen-bug-beetle-karmann-ghia-jeep-willys-bmw-2002tii-e10-/321222846788?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aca5fa944&vxp=mtr

I second this. I bought the Hella H4s for mine since I get off from work at 3am. I need good headlights to watch out for deer. Part of the problem with the stock lights is the old stock harness and the fact that the electricity has to go thru the headlight switch. Often if you measure the voltage at the headlight you will find it is a lot less than the 13 volts or so the alternator is putting out.

So I ordered the HD headlight upgrade harness from LMC truck and then some H4 7" round lights. The bulbs I bought were stock wattage on low beam, but 100 watt on high beam. VERY nice at night. The beam pattern is better.

 

[77 K20]

Here is some info from a previous post:

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?p=130995#post130995

 

[aGood'olBoy]

Thanks everyone. I tend to like the single headlight look better, so I'll probably stick with that. I will probably get the HD writing harness from lmc. Do I need to get a wiring harness for both the low and high beams, or is it a single kit?

 

[77 K20]

Thanks everyone. I tend to like the single headlight look better, so I'll probably stick with that. I will probably get the HD writing harness from lmc. Do I need to get a wiring harness for both the low and high beams, or is it a single kit?

It is just a single kit for high beam and low beam.

http://www.lmctruck.com/features/cc/ccc4l.htm

I think there is another company that makes a harness also- but can't think of who it is. Painless wiring perhaps?

 

[MrMarty51]

I like to aim the dims so that people will flash for Me to dim, quite frequently then adjust them down just a bit.
Should give You great lighting on the brights too, when adjusted like that.

 

[Green79Scottsdale]

Here is some info from a previous post:

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?p=130995#post130995

Turns out I started that thread. I had forgotten about that.

I did end up doing both the H4 Hella E-codes and a harness. However I did not do a write-up like I had planned. It was pretty straight forward. I spent the most time routing the harness where I wanted so I could utilize existing looms.

I also did not use the LMC harness, I ended up going with a United Pacific brand harness from Summit.... http://www.summitracing.com/parts/upd-34263/overview/. I did this for two reasons, first I had heard of United Pacific, and they do lots of custom lighting, high end quality stuff at that. And second, their harness has black wire covering, not the obnoxious yellow of the LMC. The harness is, IMO, the heart of making this upgrade worth it. It pulls power directly from the battery. The stock set-up on these trucks routes all the power through the headlight switch, not very efficient.

Just a side note, these Hella E-codes are an upgrade that a lot of Jeep guys are doing on their NEW Jeeps. So if they are better than a modern day OEM headlight, they will definitely be better than our sealed beams.

 

[aGood'olBoy]

Good Deal. Thanks for all the input everyone.

 

[aGood'olBoy]

Quick question. The H4 Hella E-codes, do they replace the lower headlight. Like would the top headlight control both the low and high beams? Also what size should i be looking for? And can i get a matching set for the lower headlight?

 

[87ChevyR10]

I'm considering switching the dual headlight setup on my 87 to a single setup. My reasoning is that the front parking lamps don't have assemblies and the grill won't accept the assemblies since it is aftermarket. Besides, having 2 lamps to replace versus 4 is much more cost effective, imo.

 

[austinado16]

The Ecodes are definitely a big improvement. They give a concentrated amount of light, low and forward on the road, with a flat cut-off across the top of the beam to keep the light out of on-coming driver's eyes. Then they have an angular flare, upward, to the right, to illuminate signs and the shoulder of the road. Meanwhile DOT sealed beams just produce a blob of round light, which is why most people seek better/brighter lighting.

Thanks for the link to the harness from Summit. I like the idea of installing that and powering the lights directly.

I've never checked, but are there upgraded lights for the little H4701 and H4703 quad headlights in the 89/90/91 Burbs and Blazers? One of my original lows burned out about a year ago and I needed a replacement ASAP. Installed one from NAPA (in their box). Man, what friggin' joke. I wound up finding a Sylvania to replace it with, but even it isn't as good as the original. I see Sylvania makes them in their Xtravision line. Those might be a fairly decent upgrade.

 

[87ChevyR10]

I'm considering switching the dual headlight setup on my 87 to a single setup. My reasoning is that the front parking lamps don't have assemblies and the grill won't accept the assemblies since it is aftermarket. Besides, having 2 lamps to replace versus 4 is much more cost effective, imo.

Well, I found out tonight my truck uses a single HL setup. Even though it has 4 lamps, the top two are dual beamed and never switch to the bottom lamps.