96 blazer headlights

Just wondering if anyone has the same problem. My 96 blazer has horrible headlights, and i just bought new ones. I didn't buy anything special and I am thinking that I need to. My question is where can i get a high powered light. It also itsn't the bulb it is the whole lamp, and the local auto store doesnt carry any high powered lamps. Where is the best place to find them and what are the best ones.
Thanks

The fluted glass on the composites for 95-97's are horrible... Do a 98+ conversion and get yourself some better bulbs... I run silver stars on low, and 100 watt superwhites on high... No prob with lighting here..

Here's a pic of my 95 with diamond clear headlights (TYC)

http://www.pghconsulting.net/teal/front2.jpg

[QUOTE=rlith]The fluted glass on the composites for 95-97's are horrible... Do a 98+ conversion and get yourself some better bulbs... I run silver stars on low, and 100 watt superwhites on high... No prob with lighting here..

Here's a pic of my 95 with diamond clear headlights (TYC)

K so how hard is the conversion, what parts do I need and is there a thread on it.

look up front end conversion for the blazer, there are plunty of questions and how-to's, but you will need every thing from the front of the truck, including the bumper, if im not mistaken, there are kits available, but if the j yard has a 98+, its cheeper to do it that way

look up front end conversion for the blazer, there are plunty of questions and how-to's, but you will need every thing from the front of the truck, including the bumper, if im not mistaken, there are kits available, but if the j yard has a 98+, its cheeper to do it that way


Well I found the thread on it, and i also found it is going to be pricey. I was wondering if installing a set of 55 watt fog lights would help with the lighting issue until i have saved enough for the conversion?

Fog lights won't accomplish anything you will need driving lights. Walmart sells a set for $20 that are pretty bright, you will have to turn them off for oncoming traffic. The set includes all the wiring and a switch. They should get you by until you can do the conversion.


Does yours have composite or sealed beams? I don't if they will fit blazers, but last time I was in autozone, I saw a set of composite lights that are a direct replacement for sealed beams.

Lights (50 used, 140 for the clear tyc)
Rad support 75.00 aftermarket
bumper 79.00 aftermarket
valance 55.00 OEM from the dealer
park/blinker lights 49.00 for clears

I spent a little less than rlith but ive been getting parts slowly since october. Just call around to junk yards. Ebay it as well. The hardest part of the swap is the core support swap. i can walk you through it if you need help. Its simple but time consuming. I got projector headlights for mine. ill tell ya how they are when i get them on friday. They were alot less expensive than stock.

Core support
Headlights
Corners
Grille shell
Headlight connectors.

If you choose to you can keep your bumper. it will fit no problem.

Well to be fair I did get the TYC diamond clears...:D

What kind of projector headlights did you get? If they are the ones with the angel eyes and use an H3 bulb, most likely you won't be too pleased. All those are is a fog light shoved into a headlamp assembly, and they perform quite poorly. I would go with the lights rlith has, because I owned them for a while before I had them retrofitted and was very pleased with their performance.
By the way rlith, it looks as though your passenger headlight is tilted a bit, are they just not adjuested properly?

Well I found the thread on it, and i also found it is going to be pricey. I was wondering if installing a set of 55 watt fog lights would help with the lighting issue until i have saved enough for the conversion?

I just replaced my headlights with the xenon blue and holy shit are they EVER BRIGHT.

Don't do the whole conversion, just get the new bulbs on ebay, I love mine.

I got the Halo Blue Ion projectors. They use 9005 bulbs. but im going to get a hid kit eventually. Probably gonna go with some silverstar bulbs for now.

I just replaced my headlights with the xenon blue and holy shit are they EVER BRIGHT.

Don't do the whole conversion, just get the new bulbs on ebay, I love mine.

