First post! Whoo!

So first thing on my list is to get the exterior lighting freshened up. Tail lights are the wrong year so those are getting replaced. Side marker lenses are faded out so new lenses. Front parking and turn signals are cracked and just old looking so new lenses there.

I would like to swap the 7x6 sealed beams to something more modern. The clear lense reflectors is what came to mind but now I am seeing LED options. Skipping HID entirely I have messed with those in the past and never again.

What has been your experience that has done a swap?

 

My experience is on the receiving end, meeting people on the road with modified non-stock headlights. I hate them with a passion, it makes it very difficult to drive at night.

It seems to be getting worse and worse the more of this stuff is offered.

 

Most of the stuff out there is not DOT compliant and that is were the issue of not seeing comes in.


Other than doing a HID driving light conversion that I would say is ok I have not done a head light swap and after reading about them don't think I would for head lights.


I would go with halogen sealed beams and add relays to the head light system and call it done.
Even with normal bulbs adding just the relays I hear helps a lot.
Dave ----

 

Looking at some YouTube installs for led kits turned me off as well. They are basically spot lights!

Though I don't know what relays are supposed to do for the sealed beam lights? Link to a thread or article?

 

Ford really undersized a lot of the wiring in these trucks. You will find problem areas here and there, and overall there is a lot of voltage drop. The power has to come off the starter solenoid, run through some fusible links, run all the way into the cabin to the headlight switch and then the dimmer switch, and then all the way back out to the headlights themselves. Through all that you lose a couple of volts, and when you only have 12-14 to begin with, it can make a big difference.

LMC truck and others make a relay kit, where all the original wiring does is trigger some relays, and the actual power for running the headlights goes from the battery, through the relay, directly to the headlight. It makes them noticeable brighter, but it will also shorten their life a little bit also.

 

Ah ha! That makes sense. Found that I have a starting issue so the lights will go on hold. I will look into that kit though! Thanks for the info Dave.

 

I saw your post on the no start.
I say replace all the batt cables as a start.
And no you cant look at them to see if bad or not.
Could do a voltage drop test on each cable to tell.
Dave ----

 

grote are the only headlight replacements i will consider.
and mostly all i do is consider as they are very not cheap.

do your relay upgrade first and new sealed beam you might be happy with that

 

headlight swithch has a circuit breaker in it that breaks and poof! no lights.
did happen to me once on a very lonely road out back of beyond after sundown.
47 miles with a flashlight, hanging out the window, driving one handed.
did make it back, did live tell about it

 

Yeah I did come across those. What I like about them is that it's not some clear lense with bunch of LED in a grid but some refraction on the lense and reflectors. Not afraid to spend some money. But after I have the truck starting haha.

 

If you don't have sealed beams, cleaning the reflectors and creating a direct wiring connection are your best bet.

Cleaning reflectors and reducing voltage drop will give you the best bang for the buck

HID creates additional complexity and components with failure possibilities.

LED is close to a solution, but can create focus issues with reflectors designed for halogen, making projection and flare issues for your own visibility & other drivers' sight lines.

Keep it simple and maximize efficiency.

 

Totally. Will start with the relay and some high rated sealed beams. Looking past the China LED offerings and on to the DOT approved sets, Grote/United Pacific and Truck-Lite look pretty nice with proper cut-offs for oncoming drivers.

Mainly want the lenses to look good when off but I am a fan of daytime running lights, so could think about wiring them up when key is ON.

 

For several years, I have been using the LMC supplied relay kit and Hella 200mm DOT approved units and have been very well pleased. On my son's 1984, we installed the LMC relay and there was a significant improvement even with the standard Halogen sealed beams. With only one side of the headlights running through the relay system, one light looks yellowish compared to the one being supplied power via the relay, which looks more white.



Truck Parts and Truck Accessories

 

I'm running a knock-off version of the above Hellas (also DOT-approved), and a Putco harness. Not as much of a boost as the true heavy-duty harnesses out there (or a DIY), but a definite improvement. And no, properly aimed, they don't blind oncoming traffic. The OEMs, it was hard to tell that the headlights were even on.

 

Since this topic has some engagement, anyone added extra lights to the bumpers? I am looking at a set of flush mount LED buckets for the front and rear. Front would act as fog lights and the rear would be extra reverse lights but option to switch them on independently. Also thinking about lights in the walls of the bed. Buddy came over with his 2017 F-150 and was digging all the lights he had access to.