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Upgrading Headlights
#656363 March 21st 2014 8:32 pm
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Finally got my 93 GMC G3500 Vandura with 6.2l diesel back on the road. Had to do some maintenance and replaced fuel filter with Racor. So working a lot of nights I think I should upgrade my headlights. The stock suck, as I'm sure you guys know. I'll be upgrading the wiring to 12ga and adding a relay to power them off the battery. I can't find any headlight conversions for the H6054 lights which are 142mm x 200mm (5.5" x 7.9"). Anyone know of anything that'll fit? Thanks.

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Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #656366 March 21st 2014 8:37 pm
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www.danielsternlighting.com

If you don't have about $200 to spend on the headlamps, ge GE Nighthawk and call it a day.


Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!
Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #656395 March 22nd 2014 2:26 am
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I was dealing with nearly 3 volts drop over my stock headlamp circuit..

I made a 12awg harness. And used ge nighrhawk 6054 bulbs. Very few vehicles that pull next to me at pole position, throw more kight where needed. Very few headlamps, on older vehicle s, Are aimed correctly. Start there. If ge nhs are not good enough. The next acceptable upgrade are cibie. Nothing exists in between. Cibie are best. Daniel sterns site cannot be beat for info. Unless you want someone to tell you Ono what you already think you know.

If you got money to burn. Jwspeaker make awesome

LED ed 6054,s

Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #656399 March 22nd 2014 3:32 am
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+1 on proper aiming. Mr. Stern's website also has aiming instructions for your headlamps.


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Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #656457 March 22nd 2014 4:12 pm
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Thanks guys. I'll check out the GE Nighthawks. Yeah, I guess att I do have the $ for an upgrade but if the Nighthawks are respectable enough I should be happy with them. Holding my windproof Zippo out the window is better than my stock headlights. smile

Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #656464 March 22nd 2014 5:56 pm
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Yeah, charging voltages reaching the headlamps will significantly increase brightness. Don't forget about the grounds. Mine were some super 18agw or thinner wire to the body. Upgrading this to 10awg and cleaning the ground connection gained me nearly a volt.

My OEM h4 plugs were in pretty poor shape.

https://www.vanning.com/threads/ubbthreads.php/topics/606088/Re:_I_measured_my_Headlamp_Vol#Post606088

Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #656855 March 27th 2014 1:45 am
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Well guys, I did it today. Upgraded the wiring to 10ga but only got the low beams done. I didn't have time to complete the hi beams. That'll be Friday or Saturday. The hardest part was soldering in the damn cold and wind but I've gotten good at it over the years. Finding a safe spot for the relay was the other hassle but all in all everything took only 4 hours. Wow! What a difference, even with my old headlights! I've got some Nighthawks on order from Amazon. I can't wait to get them installed and see the difference from my old lights. So I'll repeat what everyone else has said... do the upgrade. It's worth it.

Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #657026 March 29th 2014 4:20 am
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Nicely Done.

Do note that these bulbs are legally limited in their overall lumen output by the gov't.

The GE NH's are better than other Sealed beam 6054 bulbs in where they project the allotted light. The precision of the reflector and the crenellations are superior, yielding improved vision to the driver.

Halogen Lights which advertise a whiter light have a blue coating over the bulb itself. This blue coating reduces the amount of overall light, requiring the filament be overdriven to overcome the filtering effect of the blue tint. This is why you read so many reports of Sylvania Silverstar bulbs short lifespans. Any halogen bulb advertised as a whiter light has this light obscuring blue tint.

Beware of the marketing saying they are actually brighter. They cannot be, legally. Their wattage is limited, their lumen output is regulated. Best thing to do with a sealed beam bulb is increase the voltage that makes it to the bulb. 'They' cannot regulate that, yet.

In comparison with an older bulb a new bulb will be brighter, but there is no truth in advertising anyway, so when they make that 50% brighter claim, this is how they fidge the data. Sure it is 50% brighter, than the old bulb at the end of its lifespan and fed 1.5 less volts. No asterix required.

The way our eyes perceive light is not the same as the way our brains decide to judge a light source. Yellower light actually has more contrast, and the whole whiter is brighter is just a fad by those who want their car to look German or High End Japanese. Actual HID lights designed around a HID light source are a different matter.

Ultra bright HID retrofits kits which flood the whole foreground with light, actually constrict the driver's pupils, reducing the ability to see properly at speed.

And there is nothing worse than those that put HID retrofit kits into Halogen reflectors.
Number one they do not put the light where needed.
Number2 they blind oncoming traffic
Number 3 they are illegal.

I am noticing they are beginning to pull over HID in halogen reflector offenders in this area.

Stupid ricers.

Anyway, if you care to know more about this topic, Read on Daniel Stern's website, and the Candlepowerforums have some serious knowledge base going on.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...6-quot-x-8-quot-sealed-beam-replacements

Re: Upgrading Headlights
Splat #657089 March 29th 2014 8:37 pm
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Yeah, I'm not a fan of the HIDs. To me they're dangerous, especially when they're not calibrated to the road and you get an eyeful when they go by you on the road. Still waiting on the Nighthawks. I hate Amazon but no one else had them around here.


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