halogen headlights

[4865nnn]

i was thinking about getting the euro lights from lmc and was wondering if anyone has them. what i wanted to know was whether the heavy duty headlight harness that they sell is really necessary and if so what do you do about wiring for the marker lamps as it seems it doesnt include wiring for those.

[69TowRig]

The HD harness converts the Headlight circuit to a more modern relay setup. This does 2 things: 1. Significantly reduces the current running through the headlight switch in the dash, and 2. reduces the resistance going to the headlights from the battery.

This will both make the dash and the headlights brighter as well as reduce the chance of an electrical failure of the headlight switch. If you don't buy their harness, it is at least worth it to make your own.

No clue on the lights, hoping someone will chime in because I have been interested in them as well.

[4865nnn]

thanks for the technical info. the harness is only $30 so i guess its worth buying rather than messing around trying to make my own and hopefully the instructions will be clear enough as to how to deal with the marker lamps.

[Mordachai]

I have had halogens on my truck for a few years. I did not get them from LMC, but they are Hella lenses with 55W (phillips iirc)bulbs. When I got them the lenses were a really hard item to find, now they're pretty common.

Made a big diff, as said above, dash was brighter and so was my view of the road.

I made my own harness, at the time it was a real hard to find part..

[matthufham]

i have the halogens. ebay for 10 dollars, 20 to ship.

i upgraded the wiring myself, because i know how to wire up relays, it's that easy.

i need to aim them down more, but i broke my adjusters, and need to buy new square plastic nut things at 50 cents each. the lights are brighter, but if i did it again, i'd use a hid ballast and xenon bulbs.

[mrein3]

Personally I think the modern style, replaceable bulb headlights are a waste of money.

If you upgrade your wiring to use relays, and use sealed beam halogen headlights available at ANY auto parts store, you'll be just fine.

Replacements are a Wal*Mart away if you break a bulb on the road.

[69C10@16]

Wiring the relays is an extremely easy mod if you have any knowledge of relays. And of course if you dont, why not obtain some!

Here's where I learned everything about relays at.
http://www.the12volt.com/relays/relays.asp
Its a realy handy site. Basically all you have to do is get two relays and have your dimmer switch on the floor activate the relay instead of your headlights. The relay is basically just a switch and it connects your headlights directly to the battery when they're on. Thus getting rid of large current draws through the old wiring up under your dash and through your headlight switch. It also reduces the resistance to your headlights from the battery which allows a bit more voltage. I read somewhere about if you drop the voltage by 5% to your headlights it can reduce the light output by 15% or something like that. I cant remember the exact percentages. But you can see why every tenth of a volt is nice to have at the lights. Good luck!

[Chevy1TonFun]

I installed them and they work great. I use the ultra silverstars from sylvania. You will probably have to trim the inside of the headlight bowl.

[Musclerodz]

LMC relays are crap. Buy them from someone else. The old wiring in these trucks are not designed to handle the loads of halogen or H4 modern lights. They can and will melt down headlight switches.

Mike

[4865nnn]

this site is a great source of information. thanks again for all the input.

[BOSS]

Originally Posted by Musclerodz

LMC relays are crap. Buy them from someone else. The old wiring in these trucks are not designed to handle the loads of halogen or H4 modern lights. They can and will melt down headlight switches.

Mike

Do you or any other vendors carry them?I dont like buying from LMC and i have the lights but i think i need a harness for them to make them better.

[Hardway]

I did an H4 upgrade on my '69 Camaro using an APC harness and housings from Classic Industries. They look more OE than the diamond stye housings from LMC and they should fit the same.

I have the full write up with pics here: http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=111105

[Andy4639]

matthufham,
Where did you get the connector to fit over the relay? That makes for a slick job. It also looks factory too!

[matthufham]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

matthufham,
Where did you get the connector to fit over the relay? That makes for a slick job. It also looks factory too!

i bought an alarm at a local audio/tint shop, but didn't use the relays or the alarm so i used the relays on my lights.

[SkylineNXS]

I bought botht the lamps and the harness from LMC for my 66, and it works great. I also purchesed the blue bulbs from lmc for the lights, cause the trks blue. The new harness comes with the relay setup, described earlier, but some wiring is a little funky and not described well in the instructions due to the fact that they are from wherever the hell oversees and they cant spell. If u have a general knowledge of wiring u can do it easily. The problem with the 66 upgrade was that the harness to the headlights only has 2 prongs at the core support for the point, and the new HD harness has 3, which includes a ground for the relays. I dont know what the harness looks like ont he 72's (I have a 72 and never looked), but it should be easy. If you need any help if you do buy it, just PM me...

BRAD

[Musclerodz]

Originally Posted by BOSS

Do you or any other vendors carry them?I dont like buying from LMC and i have the lights but i think i need a harness for them to make them better.

We use AAW's relay kit. Pricey at $65, but I feel their products are worth every penny in quality and readable instructions.

Mike