You should get custom light covers that have ... eyeballs.. or... something on them... custom... like your cars name if you did that...

 

I was thinking the same thing originally, but as one of my first mods, I might swap the chrome frame around the grill for an all black one. Haven't decided yet though.

 

Okay, I may be way out of line, but what about the driving lights that are sold at some of the local auto parts stores for $50. 95% of the time the lights are used for decorative purposes only.

 

I had wanted driving lights for the last three months but was reluctant to spend $850 at the dealer for the lights. I was not convinced I wanted the lights that bad. Saw several posts about lights at Wal Mart. I got lucky and bought two Hella 500s for $20 at Wal Mart. This was a mark down from about $60 because they were rearranging shelves and marking down prices. Right place at the right time - doesn't happen often. Purchased two brackets from VIP for $75. Installed the brackets and lights myself. Followed Daniel Stern's recommendation and rewired the wiring harness so that the wires from the battery to the relay, the relay to the lights, and the lights to ground were all 12 gauge. Spent another $20 dollars on 12 gauge wiring, terminals, shrink tubing, etc. Without a manual, I could not figure out how to run the switch wiring from the engine compartment through the firewall into the car. I could see the grommet but was unable to figure out how to access it without possibly destroying some of the trim. I finally gave up and followed a recommendation someone posted and took the car to a stereo shop. The tech finished the wiring and installed the switch for $89. In and out in 90 minutes. Had I been smart enough or experienced enough, I might have been able to beat Crashton's final cost, recognizing I got very fortunate with the Wal Mart sale. Unfortunately, I was neither. I am very happy with the final result. Regards,

 

Thanks for the input GeorgeG. I think I will go with the inexpensive lights and have someone else perform the installation.

 

I kind of like the throw back to the old school rally look, but I too didn't want to spend $680 at the dealer for decorations (wow, $850???). They really are decorations only, but I liked them, but I'd also rather have money go to something a little more permanent.

George- can you post pics?

RIght now, I've changed again and am going without rallys- going for a clean look on my car(originally had bonnets- none now), but might change my mind if your setup looks good, although I think rallys look best with bonnet stripes.

Who knew designing this car would be so challenging?

 

Thanks for the opinion. I ordered on 9/3 and made sure to get chrome lamps with black covers.

 

Are the factory driving lights far superior to lights one can purchase at local auto stores?

 

I think you will be sorry that you got those inexpensive $50 ones. Mounting them without drilling into the body is nearly impossible. The OEMs come with very specific brackets which bolts thru the grille to the radiator mounts, a modified front grille, relay, connectors, harness, fuse block and and a color matched switch panel that replaces a piece of your dash. In the long run you only get what you pay for.

 

Hi Dwell, I have taken the pictures but am struggling to attach them to this post. I am computer challenged. When I try to attach the photos I am told the 6 mb file sizes are too large. When my teenage son gets home I will ask him for help.

Although my lights are completely functional, they are mainly decorative.
Consequently, I hesitated to pay the dealer's asking price. I read Crashton's post about installing his lights and thought it would be a fun challenge to try and beat his final cost. Although I failed in that quest, my total cost of less than $220 is significantly less than the dealers quote of $850. The back of my lights are flat black plastic, so they don't look as good as all chrome. If I decide later I have to have chrome lights I can simply disconnect the existing lights and mount new chrome lights on the brackets. As far as functionality, I believe a 55watt driving light by one manufacturer produces as much light as a 55 watt light produced by a different manufacturer. Could be some differences in the quality of the lens through which the beam is projected but I would not know how to measure that or the significance. The Hella lights are about 1" larger in diameter than the PIAA 540s. I would have preferred the smaller lights but they would have cost much more. The brackets from VIP mount to the same locations as the factory brackets. I can't talk to differences in quality between the different brackets.

I'm thinking about using the savings to buy stripes from Cooper Flags. Regards, George

 

Dwell, Let's see if this works.

 

George. Thanks for going to the trouble to post those pics. The lights look really nice. This is definitely going into my list of things to do.

 

Hi Dwell, Still trying to figure out how to maximize the pixels per picture but I have attached several more pictures. One shows one of the brackets and the mounting location. Another picture shows the back of one of the lights with black plastic casing and wiring connectors. Regards, George

 

I would never pay 800 bucks for a set of dinky lights. The Hellas look decent enough.

 

what is the full VIP site?

 

VIP - www.vipcustomparts.com Located in Phoenix. They shipped the parts quickly. Also, check out outmotoring, they sell a different style bracket. I went with VIP because their price was slightly cheaper.

 

Darn I just made an order from outmotoring.....

I'll check both out.