What is the best headlight upgrade for my 96 Jimmy? My headlights are terrible! I'm to the point of driving with my brights on all the time just so I can see. It may be that I'm getting older or I'm just spoiled when I use my light bar off road but I seriously need an upgrade in the lighting department.

 

Which front end do you have? There were two, if I remember correctly; sealed beam headlights (4x6?) and composite. I think there are options for aftermarket drop in upgrades to HID/LED with or without projectors, etc. for the sealed beam version. The composites are pretty much relegated to how industrious you feel in terms of DIY projector HID upgrades (theretrofitsource.com).

 

It looks like you have the composite headlights on your '96 and when I had my Blazer I installed Sylvania SilverStar Ultra halogen bulbs. They made a BIG difference in the light output.

 

Right on Rich! Bulb upgrades can definitely make a difference and I have used Silverstar Ultras in the past in other vehicles with very good results.

I want to caution the changing of technology; i.e. dropping in conversion HID bulbs into halogen housings. The beam pattern never ends up correct and, while the light output will definitely increase, beam scatter does as well which makes it a pain for oncoming drivers and can net you a ticket if you find the wrong law enforcement official. I'm not sure how well drop in LED bulbs do in halogen housings, but I would assume they are similar. Neither HID nor LED can really duplicate the light origination point of a halogen bulb for which the reflector was designed.

You should also check out your housings to make sure that they are clean and the reflectors aren't dull. If they are and you do not want to go through the work/expense of doing a full HID projector install, then a new set of housings might brighten things up.

 

I have the composite housings. Thanks and I'll check out all the suggestions. In the small farm community I live in I run with my light bar lit up on the back roads, when there isn't any traffic of course.

 

And contrary to what some people want to believe, just like HID bulbs, LED bulbs NEVER make the right beam pattern in a reflector housing that was not designed for LED bulbs. Only use them in a projector housing.

 

I tried HID's in the stock lights, LED's stock lights (both of which I know are a terrible idea...), and just better halogen bulbs in the stock lights and in aftermarket clear lens lights. Nothing gave me the light output I was after.

In the end I went full send... Morimoto Mini H7 bixenon projectors mounted into aftermarket clear lens lights with 55watt 6000k bulbs in them. These are not easy headlights to retrofit by any means, and I actually had to sit the projector so far back into the housing that I had to clearance the radiator support in order to clear the bulbs, but the light output is simply beyond comparison to any bulb combination in reflector lights or any drop in aftermarket projector headlight.

 

Crazy output!

 

Dont "pass Go" on a vehicle that old unless the VOLTAGE is checked at the headlight pins.... NOT the terminals in the plug but directly on the headlight terminals. Voltmeter negative on the battery negative post.

Those terminals get a lot of vibration, water and wear and lose connection over the decades. On all my old vehicles (95 S10 & 78 Blazer) I made a partial wiring harness with 30 Amp Bosch relays and ATC fuse holders. Triggered the relays with the original Hi / Lo headlight wires and used the relays to feed from the Ignition to the headlights.

Both vehicles headlights now look like new- bright white.

If the connector terminals, wiring or HL switch are bad, upgraded lights that draw more current are not the answer.

This "fix" also bypasses an old, worn or oxidized headlight switch.

 

I believe LMC Truck catalog had a $30.00 relay kit.-----I just looked at their on line cat. and they have an 98-05 S-10 Blazer kit to provide an 'all four headlights on' when you turn on the high beams kit. It is $21.95 plus shipping and taxes. Try this kit plus a Sylvania Silverstar or Silverstar Ultra bulbs for a nice upgrade. Anyone who tries it, let us know how it turns out.