1969 C 10 headlights

[697498chevy]

Drove my truck this morning before daylight . Leave my headlights on hi-beam and nobody notices . Would LED headlights be brighter and are they 'plug n play'? Thanks

[A1971Blazer]

They may need to be adjusted/aimed
Also the current for the headlights goes through the headlight switch and the dimmer switch, this causes a slight drop in voltage that results in a dimmer light.
One solution is to wire the headlights directly to battery/alternator through a pair of relays. This will allow the lights to operate at a higher voltage (usually 14.3 depending on the condition and output of the alternator)
There are some threads on here that address this upgrade and the pre-made harness is available from several sources if you aren't comfortable wiring yourself.
Here's one
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...adlight+relays

[Southcity]

LED headlights are plug-and-play and outperform the OE style sealed beams as well as other headlight upgrades such as H4 with Relays.

1.LED headlights are plug-and-play
2.They reduce voltage load on headlight switch
3.LED life span outlasts sealed and H4
4.Provide a cleaner brighter light pattern than sealed/H4

Initial cost/investment for LED is a bit high but considering all the above (no need for relay harness, modifying stock wiring, replacing H4 bulbs or sealed beams, etc), it's a sound investment in performance and safety. Do your research and comparisons as there are quite a few different LED vendors/brands to choose from. I recently started using some of the Holley Retrobright LED's, performance and quality are very high but it's the OE look that got me to try these in the first place.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by Southcity

I recently started using some of the Holley Retrobright LED's, performance and quality are very high but it's the OE look that got me to try these in the first place.

I hadn't seen those, most all the ones I've seen don't have the old school look like those do.
I'm not a fan of the funky halo style or some of the other LED ones. They just dont look right on a C10...(IMO)

[Southcity]

For what it is worth, I ran some "un-scientific" tests of my own on three different vehicles over the years (67 C-10, two different 66 Suburbans) using three different style LED headlights (Retrobrights, LMC and Summit). Only one of the vehicles had the relay harness/H4 upgrade. While this upgrade is highly recommended for OE sealed beam and H4 style lights, I never saw any difference in brightness when using any of the LED headlights with it. I equate this to LED technology, requires less amp draw, uses less energy, run cooler, etc.

[Steeveedee]

Without the relay, and with the relay. Notice that even the park lamp is brighter.

[54blackhornet]

Do yourself a favor and buy a set of Hella H4 and the relay’s necessary to remove the load on the headlight switch. You will be impressed by the difference. The instillation is not very difficult.

[ratty69]

Sub'd for future reference.

[697498chevy]

Thanks everyone , good info !

[weq92f]

.

I cruise my H4, relay harnessed lights on bright all the time too. I've never had anybody flash me or otherwise seem annoyed. If I aligned them properly, I suspect this wouldn't be the case. These are plenty bright for me and my purposes.

Those Holley RetroBright LED units look real nice and would likely be a worthy upgrade but the entry price is very steep. Even if I use the 100 dollar Summit Racing gift card I won at the GoodGuys event, I would still have to cough up too much cash.

-klb

[HO455]

Here is a site with good information on lighting. I have the Hella H4s in my Burban. When I bright people who driving around with illegal and or unaimed obnoxious lights they notice.


https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/tech.html