What years had quad GLASS sealed beam headlights?

[DennisT]

I like so many of you, am dealing with headlight improvements. My 1996 GMC SLE K1500 needs to shed it's composite headlights in favor of actual glass sealed beams of some kind. I really don't want to go back to the late '80's base model two headlight front end. Yet, I'd also like replaceable bulbs in those glass envelopes. So from reading a LOT of posts and doing searches, am I close in thinking that 1998 and 1999, (ONLY), offered Quad, glass headlights? (As in: four separate glass sealed beams-2 high-2 low.)
And, if so, is the grill in those 2 years unique to that front end? (Read: if I found quad glass front end lighting I better get the grill too because it's the only one that will fit?????)
Thanks, Dennis

 

[df2x4]

The quad sealed beams were '88 and '89 only I believe. You don't need to swap grilles if you already have the composites, the quads will fit your '96 grille.

 

[DennisT]

Ahhh. Thank you. So that pins down the years. And, it never occurred to me that the 88/89 square body front would be interchangeable with my 1996. At least lights/grill anyway. I've decided that the best options for good lighting would be to get the economy base model single glass sealed beam front parts. Seems that lamp housing size offered more optional lamps. The quad, smaller envelope glass housings I understand to have fewer options to really, "get the light out there," because of their smaller physical dimensions and their engineering didn't work as well. Still, I think the look good.
Wonder how long it will take me to find glass quad parts..............................
And...THEN, what to put in them......................

 

[618 Syndicate]

88/89 is squarebody for crew cabs, blazers and burbs. Trucks are GMT 400's. The headlights you're looking for are 88/89 truck, any except crew cab.

 

[df2x4]

If you're just looking for glass lenses with replaceable bulbs and don't mind the look of the composites otherwise, Spyder makes a composite housing with glass lenses. Part number HD-YD-CCK88-C. They appear to be out of stock in most places right now though.

www.amazon.com/Spyder-Auto-Chrome-Crystal-Headlight/dp/B004WMF8SG

If you prefer the look of the quads but still want replaceable bulbs and glass lenses, LMC Truck sells a set of custom lights for the quad housings that take 9005/9006 bulbs.

https://www.lmctruck.com/1988-98-chevy-gmc/headlight/cd-1988-98-custom-headlights-150mm

 

[df2x4]

At least lights/grill anyway. I've decided that the best options for good lighting would be to get the economy base model single glass sealed beam front parts.

This is definitely the case. If you can stand the look of the W/T grille with a single 5"x7" headlight on each side, it opens you up to a bunch of great LED headlight upgrades which are miles ahead of anything available for the other grille/headlight styles because the housings are designed for LEDs from the ground up. The TruckLite 27450Cs for example.

www.amazon.com/Truck-Lite-27450C-Headlamp/dp/B007ED7HNY

 

[sweetk30]

And the 4 tiny glass units have weak useable light beam . Lots of people are always looking for upgrades over them tiny lights . So plan your options good .

I had a square body truck with the 4 light swapped in from a 90 blazer . Loved the look but night time sucked . I swapped in the bigger 4 light front from 81-87 and much better even on just low beam .

 

[badco]

I put 88 lights in my 94 and they was nice and bright. My 96 I use auxbeam leds for bulbs and have the glass lights you get off ebay

 

[Frank Enstein]

If you end up with 88/89 quads the high beam 4701 will need new connectors but the 9006 plug will go on the low beam 4703 bulb. It's not supposed to fit but it does and IMHO it is much more secure.

Do install relays if you use a conventional bulb. LED bulbs don't need them.

The 4 HI mod can actually make it harder to see due to too much foreground lighting.
This causes the iris to constrict and reduces our eyes ability to see down range .

I converted Frank to these because my world's cheapest/crappiest composite headlights could not be properly aimed. I wanted to be able to aim the lows and the highs separately.

The LED replacement 6054 single rectangular headlamps go from awful to awesome so look for ones with a proper pattern.

If you live somewhere it snows make sure to get the units with a built in heater! Bring your wallet for good ones.

If you choose the H4 halogen 6054 replacements this one isn't quite legal for anything but motorcycles, but according to Daniel Stern lighting this is 1 step down from the ultra expensive and difficult to find Cibie headlights for beam pattern.

Hella 003427011 Hella Vision Plus Conversion Headlights | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Hella Vision Plus Conversion Headlights with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Sealed Beam Headlight Conversions at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I put these in my wife's Astro two years ago and there is a tremendous increase in clarity vs. standard H6054 bulbs.

Choose a bulb that is listed as an HB2 bulb.

Don't fall for the "Bluer is Better" nonsense. A 3200K to 4000K color light is easier for our eyes to see by.

Above around 4500K the blue light produced actually focuses in front of our retina making the image in our eyes out of focus.

This also increases glare and eye strain and can be noticed as excessively bright reflections from road signs.

Too bright reflections can also happen with poorly focused headlamp housings due to improper filament location or bad optics. Couple that with a "Bluer is Better" bulb and you won't like driving at night one bit.

The blue coated bulbs actually reduce the output of the bulb. The ones I put in my composite headlamp housings were awful until the paint burned off and suddenly I could see!

An H4 bulb's filament isn't placed as precisely as an HB2 which will alter the beam cutoff as well as the down road vision.

An HB2 bulb can also be listed as an H4 or a 9003 bulb but not all H4/9003 bulbs are HB2 bulbs!

These are among the best.

Philips Auto Lighting 9003XVB2 Philips X-tremeVision Headlight Bulbs | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Philips X-tremeVision Headlight Bulbs with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Light Bulbs at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

The blue band at the tip of the bulb is there to reduce the output of the bulb because it produced too many lumens to be a legal HB2 bulb!

The blue is not in an area that reflects off the back of the housing so it doesn't affect the focus of the headlamp assembly.

I have poor night vision so I did a fair bit of research on the subject so hopefully this will be a help to you.

If you want to learn WAY too much about automotive headlamps and lighting in general, you can go to the Candlepower Forum and Daniel Stern Lighting.

Make a pot of coffee and bring a Snickers or two. You're gonna be there a while.

 

[DennisT]

Wow. A lot of good information coming in on this thread. Thank you. Several things: first,yes, I did check out the Candlepower forum. I'll work with that later, thank you.
Next, sweetK30 said, "I swapped in the bigger 4 light front from 81-87 and much better even on just low beam ." SO...those are 4 glass 5x7 sealed beams? If so, I'm thinking that is the best possible of all lighting set ups. IF, one can get the pieces to fit whatever one is working on and is happy with the appearance. Four, (4), 5x7's could potentially provide two complete sets of high quality lighting. It would also fulfill the educated recommendations of several of you here as well as the suggestions of Daniel Stern Lighting, for staying with 5x7 glass lamps. (I had great luck with DSLighting for our '99 Cherokee several years ago and have checked in with him this week again on my GMC).
But......would an 81-87 set-up even fit my 1996 GMC K1500 SLE?
In the next few days I'll have my truck back inside and it will be there for several weeks while I finish a lot of little things it needs. Good time to address grill/lighting, etc. I can take my time. I'm not keeping these original composites. It was a flawed design from the start. I'd like to avoid the single 5x7, "base model," trim with the single headlight on each side, (called, "W/T," grill?? what's that mean?). So I have to look at the quads with the, "little," glass sealed beams. ( OH....can anyone give me the size of those little rectangular sealed beams???? ) Or, move farther back to the 81-87 full four 5x7's.......if that is even possible.
'Nuff for now.... Thank you all again.