Auto Detailing and AppearanceTips and tricks on how to make your Third Gen shine! Get opinions on products or how something looks on your Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird.
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Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
I never liked it when people messed around with the pop up lights. I think the lazy eye looks dumb, and I think that in the picture those lamps look cheap. When I look at it, it screams "AUTOZONE SPECIAL". It also totally takes away the sinister look the car has when the headlamps are down and the parking lights on. Thats the look I fell in love with.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBadGTA
I never liked it when people messed around with the pop up lights. I think the lazy eye looks dumb, and I think that in the picture those lamps look cheap. When I look at it, it screams "AUTOZONE SPECIAL". It also totally takes away the sinister look the car has when the headlamps are down and the parking lights on. Thats the look I fell in love with.
Yeah, I hear you on the look with the lamps down and the parking lights on. That look is hard to beat. Its just the lamp up look that I'm getting a bit tired of and wondering what to do with it. If I can manage to drink enough coffee I'll make another chop that you might like.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
I like it. gives it a different look without destroying the lines. although the lights themselves would have to be at the back of the opening to get enough height to clear the aim to the road (ie your pic would have to move the lights up a bit to get an idea of what it'd really look like.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussie Muscle
I like it. gives it a different look without destroying the lines. although the lights themselves would have to be at the back of the opening to get enough height to clear the aim to the road (ie your pic would have to move the lights up a bit to get an idea of what it'd really look like.
Yeah, your right. I pulled them back a bit and it looks alot better and functional lol
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
I know exactly what you mean about not liking the headlamps up. But do you have good lamps in your headlights? I know when I first got my car, It had old crappy lamps in the head and fog lights and I didn't like the way the car looked with the lights up either because it looked really old and outdated. But I rebuilt both of my headlamp motors, and put Sylvania silverstar bulbs in the head and fog lamps. They are so nice white and bright now that I do really like them up at night. It made the car look brand new and I have gotten many comments on how great it looks going down the road at the local crusing spot. Some guy even went so far as to tell that "It glows" going down the road. I think the silverstars are only about $18.99 a piece at most auto parts places. try it.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
I love a good mod/crazy idea. But the pop-ups are really what seperates the Firebird from the Camaro.
The headlight mod would certainly seperate you from every other car out there, which I think is cool. You wouldn't be the everyday Firebird anymore, something I think we all strive for.
Personally, I love the pop-ups. They're definetely one of the reasons I love my Firebird so much. Of course, your car is not my Firebird, so good luck with the mod.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBadGTA
I never liked it when people messed around with the pop up lights. I think the lazy eye looks dumb, and I think that in the picture those lamps look cheap. When I look at it, it screams "AUTOZONE SPECIAL". It also totally takes away the sinister look the car has when the headlamps are down and the parking lights on. Thats the look I fell in love with.
Are you confusing 'lazy eye' with the PS above? I think so.
Because in 'lazy eye', they still pop up, just not as far. The PS above is like what Redraif did, or several others. His 2nd PS is more like the C6 style headlights.
Here is a 'lazy eye' headlight....Just another PS, but the best height setting I've seen. I just dislike the choice of lights in it.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBadGTA
I know exactly what you mean about not liking the headlamps up. But do you have good lamps in your headlights? I know when I first got my car, It had old crappy lamps in the head and fog lights and I didn't like the way the car looked with the lights up either because it looked really old and outdated. But I rebuilt both of my headlamp motors, and put Sylvania silverstar bulbs in the head and fog lamps. They are so nice white and bright now that I do really like them up at night. It made the car look brand new and I have gotten many comments on how great it looks going down the road at the local crusing spot. Some guy even went so far as to tell that "It glows" going down the road. I think the silverstars are only about $18.99 a piece at most auto parts places. try it.
They are the old school yellow light bulbs. I should get some whites.. I just hate that old yellow light honestly. I have already replaced every yellow bulb in my house with a white one lol. Saves energy, looks great. I do kinda just want to play with this headlight mod. I might break out the fiberglass and fabricate a new set. If it doesnt look good then I can always put the old stuff back on.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen
Are you confusing 'lazy eye' with the PS above? I think so.
