2nd gen headlights again, really need something better (safety)

[Joe Mc]

This is a great site.

Indeed!!! I purchased mine in 05/01, w/75k (present 246k) and this site has been, and continues to be, an invaluable resource of information and camaraderie!!!

 

[JeepBuilder]

It is a good place to find solutions. I have run into a few people in town with Dodges that had not heard of it. And just sold a 68 Jeepster to a guy driving a newer Ram 3500. He had me write down the site address for him. Spreading the good word...
So I found an email I had overlooked from Daniel Stern that describes in detail how to use and hook up his kit. I guess I missed it when looking. I have been trying to nail an engine conversion in my dozer and trying to get going on my 3500 headlight swap. If I am not careful, my old john deere is going to end up with sport headlights. Good thing I am not chewing gum here... I need a nap.
I am looking forward to posting the end result and pictures of the difference. The wife just informed me we have company coming tomorrow. So I guess that is out. Maybe Sunday...

 

[Joe Mc]

JeepBuilder,

May I suggest/request: "Before" conversion take pictures while sitting/driving down a road near your house with just parking lights, then fogs, then fogs and low beam and finally with high beams. Then do the same after conversion, this will give a great show for all the followers of your post showing where you were and where you ended up at. Enjoy the visit from company. You know the old JD might be pretty cool with sport headlamps

 

[JeepBuilder]

Absolutely... I am glad to say I did take two before pictures. One low beam and one high beam. On a pitch black gravel road out front of my place. So I have those for contrast to the new lights. I would have taken a picture with fog lights, but those went away with the hamerhead bumper conversion. In the bumper I have two flood cube LED lights and two spot cube LED lights. I have not hooked them up yet as I needed to build a relay harness for them also. I am trying to get all the lights hooked up and be done with all of it. My switch for the cube lights will be a push pull switch mounted on my stick shifter. It is already there and was used for a jake brake that was removed before I bought the truck. It will provide an easy reach to quickly shut off the LED's when traffic is coming the opposite direction. I am also considering a 4 place common feed fuse panel instead of the inline fuse holders (3 each) Daniel sterns sent. That will neaten it up a bit. I need to get that ordered. I will check marine parts first. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[GAmes]

I'm happy with the replacement headlights from Genos. However, my wife's Ram 1500 LEDs are pretty neat. I'm curious how LEDs would act in our stock housings.

 

[JeepBuilder]

Boy, LED's with their low power draw and the relay kit removing the load from the light switch would be the best case scenario ever for the main issue here.
I am putting in the Phillips bulbs Mr sterns recommended. .....for now. I have read he hates LED lighting. Well LED's are the way to go with all the advancements they have made. My home has them, my boat, and camper was just converted. Keep in mind he is building solutions for high draw systems and LED's kind of negate the need. I get it though. Maybe someone will be the guinea pig and do the LED's in sport lights. Then post it. Maybe I will be that guy later...ha ha.
I found this and ordered two of them. One for each side of the truck and future needs. This tidy's up the power feed to the relays. No loose fuse holder pigtails. One large feed and fuses that are not flopping around. Amazon has them cheaper, but they are probably fakes.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/blue...ct-4-circuit-fuse-block--17054206?recordNum=1

I should be done with all this by 2020.

 

[GAmes]

Darn, I thought you were going with the LEDs. Everything I have read in the past says LEDs do not work any better than projectors in the stock type housings. I don't need better lighting enough to spend $100 just to check them out.

 

[JeepBuilder]

That is why I am going with sterns recommended Phillips bulbs. I can tell he puts a lot of effort in his research. The Dorman sport lights came with bulbs in them. I guess I have spares now. I also just sent an email back to Mr. Sterns to buy two more relays and bases. His relays are German made and I can't find them anywhere. Flosser 2252 is the number. There are some on Amazon but you can tell they are made differently. Either more modern production or just plain fakes. I will take a German or Japanese product any day over china krud. I am in a holding pattern waiting for both Dodge and dozer parts to show up.
When it comes to extending out a project that should take a day, I am a trained professional.

 

[AnonEd]

FWIW I've found LED and HID the same as halogen, some better than others, but finding and LED that works in a housing originally designed for something else is more problematic. JeepBuilder, since you presumably don't run your floods and spots with oncoming traffic, why not just trigger the relay from your high-beams? You won't have to pull buttons with both hands and the exhaust brake switch can be saved for that later addition. For seeing things in ditches and oncoming traffic maybe replace your floods with a fog pattern and put the floods out back or atop your camper.

 

[JeepBuilder]

I had thought about a high beam trigger. But wanted the option of not running them or running them with low beams. I guess that depends on the visibility here. The truck had an exhaust brake before I bought it. It had been removed and I don't have plans for one. The switch is there and it is a quick flip when they need to be shut off. It is pretty easily reached. The wifes 4runner has a 20 inch LED light on her big bumper. The push button switch is on the column behind the wheel by the turn signal lever. That is a total pain to get triggered quickly with oncoming traffic. I need to change that.
I just might make a pigtail lead hook up off the high beam relay to plug in the LED lights as you suggest. I could at least try it and it would only involve adding a couple plug connections in what is there. Just switch the trigger wire to a different source. The 4 LED lights in the lower bumper on my dodge are 2 Spots and 2 Floods. Not much will fit in the square hole. I wonder if a fog pattern would fit there. Or if it is even made in a 3 inch cube light. Hammerhead could have made a little bigger cut out.
Still waiting on parts. And getting ready to assemble a diesel 4 cylinder. Got our first sticking snow on the ground today. 3 inches and soon it will be 4 feet or better.

