On the Trans AM's that have the factory installed driving lights. Are replacment bulbs available? It looks like a sealed beam, sort of like a small headlight bulb. Mine is an 86. Thanks in advance, Charles

 

Yep. H3 bulbs.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=21616_0_0_

 

And if you ever want to make them brighter for free with only a little work & nothing to buy to do it.....http://www.austinthirdgen.org/index.php?pid=25

 

Thanks a lot for the info, Charles

 

Just talking about the fog lights right?

I've always wanted to do the Canadian option to rig them up as DRLs, that would be sweet...

 

Cool idea about making them brighter, however, wouldnt having them on for a prolonged period begin to warm up the bumper cover and possibly begin to warp or melt it away? (example: road trip)
i'd think its at least a possibility without the cover over the light bulb.

 

I hadn't thought of it, but I'd think it would do nothing to make them hotter. If anything, I 'd think it would cool them off some by not holding the light in, descreasing heat build?

It only takes a wall out from in front of them putting more light out forward instead of blocking it.

The lens is glass, so I'm not worried about it & I think the incoming air while driving would keep the urethane cool as well as the lens cooler than just sitting still. I've had this done for years now with no ill effects.

 

The "wall" protects from direct heat & glare, think of how much more direct (felt) heat youd feel from the bulb if you went about taking the glass off too.
example: Dome light and dome light cover, you feel a lot more heat from the bulb with the cover off.

 

Good point. But after several years of it being done on my car now, the lens has never gotten hot enough to crank...The bulbs haven't blown...Nothing has changed since the day I did it. So I'd say it is safe to do.

 

They're fog lights... Bright kind of defeats the purpose. The shields are there to cut down the glare so it's not reflected back in the fog. The cheap aftermarket versions don't have the shields.

 

I see your point, but in actual practice...Vision isn't any worse because the extra light, but are brighter when used as simple driving lights.

 

Neither do the Camaro fog lights. So I understand doing this in a firebird, however there has to be a reason for the wall in front of the bulb. (such as heat distribution) You may not be having effects now, or a year from now, but things take a while to **** up sometimes, Especially when changed/altered.

 

3+ years of no ill effects so far, so I'd say it is perfectly to do.

I love everyone trying to come up with some reason it is a bad thing to do, but all they have are theories, no actual physical practice which I do. And I am able to discount every theory because of physical practice. So you guys can keep trying to shoot holes in this mod, but none will hit the target.

I use them as DRLs, so they are on every time I turn the key, day or night, rain/fog or nothing.

 

Arn't fog lights amber? My car's lights are clear like a head light. I thought that the clear ones are considered driving lights? Do aftermarket bulbs create more heat than stock?

Thanks in advance,
Charles

 

Honestly im not trying to damper your mood in any way shape or form. as you said, im just throwing theories out there. I'd want to know for sure any and all theories and get their confirmation before altering something such as this, having to do with electrical and heat.

 

Brighter bulbs (higher wattage) generate more heat... But not to worry, the bulbs will die before they melt the bumper cover.

The stock lights are fog lights. They're not for additional light. They turn off when you hit your high beams. They're there for conditions when your normal headlights would make it harder to see through the fog.

Removing the shields just increases glare. In foggy conditions, glare is bad. It's also discourteous to other drivers.

Seriously, do you guys ever bother to read about how something works, or why it's there in the first place? If you don't understand how something does it's job, why are you modifying it?

 

Seriously Drew?

Clear lens are Driving Lights, Ambers are Fog Lights. Since when did 3rd cars come with Amber lenses? Only the early 82-84 Camaros have I seen Amber lenses. And I modified mine for MY driving style, not yours. They suit me PERFECT & I have not once regretted doing it. Besides, they can be aimed so getting the light low to reduce fog glare would be possible. Mineare aimed for distance & the side of the road. Even with my High Beams on, I can see where they light up the dark areas that the High Beams aren't covering. And yes, my High Beams are adjusted good too. Where is the glare? Have you doine this? A local guy done this for you to see? Or this just more speculation?

No real need to install higher wattage bulbs with the shield removal method. It increases light output without changing the bulb. No higher wattage bulb means no increased heat really. Just removing a shield, which yes, effectively allows more heat to directly hit the lens but no actual output is made. Sure that blocks some heat, but come on.....My bulbs/glass and urethane are both fine years after doing it. It has had ZERO bad effect. Nobody brights me for any glare, not even Cops. BTW, getting around the High Beam cut off takes under 5 min. I did that years before I did the shield removal too.

 

Incorrect. The ambers are parking lights and the clear are fog lamps. This is in the owners manual. I cannot speak for this outside the US however...

 

Your ignorance of the topic is illustrated in the first comment you made. Wrong.

If they're driving lights (just because they're clear) then why are they referred to as "FOG LIGHTS" or "FOG LAMPS" in all of the sales brochures, owners manuals, and service manuals?

You can see in the pics linked earlier in this thread that removing the shields just increases glare.

Go read up on the subject for yourself, I'm not going to waste my time to educate you.

 

ROTFLMFAO, that is the greatest smilie ever