HOW TO: Install HID Lighting & HID lighting explained

[Atommik]

Check out my build page to see my version of a HID conversion in a 1951 1/2 pick up using the original headlamp buckets and used BMW hid units. It starts at entry #17 on my thread.

[wraprail]

I Love being a "Bad Apple"!

[Sacramento70]

heres what i want to know ....this website is called 67-72 chevytrucks and yes i understand they accomadate 47 to whatever years ( im not sure at the moment) but you decide to do a hid write up and install process on a post 72 vehicle? what gives, us first gen guys would love to see our trucks in a write up like this and it seems that no one has offered an in detail write of this caliber ...i just finished upgrading my front light harness with relays and bringing my system up to to 14v.....maybe you just want to sell your harness vs informing us how to build one ( thought we were here to learn from each other and share are experiences and ideas) just a thought

[Sacramento70]

not surprising...no replies , just finished my own wiring kit with 12 awg wire and did it for under $40 including relays and bases as well as wires ,,,if anyone wants to know how to diy the headlight kit let me know and ill pm you details and specifics

[VH Coachworks]

Originally Posted by Sacramento70

heres what i want to know ....this website is called 67-72 chevytrucks and yes i understand they accomadate 47 to whatever years ( im not sure at the moment) but you decide to do a hid write up and install process on a post 72 vehicle? what gives, us first gen guys would love to see our trucks in a write up like this and it seems that no one has offered an in detail write of this caliber ...i just finished upgrading my front light harness with relays and bringing my system up to to 14v.....maybe you just want to sell your harness vs informing us how to build one ( thought we were here to learn from each other and share are experiences and ideas) just a thought

Originally Posted by Sacramento70

not surprising...no replies , just finished my own wiring kit with 12 awg wire and did it for under $40 including relays and bases as well as wires ,,,if anyone wants to know how to diy the headlight kit let me know and ill pm you details and specifics

You had PM'd us a month or two ago, asking if we would tell you how to build a "relay kit" for your truck. Let me put this into perspective for you, for example; would you call up KFC's headquarters and ask them what there recipe is for there chicken so you could go and make your own at home? Of course not. That the same exact scenario in a nut shell.

We offer a unique premium product with the HD Headlight Harness's, that we've spent hundreds of hours devolving, hundreds of hours of rigorous testing for dependability and durability and sourcing very high quality components that are put into our harness's. When it comes to headlights, it's a matter of safety for our customers and their families. When someone installs a Mean Green HD Headlight Harness, they can be rest assured that it will work flawlessly and increase the output of their headlights allowing them a much safer worry free night driving experience. Because we have earned a reputation of high quality products.

Did you know that 99% off ALL of the components within our Harness's are American Made?? From the pure copper marine grade wire, shrink tubing, split loom, terminals, electrical tape, solder, etc. is ALL made by American hands in the USA. Our headlight connectors are Ceramic, not the inexpensive failure prone nylon connectors that some people and companies use; that have a low heat exposure rating..

There are no "short cuts" in our harness's, EVERY connection is soldered and heat shrunk. We don't use ANY cheap low end components. So you say you built your own "Headlight kit" for under $40? Did you use new or used parts? I can guarantee that it's not built with same caliber of components that ours are, because quite frankly you couldn't buy the raw materials for under $40 as a person that's not in the industry.

We're a gold vendor here, that means that we pay every single month to support this great forum. We took the time to write this article to inform and help people on HID's. Because we seen a lot of people asking different questions in regards to HID's, and we thought it'd be nice to have a well written article outlining common questions and misconception in regards to HID's. Regardless of what year the install vehicle was in the article, the information on HID's remains the same no matter what year the vehicle they are getting installed on. So whether your installing HID's on a 67-72 Chevrolet (1960-1966 was the first generation of C/10's, NOT 67-72's) or on 88-98 Chevy (GMT400), the information on the HID's themselves remain the same. The install procedure may be vary a bit; but the information on the HID's are still the same.

There are hundreds of very talented and intelligent individuals on this forum that build mind blowing trucks, but there are still a few things that if you don't have a complete understanding of; it's best left to the professionals that have years of experience on that particular aspect of the vehicle. And in a lot of cases, those two things are wiring and cutting & modifying frames. Because if either of those two things are done wrong, or not quite right; it can end in disaster. And we are honored that a lot of beautiful expert built trucks, still allow us the privilege of having our products used within the build.

Thank you for your time,
Baron
VH Coachworks

[wraprail]

Originally Posted by Sacramento70

not surprising...no replies , just finished my own wiring kit with 12 awg wire and did it for under $40 including relays and bases as well as wires ,,,if anyone wants to know how to diy the headlight kit let me know and ill pm you details and specifics

I don't really want to know all the details just what you did about wiring the high beams?


