tonite i finished my headlight upgrade. i am very happy with it. i bought only two of the glass E code lights from daniel stern. the other two i did a complete refinishing of. i used a finishing saw and cut the plastic alignment nubs off and then started sanding with a5" random orbital sander with 220 grit working my way up to 2500 wet grit. then used a plastic polish with a wheel on my drill and they look like brand new.
i got new bulbs for the 9004's.
then put in the 4 relays for the headlights along with new 12 gauge wire.
i also put two switches in so i could have more control over the lighting configuration.
i took the metal frames out to put the new headlights in. since the new ones are larger on the back, on the passenger side i had to trim the metal frame to get it to go back in. it took a while to get in.
i soldered the pins on for the new plugs for both headlights.
late this afternoon i marked the grids for the alignment on the large gate i have for my backyard. after dark i and a buddy aligned them. the new E code headlights are very easy to aim because they have a very distinct light pattern. the old ones have more of a blob of light but we got them aligned fine as well. took longer to put the tape on the gate than to align the lights.
i also bought 30mil plastic film to put over the new glass headlights. they are so expensive i didnt want them to get cracked. i had the film custom cut and it only takes a few minutes to install.
all i can say is amazing. they are sooooo much better than they were and i went for a long drive out in the country tonite and they are great. i feel much more comfortable driving at night now with the enhanced lighting setup. i will consider putting the glass ones on the inside as well .
thanks fot michael and richard for guildance as i did it. it does take quite a bit of work. but just time, not really hard.
later
tom
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