HOW TO: 1st gen HID conversion
HOW TO: 1st gen HID conversion
Figured I would throw together a how to for installing HID lights on your 1st gen S-series. Its not quite as easy as the 2nd gens, and there is a little modification needed to get it all in properly. Then end product will be fairly unique since not many of these trucks on the road are going to have HID headlights on them. I first installed a kit ($299) from PilotHID www.pilothid.com company which had one dead lamp, and they are impossible to get ahold of anyone representing the company to inquire about a warranty on defective product, so please dont even bother buying this brand. I dare you to try calling that 877 number on thier website, it doesnt even work. I then ordered a kit from www.hidextra.com which showed up in a little over a week and it slightly different than the Pilot kit. I got to talk to a real person when I ordered it too, and they answered my email and phone call on the first try!
Parts I used and what I paid for them:
-VisionX H4 composite headlamp housing x2 - $35 bucks each at local speed shop. They are all glass and very nice quality.
-HIDextra H4 6000k BiXenon Hi/Lo kit - $120 shipped. Comes with 2 replays, and its plug and play, no wiring a power lead and ground, uses the stock headlamp plug.
Tools you will use:
-Drill and bit for making bolt holes for mouting the brackets
-Zipties, the ones that come with the kit are flimsy, I used my thicker ones.
-Screwdrivers for removing grill and old headlamp housings.
-Wrenches to remove battery and air filter box.
-Angle grinder for modifying the stock headlamp housings.
So here is why I am replacing the kit, one lamp didnt light on high or low from the start... T tried messing with it and narrowed it down to a dud bulb... Got expensive paperweights from this company.
Now we start by removing the grill, battery, and air filter box. Then you unplug the old headlights, and remove the old sealed beam and throw it out - thats old technology.
Now you must modify the old mounting housings to be able to fit the backside of the new housings, they are much larger to accept the collars for the new bulb style. The old hole was only big enough to fit that square plug, now we need to make it about 3 inches wide. This is where you need the grinder, or I suppose you could do it with tin snips possibly, I chose the grinder. Make em look like this and see if the new lamp fits in and keep grinding away until it does.
[will find photo of this step later, you can kind of see it in the above photo for the mean time]
Now install your bulbs into the housings. Be careful not to touch them to anything and lock them down with that little bent wire thing. Then the rubber cover goes over the works.
Now mount them back onto the truck. I painted my metal surrounds black while they were off, looks nicer for sure, a little more of the shiny stuff gone off the truck.
Now we move to the drivers side. You want to remove that bracket from the rad support and take it to the bench. The ballast is going on the backside of it, between the bracket and the support so its hidden a little, and so the airbox can fit back in.
And this is what it looks like when its all done. I drilled a hole for the ballast bracket bolt. Its installed with all the wire plugs pointing downward so moisture cant get into the plugs.
And now we are looking at the backside of the drivers side light area all put back together, just to tie those wires down at the bottom so they can jostle around, and move over to the passenger side.
Not as much work over on the passenger side, you need to drill a hole or two on this fender to mount the ballast bracket on and tie all the wires back out of the way nice and tight. Again, pointing the wire plugs downward in case they got splashed or anything.
Now put it all back together and go click your light switch to on and enjoy. If you havent had HIDs before, I reccoment you resist the urge to do it now and wait until night and do your initial turn on in the back alley. Here is the finished product.
Here is the youtube video of my first turn on in the garage if you are interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3bteI7YDY
Parts I used and what I paid for them:
-VisionX H4 composite headlamp housing x2 - $35 bucks each at local speed shop. They are all glass and very nice quality.
-HIDextra H4 6000k BiXenon Hi/Lo kit - $120 shipped. Comes with 2 replays, and its plug and play, no wiring a power lead and ground, uses the stock headlamp plug.
Tools you will use:
-Drill and bit for making bolt holes for mouting the brackets
-Zipties, the ones that come with the kit are flimsy, I used my thicker ones.
-Screwdrivers for removing grill and old headlamp housings.
-Wrenches to remove battery and air filter box.
-Angle grinder for modifying the stock headlamp housings.
So here is why I am replacing the kit, one lamp didnt light on high or low from the start... T tried messing with it and narrowed it down to a dud bulb... Got expensive paperweights from this company.
Now we start by removing the grill, battery, and air filter box. Then you unplug the old headlights, and remove the old sealed beam and throw it out - thats old technology.
Now you must modify the old mounting housings to be able to fit the backside of the new housings, they are much larger to accept the collars for the new bulb style. The old hole was only big enough to fit that square plug, now we need to make it about 3 inches wide. This is where you need the grinder, or I suppose you could do it with tin snips possibly, I chose the grinder. Make em look like this and see if the new lamp fits in and keep grinding away until it does.
[will find photo of this step later, you can kind of see it in the above photo for the mean time]
Now install your bulbs into the housings. Be careful not to touch them to anything and lock them down with that little bent wire thing. Then the rubber cover goes over the works.
Now mount them back onto the truck. I painted my metal surrounds black while they were off, looks nicer for sure, a little more of the shiny stuff gone off the truck.
Now we move to the drivers side. You want to remove that bracket from the rad support and take it to the bench. The ballast is going on the backside of it, between the bracket and the support so its hidden a little, and so the airbox can fit back in.
And this is what it looks like when its all done. I drilled a hole for the ballast bracket bolt. Its installed with all the wire plugs pointing downward so moisture cant get into the plugs.
And now we are looking at the backside of the drivers side light area all put back together, just to tie those wires down at the bottom so they can jostle around, and move over to the passenger side.
Not as much work over on the passenger side, you need to drill a hole or two on this fender to mount the ballast bracket on and tie all the wires back out of the way nice and tight. Again, pointing the wire plugs downward in case they got splashed or anything.
Now put it all back together and go click your light switch to on and enjoy. If you havent had HIDs before, I reccoment you resist the urge to do it now and wait until night and do your initial turn on in the back alley. Here is the finished product.
Here is the youtube video of my first turn on in the garage if you are interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3bteI7YDY
Last edited by ohsofly; Jan 20, 2011 at 07:11 PM.
New Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 55
From: Maryland
Well since I have a new grill and bumper coming, this looks like the best time to tackle this project. It was just on a wishlist of things I wanted to do. Since Ill have all the stuff out of the way, I can justify the extra money since I dont have to tear it all apart again.
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