I've got a 96 and I want to change the headlights to the 98+ to get better lighting.

AllI need is the headlights and grill right?

Anything else before I go the the junkyard/Ebay to price them?

I think you need the radiator core supports as well...There's probably one or two things I'm missing... But without the newer rad support... The grill and headlights have no place to mount to...

I hope thatsall I need.

Which would be better lighting wise? Diamond cut with Silverstarsor Projectors with Silverstars

Looking at all the different options I have with 98+...
Black, Clear, Chrome... Standard, diamondcut, Projector, Halo

I've never used projectors... But it seems most of the ones you can get on E-Bay have their own bulb, which I don't know what type it is...

The stockers seem to do pretty damned good... Heck, I'm still running stock bulbs for now...

I did that mod myself. I bought a 95 that was hit and converted it to the 98 style. As long as your truck has the halogen replaceable bulbs and isn't the sealed beam type headlights then all you'll need is the radiator support, grille, and headlights. The lights that are located in your front bumper will no longer be used so you may want to fill them in with bondo or something because when you go to get an inspection sticker that may become an issue. The bumper itself doesn't need to be changed. The radiator suppor is what the 98 style headlights and grille are held in by so thats why that needs to be changed. I did it all for around $150 by using the junkyard for the radiator support and ebay for the lights and grille. Good Luck!

You could always mount a good set of fog lights in the old signal light holes...

Thats a good idea. I don't think it'd look too good unless you found ones that fit in there perfect. What might work well is if you could find clear lenses to replace the amber lenses and then mount fog lights behind those lenses. That'd look slick. Any idea where I could find lenses like that?

Ebay, lol

I don't know how well the signal light housing will work as a reflector... but generally you can find lights in almost any size... The biggest one you have to worry about is the height of the light, for the width, you can always get some black plastic around it...

You'll have to fab your own brackets, most likely, though.

hmmm how bout buying the housings with the clear lenses off ebay and modifying the bulb socket to accept an H1 or similar style bulb. Then it'd just be a matter of wiring it up. The hole moifying the socket would probably be some surgical **** though.

Well, the socket is actually the easy part... Just get some insulated connectors and cut/splice them into the wiring... and plug them on to the bulb...

The hard part is going to be making sure the housing stays insulated...

Thats what I meant. Finding a connector that fits onto the H1 bulb is easy (available after market) but creating a weatherproof way of inserting the H1 bulb into the housing (light fixture) designed for a completely differint type of bulb/connector would the time consuming part. Then with all that done like you said the reflector of the blinker light might not make the H1 bright enough to be an effective fog light. I might give it a shot just the same

You can always test it out on a junker housing, and cut off the part that the signal socket screws into, and just hold the bulb there, and shine it at a wall at night or something, lol.

I don't know how well a signal lens would work, either... that's a pretty diffused light pattern...

couldn't you use the old bumperlights as-is?
I mean just leave them the way they are?
Mine are clear lenses anyway could I just put brighter white lights and use them as fogs?

If you convert your trucks front to the 98 style those bulbs will have to be moved up to the lights that are just below the 98-2000 style headlights therefor leaving them empty of wiring or anything.

The old style lights won't fit in the '98+ grill, so they could stay there just fine...

Yes. The housings are not interchangeable. The bulbs are as long as they are not sealed beam style headlights. the whole front face would be removed anyway but theres no reason to remove the lights that are in the front bumper which I just found out are clear anyway. I thought they were amber

would it be very hard to put the 98+ bumper on along with the head lighs and grille? is it a direct swap or is there modifying that needs to be done? that way i wouldnt have to worry about the turn signals.

The 98 bumper can probably be bolted right on but I can't say for sure cause I never even looked into it. Having the blinker lenses there never bothered me enough to think about it.

ok good to know. did you have to seal off the backs on the lenses or is there a way to just take the backs off and levae the lenses there?

the lens is part of the housing which isn't needed once you install the newer 98 light setup. you just remove the lightbulb socket from the back of the lens/housing and move up to just below the headlights in the 98. The wiring will need to be rerouted ofcourse but it will reach.

lmc truck has euro style front bumper turn signal lights that have a clear lense and a better reflector. they are pretty cheep and fit exactly. worth looking at.