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Has anyone bought one of these conversion harnesses before?
The ones I am talking about are the ones that is plug and play with two relays and ceramic plugs for use with H4 halogen bulbs.
I am thinking of doing a sealed beam to composite conversion, but I can get the same basic harness off Ebay for as little as $6 from China and just wondering if anyone else used these harnesses.
I have one. Actually three-one each on my 86 F150, 94 Mustang, and 97 Explorer. The only difference I notice is the headlamp switches in the Mustang and F150 stay cool to the touch, where prior to that, the shafts would be hot to the touch after about an hour with the lights on. ~Bill
I got mine from lmc with what they call "custom " headlights. Very easy. Zip tied the relays near the battery, routed the harness under the top of the core support. Used the small 8-9-10mm? bolts at the fender corners for grounds. Light output with generic 2003 bulbs they included was more than double what i got with sealed beams.
I haven't used any of these relay conversion harnesses, yet. I intend to order a few, since I have 3 older vehicles that could use them.
I'm not sold on the glass housings with replaceable bulbs. Even the glass housings can have reflectors that degrade over time. With a sealed beam, you get fresh lens, reflector and bulb, all in one neat little package.
I have even replaced a sealed beam light that still worked, but the reflector had lost most of it's coating, so it lit up the front of the rad support better than the road ahead...... Looked neat as heck having the grill "back lit", but couldn't see for crap at night.
I have one. Actually three-one each on my 86 F150, 94 Mustang, and 97 Explorer. The only difference I notice is the headlamp switches in the Mustang and F150 stay cool to the touch, where prior to that, the shafts would be hot to the touch after about an hour with the lights on. ~Bill
Mine doesnt do that, but since I will be upgrading to more modern style H4 bulbs I rather make sure I play it safe.
Originally Posted by JayzDaddy
I got mine from lmc with what they call "custom " headlights. Very easy. Zip tied the relays near the battery, routed the harness under the top of the core support. Used the small 8-9-10mm? bolts at the fender corners for grounds. Light output with generic 2003 bulbs they included was more than double what i got with sealed beams.
I dont think I saw a photo of the harness from LMC but I know they sold it, from the photo you posted it appears that they look the same as the one I found for $15 on ebay new.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291132568798?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I found one orignally the guy was in California selling it for almost $40 with free shipping but the one above for $15 is identical to the one he was selling even down to the tag in chinese/japanese. Obviously they are made over seas which most stuff is no a days anyways is. Im sure the lMC one isnt US made either.
For hook up, I got a four terminal junction block from work, came off a customers car that we rewired. I planned on using this like new junction block for power and ground for this harness. The ground wires at the headlights that they want you to mount to the radiator core support, I was going to cut and soldier more wire to it and bring it to the junction block. Then from the junction block I will go to a good ground source, for power I was going to run a 16ga wire off the battery side of the solenoid to one of the terminals for the junction block then daisy chain it to the terminal just below it for power.
I planned on this route so I would have an extra power and ground for when I do my dual horn conversion, I might go the factory route and use a relay, but as of now I dont see why a relay is needed for dual horns but not for single horn.
Originally Posted by Rogue_Wulff
I haven't used any of these relay conversion harnesses, yet. I intend to order a few, since I have 3 older vehicles that could use them.
I'm not sold on the glass housings with replaceable bulbs. Even the glass housings can have reflectors that degrade over time. With a sealed beam, you get fresh lens, reflector and bulb, all in one neat little package.
I have even replaced a sealed beam light that still worked, but the reflector had lost most of it's coating, so it lit up the front of the rad support better than the road ahead...... Looked neat as heck having the grill "back lit", but couldn't see for crap at night.
Yep that is correct, Ive seen composite lenses go bad over time as well. I figured for $60 roughly if these last twice as long as the sealed beams do then I will be doing good.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120924121819?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Currently I get about three to four years out of my sealed beam units before the chrome reflector starts to thin out and I see more and more light being shined under the hood than out in front of the truck. The bulbs that I have on there now have almost no reflector now an they been on the truck for about five years now and the bulbs are still fine, they work but they just dont throw the light out.
Figured since I have to replace the bulbs, now is the time to go ahead and try these composite conversions that I keep seeing, down side is I just dont know if I will like the clear diamond cut glass housings over the ones above I found from AutoPal that has the cut diffusers like stock sealed bulbs.
Thanks for the responses though, looks like a good number of people have used these before and havent heard anything bad about the conversion harnesses. Think I might go ahead and pull the trigger on the one I found on Ebay unless I can find one that is cheaper.
The harness you found on ebay is cheaper than what i got. I just saw the lights and harness and pulled the trigger.
Anyway here is where my stuff came from. I am probably gonna upgrade to the silverstar ultra bulbs. Ive had them in my exploder, my f250, and my wifes kia ( ughhhh kia). They improve light output alot.
The harness you found on ebay is cheaper than what i got. I just saw the lights and harness and pulled the trigger.
Anyway here is where my stuff came from. I am probably gonna upgrade to the silverstar ultra bulbs. Ive had them in my exploder, my f250, and my wifes kia ( ughhhh kia). They improve light output alot.
The Silverstars are great bulbs. Before my parents got rid of the old '92 Astro van that they bought new, I swapped the bulbs for sealed beam Silverstars since it was hard for them to see at night time. Even with the sealed beams they were a good 50% brighter than the previous.
On my Mercury I went with the Performance ones and wasnt too impressed with them like I was with the Silverstars.
I think what I will end up doing is use it with the OEM bulb till they burn out then get me some silverstars. That way when I get the KC Hilighters for the roll bar I want to install I will use the same bulbs as the headlights.
