1a. Taking out the stock headlight...
1a. Taking out the stock headlight unit is pretty straightforward with the removal of three 10mm bolts. It's a little easier to access these bolts if you first take out the lower light assembly (1a)
1b. ...by first removing the...
1b. ...by first removing the #10 Torx screw holding it in place (inset). Once the bolts are out, a firm tug on the lights removes them from their pockets, the bulbs unplug or pop out with a twist, and everything comes out easily (1b).
2. These lights are pretty...
2. These lights are pretty much plug-and-play. The only wiring involves tapping the LED turn signals into the stock turn-signal wires with a couple of wire taps. Once hooked up, the LEDs will flash in sync with the incandescent front marker lights.
3. Once the LEDs are spliced...
3. Once the LEDs are spliced in, the rest of the lights in the unit can be plugged in. All of the stock headlight sockets plug right into the back of the unit. There is no need to use your stock bulbs or buy new ones, as bulbs are included with the set.
4. After all of the electrical...
4. After all of the electrical components were hooked up, we hit the lights to make sure everything worked properly. The halos were nice and bright, and all the other lights lit up as expected.
5. The only problem we ran...
5. The only problem we ran into during the install was this little ball stud (circle). It has a cone-shaped socket on the end of it that plugs into a hole in the truck's sheetmetal. This is like a centering pin that replaces a bolt. The problem is the new stud is about 3/4-inch longer than stock and would not let the light seat fully in the pocket. We simply removed the cone-shaped socket (inset) and let the stud pop into the hole.
6. With the socket removed,...
6. With the socket removed, the light can be placed into the truck to check for proper fitment. A small gap between the fender and the side of the light is closed by turning the lower adjustment screw on the backside of the light (inset).
7. With everything fitting...
7. With everything fitting like a charm, the three 10mm bolts retained from the stock lights secure the new headlights in place. The attached rubber gaskets popped into the sheetmetal.
I Can See Clearly Now!
Once the sun set, we finally got a chance to test the light output of our new lights. Needless to say, it was pretty refreshing to be able to see at night. The light output is pretty amazing, and the road gets lit up like never before. After installing the lights, we realized we needed to install an inline resistor for the LED turn signals. Without the resistors, the signals flash ultrafast due to the lower resistance in the LEDs. A quick order to an online store and everything was fixed. Overall, this is a pretty cool and simple modification that really has a big impact on the looks and functionality of the truck.