HID convertion

[SoCalSlaughter]

Alot of poeple have been coming up to me in the parking lot and have asked how I converted my quad headlight system on my 1990 Chevy Suburban in HID's. This is how I did it.

I went on LMCtruck.com and ordered a set of the low beam head light housing headlights. These comes with 9006 changeable bulbs. Then went to hidxenonheadlights.com and ordered a 9006 HID kit. The housing from LMCtruck come with the 9006 light bulbs and the wire adapters to put right into the stock headlight socket. There is no cutting required for this. All plug and play. I have yet to do the high beams but with these lights there is little usage for the high beams. Also a bonus, the HID's use less power then the stockers. This way is also much cheaper to do then ordering the kit on its own. $250 for kit, put my together for about $175.

[chevyboy55]

I moved this to the 88-98 section.

[SoCalSlaughter]

Originally Posted by chevyboy55

I moved this to the 88-98 section.

Thanks, Im new. Still learning. haha

[1badgmc]

If I ever get my '91 grille swapped onto my dually, I plan to get a set of those lights to do the HIDs with as well. Cool job.

Originally Posted by chevyboy55

I moved this to the 88-98 section.

But his is a '90 Suburban, still the square body, so it should be in the The 1973 - 1991 Blazers, Jimmys, and Suburbans Message Board.

[scotts62]

I like the lights too they are pretty cool and very bright.

Thats kinda what i was thinking but its been moved over here..

[chevyboy55]

WOW! guess I'd better learn to read I'll move it again to the PROPER place this time(don't tell Liz on me)
Hmm, seems I can"t move it. I'm not a mod for this area. If you want PM me & I will get someone to move it.

[scotts62]

Ill get it for ya

[87oldie]

hmm i got the same grill and plan on doing this. did u have to buy the wiring kit lmc sells?? or jus the headlight housin

[eclipse85k10]

i've heard of alot of guys putting in relay boxes under the hood for the headlights on these rigs for better lighting power. Looks like this setup you wouldn't need to. I've been looking at those lights from LMC for my 89 burb for better lightning with out alot of options for those small quad headlights

[BLE 'BURBAN]

My '90 squarebody 'burb has the single large (H6054) headlights on it. I've got HELLA headlights in it and am running 90/130watt H4 (9003) bulbs in them with relays to keep from frying something out because of the higher wattage bulbs.
My question is do they make an H.I.D. conversion for the H4 (9003) bulbs that's plug & play?
Until Truck-lite comes out with D.O.T. approved L.E.D. headlights for my style, this looks like my next best choice.

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by BLE 'BURBAN

My '90 squarebody 'burb has the single large (H6054) headlights on it. I've got HELLA headlights in it and am running 90/130watt H4 (9003) bulbs in them with relays to keep from frying something out because of the higher wattage bulbs.
My question is do they make an H.I.D. conversion for the H4 (9003) bulbs that's plug & play?
Until Truck-lite comes out with D.O.T. approved L.E.D. headlights for my style, this looks like my next best choice.

Yes. Most of the better HID retailers carry the hi/lo HIDs for single headlight vehicles.

They have them at DDM Tuning. They run $20 more than the single HID kits, but that's what I'd go for if I had a single headlight vehicle.

[Skratch]

I guess I'm just at a loss here, why would anyone want to deliberately build an illegal headlight set up?
Aftermarket HID's are not street legal in almost all localities within the US, those lenses are not designed for those lamps . . . they were specifically designed for a 9006 lamp and only a 9006 lamp.
Most aftermarket HID "upgrades" seem to push the 6000K or higher color temperature lamps . . . 4300K is the factory HID ct and is the only one considered legal for on-road use here in the US.


I have similar, but DOT/SAE approved (Hella , lenses on my 87 with the use of a triple relay setup and quality Silverstar Ultra bulbs I put out more light (Lumens), focused where it's supposed to be and it's 100% street legal.

I wanted to use the same lenses you have on my 90 as well, but LMC won't reply to my requests for information on whether or not they are DOT/SAE approved.

So I have two questions;
1. Can you tell me if those lenses are DOT/SAE approved (usually stamped in the glass)

2. What color temperature did you choose for your HID lights (they look rather blue in the photo)

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by Skratch

I guess I'm just at a loss here, why would anyone want to deliberately build an illegal headlight set up?
Aftermarket HID's are not street legal in almost all localities within the US, those lenses are not designed for those lamps . . . they were specifically designed for a 9006 lamp and only a 9006 lamp.

