headlight replacements

[spanky55amg]

Ohhhhhhhh ok. I did some searching. I see what the relay thing is about. That seems like a cheap and smart thing to do. I have seen some write ups, but Im at work and we block some of the places where people host pictures. So I'll have to check it out at the house.

Side note: I know some people complained that LMC's did not use Bosch relays. Has anyone used them or seen/heard anyone complain about LMC's kit? $30 saves time and time = money. I guess if they failed, I could just put some Bosch's in some other time.

 

[theblindchicken]

Ohhhhhhhh ok. I did some searching. I see what the relay thing is about. That seems like a cheap and smart thing to do. I have seen some write ups, but Im at work and we block some of the places where people host pictures. So I'll have to check it out at the house.

Side note: I know some people complained that LMC's did not use Bosch relays. Has anyone used them or seen/heard anyone complain about LMC's kit? $30 saves time and time = money. I guess if they failed, I could just put some Bosch's in some other time.

Relay kits just prevent the voltage drop through the headlight and ignition switch harness by pulling power directly from the battery to the headlights. It also helps make your headlight switch last longer.

You can also use just about any H4 Hi/Low relay kit. Just make sure you get one with 4 plugs if you have split hi and low headlights or a combined kit for round eyes or single square headlights.

I highly recommend getting one with sealed relays. If you get a little water or even moisture in there they will rust and corrode the contacts and render the harness almost useless.

 

[yevgenievich]

LMC relay kit is not worth installing. Poor components. It works, and is better than no relay kit, but uncommon relays, not really weather proof.

Ohhhhhhhh ok. I did some searching. I see what the relay thing is about. That seems like a cheap and smart thing to do. I have seen some write ups, but Im at work and we block some of the places where people host pictures. So I'll have to check it out at the house.

Side note: I know some people complained that LMC's did not use Bosch relays. Has anyone used them or seen/heard anyone complain about LMC's kit? $30 saves time and time = money. I guess if they failed, I could just put some Bosch's in some other time.

 

[spanky55amg]

So then the question is, does someone make a kit worth buying?

 

[theblindchicken]

So then the question is, does someone make a kit worth buying?

Honestly, buy a cheap kit and replace the relays with a set of sealed ones or find one with sealed relays already. The see through relays are ones you want to avoid using since they're either not sealed, or not sealed well and have a tendency to leak or gather moisture causing them to rust.


All of them will have a weak link being the connections to the relay and the harness itself.

 

[shiftpro]

I plan on putting individual relays on each headlight to feed it direct battery voltage instead of the factory run around wiring with to much voltage drop in the wiring.

You can run one relay on two headlights, and big wires and serious ground, like to the batt.
BUT.....
the OP has a better alternative.... LED!
Seems every month there are more on the market and the price is dropping as the quality goes up.
You can save so much battery and alternator stress by going LED. Don't need big wires. Save your batteries and alternator for the winch, air compressor, electric fridge/freezer, stereo, vibrator, and infrared heater for the RTT.

 

[Honky Kong jr]

You can run one relay on two headlights, and big wires and serious ground, like to the batt.
BUT.....
the OP has a better alternative.... LED!
Seems every month there are more on the market and the price is dropping as the quality goes up.
You can save so much battery and alternator stress by going LED. Don't need big wires. Save your batteries and alternator for the winch, air compressor, electric fridge/freezer, stereo, vibrator, and infrared heater for the RTT.

Agree with most but it my opinion that those LEDs don't belong on older vehicles and when someone is driving towards me with them bright ass light I get a strong urge to swerve over and turn them out so I can see. LEDs in the after market are for add on off road IMO.

 

[shiftpro]

Agree with most but it my opinion that those LEDs don't belong on older vehicles and when someone is driving towards me with them bright ass light I get a strong urge to swerve over and turn them out so I can see. LEDs in the after market are for add on off road IMO.

Thanks for your comment and I agree with your point.
I'm just learning as this LED world unfolds. Now I'm not positive about this but it seems that the cheaper LED headlights are over the top, as you describe. But the premium LED headlights that as far as I can tell are basically like a sealed beam are less 'modern in your face'.
These are the typical LED headlights the semi truck crowd has been using for some years.
There are LED conversion 'bulbs' but depending on the reflector behind them they can be really stupid as far as the light pattern.

I think the juice saved and light quality is worth more investigation, and as I mentioned it seems every month there is more available.
At least I hope...

