How To: Pre-98 Camaro Headlight Upgrade

[RadRacer]

It seems to me that people lately have been asking about upgrading their lights on their pre-98 Camaro. I wanted to do it as well, and finally took the plunge. It was very easy to do, and figured I'd let everyone else know how I did it.

Things Needed:
New Bulbs (9006 for low beam, 9005 for high) (Price Varies),
High Temp Silicone ($2-$3),
Various Tools (Star-bit Driver, Flathead driver, pliers, etc)

1- First thing you need to do is buy the bulbs and silicone :P. I personally bought Silvania SilverStar Ultras, which are supposed to be hella bright :D, but any 9006/9005 bulb should do. Right now, Advanced Auto Parts has the regular SilverStars on sale (20% off, I believe). You also need to pick up some high-temp silicone to seal the bulbs up. I bought some RTV Gasket Maker, Ultra Black for $2. Get the smallest tube you can, since you only need to go around the base of each bulb once.



2- OK, time to uninstall the old lights. They're simply held in by two star bit screws. I'm not too sure on the size of the bit (warn off of my bits), but it's fairly small. Once you get the screws undone, the retaining plate will swing outwards and slide out. You can then pull the old light housing out and unplug it from the rear. The low beams are the lights towards the outside, and the high beams are the lights towards the center.

[RadRacer]

Re: How To: Pre-98 Camaro Headlight Upgrade

Here's what the sealed beam should look like:

[RadRacer]

Re: How To: Pre-98 Camaro Headlight Upgrade

3- This was the hardest part of the install for me: Taking out the old bulbs. People have said to put a set of pliers on them and twist and they come right off.....I'm still trying to figure out how to get a set of pliers on the bulb's base :P. What I did was take a small flathead screwdriver and pry upwards. Like I said, this is the hardest part, so it may take some time. Once you get the base broken free, the bulb will pull right out.


(Mine got abit bent when I pulled it out, I'm just tossing them, so it didn't matter)
I had replaced one of my low beams before with a Silvania Sealed beam replacement, and to me, it appeared as if the bulb could pull right out since it had a rubber ring like surrounding it that you could rotate. Turns out I was right; Give the bulb a good twist to break it free , then line up the tabs on the rubber ring and the bulb and it'll pull right out (a hell of alot easier then my other light). I'm assuming normal 9006 bulbs should just slide right back in there and then you can put abit of silicone on them and re secure them with the ring, but my SilverStar Ultras had a bigger base that wouldn't let me re-use the rubber ring. My solution: pull it off :P.

4- Now, you should clean up the housing where the new bulb will go. I took my flathead screwdriver again and scraped away all the major chunks of glue. Then, I took some sandpaper and sanded the rest off the best I could.
Here's what mine looked like when I first pulled the bulb out:


5- Now, you're ready to put the new bulbs in. Open up the package and the silicone. When you pull the bulbs out, be careful not to touch them, since the grease from your fingers can cause them to burn out. Take the silicone and go around the base of the bulb. Make sure you get a nice, even, and fairly thick layer, since you don't want any water to get in there.

[RadRacer]

Re: How To: Pre-98 Camaro Headlight Upgrade

6- Insert the bulb into the housing, being careful not to get silicone everywhere :P. It should "snap" in there and be held in tight.


7- Take an old rag or towel and wipe off the excess silicone and smooth it out around the base, making sure there are no holes.



8- Repeat for the other headlight.

9- Now, it's time to let them dry. My silicone claimed to take 1hr to cure, then 24 to fully dry. I figured I'd let it cure, then install and let it finish drying in the car.

10- Re-install...pretty simple. Take the new lights and plug them in, then slide them into their little "cubbies." On my car, it's easier if you put the retaining plate back on, but hold it swung out, and then slide the new housing in. Getting the lights back into place can be abit difficult, but they will go. Once they're back in the right spot, put the two screws back in, stand back and admire your work. Let them finish drying (if necessary) before you turn them on. Once they're dry, go out for a drive at night and be amazed at how much better you can see now.

New Light Installed:

[RadRacer]

Re: How To: Pre-98 Camaro Headlight Upgrade

Driver's Side during day:


Passenger's Side during day:

(I know it's upside down. The plug wouldn't fit facing the other direction)

I'll get some night pictures once it gets dark. These things blind me right now

[RadRacer]

Re: How To: Pre-98 Camaro Headlight Upgrade

OK, it's 9 o'clock here, so I figured I'd grab a shot of the lights.

Before:


After:



As usual, the pictures don't do it justice. These things are BRIGHT! Here's my favorite pic :D