Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I bought my truck in 2018. Right before I got it, the owner (who had it several months, but was a flipper, usually of sports cars) had replaced the headlights with aftermarket. A year or so later I grew tired of the headlights shining in the trees, up in the sky, everywhere but on the road, and the half dome reflectors over the parking/turn lamps had MELTED onto the bulbs. I had the dealer give me a biz to biz print out of dealers with OEM stock of the lights (by P/N ), bought and installed them new (rather pricey, about $400 each) They worked well, but I still pondered what to do. I considered some new, high powered lamps but realized the reflectors were not suited for a sharp upper cut off of the light that I needed to keep from blinding other cars.
After watching a number of videos, most notably the Just Diesels series on headlights, I realized that the NOVA light were the ones I wanted.
End result was a Christmas present to my truck of a set of the Chrome version of the NOVA lights. (grill and bumper and bug deflector are all chrome, the chrome lights were cheaper and matched well).
For some reason, on the first installation of the earlier lights, I had not noticed how crooked the front bumper was. This was from the factory, no washer shadows where they have been loosened and moved. The drivers side was too close to get in easily and remove the lower outboard bolt. I ended up loosening the LH bumper bolts and lowering the bumper to get within the manual spec for bumper to fender gap of 19mm +/- 3mm.
I removed the LH wheel well plastic shroud (8 screws, easy to remove) and it helped considerably in routing wiring for the daytime running light module. The lights worked without the DRL but I paid a lot of money, so why not? The electronic module I mounted on the outboard side of the battery box and I covered all wiring in split wire loom.
I didn't like running the single wire straight across to the right side for the DRL so I spliced in more red 18 ga primary wire using weatherproof Ray Chem butt splices. I traced the wire along the inside of the bottom of the bumper with the fog light wiring and ty-wrapped to it.
I have driven it several times at night, playing with the up/down adjustments to get the cut off line so it hits cars about the top of the hood or trunk and no higher when 5 to 8 car lengths away. lots of light far away on open road that way.
I will post pics eventually, don't have any now, it went and got cold on us
Two things I noted. L/R adjustments looked good out of the box, vertical adjustment not too bad but needed some adjustment. The L/R adjustment screws are totally inaccessible without removing the lights. Even with the wheel well shrouds out, there is fender metal blocking getting anything on them as they are only a quarter inch or so from the fender structure. The vertical adjustments are accessible without removing the lights. I used a 4 mm hex socket (which is what is called for in the instructions) and a very short ratcheting bit holder with a square drive. The drivers side, I can easily reach from above sticking my arm thru an opening inboard and above the lights, with the hood open. The right light requires laying beneath the truck and reaching way up and feeling around to find the adjuster and getting the socket on it. I have done this multiple times, and its not too hard....... if you don't have King Charles' "sausage fingers" as he himself described them recently, and your arms are not too fat.
Main complaint is that the amber prismatic reflector inside the light DOES NOT REFLECT AT ALL. I have repeatedly shined my bright LED flashlight on it directly from the side, 50 to 75 feet away, and get no reflection what-so-ever. This led me to install https://www.grote.com/signal-lighting/reflectors/stick-on-tape-reflectors/41143/ made from a DOT tape (USA Made and very highly reflective) on the upper aft corner of the bumpers. I have similar red reflectors on the back bumper, though the taillight reflectors are the best I have ever seen on a vehicle. I am a huge fan of being visible.
Pics, shop door open, shining on trees 75 ft away, new vs old headlight. The tool is a ratcheting bit holder with a square drive, and a 4mm socket on it. lights shining on the door with ribs on it makes it easy to adjust the headlights up or down in small amounts and keep them even.
Charles
After watching a number of videos, most notably the Just Diesels series on headlights, I realized that the NOVA light were the ones I wanted.
End result was a Christmas present to my truck of a set of the Chrome version of the NOVA lights. (grill and bumper and bug deflector are all chrome, the chrome lights were cheaper and matched well).
For some reason, on the first installation of the earlier lights, I had not noticed how crooked the front bumper was. This was from the factory, no washer shadows where they have been loosened and moved. The drivers side was too close to get in easily and remove the lower outboard bolt. I ended up loosening the LH bumper bolts and lowering the bumper to get within the manual spec for bumper to fender gap of 19mm +/- 3mm.
I removed the LH wheel well plastic shroud (8 screws, easy to remove) and it helped considerably in routing wiring for the daytime running light module. The lights worked without the DRL but I paid a lot of money, so why not? The electronic module I mounted on the outboard side of the battery box and I covered all wiring in split wire loom.
I didn't like running the single wire straight across to the right side for the DRL so I spliced in more red 18 ga primary wire using weatherproof Ray Chem butt splices. I traced the wire along the inside of the bottom of the bumper with the fog light wiring and ty-wrapped to it.
I have driven it several times at night, playing with the up/down adjustments to get the cut off line so it hits cars about the top of the hood or trunk and no higher when 5 to 8 car lengths away. lots of light far away on open road that way.
I will post pics eventually, don't have any now, it went and got cold on us
Two things I noted. L/R adjustments looked good out of the box, vertical adjustment not too bad but needed some adjustment. The L/R adjustment screws are totally inaccessible without removing the lights. Even with the wheel well shrouds out, there is fender metal blocking getting anything on them as they are only a quarter inch or so from the fender structure. The vertical adjustments are accessible without removing the lights. I used a 4 mm hex socket (which is what is called for in the instructions) and a very short ratcheting bit holder with a square drive. The drivers side, I can easily reach from above sticking my arm thru an opening inboard and above the lights, with the hood open. The right light requires laying beneath the truck and reaching way up and feeling around to find the adjuster and getting the socket on it. I have done this multiple times, and its not too hard....... if you don't have King Charles' "sausage fingers" as he himself described them recently, and your arms are not too fat.
Main complaint is that the amber prismatic reflector inside the light DOES NOT REFLECT AT ALL. I have repeatedly shined my bright LED flashlight on it directly from the side, 50 to 75 feet away, and get no reflection what-so-ever. This led me to install https://www.grote.com/signal-lighting/reflectors/stick-on-tape-reflectors/41143/ made from a DOT tape (USA Made and very highly reflective) on the upper aft corner of the bumpers. I have similar red reflectors on the back bumper, though the taillight reflectors are the best I have ever seen on a vehicle. I am a huge fan of being visible.
Pics, shop door open, shining on trees 75 ft away, new vs old headlight. The tool is a ratcheting bit holder with a square drive, and a 4mm socket on it. lights shining on the door with ribs on it makes it easy to adjust the headlights up or down in small amounts and keep them even.
Charles
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