1954 Chevy Pickup | Headlight Bezels & Visors

January 9th, 2005 : Halogen Headlights Installed

One of my headlamps went out a few days ago and I was glad because it gave me a good excuse to get rid of those old light bulbs from "back in the day" and put a set of halogens in. Also, my headlights were in dire need of adjustment -- I was driving around at night with my high beams on all the time because the low beams were aimed too low ... the high beams seemed like low beams in their normal state, plus no one ever complained about them, so I knew I was in need of new lamps as well as an adjustment.

Anyway, I went to my local auto parts store and bought a pair of halogen sealed beam headlights -- forget those sorry looking chain stores like Pep Boys or Auto Zone where no one speaks English and they can't find a part unless they can punch a year, make and model into a computer! Arghh!!! What a rotten excuse those places are!!! There's a place called National Auto Parts just down the road from me ... they've been there for decades and when I go in, we have some good laughs, I can talk shop and they always hook me up with the right stuff. If you have a parts store like that near you, support them and stay away from those maddening chain stores!

After I installed the halogens, I went to my Mom's for dinner. On my way back home, when it was good and dark, I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat! Wow! What a difference! I aligned my headlights nicely ... the pattern is great compared to the old lamps I had and when I hit my high beams on the darker back streets, it was like sudden daylight!

If you haven't switched over to Halogen headlights on your truck, I urge you to do so -- you'll surely be glad you did! You'll want part #H6024 ... The GE's I bought were only $13 each!

Also -- It wouldn't hurt to install Relays on your high-beam and low-beam wires while you're at it.

Aim Checking Procedure for Halogen #H6024 Headlights:

1. Shine low beams on garage door from 2-3 feet away and outline the bright spots on the door with masking tape.

2. Back the vehicle to about 25 feet from the garage door.

3. The top of the low beams should shine no higher than the top of your tape-marks on the garage door or no lower than the center of your marked outline from step #1.

Tips:

1. Turn the top adjustment screw clockwise to raise the beam; counter-clockwise to lower it. Turn the side adjustment screw clockwise to move the beam to the right; counter-clockwise to move left.

2. After adjusting, lightly turn your adjustment screws clockwise to snug your headlight up against the tension spring.

3. Once you think you've got your headlamps set up ... and before you put your trim rings back on ... take a ride around the block, at night, with your headlights on. That's when you'll be able to plainly see if both lamps are equal in height, equally centered, etc. If they need further adjusting, at least you won't have to take the trim rings off again.

4. You don't have to adjust your headlights at night, when it's totally dark outside. I did mine around dusk ... 6 pm-ish ... and I was able to see the beams hitting the garage door better than I thought I would. Also, since my garage door had some convenient patterns on the doors, I didn't need to outline the beams on the door with masking tape ... I just used the door-patterns that were there.

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