If you use some care in your HID installation you can have a great set of headlights without causing glare for other drivers. Sure the housings aren't optimized for HIDs, but you'll still get a better light output than stock.

Most aftermarket HID "upgrades" seem to push the 6000K or higher color temperature lamps . . . 4300K is the factory HID ct and is the only one considered legal for on-road use here in the US.

Color temperatures have bearing on the legality of aftermarket HIDs. Putting HIDs in a vehicle that wasn't originally equipped with them is illegal. Period. Even if the vehicle was available with HIDs, but wasn't actually equipped with them, it's illegal. I had a 2002 Cadillac SLS that I put HIDs in. Even though you could get HIDs on the 2002 SLS, because mine weren't factory, they were illegal.

I see more HID swaps that appear in the 8000K+ range than anything it seems. I guarantee the reason you see that is because the buyers are completely uneducated and think that the higher the number, the better and brighter the lights will be, when the reverse is actually true. You have those uneducated buyers and then the ones that just think that the really blue HIDs are really cool. To me they just look like posers and they are the ones that will attract the attention of the law and get busted.

I have 5000K HIDs in the foglights of my 2004 Cadillac CTS (factory 4300K HID lows), 5000K HIDs in the lows of my '91 GMC and 4500K HIDs in the lows of my '98 Suburban. The 5000Ks are pushing the line of being too blue for my tastes for sure, but those were the first HIDs I ever bought and the seller didn't carry whiter than 5000K.

The best idea would be to get a hold of some projectors from a vehicle that was designed for HIDs and then retrofit them into some clear lens housings, but those projectors can get pricey and if you're not good with projects like that, it's just an unrealistic proposition for some.

But, if you use care in your installation, you'll have better visibility without any issues, even in non-HID housings, and if you choose a proper color temperature, you'll likely slide under the radar and not attract any unwanted attention from the law. I've been running "illegal" HIDs for a while now and haven't had any run-ins.

[BLE 'BURBAN]

In my case, long winter nights (as much as 18 1/2 hours in Dec.) and bad night vision due to severe near sightedness (20/575 left eye 20/550 right eye) I need all the help I can get.

[Skratch]

Regardless of how "under the radar" they look, it doesn't change the fact that they are illegal. I deal with almost daily inspections on my other vehicle and as such I am not one to ever cut corners and add something that is illegal no matter how cool it looks.

That's why I was interested in whether or not the LMC "euro" lenses are DOT/SAE approved.

There is no way to make an HID lamp safe in a non-HID lens . . . it's simply a mater of the physics of how each lamp creates light. To do it the aforementioned way will always create a light with excessive glare to oncoming drivers.

Yes color temperature of the lamps is a legal issue, if they are too blue or beyond they are illegal. Likewise if they fall too far into yellow, here in the US that is also illegal for a headlamp. They have to, by law (USDOT), fall into a certain color range considered white.

The setup I built for my 87 and similarly on my Freightliner uses an SAE/DOT approved lens produced by Hella . . . it is legal because the lens is designed to put light on the road in the proper manner and cut off where it's not supposed to go, when it is used with the lamp that it was designed for.
I have had the lights inspected in seven states thus far and it passed all of those inspections as well as the DOT inspection that the truck has to go through annually.
I can tell you that had I put in some cheap "euro style" lenses or a cheap Chinese built HID kit, then I would never have passed inspection. Flying under the radar is unacceptable in my book.

Blue light is actually detrimental to night vision . . . scientific fact . . . closer to the yellow is actually much better for inclement weather too.

BLE 'BURBAN . . . the lights I have are very similar to what you have, with the exception of lamp selection. Put up against a set of Hella HID projectors on my friends bus, the light output, placement, range . . . is all far superior for long night driving with the Halogens. You will loose a tremendous amount of light output if you convert those over to HID.



Check this out for some interesting facts about HID


http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=287266

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by Skratch

That's why I was interested in whether or not the LMC "euro" lenses are DOT/SAE approved.

Whether or not they're DOT/SAE approved doesn't matter in this case. They're NOT approved for HIDs no matter what. Even if they were, his truck didn't come from the factory with HIDs, which makes them illegal. Period.

There is no way to make an HID lamp safe in a non-HID lens . . . it's simply a mater of the physics of how each lamp creates light. To do it the aforementioned way will always create a light with excessive glare to oncoming drivers.

Yes you can. I have extremely sensitive eyes when it comes to lights at night. I have seen plenty of drop-in HID conversions with no more glare than the car next to them with halogens. None of my HID conversions produce excess glare.

