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headlight swap ????

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Old Dec 3, 2000 | 03:15 AM
  #1  
Z28IROC350's Avatar
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From: Hag, Maryland, DUH
headlight swap ????

How can I get rid of the sealed beam headlights and how much will it cost ??? will the 4th gen headlight assemblies fit in my car ? any help will be appreciated, thanx

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Old Dec 3, 2000 | 01:46 PM
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327 firebird's Avatar
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No the 4th gen lights will not fit the 3rd gen cars. I don't know of any that will fit the 3rd gen from other cars or aftermarket. Why would you want to do that anyways? It might be cheaper to replace just a filiment for the non sealed beam head lights but if the glass breaks somehow it costs at auto zone around 200 dollars each to replace. I just help fix a friends car (ford festiva POS) after getting in an accident. Thats what they charge. Junk yards wanted 80 dollars each. We were luck to find one that wanted only 60 dollars for both. But dont expect to get that lucky. Its worth spend the money to replace the whole sealed beam light when they go out... my orginal set lasted 15 years and was to much more expensive.
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Old Dec 3, 2000 | 10:24 PM
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Z28IROC350's Avatar
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I want the non-sealed beams so I can put strobes in the headlight housings. I didn't mean just using the lights themselves out of a 4th gen, i meant the whole housing with the plastic assembly that the lights attach to.
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Old Dec 3, 2000 | 10:36 PM
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Chris Luongo's Avatar
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Someone did put custom headlights in his Camaro....I wish I could remember where the website was.

I think he probably used headlights from an '87-90 Caprice.....if you remember, the '87-90 had nearly the exact same front end as the '81-86s.......G

M basically made one-piece, replaceable-bulb headlight assemblies that would directly fit a car that orignially had four rectangular sealed beams. And your car also has four regular rectangular sealed beams.....well, you get the idea. The only thing is, that in a Camaro, the low beams are spaced back from the high beams a bit, so that would be a possible obstacle.

If your only goal is to get strobe lights in there, you can get aftermarket lights that fit in the exact same spot, that have replaceable bulbs. (I had a set in my Crown Victoria...they were brighter, but the leaked and rusted. I hate aftermarket stuff.)

And in case you didn't know, your sealed beam headlights simply have an ordinary bulb inside. If you could learn how to drill holes in glass, you could insert a strobe in there and your headlights would still work. Of course, you'd want to seal it against water leakage, and you'd have to do the job all over again if a headlight bulb burned out.
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Old Dec 5, 2000 | 08:59 PM
  #5  
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I thought our lights were filled with pure Nitrogen or something. Wouldn't it be a bad idea then to put a whole in them?

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, Jon (91 RS too many mods to list)
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Old Dec 5, 2000 | 10:14 PM
  #6  
Chris Luongo's Avatar
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Look really close at your headlight,or any other ordinary sealed beam car headlight. In the center is a light bulb about 1" in diameter...yes, that is filled with HALOGEN gas. Just don't breach that and you should be fine.
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Old Dec 6, 2000 | 12:29 PM
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echidna's Avatar
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If you're looking to drill a hole in glass for whatever reason, one of the simplest (and cheapest) ways is to use valve grinding compound and a short piece of aluminum tubing chucked in a drill. Put grinding compound on glass, lightly apply tubing, begin drilling at moderate speed lifting occasionally to keep compound in the hole being cut. It works.
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Old Dec 8, 2000 | 09:55 PM
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Two new words for everyone’s vocabulary, Composite Headlights (these are the ones that aren't sealed beams).

They do cost a bunch to replace, if they get broken. If you really want composite headlights I'd say that the caprice idea is the best, they should be about the same size as your sealed beams.


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1985 Camaro IROC-Z LB9

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Old Dec 9, 2000 | 12:30 AM
  #9  
Z28IROC350's Avatar
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From: Hag, Maryland, DUH
Thanx for the help, I'll have to check into the Caprice lights.
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Old Dec 19, 2000 | 12:54 AM
  #10  
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I found someone that sells plans and a complete kit to convert your headlights to composite headlamps. It is in a classified ad. To see the ad go to www.iroc-z.com, scroll down the page until you see a section with 8 tiles, click on the one that says classifieds. On the next menu that you come to click on "parts and misc. for sale". Scroll down and in the left column you will see "For Sale Composite headlamp conversion instructions". The instructions cost $15 and the price of the kit is dependant on where it has to be shipped to. For me to get is sent to SC it cost $239. The ad has pic attached, the company is F-bodys unlimited. The kit allows you to use the blue or bright white bulbs and comes with everything you need for the conversion. If you have any other ques. there is an e-mail address in the ad.

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