Not to be a cock, but with the Xenon blue colored bulbs you are actually losing lumens. While they may appear brighter because of the different CRI, a standard halogen bulb is in fact brighter than the blue ones. You are much better off going with the Silverstars like rlith is running, or picking up a set of the new HIR bulbs, which use an Infrared coating on the outside of the bulb to reflect heat back onto the filament, therefor letting it burn brighter. In terms of getting an HID kit and putting it into a 9005 projector, that is a poor idea. I had an HID kit in my blazer before I had the HID Projectors retrofitted and the output is atrocious, its just basically 2 hotspots on the ground with very little to no spread, not to mention they blind the hell out of the drivers on the opposite lane. For the same price as a kit, you could purchase all OEM products, from the projectors to the bulbs and ballasts, and have a quality setup.

xtreme if you have a 98+ front end, and find a hid kit, hit me with the link, i have NEVER been able to find a hid for the 98 and newer grill

xtreme if you have a 98+ front end, and find a hid kit, hit me with the link, i have NEVER been able to find a hid for the 98 and newer grill


www.hidxpress.com

n' thank you rlith

I just replaced my headlights with the xenon blue and holy shit are they EVER BRIGHT.

Don't do the whole conversion, just get the new bulbs on ebay, I love mine.


one problem i have the whole lamp to replace not the bulb, so how do i fix that problem.

one problem i have the whole lamp to replace not the bulb, so how do i fix that problem.


You have the recessed headlights... Either buy the h4 conversion kit or do the 98+ upgrade.

Not to be a cock, but with the Xenon blue colored bulbs you are actually losing lumens. While they may appear brighter because of the different CRI, a standard halogen bulb is in fact brighter than the blue ones. You are much better off going with the Silverstars like rlith is running, or picking up a set of the new HIR bulbs, which use an Infrared coating on the outside of the bulb to reflect heat back onto the filament, therefor letting it burn brighter. In terms of getting an HID kit and putting it into a 9005 projector, that is a poor idea. I had an HID kit in my blazer before I had the HID Projectors retrofitted and the output is atrocious, its just basically 2 hotspots on the ground with very little to no spread, not to mention they blind the hell out of the drivers on the opposite lane. For the same price as a kit, you could purchase all OEM products, from the projectors to the bulbs and ballasts, and have a quality setup.

Trust me, I know when my lights are brighter.

Alrighty, suit yourself

I use too have a 97 w/ composite headlights. I ran silverstars. I thought those were bright. Jut upgrading the front end to 98+ and putting projectors on its VERY bright. I am more than happy with the lights i have. I have normal halogen bulbs. I havent gotten a chance to pick some silverstars up for them. Thanks for the advice about the Hid. You might have had cheaper ones cause these headlights disperse the light very evenly. If i dont like the hid kit i can always sell the kit to someone. Ill probably eventually try it. but for right now im very satisfied w/ the projectors.

I am thinking about Silverstars for my '97. I haven't had anything apart yet or had to replace a bulb on mine. My questions is does it have 2 bulbs....one low and one high beam? (It's composite)

You might also look into HIR bulbs, good replacement for something inbetween standard halogens and HID

I got the Halo Blue Ion projectors. They use 9005 bulbs. but im going to get a hid kit eventually. Probably gonna go with some silverstar bulbs for now.a few ,monts back i spent $85.00USD at autozone on silverstars (2)9005's (2)9006's.. didn't have to replace the highbeams/Dayrunning lights but since i'm right there. The Xenon's I had in Hyundai were also quite nice, although I don't remember the brand.

Trust me, I know when my lights are brighter. when you have things light up farther you just know. especially the crispiness (is that a word) of shapes. those Xenon bulbs are bright. wanted the whiteness, instead of bluish this time. LT, how well do they perform with the headlight covers you have?

I never understood why people argue against scientific fact. Blue coated bulbs give off less lumens, plain and simple. The only Halogen lights that are worth buying are the HIR bulbs, the Osram Silverstars, not the Sylvania ones, and some of the good Philips and Sylvania ones

I never understood why people argue against scientific fact. Blue coated bulbs give off less lumens, plain and simple. The only Halogen lights that are worth buying are the HIR bulbs, the Osram Silverstars, not the Sylvania ones, and some of the good Philips and Sylvania ones
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/bad/bad.html

Yeah there is a wealth of information on that website about automotive lighting. It's true too about the Xenon gas in the clear bulbs, my GF drives a BMW with H7 headlights, which have about 1700 lumens or so, very nice, almost as nice as my HID's

I'd like to get me some new, brighter bulbs for my truck, but I'm confused on what to get. I like bright white crisp light.