 

[BigPapa]

Way back when LED’s were only red and found in Texas Instrument digital watches, I had a set of KC lights mounted on my ‘86 Chevy. Those were some bright dudes, WAY too bright for oncoming traffic, unless I met someone that wouldn’t dim their too bright lights...

Anyway, I had them wired through a main On/Off switch and then through a 3-way switch which determined if they were on by themselves, with the high beams, or anytime the running lights were on.

 

[AnonEd]

Fully understand JB: My driving lights are on a 3-pos toggle--up for on independent, off and down for high-beam triggered. On rare occasions I'm in snow or white sand I always miss my yellow fogs...much less glare bouncing back.

 

[Bill Lins]

Got our first sticking snow on the ground today. 3 inches and soon it will be 4 feet or better.

Whereabouts are you?

 

[JeepBuilder]

I am north of Priest River ID. Best place I have ever lived.
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I have the location for the fuses and relays figured out. I need to plasma cut a mount out of 1/8 aluminum. There is not much room under the hood. I am looking to install everything off of the front drivers side battery mount. The fuse blocks showed up, but I am having a hard time being serious today.

 

[JeepBuilder]

I remember the KC lights. We always had them on our Jeeps back in the day. It was about all you could get. They threw amazing light but a bigger alternator was a good thing. I was always real happy with my dual beam Cibie Oscars. I still have them on a shelf but the reflectors finally delaminated. I just can't throw them away.

I am almost getting something done. The wife and I spent the entire day yesterday driving snow covered back mountain roads to see where they went. I am not sure why but that is such a hoot. Today I said I was going to get somewhere on this headlight conversion. Well the phone rang a lot and took a lot of time. I don't mind that though.
I made a fuse and relay plate and mounted the thing on the front end of the battery tray on the drivers side. Well I realized I would not be able to change a burnt headlight bulb without taking the battery out and removing the plate mount I made. I don't like doing things like that when building something. Plan B was to move it to the engine side of the battery. It is pretty close to a bypass filter but it will work. It places the fuses between the neg and Pos posts where I can see and access them. I will show it all installed later when the rest of the harness is built. I also took pictures of the existing headlights shining on my shop door. For reference along with the night road pictures. They needed aiming but I am not going to bother. They are still lame and not worth the time. So here is the fuse and relay mount. I hope to get the rest done tomorrow. It should go faster now. I only use tinned marine wire now along with heat shrink epoxy connectors. It resists corrosion very well. The two metal clips on the left side go around the battery hold down bolt. That keeps the fastener nuts off the battery case so they don't rub through. I am soldering all the relay connectors.

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Top side showing the fuses. I like this way better than several inline fuses hanging in the wind. I should get the two additional relays in the mail tomorrow or Tuesday.

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More soon.

 

[Bill Lins]

You do pretty work!

 

[Joe Mc]

Like Bill said above and "Nice work"!

 

[JeepBuilder]

Thank you. I just spent 9 years and 11 months rebuilding and restoring a 1970 Jeep Wagoneer for a friend I have known most of my life. Replacing body metal, Replating bolts, metal stamps for door panels, insane detail. My huge weakness of overkill. The entire build is documented online on a Jeep forum from start to finish and delivery. Those build habits are still affecting me. I thought the fuse and relay panel was a little sloppy. Hey no one will see it now that it is in. So I finished it last night. I highly suggest buying the prewired kit instead of the component kit from Daniel Sterns. It took me all day cutting and crimping and soldering. Installing a premade harness would be worth the extra coin. I did use tinned marine wire though. Nifty stuff. All that is left today is to realign my big arse bumper and energize it. I can tell already the difference will be fantastic. Tonight I will take new pictures exactly where I was parked for the old pictures.

The mess I made.

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The finished harness. It got real busy under those relays.

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From the top. No 8GA feed wire yet. It got installed post picture.

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From the back looking forward. This is about the only sanitary place to locate this.

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I will post before and after lighting pictures after it gets dark tonight.

EDIT: final question removed.

 

[Rimrockjr]

My truck is a 2001 Sport 2500. The lenses have fogged up and I am looking at getting some light on the subject. I have a question. Are the "Sport" headlights the same as what I have? I can see improvement from replacing the reflector assemblies and better bulbs if they are. The relays are a big benefit as far as I can see.

JeepBuilder thank you for the great write-up!

 

[JeepBuilder]

First off.... Oh no, It's working! Everything works like a charm. Rimrockjr, I am not sure if these headlights (sport) are an exact match to the originals. If yours are original factory. I suspect you have the typical fogging of the surface of the lense. There are a lot of kits out there to get rid of that. 3M makes a good one. It involves removing the light, (it can be done on vehicle) sanding the surface down, then clear coating the lens again. These lights I obtained from Dorman. Near as I can tell you have to replace or repair the entire light assembly. The reflectors can't be changed. Of course the bulbs can be upgraded. If you have original factory sport lights, I would repair them.
So, I just tried my new lights out for the first time. It is getting dark, so first I will aim them, then go out and do a low and high beam picture, and post up.
I will try to round up part numbers in my post. And I will take a picture of the light bucket with the light off from the front so it could be compared to a factory sport light. Hopefully that would answer the question.

More later this evening.