Dual headlights vs. Single headlights

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aGood'olBoy

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So has anyone installed the e-codes & HD wiring harness in a single headlight setup? pictures would be kool..
 
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77 K20

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Single 7" round. HD harness. Stock wattage low beam. 100W high beam. Well worth it if you drive a lot at night like I do.

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aGood'olBoy

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I almost always work 2nd shift so i definitely need better lights coming home. I'm still curious what happens to the lower headlight when this conversion is done.
 

aGood'olBoy

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Just figured out that the lower lights on a single headlight setup are parking lights.
So now that my mind is blown, I'm wondering how do i turn on the high beams??? I thought you pulled that little knob out a little, the parking lights(What i that was low beams) would turn on, then you pulled the knob out as far as it would go and those were the high beams.
Never knew this so some clarification on actually how the High/low beams work would be appreciated.
 

austinado16

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The headlight switch in the dash has 2 positions 1st position is all the marker lights, 2nd position is the headlights. Hi/lo beam is either controlled by a button in the left floorboard area or you simply pull the turn signal stalk rearward until it clicks. To return the headlights to the previous setting, pull the turn signal stalk again.

I've got the big rectangular Ecodes in my VW Rabbit Pickup, with stock wiring, and stock wattages, and the beam pattern looks just like what's shown above...but of course not as rockin' bright! I think 100w high beams will peel paint off the trunk of the car in front of you won't they?
 

77 K20

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The headlight switch in the dash has 2 positions 1st position is all the marker lights, 2nd position is the headlights. Hi/lo beam is either controlled by a button in the left floorboard area or you simply pull the turn signal stalk rearward until it clicks. To return the headlights to the previous setting, pull the turn signal stalk again.

I've got the big rectangular Ecodes in my VW Rabbit Pickup, with stock wiring, and stock wattages, and the beam pattern looks just like what's shown above...but of course not as rockin' bright! I think 100w high beams will peel paint off the trunk of the car in front of you won't they?

The 100W are bright- that is for sure, but on the open road it does not bother the driver. The high beams don't light up the road right in front of you that much. The light is for far down the road and also for the sides/ditch area of the road. I've heard the reasoning for that is if the road is very bright right in front of you it will hurt your night vision. (it keeps the light up and out, not wasting it down and front)

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77 K20

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austinado16

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I have the 200mm rectangulars in my VW pickup and they were plug-n-play.
 

89Suburban

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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.

Any luck with this? I am interested as well. Just for the low beams.
 

austinado16

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Was looking on ebay and all I found was stand lights by ACDelco, GE, Wagner, Sylvania, and then there are a few of the Xtravision versions. Looking at the specs they are just slightly whiter, and the beam pattern might bit a bit better. But that's all I found. The light size appears to be an "American only" thing, so it's no wonder there's no Euro version available like the Ecodes from Hella.

Might be worth installing the Xtravisions with relays so they get full alternator voltage instead of the 11-something volts that survives the path through the headlight switch. One $14 "Bosch" relay would easily carry the load of both low beams. Run a wire from the battery to the relay, ground the relay via it's mounting screw, send out a wire to each headlight, and just bring one of the headlight wires to the relay so the relay comes "on" when the headlight switch is pulled out. Since you're there, you could relay the hi's too for another $14 (or less).
 

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