head lite bulb upgrade?

[THE BOSS]

i drove my truck last weekend for the first time in the dark, wow, it was dark.

anyone have a suggestion on brighter bulbs?

it has the stock 2 head lites now, 1 each side aimed relatively well.

[cdowns]

cleaning the contacts and ground wire connections to bright and shiny metal is a cheap way of improving lights

[Hawghauler]

I've installed HID lights in some of my motorcycles, and have found them to be most effective. You don't want to go any higher than 5000k for color as they aren't as bright as 4300 or 5000k. 4300K is the same color as standard bulbs, and are often OEM on newer cars. If you don't drive much at night the blue 6000 -8000k are acceptable and look cool, but not as effective as the lower numbers. Anything lower than 4300K gets quite yellow and is often reserved for fog applications. Still all are better than halogens though. Higher than 8000k may not be legal in some states.

Now, the factory charging system may not be adequate to power them, and your going to want to get the harness with relay to not overpower your switch, but with dual single bulb applications it's required anyway. I've been very satisfied with these on my bikes, but haven't had time to do my truck yet.
I got H4 lamp housings on fleabay for about $30. But you can get nicer ones for more.
Adjure makes some nice tri-bar light housings that are nice, likewise you can get them with a small marker or blinker light on bottom or with angel eyes. You have to modify the original bulb mounts a bit, namely opening the hole in the back a little, but otherwise direct replacement for sealed beam.

New to the market are the high intensity L.E.D.'s. These are almost as effective as HID's but are incredibly expensive. Up to $500 per bulb. Kuryakin sells some for bikes at half that, but not sure if they work for cars/trucks directionally.

Both HID's and LED's work great for lighting up animal's eyes so you can see them better.
I live on Whidbey Island, and we have tons of deer, so I need that advantage.

Cheapest of all is just to upgrade to halogens. You can get the Silverstars or other high end halogens at O'reillys or others, but again your charging system may not like them. You also will want to use a relay setup to save your switch. Halogens run upwards of $50 per bulb.
HID's on fleabay will tend to run about $100 for a pair of H4's with relay as a package.

Let us know what you decide and if you do mods don't forget the pictures! We all want to see.

Hh

[LockDoc]

-
You can try the "relay" upgrade which really helped on my White '67 (schematic below) or you can do the "jeep" headlight bulb upgrade in this thread:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=447572

If you want more info on the relay upgrade type the words "headlight relay upgrade" into the GOOGLE search box at the top of this page, click on the circle in front of "67-72chevytrucks.com and click on the GOOGLE button you will find lots of threads on the subject. Just make sure the thread you are looking at refers to your style of truck. (Hits will include all years)

LockDoc

[Already Gone]

I did the relay upgrade thing to my 72 Chevy 5 or 6 years ago and it really works well with no issues over the years.
Posted via Mobile Device

[1972SUPERSB]

I use the sylvania silverstar and they are pretty bright and have a whiter light than original. I always use there lamps on my truck.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Use Halagen bulbs & the relay system like Dock says.

[THE BOSS]

Thank you.

I'll read up on the suggestions when I get home.
The hologen with relays sound good.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Stocker]

Relay mod for sure, then high-quality brand name E-code lamps with quality 55/60W H4 bulbs. You won't be disappointed!