[V8] WAAAAAAAY off subject: NAC! not even close to Audi content, but....

Fri Dec 30 11:32:14 PST 2011

I bet the cat is wondering how the hell you got a V8 into that hallway.
 John

-----Original Message-----
From: NIck Miller <chance9121 at gmail.com>
To: Roger M. Woodbury <rmwoodbury at fairpoint.net>
Cc: V8 <V8 at audifans.com>
Sent: Fri, Dec 30, 2011 6:58 am
Subject: Re: [V8] WAAAAAAAY off subject: NAC! not even close to Audi content, but....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/Chance901/Hid%20retrofit/100_0714.jpg

That's a picture of my headlights testing out,  the cutoff patern is pretty
nice.  I like it.
On Dec 29, 2011 6:15 PM, "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at fairpoint.net>
wrote:

> **
> Thanks for the info.
>
> One issue that I have is that I am VERY partial to the European headlight
> with its sharp horizontal cutoff and 15 degree rise on the right shoulder.
> This is particularly useful here in rural Maine where so many miles are on
> narrow rural roads, and headllights must be dipped to meet oncoming cars,
> yet the always present danger of Bambi or Bullwinkle right on the edge of
> the road is a scary proposition.  The Hella's will fix that part well at
> moderate cost, and I will use 80/130 or some such bulbs so that on high
> beam, the illumination is forever in terms of this rural environment.
>
> Of course the system will have to be relayed, and in point of fact any
> system should be.  I agree that the OEM wiring is probably pretty skimpy.
>
> I have found that the mounting hardware for the rectangular headlamps is
> available from the Chevy parts department and isn't outrageously
> expensive.  BUT the service manager has a rusted out parts truck in his
> back yard and given some time, a few bucks, and perhaps a six pack or two
> of Sam Adams, I might just come up with all the mounting pieces necessary
> without going new.  Remember this truck is a 1998.
>
> Even if I buy the entire works new, using aftermarket and Chevy dealer
> parts, the whole front end will be ready to rock and roll for around $350
> or so....of course the labor is mine, but I used to do headlight/driving
> light systems for rally cars as a hobby back around the dawn of time.
>
> I'm still shopping.  The windchill here is around zero, and the truck with
> its cap on won't fit in the garage at this point.  the time when I would
> turn wrenches with my knuckles blue from subfreezing temps is loooong gone,
> so this might end up being a spring project.
>
> I will also add that I am tempted to merely replace the original
> headlights with aftermarket headlamps, higher wattage bulbs and relayed
> with heavier wiring.  THEN add to them some driving lights that would be
> separately relayed, with an isolated switch so that they would work only
> when turned on and only through the headlight dipper.  I have some
> instructions someplace for doing that with a lighting block from a Buick
> Regal or something like that if I can find it.  Anyway, it isn't rocket
> science.  My choice of weapons should I want to go to auxilliary lights
> would be Cibie 175 driving lights.  I saw a Chevy Suburban with a set on
> the front end once and the large rectangular lamps looked great, and from
> prior experience I know the truck with a set of those and some decent,
> clear headlamps with high wattage high beams will put out light like Yankee
> Stadium at midnight.
>
> That's what I ultimately want to accomplish:  the sun coming up on the
> back road from Camden to Belfast.
>
> Roger
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> *From:* NIck Miller [mailto:chance9121 at gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Thursday, December 29, 2011 5:49 PM
> *To:* Roger M. Woodbury
> *Cc:* V8 at audifans.com
> *Subject:* Re: [V8] WAAAAAAAY off subject: NAC! not even close to Audi
> content, but....
>
> Comments...
>
> I think you may be going about it the wrong way... does this use a 9005\6
> setup or the high\low in one bulb setup?
>
> I would say the best way to do a headlight upgrade is be progressive with
> it.  The very first thing I would recommend is relaying the original
> headlights.  You will need to clean the oxidation off too for this to work,
> but this will make the biggest difference on old lights.  Factory wiring is
> small and gets old and crappy on a lot of american cars and this usually
> fixes that issue.  Headlights are quite a load too and need good juice to
