Spyder headlamps.....my take on 'em...and LIGHTING in general

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98chevy2500SS

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I just received those LED tail lights that I was talking about, and I am not impressed with them, hard to differentiate running light vs brake light. Hopefully I can send them back, and get some red SPPC tails lights that I run on my 98. The red ones were kinda growing on me for my 97 anyway. :D

One reviewer said the tinted tail lights I bought were the "brightest" he had seen out of 4 different others. I can't see how that was true when I tested them out, lol. I was hoping they would be brighter, especially with the chrome reflectors. So, in my conclusion, stick with red tail lights. :)
 
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shovelbill

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HEY BILL!!! Glad you are doing very well mah man! Congrats on the shoulder rebuild... hopefully a lot less pain for you now.

I'm in the process of finally starting my '92 Z71. Still back n forth on the engine, hate to say it but I'm leaning towards a 5.3 now, but we shall see. I still like the Gen II LT1, but some electronic stuff is really getting scarce and that doesn't bode well for long term use.
The Spyder composites have really gone to crap with surface oxidation... the chrome inside is still decent, but the lenses are getting very fogged.

I now have a fresh sheet to start with for my "New-to-Me-'98-GMC"... Black, '98 GMC SLE K1500, 305, 4L60E, Non-Z71, Manual-4wd, 3.73 peg leg, EC/SB w/ 3rd Door, Fleetside, power everything, but seats...60/40 w/ lumbar that doesn't work. Plans are limited so I can invest into the ole '92. I am also going to add all of the Z71 bits, because they're all simple bolt ons anyway. Already added Bilsteins and 265/75/R16 Firestone Destinations, and because it has a factory towing package, it had the med duty in-radiatior oil cooler, (I will eventually be adding auxiliary trans and oil coolers). And I have 2 low mile sets of the stock Z71/2500 torsion bars.... and a posi unit is in the works too.

Looked at many, including one out by you @ "Car Wash Cars", S. of Albany. Really nice rig outta Pennsylvania, low miles, pretty clean, but they wouldn't go down to $9500, so..
Anywho, the GMC isn't exactly a clean truck, but the bones are good and it had a lot going for it, despite its issues. New GM crate 305, nice stock steelie, new exhaust, front suspension, solid cab floor/mounts, frame, fenders, rad support, bed, lots new parts, leer cap, solid 3rd door, & a factory tow package, I couldn't beat the price... $1400.
Sat for about a year, filthy interior, dented up, needed PS lines, tires, shocks, steering box, cab corners, rockers, lower front doors, driver hinge pins, and the lower 3rd door lock mechanism was destroyed. After fixing it all, (except body), changing out all the fluids, & getting it inspected, she ended up needing a new radiator, rear brakes, and tranny lines.... about $3500 into her so far, which still is pretty damn good for a reliable 4x4 around here and it's a GMT400 =). I even looked around at GMT800's... seems many around here have rotten frames &/or axle brackets rotting off, on top of other problems. Makes finding a decent 5.3L pretty easy... but anyway.

The stock headlights are fogged pretty bad and the tails are pretty faded out. I intend to add a set of Spyder Glass lenses up front. I cant seem to find the glass front markers and I'm stuck with amber corners because the few clear GMC ones are missing a solid amber strip on the side so I can be quasi-legal. I intend to give this truck a set of stock Tahoe Limited Z71 foglights. I already scored a GM Z71 brushguard. I wish someone made the Diesel bumper with outward holes instead of the stock inner ones, but oh well. I still have those Cibie lights for the '92 Z71. I really like the Warn bumper you have, but eliminating the two hooks really bothers me... not a good trade off to me.

Does anyone have any new suggestions for headlights?

Not going to the W/T lights and definately not Denali/Escalade (which are just ugly to me for the nominal gain in lighting and high buy-in expense).



Holy **** Al that's one helluva post to digest, lol.....damn.......gots to go back and re-read so I absorb the whole thing.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

shovelbill

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I emailed Daniel Stern and asked him that exact question about the '88-'90 quad sealed beams. He was of the opinion that they would be a downgrade from a good composite setup.

The LED W/T housings would definitely be a good upgrade, but I'm not sure about the standard W/T 5"x7" sealed beams. I would think that the composite halogens would be better.

ahhhhh.....nope.....from what I've seen, there are Cibie lights for those W/T housings.....and not bad in price on e-bay last I've seen....put a relay harness and a good bulb with that setup....you're sitting real pretty
 

deejaaa

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I just received those LED tail lights........was hoping they would be brighter, especially with the chrome reflectors.
reflectors do nothing for led’s. they have their own built in reflector. that was their innovation back in the day where they started life as an indicator and became an actual light.
 

shovelbill

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It's '88-'89 in GMT-400, and '89-91 in squarebody, but those fit in the core support and not on a bracket like GMT-400.

df2x4, the W/T is a 5x7 sealed beam. There were no 4x6 on GMT-400, those were on the '81-'88 CK/RV trucks & SUVs. There is no composite that compares to one of the quality 5x7 LED assemblies, the Truck-Lite for example is a marvel of modern lighting engineering.
I’m not sure if his study takes into account the use of the lmc housings that use the 9005/9006 bulbs, or the Bosch e code housings. My guess would be no on the Bosch e codes.

I bought a quad setup to test them out.....I have the Bosch high beams, but there was NO, none, nada low beam Bosch's left in the world after I bought mine......there is a whole section of this thread on it, and the link to the gent had first started his documentation of that particular conversion and upgrade.....88GMC? maybe....my brain is fukked and i'll have to go back and check.
 

df2x4

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ahhhhh.....nope.....from what I've seen, there are Cibie lights for those W/T housings.....and not bad in price on e-bay last I've seen....put a relay harness and a good bulb with that setup....you're sitting real pretty

That's interesting... Got a link to those Cibie 5"x7"s Bill? That sounds like a great potential upgrade for people running the W/T grille who don't want to spend the $300 on a good set of LED housings.
 

shovelbill

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Fixed my post. My bad, thought they had carried on into 1990... alas, a fading memory is the bain of human existence.

E-Codes in the Quads? I imagine they gotta be almost unobtainium, kinda like those Brazillian and Aussie GMT400 headlights.

wanna hear someting real Al? Just tonight me and deejaa were talking about his Aussie headlight detup.....LOL....no joke. he never put them in!!!!!
 
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