83 to a 91 headlight conversion

[FOOSE]

Hello!

I'm building an 83 Chevrolet Silverado and I put the '89-'91 suburban/blazer front end on it and I just need to know how to connect the headlights, has anyone on here tried that?

Can I just buy the harness from a '89-'91 suburban/blazer and just plug and play? or are the terminals on the bulkhead connector different?

All help will be much appreciated!

Thanks, John

[pholliday1]

Well......... This response can go either way, step one is to use stock wiring (for the 91 style) just basically plug in and away you go. Sounds easy right? Step 2 involves keeping stock wiring harness and change the "plug ends" because the new headlights require a different plug (the prongs are all different ) or step 3 (most amount of work and most difficult) building a wiring harness that takes voltage directly from the alternator and sends it directly to the headlights(fused of course) using relays with and added option of having both bulbs on at the same time for high beams. The reason for step three is that this is how you achieve the brightest headlights. Let us know what direction you prefer. we can get more into detail depending on what you decide. 

[FOOSE]

Thanks for the reply!

I like step 1 but finding a harness may be a little challenging, I don't see many suburbans around anymore, step 2 I could use the connectors from an 88 chevy truck as well (there's plenty out here) so that may be the best and easiest one so far.

how do I connect the signal lamps? isn't there 2 bulbs in the 89-91 suburban lights? but I only have one signal light in my original front end.

Thanks

John

[Irish_Alley]

kind of sucks your clip didnt come with any wires. i would op for a junkyard to get the wire harness and splice it into yours. but i would also run relays to the headlight

[rich weyand]

Definitely use a relay kit for the headlights.  I think the upgrade from the stock lights on my '78 was a candle at each front corner.  So much voltage loss in the wire runs, connectors, and light switch, that they don't get full voltage.  Pathetic.

I used this relay kit and can recommend it, from this web page: http://autolumination.com/headlights.htm.  Find on page "headlight brightener", which is a whole slew of relay kits.  I used the one for H4 9003 P43t on my 1978.  That may be the same or not for yours, don't know.

I can't recommend their headlights -- for that I went with Hellas -- but the relay kit was perfect, and inexpensive, and makes a huge difference all by itself.

[81_Chevy]

rich- is it a decent quality kit for the money?

[rich weyand]

The relay kit is worth it.  The wires are the perfect lengths to fit the trucks easily running in the existing looms.  I didn't mount the relay, I just left the relay box sit on the battery.  The battery terminals, the in-line fuse holder and fuse, all comes with it.  The headlight connectors are high-temperature, so you can use hefty lights without melting them.  The way it ties into the truck wiring is that there is a plug that looks like the back of a headlight that you plug into the existing right headlight socket.  That picks up the dash controls to run the relays.  The existing left headlight socket is removed from the headlight, and I just let it hang there.  No changes to the stock wiring at all.  So you hook up the battery connections, plug the existing left headlight socket onto the plug on the harness, and then plug in the headlights.  5 minutes.  Done.  I've had it on there for a year and a half with no issues whatever.

You probably want to get a couple of these to give your side-mount battery some studs to connect the thing to:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Battery-Doctor-Brass-stud-bolt-with-nut-for-side-post-batteries/_/N-25hnZ1z0yypc?itemIdentifier=25419_0_0_

[square81]

I did the conversion and used 2 harnesses. One from the 91 suburban and one from an 86 truck with quad headlights. Matched the colours up made a couple of grounds and it all worked. I didn't do the relay kit for the high beams yet though.

[pholliday1]

Usually at night you want every candle watt you can get, while the factory setup "will work" taking the time to fine tune your headlights makes a big difference on those .....rainy back roads at night...... Ultimately its going to come down to your personal preference both, those  of us who have seen the brighter lights really like them.

[rich weyand]

Yeah, the relay kit alone *really* improved the stock headlights.  With a relay kit, they see full voltage.

I then upgraded the headlights.  I actually bought and pitched a couple before I hit on a setup I like.  I got the Hella 4064 (round eye) replacements, HL79562, from quadratec.com, a 4x4 outfit.  I think Hella has the square replacements as well, but I don't have part numbers for which ones fit the square eyes.  I put Philips 9003 XPS2 bulbs from Amazon in the Hellas.  The Hellas are Euro headlights with a very flat sharp cutoff in low beam, and very broad even distribution in high beam. 

I didn't go the HID route.  Too much money and work for me.  I figured I would get as good as I could find short of that, and if I was still unhappy, I could upgrade again, but I'm happy with what I have now.

[81_Chevy]

ive got the housing conversions on my truck right now, with some Phillips bulbs. ive thought about going HID but im worried that if i go 6000K ill get picked up by the popo for having "blue" headlights. 

[rich weyand]

Oh, man, get the relay kit!  It makes a lot of difference.  You are so close to an awesome setup.

(Make sure you get the right one.  The one I listed was for the dual-beams.  Not sure how your beams are set up.)

[Irish_Alley]

imo 6k head lights aint too blue. granted they aint stock but i had them on my impala for a couple years. the only problem i had with them is warm up time. i put mine on my low beams so when i used high beams which wasnt to often the 6k where bright enough. but when i went back to lows from a oncoming car i would literal be driving blind. the oncoming cars head lights would blind be a little but the fact that my hids had to warm up so they where barely lit at all