Thanks

[Sacramento70]

Theres 2 relays 1 for the highs and 1 for the lows just use 12 awg wire and connect the original high wire from the stock harness ( green if memory serves) in that relay and then connect both new high beam wires toghether from the h4 connectorsinto the same relay and youll need to hook a ground and a fusible link to either a distribution block or the battery and boom your done i post a diagram here shortly so you can follow the line rrunning........here at kfc we prefer to share our recipes with world
Posted via Mobile Device

[wraprail]

I'm a little confused.
This thread is about installing HID Lighting & HID lighting explained
Do you have HID lighting or H4 halogen lights?
The wiring is different between the two.

[Sacramento70]

Whats your deal these forums our for k5 and c10 owners to learn and share our experiences with each other and gather knowlodge....it seems your a profiteer looking to benefit off of others lack of knowledge...why dont you teach them the way instead of asking for money....otherwise theses forums become a sells site instead of references which we all depend on...give them the choice of buying or learning how to diy ...its the only fair way to approach it

[Special-Ed]

as a professional.... sometimes its just easier to use someone elses product than try and reinvent the wheel....

my time is money... researching and sourcing material, and prototyping always costs more than picking up the phone and ordering a part ...

just because i can, doesnt mean i should or will....

[big mellow]

How do I order this harness or how can I contact you to ,make the purchace .

[VH Coachworks]

Originally Posted by big mellow

How do I order this harness or how can I contact you to ,make the purchace .

PM sent, Thanks

[gmachinz]

Baron, you are right on a lot of points. Everybody wants to "do their own wiring" because people think its simple enough. Well, allow me to add from the perspective of a DIY'er, builder and fabricator, knowledge is the parts you choose to use is key. What most people don't realize are with respect to relays and wiring, commercial grade relays not found in your generic parts stores are rated at far high cycle counts and use various contact materials to aid in resisting extreme heat created from the arcing. Also, wiring must be carefully chosen and I freely explain what I use because it matters. When I hear someone say they built their own harness for $40, I would be curious, is it rated for underhood use? It better be for safetys sake! That means it better be at least j1128 spec. That's just two examples of what seperates a professional product from a junk one.

Nothing wrong with making your own harnesses but be aware of what the differences are in the parts you use. For example, I use Tyco relays, Delphi crosslink GXL or TXL wiring and Delphi connectors and terminals. All parts are USA except for the relays-they are manufactured in Spain. I avoid Chinese built parts at all costs. I used to use Hella relays until my batches started arriving with Chinese 70 AMP relays.....I've switches to Tyco brand relays ever since.

[Project1970]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

His pictures prove it- HID's need projector housings.

One minor nitpick here - there are actually some legal HID reflector setups (early HID-equipped Lincolns, for example). This is what the D2R bulb was meant for.

That said, it's still a reflector designed explicitly for the D2R bulb, and it's not the same as a halogen reflector setup. It's also impractical to retrofit so your only option would be hoping that someone custom-builds a HID reflector housing for your application... and that probably won't ever happen since it's easier to just find a way to stick HID projectors into housings.

[lenguini]

Originally Posted by 64shortbox

I just bought these off eRape. Seemed like a good price for everything.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7X7-H6024-PR...51dcd5&vxp=mtr

A friend had a late model Lincoln with the blues in them from factory and the diffrence was outstanding.

How do you like the setup ?? I'm looking at kits and found your post and had to ask.This looks like a pretty strait forward kit.....your thoughts ?

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by gmachinz

When I hear someone say they built their own harness for $40, I would be curious, is it rated for underhood use? It better be for safetys sake!

Well since you asked, yes, i use american made Bosch relays and as far as I've seen they have been phenomenal for hid performance...I'm what you would call a diy'er as well as a journeyman electrician, henceforth i thought that i would share my experience with the forums cost free. my lights run smooth, no flickers and are drawing clean power and yes i did assemble the whole thing for under $40 dollars american currency.

[gmachinz]

Cool...let's see some links for cheap ceramic plugs, pics of the install would be nice. What type of wire did you use? A journeyman must know what the differences between SXL or GXL wiring and what spec they rate at.....just call me curious.

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by gmachinz

Cool...let's see some links for cheap ceramic plugs, pics of the install would be nice. What type of wire did you use? A journeyman must know what the differences between SXL or GXL wiring and what spec they rate at.....just call me curious.

i would call you curious...someone of your knowledge and talent and you cant figure a way to build a harness for cheap? supply and demand my friend, that's the game we play and i'm not in the business of paying premium prices. lets just say i did figure a way to build my harness cheap and to date no fire! what a surprise right? No, i'm smart enough to avoid hazards and build a quality product. I'm happy for you pal, hope you can make a profit off of others who don't understand electrics.

Cheers, Brandon

[gmachinz]

Ok....so, no links-got it.
Well then allow me:

Using parts store relays, terminals and wire you can put together a headlight relay kit for about $20-25. Does this work? Sure-imo for stock halogens with a noticeable improvement over sending voltage through the factory headlight switch.

