Headlight Tech Articles

[Diesel_brad]

I did the LMC harness and New Glass housings w the H4 bulbs in my 86. What a difference. It is like I am driving a whole different truck.

As for LMCs cheap relays, Mine have not given me a fit in 3 years, and if they do i will just buy Bosch ones to replace them.

And NO you can NOT run the highs and lows at the same time on a single headlamp

 

[oldblue05]

Only can do the forced low beams on a dual lamp setup like chevy uses. I had it on my 02 gmc and loved it. Click high beams on and lows stayed on also just had to ground a relay in the gmc.

you can, you just have both elements in one bulb goin at the same time, thus the increased head and decreases life...

 

[Agnem]

The LMC headlight kit is well worth the money in time savings. Yea, you can cobble together your own deal... it's not rocket science. But I bought 4 of those kits, and handed one each to my kids, and both kids were able to install them without any help from Dad. The quality is decent, and on the older trucks it made a WORLD of difference.

 

[Hyde]

I was looking at these yesterday

http://www.racinglab.com/sealed-beam-h6054-168.html

 

[Pino2234]

I did the headlight relay and put in composite housings at the same time. It made a world of difference. If you are looking for brightness, it is worth checking into the composites too.

What are composite housings?

 

[Hyde]

What are composite housings?

The link I just posted above you

 

[Fordsandguns]

I remember reading about a product called the Brite Box for fords that when installed allows the lows to stay on with the high beams. They were claiming that they haven't seen any detrimental effects from it.

http://www.innovadd.com/index.html

Well I just looked and I don't see the part I read before about the single headlight systems not having problems.

Is there somewhere to get the 9004 bulbs in a higher wattage? I don't want to go insane and melt the housings but a little more would be nice.

 

[Pino2234]

The link I just posted above you

Ok I did buy a set of composites and found that the sealed units are better lighting. But I test them again when I install the headlight relays.

Is there somewhere to get the 9004 bulbs in a higher wattage? I don't want to go insane and melt the housings but a little more would be nice.

Same here I even tried LED 9004. It was like shining a flash light out my window and driving. LEDs are not headlights, well at least not the ones I bought.

 

[Hyde]

The one I posted used an H4 bulb as does the LMC kit, should use your factory 3 prong plug, the 9004 is different I believe.

 

[Optikalillushun]

what relays does the lmc kit use? pics? i have found quite a few different relays (both 4 and 5 post) and didnt have any real issues locating them.

 

[Diesel_brad]

When i ordered my LMC harness, they were only selling the stock sealed beams or Composite housings for H4 bulbs. I found GLASS housings that used H4 bulbs

 

[Kevin 007]

One thing that is note worthy for folk who own Canadian built trucks with daytime running lights; the LMC kit isn't made for running lights....High beams come on instead of running lights and the relays start clicking and making a racket. You must cancel out the running lights...at least for the 87-91 model years and/or the particular kit that I got from LMC.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Is this concerning the relay mod or the switch for highs and lows?

The relay modification itself is enough to kill the Silver Stars in short order.

One of the electrical gurus on DTR built in some sort of voltage limiters at the head-light plugs and he is getting about six months on a pair of the Silver Stars.

Myself, sometimes we wouldn't get a week on a pair.

At first, I had them on three trucks, all relayed, and I wore out two screw-drivers changing bulbs, let alone almost ending up at the poor-farm.

When one shoots, the other one won't last a mile, seeing as it is all of a sudden getting even more than it's share of the voltage.

Sylvania makes THREE levels of halogen sealed-beam bulb.

I dropped back to the middle level and haven't had one fail since.

These middle-grade bulbs, on relays, will set fence-rows afire in dry times; whereas, the Silver Stars would melt the pavement two miles up the road.

 

[FordGuy100]

Really thinking about buying up one of the LMC relays...dont know why I didnt when I ordered all my other parts. I bought the "Euro" headlights and they definatly helped (clear vs. cloudy stock ones) but like said it could be better.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Do u use your forced high beam switch often, or are you glad you did install it?

Like some have already said, both elements ON at the same time in a single bulb creates a lot of heat.

I really haven't noticed it killing any bulbs since I quit using the Silver Stars.

I reserve the HIs/LOs together switch for long lonely stretches of road way in the middle of the night when everyone else is in bed or should be.


The full-voltage relays are well worth the effort and you can build a lot better system than anyone sells.

I get in trucks that don't have any lighting modifications and it is like trying to see ahead with a couple old smokey coal-oil lanterns tied on the bumper.

It ain't any wonder they are all the time hitting deer and milk-cows; they can't see them 'til they already hit 'em.


I can see deer plumb on the other side of soy-bean fields, back next to the woods, just with my side-vision.





I also have switchable automatic FOG-lights, switchable automatic driving-lights, and switchable automatic cornering-lights, all with manual over-rides.

With these lights set to automatic function, they come ON with the BRITEs and immediately go OFF when I step on the dimmer-switch, thus I can use them without the fear of blinding someone else.


Up top, I have a pair of big long-distance spot-lights that are unreal in the amount of light they put out.


The secret to good lights is independent GROUNDs and BIG wire.