whoa dude twilight zone do do do do do do do do

 

Well, folks...yesterday I successfully did the following (and yes, it took exactly two hours): [ul][*]Got rid of the fading/chipping chrome bumper and replaced with black bumper.[*]Replaced puke-yellow bowtie with black and red bowtie.[*]Installed clear corners.[*]While I was at it, I cleaned the debris lodged behind the grille. LOL [/ul]Things I tried to do, but was unable: [ul][*]Replace sealed-beam headlights with H4 conversion kit with halos. Turns out the plugs on the H4s DO NOT MATCH the plugs for the sealed beams. On the plus side, the headlight housings DO fit, so I can keep them. I need to either 1) get the right bulbs that match the plugs (if they exist -- anybody know the answer?); 2) get some kind of adaptor plug that matches the harness to the H4 (if it doesn't exist already, someone here should invent one and make money); or 3) cut off the existing plugs and splice the correct plug to the harness (my question would be whether this would be safe voltage-wise -- any answers?).[*]Replace 3157 turn signal bulbs with LEDs. They fit, but they didn't work properly. I either need to get one of those relays or forget about 'em. [/ul]On the plus side -- the black grille, clear corners, and black/red bowtie made a major difference. I'm glad I did it. I can also still upgrade to the phantom grille in the future. (I wonder if they make them painted black?) I did take pix while I did it, so I will post them. However, I do want to make one more attempt at the headlight conversion before I do.

Another thing I discovered: The sealed beam grille doesn't need clips. It has two additional bolts that mount it to the radiator support, making six total bolts. Personally, I think this is a better setup than on the 98+es. Removing and installing the grille was ridiculously easy.

Actually, my future how-to won't conflict with yours, because your truck has composite headlights. Mine has the sealed beams, which are assembled differently.

Raph

 

I just couldn't wait. Today I went to Advance and bought the H4 heat-resistant plugs. Now all I gotta do is cut off the plugs for the sealed beams and crimp the new plugs on. Crossing my fingers, hoping I don't make any mistakes (meaning I'll have no headlights)...

I plan to try again this Sunday. Any suggestions from the pros before I begin? Kyle, you around?

 

Raph, please try to edit your post to add more info if someone has not replied... It's in the rules man!! LOL

Anyway, with your splices, I recommend you get some 3M heat shrink butt connectors (Walmart has them). This will ensure that your connections are fully sealed after you've made them and the 3M heat shrink has a heat activated adhesive inside that physically glues on to the wires for a very nice secure connection.

 

Oops. Sorry about that. Won't do it again. And thanks for the tip!

Well, I still haven't had a chance to do the headlight upgrade yet, although I do have pix for the how-to of a straight headlight replacement for '94-97s with sealed beams. I will be posting them soon. I may actually instead do the how-to for the upgrade, as anybody who's doing a straight replacement should be able to also figure it out by reading the other one.

Seriously...it's REALLY easy to replace the sealed beam lights. Just remove six bolts, the grille pops right out, then remove the screws for the lights, and they pop right out.

(Edit 10/9/2007)

Okay...this past weekend, I cut off the old plugs and spliced in the new. I used the heat-shrink connectors as Kyle suggested. However, I have a recurring problem with the driver's side high beam. You see, the high and low beams have double wiring on that side. The reason is a mystery to me, but it made the splicing a little more challenging. Low beams work fine on both sides, and it's only the left high beam that's not working. Because it was late at night and I was really tired, I closed everything up to try again later. In any case, the low beams are so bright, I'll probably never even need to use the highs! It looks REALLY good.

I did take a couple of pix while doing the work. Once I have resolved the problem with the high beam, I will post a how-to and link to it from here.

Raph