Because in 'lazy eye', they still pop up, just not as far. The PS above is like what Redraif did, or several others. His 2nd PS is more like the C6 style headlights.
Here is a 'lazy eye' headlight....Just another PS, but the best height setting I've seen. I just dislike the choice of lights in it.
See that looks awesome to me. I was going to photochop your pic next but hey posting that saved me time.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
The 240sx i had i did a lazy eye on it and mounted two small projectors in the buckets and it didn't look bad and worked a lot better.There's not much you can do to a firebird that won't look out of place to us we all are use to its looks.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBadGTA
I know exactly what you mean about not liking the headlamps up. But do you have good lamps in your headlights? I know when I first got my car, It had old crappy lamps in the head and fog lights and I didn't like the way the car looked with the lights up either because it looked really old and outdated. But I rebuilt both of my headlamp motors, and put Sylvania silverstar bulbs in the head and fog lamps. They are so nice white and bright now that I do really like them up at night. It made the car look brand new and I have gotten many comments on how great it looks going down the road at the local crusing spot. Some guy even went so far as to tell that "It glows" going down the road. I think the silverstars are only about $18.99 a piece at most auto parts places. try it.
Dude, I love my Sylvania silverstar bulbs in the head and fog lamps.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by chevydrvr
Are you trying to get something like these kits do? Iv'e only seen pictures of it. Here's the best looking one IMO.
This is the best looking KIT I've seen yet. It seems to me that the 4th gen has better lines to work with when doing this type of mod! Our 3rd gen does not share these some lines and therefore, this mod will just not look right! IMO I like the idea of doing something to stand out......but just not this mod on a 3rd gen,.....sorry!
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
But,dont they lock in place when in the up position? and if they dont lock they fall?,thats how one of my older 3rd gens was,the lights wouldnt come all the way up and I would have to lift them up till they "clicked" in place.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen
Stopping how high they come up is easy. Just create a stop. The motor has an "overload" circuit that senses when it reaches a stop and.....stops.
It is the fitting of a bulb housing and the surround of it, that will be the tricky part and particular to the housing you chose to use.
Sorry, I'm still not liking the lazy eye fuction. It MAY look cool!!! But when I'm driving at night, I REALLLY like to see where I'm going. The Lazy Eye pop up sits to low to the bumper(a long front bumper) for a head light to properly light the road up, the angles are all wrong for it.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by y84pauloflondon
Sorry, I'm still not liking the lazy eye fuction. It MAY look cool!!! But when I'm driving at night, I REALLLY like to see where I'm going. The Lazy Eye pop up sits to low to the bumper(a long front bumper) for a head light to properly light the road up, the angles are all wrong for it.
As far as the angle goes....Your right, for the stock headlight.
When you build the new surround piece, you build it to hold the lens at the correct vertical angle. With it sitting properly, the light will hit the road surface & illuminate everything good.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen
No "lock". There is no "catch" or notch of any kind, that holds them up. Simply a stagnant motor holds them up.
This is correct!!!! There is No lock. The problem with your older car was that the "tranny/clutch" for your headlight motor was on its way out!
you got the headlight motor, attached to that is this "housing" that holds these plastic rings inside, which I like to call the "headlight tranny/clutch". If your lights aren't lifting all the way up, or they bounce up and down when your driving, there's a good chance that these plastic rings are warn-out. There are repair kits on E-bay that have these plastic rings............they sell for $2.00-$8.00 US.
Last edited by y84pauloflondon; 11-10-2009 at 01:22 AM.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Yup thats how it was!,they were limp,lol they kinda flopped half way up,This was a 90 formula I had has a teen ten years ago..Would take girls out and half to flip my headlights up by hand..how embarassing,But if you were goning 50+ the wind would bring them up,lol!
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen
As far as the angle goes....Your right, for the stock headlight.
When you build the new surround piece, you build it to hold the lens at the correct vertical angle. With it sitting properly, the light will hit the road surface & illuminate everything good.
That's correct too! The ONLY GOOD light that I would use is those HID EURO headlights(BMW's, Benz's) they're small enough and they light up everything.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
CORRECTION! In a sence the arm does lock into place! It's like it hyper-extendes itself just like a persons arm.