The setup I built for my 87 and similarly on my Freightliner uses an SAE/DOT approved lens produced by Hella . . . it is legal because the lens is designed to put light on the road in the proper manner and cut off where it's not supposed to go, when it is used with the lamp that it was designed for.
I have had the lights inspected in seven states thus far and it passed all of those inspections as well as the DOT inspection that the truck has to go through annually.

If the vehicle didn't roll off the assembly line with HIDs, then it's just as illegal as any other HID conversion.

I can tell you that had I put in some cheap "euro style" lenses or a cheap Chinese built HID kit, then I would never have passed inspection. Flying under the radar is unacceptable in my book.

I've passed plenty of inspections without a single question.

Blue light is actually detrimental to night vision . . . scientific fact . . . closer to the yellow is actually much better for inclement weather too.

That's why you stay in the low 4000K range for the best results.



But this is all a matter for its own topic, really. SoCalSlaughter didn't start this thread to discuss the legalities of HID conversions. He started the thred to give a little info on how it can be done. Most people who do HID conversions know that they're not quite legal and I'm sure SoCalSlaughter is no exception. I know that mine are illegal, but I've taken the time to make mine the best I can with what I've got. I get better light output and visibility than with halogens without causing glare for other drivers. That's what matters and the odds of me getting any hassle over them are slim.

[Skratch]

Obviously you didn't read or can't read my previous posts . . . I had no intention of sticking an illegal HID lamp into the lenses. I wanted to know if they were DOT/SAE approved for on road use as a halogen headlight since LMC won't answer the question.
Once again you failed to read my post, the lights in my semi use a DOT approved lens and a higher quality halogen lamp . . .

Since you seem to think you can alter physics and refuse to face the scientific facts I'll leave you to your fantasy land.

For the rest of the community that is interested in being "enlightened" as it were, try reading some of the links posted about retrofit HID lighting and why it is extremely unsafe and illegal!

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by Skratch

Obviously you didn't read or can't read my previous posts . . . I had no intention of sticking an illegal HID lamp into the lenses. I wanted to know if they were DOT/SAE approved for on road use as a halogen headlight since LMC won't answer the question.
Once again you failed to read my post, the lights in my semi use a DOT approved lens and a higher quality halogen lamp . . .

Ok. I'm man enough to admit a mistake. I misread that you were looking for HIDs. Maybe since you're asking in an HID thread, I overlooked it. My mistake.

That said, it's very likely that they aren't DOT approved.

Since you seem to think you can alter physics and refuse to face the scientific facts I'll leave you to your fantasy land.

I never said I can alter physics. I never said I have a perfect, optimized HID setup either, except for my CTS with OEM HIDs. But you CAN get better lighting from HIDs vs. halogens WITHOUT glare.

But whatever. Still not the point of this thread, soooo...

[dropd80s]

Originally Posted by Skratch

I guess I'm just at a loss here, why would anyone want to deliberately build an illegal headlight set up?

The same reason some people deliberately jack other folks posts. Please stay on topic.

Originally Posted by 1badgmc

If the vehicle didn't roll off the assembly line with HIDs, then it's just as illegal as any other HID conversion.

Good info.

And to the OP, looks great. I have a set of 6Ks in my cummins and I plan to do the same to my crew cab one ton square.

[justpball]

Thanks for the info SoCalSlaughter, love the way it looks....have to add it to my future mods list!

[sandnuriz]

A must do, I did mine about a week ago I did the Low/High beam kit on mine and love it, I had the low beam only kit on my other truck and always wanted the low/high kit yeah you dont really need them they are bright as hell but wait till you try them out wow let there be light and the guy next to you only has the low beam kit LOL

[coreys88burban]

can you post a night pic of just your low beams?

[sandnuriz]

Originally Posted by coreys88burban

can you post a night pic of just your low beams?

Sorry I sold the Blazer but by far the best money I spent was on the Low/High HID beam kit you cant go wrong unless you buy the just low beam kit

[evilblazer74]

Ques about the HID Conversion kid for the 89 trucks. Can u also fine these kids like bortherstrucks and classic industry or just LMC TRUCKS I WOULD like to the kid thanks
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[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by evilblazer74

Ques about the HID Conversion kid for the 89 trucks. Can u also fine these kids like bortherstrucks and classic industry or just LMC TRUCKS I WOULD like to the kid thanks
Posted via Mobile Device

You can get the new housings to accept the capsule-type bulbs from LMC and the like, but you won't find them selling the HID kits.

For the HIDs, I have bought from DDM Tuning, VVME and HIDgate on eBay. They're all good kits at good prices.