home-grown light upgrade

[JJorgensen52]

Always looking to upgrade lighting on my truck - this is an upgrade I first did on a buddies' '67 mustang coupe.

Jeep JK Wrangler headlights ('07-current) are a direct bolt in swap for the old sealed beam headlights in our trucks. Requires changing from the H4 style connector to a H13 style connector (late model fords, jeep, etc). This whole swap (using junkyard parts) cost me about $100, including silverstar bulbs.

one old, one new



new on right (crisp light cutoff and concentrated beam), old on left (wider, more scattered light and hazy cutoff)



Lows, silverstar bulbs and new housings

Highs


difference in the amount of light on the road ahead of you is absolutely night and day. Well worth the hour and a half of effort.

[Shyguy]

Here you go.

[RPBurris]

Sooo....where can you buy the relay? this sounds like a great easy upgrade that i would like to do. Is it a over the counter part? can i swipe it from the jeep when i find my headlights?

[Warrens69GMC]

Autozone carries the 4lug relay and a 5 lug relay for less than 5.99ea.

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by firedog

Did you upgrade the headlight wiring harness to use relays?
Posted via Mobile Device

No relays yet, it's in the works - need to modify the plow lights harness to better fit the truck, will add them at the same time

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by Cdaddy731

Very cool, can someone elaborate on the relay upgrade?
Posted via Mobile Device

I am sure someone will come up with a diagram here in a few minutes, but in a nutshell:

you take 2 standard normally off relays, and hook them into the high and low beam power wires on the headlight harness on one side, and to the battery/alternator on the other.

Then you use your original high and low beam wires to trigger the relays and supply power to the headlights right from the battery (or alternator).

This serves two purposes: 1. it gives your headlights the most direct line of power they can have, allowing them to perform to their fullest potential and 2. it prevents your new, upgraded headlights from pulling too much current through the 40+ year old headlight switch and causing it to fail (or light on fire )