Fortunately my 81 crew cab I'm building won't be ready for lights for some time. It has quad headlights and I want quad high beams!
But no thanks to HID or projector or unfriendly LEDs...

 

[Honky Kong jr]

Thanks for your comment and I agree with your point.
I'm just learning as this LED world unfolds. Now I'm not positive about this but it seems that the cheaper LED headlights are over the top, as you describe. But the premium LED headlights that as far as I can tell are basically like a sealed beam are less 'modern in your face'.
These are the typical LED headlights the semi truck crowd has been using for some years.
There are LED conversion 'bulbs' but depending on the reflector behind them they can be really stupid as far as the light pattern.

I think the juice saved and light quality is worth more investigation, and as I mentioned it seems every month there is more available.
At least I hope...

Fortunately my 81 crew cab I'm building won't be ready for lights for some time. It has quad headlights and I want quad high beams!
But no thanks to HID or projector or unfriendly LEDs...

My 87 has quad highs.

 

[theblindchicken]

Lows and Highs of pretty much one of my retrofitted compared to my old headlight pattern. Can't remember if that was before or after HID's and a relay kit. Was definitely after swapping in a set of H4 Bulb conversion lights though. headlights.

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[yevgenievich]

The only half decent picture that i have of the 9012 bulb set up

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[da_raabi]

To answer your question about the LMC relay kit... It's fine. I've had one of their kits hooked up on my C30 for going on 3 years now with zero problems of any kind, and that includes driving in FL rainstorms that make "severe thunderstorms" up north look like a light rain. Zero issues moisture or otherwise. I mounted the relays to the core support over by the battery and hid the wiring so it looks nice. If you didn't know what to look for, you would never know I had done it.

As for results? Nothing less than fantastic. Even with the ancient sealed beams the truck came with, that relay kit brightened up the lights MASSIVELY. You have no idea. It was amazing. About a month later I went and got a set of Sylvania Silverstar replacement sealed beams, and bam! I've got awesome headlights. Granted they are nothing compared to a brandy-new OEM headlight, but they work very very well for under $100 total out the door.

Between the relay kit and switching all the other bulbs over to LEDs I swear the OE wiring harness must be so under-loaded it must forget its on. The total amp draw through the firewall connector must be tiny. No risk of wiring fires here!

 

[bucket]

Im not worried about the wiring. Im more worried about the output/spread. I do not like blinding other people. Ill aim the lights down low if I have to, but Id rather not.

I havent really see anyone use the sealed 4x6 LED replacements before.

I run the 4x6 LEDs in my Celebrity, and I absolutely love them. Light output is fantastic and I haven't had a single car flash me indicating they were too bright. I bought a set of 4 on Amazon for a little over 100 buck I think it was. They are the same lights found other places for a lot more money.

They worked so well, we got a bunch of the 5x7 versions for our C6500 company work trucks. No complaints there either.

 

[shiftpro]

I run the 4x6 LEDs in my Celebrity, and I absolutely love them. Light output is fantastic and I haven't had a single car flash me indicating they were too bright. I bought a set of 4 on Amazon for a little over 100 buck I think it was. They are the same lights found other places for a lot more money.

They worked so well, we got a bunch of the 5x7 versions for our C6500 company work trucks. No complaints there either.

Thanks for the tip.
What brand?

 

[shiftpro]

To answer your question about the LMC relay kit... It's fine. I've had one of their kits hooked up on my C30 for going on 3 years now with zero problems of any kind, and that includes driving in FL rainstorms that make "severe thunderstorms" up north look like a light rain. Zero issues moisture or otherwise. I mounted the relays to the core support over by the battery and hid the wiring so it looks nice. If you didn't know what to look for, you would never know I had done it.

As for results? Nothing less than fantastic. Even with the ancient sealed beams the truck came with, that relay kit brightened up the lights MASSIVELY. You have no idea. It was amazing. About a month later I went and got a set of Sylvania Silverstar replacement sealed beams, and bam! I've got awesome headlights. Granted they are nothing compared to a brandy-new OEM headlight, but they work very very well for under $100 total out the door.

Between the relay kit and switching all the other bulbs over to LEDs I swear the OE wiring harness must be so under-loaded it must forget its on. The total amp draw through the firewall connector must be tiny. No risk of wiring fires here!

Good point Bubbles. Your right, it's just stupidtown that this is true. And how many years did it take us to even notice ? lol.