Bright headlights?

[one4fun]

I have another truck that I did a pretty simple modification to make the stock head lights brighter and allowed me to use 100w H7 lights without any electrical issues.

Is there a step by step process for installing relays in the headlight wiring of my 86 k10 that will allow the use of much higher wattage bulbs?

Thanks.

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[Stroked]

You can buy a universal headlight harness off eBay that has relays in it and is great for upgrading to newer style headlights. You can also get newer style headlights off eBay that take an H4 bulb, which gives you a bunch of options as far as bulbs. That's what I did.

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[austinado16]

^^Get rid of the blue tinted bulbs^^

Blue tint on the bulbs makes the light output dimmer. Think in terms of putting sunglasses on. Just get the brightest white color spectrum and aim 'em properly.

 

[thatcanuckguy]

blue is actually the most intense in the colours of a light spectrum. thats why you see blue on police cars ect. the intensity carries the furthest.(even through fog, snow and rain) light is measured in kv (kelvin units) the higher the number, the more blue they will be. for eg. a 6000 k headlight is not as blue as a 8000k . factory HID headlights that you will find on a new bmw or benz are around 5000k. on the same note, switching over to a HID setup is literally a night and day difference when it comes to headlights. phun intended. LUMENS makes an awsome conversion kit. hope this helps

 

[Stroked]

^^Get rid of the blue tinted bulbs^^

Blue tint on the bulbs makes the light output dimmer. Think in terms of putting sunglasses on. Just get the brightest white color spectrum and aim 'em properly.

Those were just the el cheapo bulbs that came with the headlights. I replaced them with Sylvania Silverstars which are...blue tinted. The light output is about 1,000 times what the factory sealed beams were so I don't care what color they are.

 

[one4fun]

Thanks for the info. So, I actually have four lights. Two on the top are the regular beams and two below for high beams.

Damn, four of these things will add up quick. Also, I have noticed there are many available for 4x6 lights, but mine are 4x6.5" which is equivalent to the ones that measure 164mmx103mm.

Any recommendations on places to get a decent assembly in this size at a decent price?

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[Stroked]

The 4x6 are correct for yours. That's what I used in my old '86 and they were the same size.

Just a note, you'll have to cut out the opening in the back of the headlight bucket a little for the back of the new light to fit through.


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[one4fun]

Excellent. Thanks for the tip.

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[HotRodPC]

And just be sure to aim them properly keeping oncoming drivers in mind. Many aren't aware, but your left headlight is supposed to be turned into the right just a bit. I don't think they do that nowdays though. Up to at least the early 70's that I'm aware of, in the directions it even said to turn the left one in.

 

[87ChevyR10]

I've been looking into doing this to my truck as well. I want to switch from the quad lights to two single lights and convert to halogen bulbs. Not certain about upgrading to a harness though. From what I have seen, it bypasses the HL switch. I really don't want another switch to deal with.

I've seen LMC has everything I need to do the conversion. However, I am curious if anyone else has converted from quads to duals. My other reason for wanting to switch to dual HL's is that the frames allow the front parking lamps to sit below the HL instead on inside the grill. I like that look much better.

 

[Stroked]

I've been looking into doing this to my truck as well. I want to switch from the quad lights to two single lights and convert to halogen bulbs. Not certain about upgrading to a harness though. From what I have seen, it bypasses the HL switch. I really don't want another switch to deal with.

I've seen LMC has everything I need to do the conversion. However, I am curious if anyone else has converted from quads to duals. My other reason for wanting to switch to dual HL's is that the frames allow the front parking lamps to sit below the HL instead on inside the grill. I like that look much better.

The upgrade harness doesn't completely bypass your headlight switch, it just uses relays so the power to the headlights isn't going through your switch. You pull out the headlight switch, which turns on the relay, which turns on your headlights. That's how newer vehicles are.

 

[one4fun]

Exactly. This is what I did to my other vehicle. It made a difference even before I converted the headlights.

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[Stewzer55]

Also, consider using your factory wiring as a trigger for a relay harness and some heavier gage wiring off the battery. I built a harness like that for my S10 and it made a huge difference in light output.

 

[smurph20]

Ive got the harness for mine that I had in my S-10 and when taxes come in im switching my headlights over to HIDs with the H-4 style housings.

 

[dhamp]

blue is actually the most intense in the colours of a light spectrum. thats why you see blue on police cars ect. the intensity carries the furthest.(even through fog, snow and rain) light is measured in kv (kelvin units) the higher the number, the more blue they will be. for eg. a 6000 k headlight is not as blue as a 8000k . factory HID headlights that you will find on a new bmw or benz are around 5000k. on the same note, switching over to a HID setup is literally a night and day difference when it comes to headlights. phun intended. LUMENS makes an awsome conversion kit. hope this helps

Food for thought........
I upgraded the factory HIDs on my DD from 4300K bulbs to 6000K. In doing my research, several sources said not to exceed 6000k because, although the 8000K light is brighter, it has a shorter effective distance. Basically, other people will see you better, but you won't see out better. I will admit that even with the increase I did, I feel more compelled to use my fogs more on dark roads. I just don't feel like I can see as well as I did before the "upgrade". I really like how they look though, and I have my fog/driving lights (which are just as bright as headlights) to make up the difference.

I do know this: Different light sources produce different wavelengths of light, and lower frequency waves travel further than high frequency waves. My guess is that the higher temp of the lights produces higher frequency (visibly brighter) wavelengths, but their effective area is decreased. IMO, the best middle ground is 5000K-6000K.