Updated headlights

Discussion in 'Technical' started by Country Mav, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. bomrat

    bomrat Member

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    I just got 7 inch h4 conversion headlights, then i purchased a h4 hi/lo hid kit. works great.
     
  2. GrabberGT

    GrabberGT Chris

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    I now pass modern cars and can easily see as good as them. My daily drivers are 07 Fusion and an 09 Wrangler. These LED's put them both to shame. As far as the color is concerned, they are likely more white than blue. Its just that much different than the yellow on my daily drivers.
     
  3. groberts101

    groberts101 Member

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    Anyone that drives at higher speeds and/or in deer country(don't underestimate the damage that smaller animals will do either) will surely appreciate all the extra light they can get. I lived in Dallas for nearly 4 years and they don't even drive slow in the cities, much less along those hundreds of miles of dust covered "BFE" roads. I think everyone gets pissed of and grouchy cause it's a hundred degrees outside. lol

    I'm nearly forced to put aftermarket lighting on ALL my cars simply because I couldn't afford to buy the BMW or Acura that has HID's with supplemental auxiliary lighting from the factory. Yeah I'm cheap and decided to put my money elsewhere, but why should people driving those high end cars be allowed to see better and farther than I can? Simply because they can afford to? Well.. PIAA, Hella, and many other OEM suppliers make aftermarket systems that kick the OEM's asses while still riding the ragged edge of legal compliance and I can actually afford those.

    Easy to design lighting systems that put out lots of candlepower.. much tougher to do in a fashion that doesn't take away others vision as those bright-ass and most likely illegal lights blind oncoming traffic. The typical cheaply priced ebay stuff is usually going to be non-compliant. Some of the light color options are also horrible and totally out of place on these old cars, IMO.
     
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  4. Crazy Larry

    Crazy Larry Member

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    Is installing relays with the stock headlights worth doing?
     
  5. mojo

    mojo "Everett"- Senior Citizen Supporting Member

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    I wud do both! I did the relays had replacement halogen on pass side, "in the car when I got it" had Silverstar on the drivers side, the results were very obvious. I don't do much nite driving and it was worth it for me. I don't even have to more pricey beams.
    Probably have $60 or $70 bucks into the mod.
     
  6. 71gold

    71gold Frank Cooper Supporting Member

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    yes...then if you do the Silverstars later it will be another eye opener... :thumbs2:
    before the relays, I could drive with my brights on and no one noticed. then the relays and I got flashed for having my brights on when they were on low beam...:bouncy:
     
  7. jayman

    jayman Member

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    Another reason to install the relays is to lower the load that is passing through the light switch itself. I had a light switch catch fire once. Since then all of my old Fords have relays installed. :)
     
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  8. NCFatBoy

    NCFatBoy Member

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    Good information guys, is there a kit that makes installing relays easy on Maverick/Comet or pick your parts?
     
  9. mojo

    mojo "Everett"- Senior Citizen Supporting Member

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    You can go either way! There are kits; I chose the pick ur parts method. Do a google search and u will c a list. I put the lights and added a horn relay for the 2 horn install. Worked out for me.
    IMG_0990.JPG
     
  10. 71Mavrk

    71Mavrk Member

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    [​IMG]
    Hella waterproof housing and relays from Summit.

    Blue wire is for dual horn.

    Micah
     
  11. mojo

    mojo "Everett"- Senior Citizen Supporting Member

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    Great lookin car Micah! I never seen that housing b4 I did mine. I think I will get one of those and rewire. I like it..
    Got some other questions on some of the things I see here -- I will PM you
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2016
  12. NCFatBoy

    NCFatBoy Member

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    Nice. Is there one hot wire into the housing or 4?
     
  13. 71Mavrk

    71Mavrk Member

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    All you need is one. I ran a heavy gauge wire along with the original harness and brought it up to the starter solenoid. There, I added a resettable fuse. You can see the wiring in the lower right by the strut rod.

    The box is capable of holding four relays. I have three in there now for the High/Low/Driving. I have one spot open if I want to add something. The box is not fully watertight but, mounted like I have it, should not be an issue.

    Micah
     
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  14. NCFatBoy

    NCFatBoy Member

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    Thanks Micah!
     
  15. groberts101

    groberts101 Member

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    can't go wrong with the Hella or PIA stuff. You'll pay more for it but that's just what top of the line costs us these days.

    PS. also beware of cheap wire too. If you do end up trying to save $ here then the wire size/filament count MUST be increased to compensate which just adds increased cost and weight into the equation. I'm a believer now that I've physically checked resistance between cheap and premium stuff and measured differences between them. The bigger challenge is to find good wire that's properly shielded to hold up to the vibration, heat, and elements for a much longer term install. Cheaply tinned, aluminum, or plated/coated wire should be avoided completely.

    Ideally weather sealed OEM style plugs should be used whenever possible(TONS of usable stuff in the junk yards on later computer cars) or at the very least ALL connections should have dedicated anchor points, shrink tubing, protective looms(can pre-spray these with silicone protectant to keep them cleaner and more weather resistant), solidly soldered, and dielectric grease used to preserve wire lifespan and connection quality.
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2016

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