Acidgypsy

Alright... Getting ready to install the HL buckets and lights.

Was staring to research the things needed before I pull this off.
Looking through the boxes with my headlamps with halos installed and found this sticker on the back side of the headlamp...:






I can think of only 2 reasons to have a sticker like this:

1) Heat. Too hot with both the halos and the HL's being powered at the same time.
2) Too Bright. Annoying to my fellow drivers.

Any idea which one?
What's everyone doing with the 'home made' solution? Halo's on while low beams on? Notice any shortness of life on the system?
Anyone flashing you cause it too bright?

Just trying to figure out the poor English translations....

Steve

7t2vette

I have had my homemade halo headlights in use for over 3yrs now; the LED halos are on whenever the low or high beam headlights are on.

Lifespan of this configuration? 3+ yrs so far!

People flashing at me for being too bright? Has not happened as of yet.

These LED halos are very much like many modern vehicles with LED running lights.

USAFVeteran

Well, I finally got all the parts, and got everything assembled. The halos in the front and back, the headlights halogens with the halos inside are all done. Everything is installed, and tested as I went.


Now, the headlights will flicker, when on high beans only. On low beams, seems to be just fine. On high beans they flicker. Once, the drivers side went out all together, but the 2 passenger side lights were just fine. Hit the dimer, and the lows come back just fine.


Tested the dimmer, and it's ok, working like it should. Pulled the plug on the back of the headlights, and got no voltage. So, I'm in the garage today, Christmas, tracking down some bad grounds right now.


If I didn't have hurdles, I don't think I'd know what to do!! It's about time for a shot and a beer.....I mean I can't get any parts today any way

vmsns007

Just finished reading this whole thread. I'm very impressed by everyone's previous efforts and convinced i want to do the tail light mod to my 74. a few questions though:

(1) Can anyone confirm that 74's use the same tail lights as earlier years ? I saw folks with 71s and 72s using an 80mm halo ring and trying to see if that same size ring would fit my 74 or not.

(2) I'm also interested in going the 4 brake light route and losing my reverse lens/light. I searched the forum for a "how to" on this mod but didn't see anything. any pointers ?

USAFVeteran

Not trying to be a smarta$$, take the light lens off and measure it, then convert it to mm.

7t2vette

Did you get this sorted out yet? If you are using higher than stock wattage bulbs, that could be the problem. The stock headlight switch has a built-in self-resetting circuit breaker; if there is too much current going through it, it will heat up and open the circuit (lights turn off) and once it cools off enough, it will close again (lights come on). It will do this over and over again as long as it sees an overcurrent condition.

I believe the stock low beam H5006 bulbs were 35w high/35w low, and the stock high beam H5001 bulbs were 50w.

If you are using the exact same headlights I used to do this, then I am guessing that you may be having this overcurrent condition based on what you wrote was happening. Check the high/low wattage of your H4 low beam bulbs, and the wattage of your H1 high beam bulbs.

You can either:

1) Switch to low beam H4 35w/35w bulbs and high beam H1 55w bulbs to reduce the current through the stock headlight switch

or

2) Switch the headlights through relays to take the high current load off the stock headlight switch.

In post #22 of this thread, I wrote about this, and posted this excellent link about switching the headlights through relays:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electri...adlights.shtml

Hope this helps.

7t2vette

(1) The tail light halos I did will work on 68-73 tail lights; I used 85mm LED halos in them.

- 74 tail lights are different
- 75-79 tail lights are different
- and 80-82 tail lights are different

I can't specifically help you since I have no idea about the later year tail lights, but if you look at the posts starting at #130 in this thread, you can see what one person did with his 81. I am not certain, but I believe the 74-79 tail lights are also a "sealed" unit that will have to be cut apart to do this.

(2) On the earlier cars - 69-73 - converting to 4 brake/tail lights requires:

- buying 2 more brake/tail light lenses
- buying 2 more brake/tail light metal housings
- buying 2 more brake/tail light 1157 socket contact pigtails
- removing the reverse lenses and metal housings, and installing all of the above
- wiring the new lights in parallel with the existing lights on each side
- relocating or eliminating the reverse lights

Again, since I have no experience with the later year tail lights, all I can say for sure about converting them is:

- buying 2 more brake/tail light lenses
- buying 2 more 1157 bulb sockets
- removing the reverse lenses
- wiring the new lights in parallel with the existing lights on each side
- relocating or eliminating the reverse lights

I have no idea about what it would take to install the new brake/tail light lenses where the reverse lenses used to be.