I see, I guess I overlooked that part of the catalog, I just dont know if I want to go with the diamond cut clear housings, I orignally wanted to go with OEM stock looking housings so no one would know the difference, kind of like a sleeper look but with headlights instead of engine performance.
I have never been impressed with anything from lmc, especially their h4 conversion reflectors.
I have been running Bosch E code reflectors in all of my trucks that have taken sealed beams since 02. My wheeling rig still has the first set I bought in it and they have been underwater more times than I count, never have they leaked and there has yet to be any degradation of the steel reflectors.
I have been running its headlights on relays since 2000. The current harness is not the original, but the one I hacked together when I was 13 lasted 14 years.
It is all 10 ga wire with 40a relays, 20a self resetting circuit breakers and 100/50w bulbs. Bulb grounds run back to the battery, this too makes a huge difference.
On all of my trucks the low beams are tied to the power feed to the dimmer switch so they are always on and only the highs are switched with the dimmer.
I have never been impressed with anything from lmc, especially their h4 conversion reflectors.
I have been running Bosch E code reflectors in all of my trucks that have taken sealed beams since 02. My wheeling rig still has the first set I bought in it and they have been underwater more times than I count, never have they leaked and there has yet to be any degradation of the steel reflectors.
I have been running its headlights on relays since 2000. The current harness is not the original, but the one I hacked together when I was 13 lasted 14 years.
It is all 10 ga wire with 40a relays, 20a self resetting circuit breakers and 100/50w bulbs. Bulb grounds run back to the battery, this too makes a huge difference.
On all of my trucks the low beams are tied to the power feed to the dimmer switch so they are always on and only the highs are switched with the dimmer.
Whats your opinion of AutoPal and Hella 7x6 composite housings?
I am looking at the following two but not sure if I should spend the extra money for Hella or just go with the lower priced AutoPal.
...I planned on this route so I would have an extra power and ground for when I do my dual horn conversion, I might go the factory route and use a relay, but as of now I dont see why a relay is needed for dual horns but not for single horn.
Because twice the amperage has to go through the dash harness, up the column, through the horn contacts and all the way back to the front of the truck???
We all know how marginal the current carrying capability of the dash is even with NO additional load on it.
Having a relay up front shortens the path (voltage drop) and lessens the load through already taxed cab wiring.
AFA the headlamp relay harness;
I have the LMC one and would not say it is very high quality.
It DOES do the job. My headlights are brighter and the dash doesn't dim.
Been a few years now with no problems.
I do not have an ECU, so I just took the small ground wire from my negative battery cable and attached it to the radiator support.
The individual ground wires from the headlamp sockets go to a fender/rad support bolt on each side.
Because twice the amperage has to go through the dash harness, up the column, through the horn contacts and all the way back to the front of the truck???
We all know how marginal the current carrying capability of the dash is even with NO additional load on it.
Having a relay up front shortens the path (voltage drop) and lessens the load through already taxed cab wiring.
AFA the headlamp relay harness;
I have the LMC one and would not say it is very high quality.
It DOES do the job. My headlights are brighter and the dash doesn't dim.
Been a few years now with no problems.
I do not have an ECU, so I just took the small ground wire from my negative battery cable and attached it to the radiator support.
The individual ground wires from the headlamp sockets go to a fender/rad support bolt on each side.
That is why I am leaning towards installing a OEM style horn relay and have it powered by the junction block I have. Just a quick little tap of the horn might be ok with dual horns but I am known to lay on the horn. Plus it wouldnt be hard to do. Plug the OEM horn pigtail into the relay as a trigger, ground the relay to chassis, then apply power from battery to relay and ground the other circuit to the horn harness and your done. I guess I have made up my mind on that and will look into a horn relay to use.
I just wished I would have got the negative battery cable with the extra pigtail off it, I could have ran it to the junction block for my ground.
The only thing though that I want to look into is with the headlights. I want to see how hard it would be to remove the glass lens from the housing. if it can be done I think for my 56 I will get some reproduction FoMoCo headlights and swap the glass lens to the composite then run an H4 LED bulb. That should seriously reduce the dreaded dim at idle with the factory generator. Just have to wait and see on that, need to focus on my current project before hopping to others.
Mounted it to the fender lip above my washer reservoir.
The stock wiring would not drive my pair of horns (not even a bleet)
I dont have the harness other than the oem harness for the single horn. When I mount dual horns I will have to make the adapter harness that ford used. I saw how it was made on a 1980 F150 that we have at work. basically its a male spade terminal that plugs into the OEM horn female spade terminal. Then the wire has two terminal ends in female spade for the dual horn hook up.
I was going to do a variation on this by using all female and hook it through a relay to power the dual horns. That might be why my solo horn sounds weak sounding to me is voltage drop as well as just being a single horn.
I am just spreading myself too thin, works been slow and I am in a position that I have to deside do I want to pick up those two NOS horns (low/high note) for $65 or do I want to pick up the headlight conversion housings for $55 to $115 depending on if I go AutoPal or Hella.
Think the horn would probably be the better one to focus on now since I dont need the headlights just yet as I dont drive much at night time. But I still need to deside on which brand to go with for my conversion housings though. Friend at work got AutoPal and he will sell them to me at half cost slightly used as he wants to get the Hella brand. Makes me wonder if I should just go with Hella brand to begin with and save money in the long run.
I can't say a thing about your sealed beam conversions as my truck has the later plastic headlights.
In the FAR distant past I've used Hella/Cibie/Marchal.
All of those were very good.
Now they are all made in China...
FWIW,
Autopal is a Visteon company.
Not many people in the cooling trades have anything good to say about their products, but I have no idea about their lighting.
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