I'd like to get me some new, brighter bulbs for my truck, but I'm confused on what to get. I like bright white crisp light.Yup....that's all I'm looking to do is replace the bulbs. Just looking for a better, brighter bulb without all the other mods.

You have a few options, one, is to get a true Xenon gas filled halogen bulb. These have clear glass, and whatever you do, stay away from blue coated bulbs. You can get Osram Silverstars, which are different from the ones sold here in the States, check on ebay. Another good option is to run HIR Bulbs, which you can also find on ebay, which utilizes an infrared coating to reflect heat back onto the filament, letting it burn brighter. If you are running the 9005/9006 set up, buy a high powered 9005 set of bulbs and a wiring harness, and convert your 9006 to 9005. Buying a seperate wiring harness with a relay will allow the lights to draw power directly from the battery, thereby reducing the stress on your OEM wiring.

If you are running the 9005/9006 set up, buy a high powered 9005 set of bulbs and a wiring harness, and convert your 9006 to 9005. Buying a seperate wiring harness with a relay will allow the lights to draw power directly from the battery, thereby reducing the stress on your OEM wiring.
That is bad advice. It is illegal and dangerous because the 9005 will blind oncoming drivers. It's one thing to have brighter lights, but having lights that cause a hazard to all other drivers is completely asinine.

And I don't want to screw with the harness. Just change to better bulbs. Is the 9005 the low beam and the 9006 the high?

9005 = high beam
9006 = low beam

9005 = high beam
9006 = low beamThanks blazee. So since it's only my low beams that suck I should be able to get by with buying a couple of good quality 9006's.

Thanks blazee. So since it's only my low beams that suck I should be able to get by with buying a couple of good quality 9006's.
You're welcome. Yes, if you're happy with your high beams, you can just replace your low beams. (after upgrading the low beams, you probably won't be happy with the high beams anymore) SComp23 and rlith posted some good advice about which kinds of bulbs to get. The only part of the advice that I took issue with, was SComp23's suggestion of putting high beam bulbs in the low beam sockets.

That is actually untrue about it blinding oncoming drivers, especially through a fluted lens. The only difference is some 9006 have a glare cap on the end of it. If you don't believe me, stick a 9005 bulb in the low beam and pull up to a wall, and back your vehicle up 25 feet, you will notice no difference except a slight increase in intensity

That little glare cap keeps the oncoming drivers from being exposed to the most intense part of the bulb.

Forget the wall, that's your perspective, put yourself in the other drivers' shoes. Turn on a set of 9006 bulbs and walk in front and look at them, if you focus on the center you will see a dark spot, that is the glare cap doing it's job and blocking the hot spot from blinding you.

Now try to do the same thing, with a set of 9005 bulbs, you won't be able to focus at the center, because they will hurt your eyes.

If it was behind clear glass, not fluted glass, you would be correct. Believe me, I am all about being kind to oncoming drivers, every post that has been put up here about an HID kit I have explained why they are horrible ideas. The fluted glass will protect on coming drivers

Can someone clue me in on how to get at the headlight sockets? Do you have to remove the airbox (left) and battery (right)? Or is there a trick to removing them?

What year is it? If it is a 98+ I know there are 4 plastic clips you pull up and the headlight comes right out.

What year is it? If it is a 98+ I know there are 4 plastic clips you pull up and the headlight comes right out.It's a '97.

Can someone clue me in on how to get at the headlight sockets? Do you have to remove the airbox (left) and battery (right)? Or is there a trick to removing them?


Remove the airbox and battery, then remove the outer most 10mm bolts on each lamp..

Remove the airbox and battery, then remove the outer most 10mm bolts on each lamp..Thanks. That's a great help. Much appreciated.

No prob, let us know how it turns out