Do most people like the option of a headlight kit to allow for higher wattage bulbs or aftermarket housing with H4 or equivalent bulbs? Yes, they do I would say. Well most people such as I and Dave at Hollister suggest using ceramic plugs to withstand the potential of extra heat that the oem's never intended. And, there's an increase in amperage demand consequently.

So, where do you get SXL or GXL rated underhood wiring? Not at a parts store. Where do you find ceramic headlight plugs for both high and low beam? Again not at a parts store.

So even online you'll average $10 apiece for headlight plugs not including shipping and related parts to make it work. So from a shear cost standpoint, I called you out. $20-25 relay kits work, but arent optimal. But if have a source for $2 ceramic plugs, I'm all ears.

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by gmachinz

Ok....so, no links-got it.
Well then allow me:

Using parts store relays, terminals and wire you can put together a headlight relay kit for about $20-25. Does this work? Sure-imo for stock halogens with a noticeable improvement over sending voltage through the factory headlight switch.

Do most people like the option of a headlight kit to allow for higher wattage bulbs or aftermarket housing with H4 or equivalent bulbs? Yes, they do I would say. Well most people such as I and Dave at Hollister suggest using ceramic plugs to withstand the potential of extra heat that the oem's never intended. And, there's an increase in amperage demand consequently.

So, where do you get SXL or GXL rated underhood wiring? Not at a parts store. Where do you find ceramic headlight plugs for both high and low beam? Again not at a parts store.

So even online you'll average $10 apiece for headlight plugs not including shipping and related parts to make it work. So from a shear cost standpoint, I called you out. $20-25 relay kits work, but arent optimal. But if have a source for $2 ceramic plugs, I'm all ears.

I got commercial grade ceramic h4 plugs from a buddy of mine for free, he works on ambulances and trust me when i say these are top notch, i had wire left over from another project its 12 awg and rated for use. all the terminals and connectors are i got from a auction that were bought in bulk and left over, quality stuff tho. all connections were soldered and heat shrunk....i could go on all day im a grind and find king and yes i did make the kit for around $40, i just didn't tell you some parts i got free and others i all ready had from money making jobs so those parts were purely free. as for relays i got tyco/bosch whatever you like to call them - its not what you know friend its who you know and how you can make everything come together. There is no true price on anything its only worth what someone will pay and i wont pay consumer prices. im not with the herd, so dont lecture me on your merits of knowledge on how to where to crap because its getting either of us nowhere

So i wish you luck and good fortune my friend on this one well agree to disagree

Cheers, Brandon

[gmachinz]

Well dad-gum now we're getting some details.....heck yeah, if we could all get free stuff that'd be paradise! Good to see you're using ceramic plugs in your kit. To make a blanket statement about a $40 kit did not add up when 99% of people don't get free stuff, myself included. Some people either don't like or don't know how to properly solder a harness kit to work with basic relays-so they'd be more apt to buy a properly designed kit using high quality parts as long as the price isn't crazy anyway.

I may not like paying somebody else to overhaul my transmission for me but I have no problem giving my money to somebody who knows their stuff when it comes to overhauling one. It's not that I can't do it-I would just rather not. To a much lesser extent, that's how it is with pretty much everyone who sells parts or offers a service. And, it can get a little more costly but even more time consuming for example if one tries to make it look as factory as possible.

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by gmachinz

Well dad-gum now we're getting some details.....heck yeah, if we could all get free stuff that'd be paradise! Good to see you're using ceramic plugs in your kit. To make a blanket statement about a $40 kit did not add up when 99% of people don't get free stuff, myself included. Some people either don't like or don't know how to properly solder a harness kit to work with basic relays-so they'd be more apt to buy a properly designed kit using high quality parts as long as the price isn't crazy anyway.

I may not like paying somebody else to overhaul my transmission for me but I have no problem giving my money to somebody who knows their stuff when it comes to overhauling one. It's not that I can't do it-I would just rather not. To a much lesser extent, that's how it is with pretty much everyone who sells parts or offers a service. And, it can get a little more costly but even more time consuming for example if one tries to make it look as factory as possible.

Cool, i still don't believe its worth $90 IMO and yes it can be done cheaper and i always encourage people to learn for themselves (otherwise this forum will be become a store rather then a knowledge base). that being said there are diy's and buyers, i understand that but why must they be kept in the dark about how things are made. I didn't know how to make the harness upgrade until after i saw VH Coachworks for sale. i asked him for a diagram ( i later found one in another thread) and he refused and went on about some kfc secret ingredient issue and patents and what not. I work with commercial and residential electricity not car wiring. i knew the basics but was new to car relays and what such so i decided if it can be sold on the forum for $90 i can do it for less and i did. Period