This may be an easier option for you, since it is basically a bolt-in mod. It is LED tail lights, but not the halo type:

http://www.zip-corvette.com/74-79-le...light-kit.html

Hope this helps.

vmsns007

Thanks 72 for the pointers. Ill pull one of my tail light lense assemblies and see what I'm facing.

Killingsworth 73

If someone could help me on the wiring of the tail lights, I would appreciate it. I have 1157 bulbs in all my taillight housings, with one of the 'nipples' on the bottom blocked off so they are only blinker and brake lights. As it sits, those all work fine.

When I hook my halos up (tapped into the rear side marker) the halos turn on, but tje taillights only flash once with the blinker signal on.

vmsns007

Following this question as I'm waiting on parts to do this same mod. If you only tapped into rear side marker/parking light for your halo i don't get why your tails don't flash as they should. I had the impression the wiring for side marker and license plate was completely different than tail/brake lights

USAFVeteran

I did the same as you, and the OP with covering one of the 1157 connections to eliminate them working as running/parking lights. My LED 1157 are brake lights and turns. I wired the halos to the side marker lights as mentioned here. They work as I expected, running/parking lights.


I also put another pair of halos on the inside of my reverse lights, and found that it had "white light to the rear", which is a ticket in most places. I applied some aluminum tape over the outer portion of the lens, and inside of the halos. I ensured the tape was stuck really well on the inside of the halo as well. I took an exacto razor and cut inside one of the ridges in the lens. After seeing how well that lens worked, I did the other 2, it seems to make them a little brighter.


I hope I answered your original question....

7t2vette

With the rear halos wired into either the rear side marker lights or the rear license plate light, what you are describing should not be happening; that circuit is separate from the brake/turn circuit.

Without being able to see your installation in person, the only advice I can offer is to go back and double check everything you have done, as well as inspecting your car's existing wiring.

Killingsworth 73

I'll double check soon. Bubba had done a few things to my wiring up front, maybe the back too.
I will try tapping into the license plate light instead of the side marker.
One thing I still haven't worked out, if I turn my brights on, every light on the car flickers...

NewbVetteGuy

Has anyone tried adding the halo rings to LED "main" lights?

I'd actually like to go full LED on the headlights without any halogen or xenon anywhere.

I'm wondering if I could just buy something like the VC4000 or VC5000 from VintageCarLEDS.com and "hack" the halos from this thread into them. Just not sure if they'll come apart easily enough...

Any thoughts?

Adam

7t2vette

I just took a look at both the VC4000 and VC5000 models, and both appear to be built using Autopal housings........which are the exact same housings that I used to build these halo headlights......so "perhaps" it will work!

I have been looking at these recently, they are actual projectors and they can be bought with several different styles and colors of LED halos:

https://www.dapperlighting.com/colle...cts/575-chrome

NewbVetteGuy

I like the Dapper lights but for $400 for 2, I should. ;-)

Adam

7t2vette

Look again, that price is for all 4 lights.

NewbVetteGuy

It is and it isn't. That price is without any actual bulbs; just 4 housings with 4 halo rings. It's $119 extra for LEDs and another $119 extra for LED high beams, then $24 extra for the halos, for a grand total of $610.97. They're GORGEOUS, but wowee that's a chunk of change for headlights. I will need to go read through the links again to see if hacking my own halos into the previously mentioned lights would be significantly cheaper, but I do really like these dapper lights.

I do LOVE those lights and I hate you for showing them to me because if I spend that much on head lights, I'm a deadman and I really want to live, but I also really want those headlights, lol!.


Adam

NewbVetteGuy

I just found someone who has a set of 4 Dapper lights without any bulbs who has to abandon their project and I'm 90% sure is going to part out the Dapper lights for me...

Unfortunately, they're the "modern" halos with the individual visible LEDs, rather than the "classic" round ones, but beggars can't be choosers...


Adam

CPTCroaker

in the process of doing this now and thanks for such a great guide. One question:

How do you know which side of the 1157 bulb to file down to get rid of the running lights? Apologies if you covered that somewhere, but I didnt see that detail.

Thanks