And I think that MADMAXGTA knows what I'm talking about, since both of us have had pop-up problems b4.
My "headlight tranny" went out on me a couple of yrs ago. The only way to get the light up, was to lift them and push that arm into place. Doing that would "lock" the headlight in the up postion!
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by y84pauloflondon
CORRECTION! In a sense the arm does lock into place! It's like it hyper-extends itself just like a persons arm.
The arm is 'locked' into place because the motor presses the arm against the stop creating pressure (either tightly holding the light up or, down). Due to the worm gear on the motor and the gear reduction, the gears can only be spun by the motor. Other than than the gearing, there is nothing else holding the light in position.
Without a stop, the arm will spin 360° (newer, 2-wire style). I don't know for certain but, I believe there is a timer in the headlight module as well to prevent motors (with bad gear bushings) from spinning constantly when turned on/off.
__________________ "It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away."
- '87 Formula Firebird - never ending project
- '91 RS Camaro - beater
- '93 Z28 - donor
- '71 Camaro LT - as if I need another project.....
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Quote:
Originally Posted by MADMAXGTA
Yup thats how it was!,they were limp,lol they kinda flopped half way up,This was a 90 formula I had has a teen ten years ago..Would take girls out and half to flip my headlights up by hand..how embarassing,But if you were goning 50+ the wind would bring them up,lol!
My driver's side headlight was like that when I got my GTA. Drving down the road, I could see the light beam "bouncing" on the road.
But I discovered that the pivot headed bolt, from the lift arm to the headlight bucket, was loose. I tightened up the nut & the headlight stopped flopping & is now rock solid steady. No more 75 degrees up on one side, anbd bouncing, and 90 degrees up and steady on the other side.
Lazy eye lights are no different than a lowered car, but nobody ever says "I'd never lower my car, because I want my lights up to see the road good.
And for a city dweller, it wouldn't make much difference, since the street lights light everything up so much. When I lived in town, I drove around with just my fog lights a lot. Now I live way out in the country. Blinking intersections red lights after 11 & not even a 24hr gas station or Wal Mart within 45 min of me, and "lazy eyes" wouldn't cause me to question their light output on the road (and off to the sudes).
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
I have been thinking about this a little too.
I do not however like the removal of the pop ups. IMO it looks tacky.
I am thinking more along the lines of thin halogens at the front for low beam and the pop up could be the high beam....but with a restricted popup.
I didn't get round to PS'ing that. but the pic earlier shows a good height for a shallower popup. I think that actually looks good.
This could probably be done with a replacement light top made from metal with the fresh design housing concept. An adapter plate could be fabbed for the high beam too to house a narrower lamp.
What does anyone think.
A light coat of nightshade might give it a sleeker and stealthier look with maybe a bit of nightshade on the turn signals too.
Any comments?
This is not my car. Just one I found with the angle I wanted to work with.
Also wanted to add that the headlamps on camaro's are set pretty far back on a flat long bumper and they seem to light the road pretty good.
But that's just my opinion/2c.
Last edited by astrosurfer; 11-10-2009 at 11:47 PM.
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Wow.
I had no idea it had been done before.
I think it looks ok on redraifs.....however I would go for a better fitting light.
Also I thought the top of the light housing came off clean like my 4th gen does.
Have not looked into that.
Project for future though.
I like the look alot.
Thanks for the link to his domain. I enjoyed reading his conversion write up.
__________________ Why are idiots trying to get off the only planet known capable of sustaining human life?
Re: Firebird Headlight Mod Concept, flip ups removed
Open mouth.
Insert foot....
Edit:
Also I said that redraif's looked OK...I meant that I loved the look but I was not digging the 2 light setup.
I was thinking just one for low beam the whole width of the two. And a half pop for hi beam.
I'd be interested in seeing other peoples photoshops too.
I'll try a search.
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Last edited by astrosurfer; 11-11-2009 at 07:32 PM.
Reason: afterthoughts....
Dude, I love my Sylvania silverstar bulbs in the head and fog lamps. 
. The Lazy Eye pop up sits to low to the bumper(a long front bumper) for a head light to properly light the road up, the angles are all wrong for it. 