> work right.  This will require a female plug to the OE harness feeding a
> signal to a relay, which feeds power driectly off the battery to the
> headlights.   The relay harness doesn't take a lot to make,  you should be
> able to get these connectors at an autoparts store or online as well as
> good heavy gauge wire.  I will get a nice site for showing you how to make
> one shortly.
>
> If that doesn't work for you, and you have 9005\9006 bulbs you will want
> to modify your relay harness for 9011\9012 bulbs or modify the bulb bases.
> Either way,  these HIR bulbs offer great light while still being
> conventional halogen bulbs.  They are a significant redesign over the same
> incadesant bulb that automotive lighting has been using for decades.  They
> work wonderfully.
>
> If you still aren't satisfied HID retrofits are pretty simple to do.  For
> between 250 and 400 you can get everything you need to build a very nice
> single projector xenon or bixenon setup, and the performance would be many
> times better than an oem conversion of any sort.  I can't think of any
> reason to spend money on oem halogen parts vs doing this.  The comparison
> is night and day, literally.  My A8 oem hids aren't even as nice as my
> custom hid setuo on my MX5 because I was able to choose the best stuff the
> industry has.  Just exceptional night driving with that setup.  And with
> that and hir highbeams as a quad mod, I can light up quite a bit with my
> highs.
>
> Any questions please ask, I can find the required literature shortly
> On Dec 29, 2011 8:21 AM, "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at fairpoint.net>
> wrote:
>
>> I know a lot of you have experience with all sorts of oddball car brands,
>> so
>> I thought I throw out my question regarding this odd ball car brand.
>>
>> I am speaking of a certain truck that graces my driveway...one of those
>> relatively limited production vehicles called a Chevrolet, or for those of
>> you who are in the inner circle, a Chebbie.
>>
>> This particular one is a 1998 (old body style) 3/4 ton 4X4.  While it has
>> lived its entire life in Maine, it has had relatively little winter use so
>> it is not rusty at all.  Most Chebbie trucks of this vintage are already
>> waiting compaction in the scrap yard, but not this one.
>>
>> Anyway, my issue is the headlights. this truck is a relatively bare bones
>> version (CHeyenne), but it has the Silverado grille with the lovely
>> polycarbonate headlights.
>> Whoever ordered this thing originally spec'd it out with about every 3/4
>> ton
>> (and some 1Ton) stuff they could get, omitting some niceties like power
>> windows and locks...but about everything else is there, except right now,
>> with 120,000 miles or so, the poly headlights which were never great, are
>> useless.  So I am planning a serious upgrade as I find I like driving the
>> truck far more than I had expected and will continue to do so through this
>> winter anyway.
>>
>> I have thought about just buffing the lenses using one of those buffing
>> headlight restoration kits, but that would only restore already weak
>> lighting to nearly new weak llighting.
>>
>> I have a set of very nice driving lights that I had thought about
>> installing, but in order to do that, I will have to relay, double switch
>> and
>> all that jazz, and I will still have useless low beams which is where a
>> lot
>> of my night driving issues are with this present system.
>>
>> What I think I want to do is replace the Silverado grille with a base
>> grille
>> for the truck that would use large rectangular headlamps and install a set
>> of Hella rectangular headlamps.  Naturally, I'll have to relay the circuit
>> but that will be pretty simple.
>>
>> The issue I am having is buying a pair of headlight mounting brackets that
>> will accept the rectangular headlamps in place of the polycarbonate lamps
>> of
>> the Silverado grille.  I wonder if anyone here has had experience with
>> this...I think it is a bolt on situation, but I haven't pulled the grille
>> off to inspect.  I also have not been to the Chebbie dealer to see if the
>> brackets can be obtained from Chebbie, or if there will need to be a trip
>> to
>> a wrecking yard.  I hope I don't have to replace the entire metal work
>> that
>> holds the radiator in place, because if I have to do that, the driving
>> lamp
>> installation becomes MUCH more attractive cost wise, of course.
>>
>> Comments?
>>
>> Roger
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