hey all, the headlights on my '93 E150 are terrible. Just wondering if there is a way to get a little more light out of them? I put HIDs in all my other vehicles, but I am not sure if that works in these? To be honest, I haven't looked at them yet, but they are a sealed bulb/housing correct? Just wondering if anyone has done anything to improve their lights?

Thanks,

Brew

 

Not sure what you mean by "sealed bulb"? If you're stuck w/glass sealed beams, suggest you look at Econoline's "aero-design" composite headlights & the range of lamps made for them. But if your headlights really "are terrible" have you checked their ground & power supply & aim to confirm they're working to full potential?

After you've "looked at them" checked them out & identified which headlights you think "are terrible" FTE contributors might be better able to help.

 

Ok, I will go check them out and see what kind of setup they are. Honestly, I think they are working as well as they normally would, but they remind me of those really old yellow headlights that were on the cars fromt he 70's and 80's. Part of it is I think they are aimed for when the van is fully loaded, right now they shine just a little ways in front of the van. If I have a car come up from behind me, my headlights basically disappear in to theirs, if that makes sense.

Brew

 

While I don't usually condone blue type of headlights, I've had these in a few cars over the years and they are bright and not blue.
since they burn hotter and brighter then the norm bulbs I turn off the lights when I'm not moving.

Autodynamic.com

But since I'm happy with the current stock bulbs and cheap I'll hold off on getting them lol

 

What do you mean "those really old yellow headlights"? The color of the light at night, or the look of the headlight lens in daylight?

No offense, but honestly wonder if it "makes sense" not to know if you have small rectangular glass sealed beams, or big plastic aero-design headlights, w/o having to "go check"? Low voltage can make any headlight to throw "terrible" dim "yellow" light. Aero-design headlights are plastic & over 20 years it's common for lens to "yellow" making them look "terrible".

If "they shine just a little ways in front of the van" it suggests aim issues.

 

i believe you should have sealed beams not composite units.
last week i noticed that my lights were getting horribly dim, stopped at a gas station and washed the lenses, and problem solved.
aim is a big deal as mentioned above.
within sealed beams of a given size, they offer both halogen lamps and old-school non-halogen lamps. if yours aren't halogen, replace them with some that are.
also, they do make a conversion kit that mounts into your sealed-beam position but has a replaceable halogen lamp inside of it, giving you the option of HIDs or other brighter lamps.

 

I know I have the little square glass ones, not sure if I have bulbs or sealed one piece I didn't get a chance to check them out yet. Gut feeling is that they are sealed and basic (non halogen) at that. I will look at some options and see what I can do. I have installed HID's in our other 3 vehicles, maybe end up going that route. Thanks for the tips,

Brew

 

Here is what someone did on another forum I belong to ....... Done: Sealed Beam to HID < $100 - Diesel Forum - TheDieselStop.com

 

Thanks, that is more what I am looking for. does anyone know off the top of their heads what size "bulbs" we have? When I clicked on that ebay link to 6054's it said it doesn't fit my van?

Ok, it does look like I have the 6052's from what I can tell.

Brew

 

This is extremely cool---thanks for the link Blageurt! Let me offer another perspective on the composite units though.........

Within a relatively short time most of them begin to discolor or become cloudy which many believe happens from the outside, perhaps a lack of cleaning them. Fact is H/L units with plastic lenses are affected by high internal temps from the halogen or Xenon bulbs. No matter how much cleaning or polishing of the outside surface is attempted the inner clouding condition can never be addressed or restored to near original clarity.

From the cheapest new or aftermarket composite H/L's to the most expensive the nature of the materials used degrades over time, the brighter the bulb the quicker it happens.

IF there are kits as shown in Blageurt's link with high quality glass lenses they'd be ideal. I've not yet found them although they might exist for some vehicles---doubtful they're yet available for a semi-universal refit for sealed beam applications.

Sealed beams to me offer distinct advantages, mostly that they're easily and relatively inexpensive to replace and maintenance-free when compared to the composite systems. Properly aiming them for daily as-driven condition will make all the difference in the world. Even the brightest lamps appear dim from the drivers seat if aimed too high or too low.

Also have to consider on-coming drivers too---don't want to blind them which can happen with improperly aimed H/L's.

The down side to sealed beams is they don't last forever and when replaced need to be aimed again. There are many short cuts people develop in order to make this an easier process. Cost is also a consideration since the better bulbs approach $30-$40 for the pair.

I've been using Wagner Brite Lite and they're just fine. If I wanted a wider beam pattern I'd install low mounted driving lights. Like so many other things automotive related I classify as "consumable" they do need replacing from time-to-time.

HTH

 

you aren't supposed to need to re-aim every time you change bulbs, as the headlight buckets are designed to cradle the new bulb in the EXACT same position as the old one. however, some manufacturing variations may exist, making it a good idea to at least check every time

 

Yeah--I should have been more specific about that part---don't want to mislead anyone so thanks Josh!

 

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