Firebird/Formula/Trans Am Headlight Removal...6LE?

WS.666 · 10-25-2009, 09:47 PM

I'm planning on removing my stock Fog Lights and installing some long range housings/bulbs. This will eliminate the need for my headlights. I was thinking, could something be fabbed that mounted in place of the headlights that maintained the same look on the outside. I think they would have to have some sort of adjustment for the "cover".

Pros:
- Save Weight for Track Only cars or cars that have "headlights" in place of their fogs.
- Won't have to worry about motors or gears going bad.
- Can lean on them without having to worry about bending cover or throwing it out of alignment

Cons:
- Police may pull you over for no headlights if you're running on the headlight/fogs...technically not legal to do so (I don't think), but if you can see and the area in front of you is significantly illuminated, no one should give you any trouble.

Does 6LE want to give this a shot?

Just an idea...let me know what you guys think.

hitmanws6 · 10-25-2009, 10:08 PM

knowing him and everything he is working on this probably wont happen for 2 reasons. the demand wouldn't be there and there are too many projects he is working on right now to start something new. Myself and a lot of people thought the Dual Exhaust Valance for Camaros would be huge, but in the end he barely got the 10 he made sold.

Spd-Kilz · 10-25-2009, 10:12 PM

I don't quite see the point if your lights will never be popped...?

Lotus289 · 10-25-2009, 10:19 PM

One thing I think you might run into is the light projection. My understanding is your basically gonna wire up Flood Lights? Those don't have a directional 'fire' so to speak. Stock headlights have the chrome reflectors in the back that throw the light forward and straight. Flood Lights just kinda throw the light in a huge circular pattern.

I could be completely wrong and it might work. If it were me I'd rig up the light you're trying to put into the car and see how it looks before you start a huge project. ...just my .02

xXxSilveradoxXx · 10-26-2009, 01:03 AM

I'm installing some KC long range lights in my WS.6, I should have a write-up for it by Halloween. I don't plan on using them for driving lights because, like Lotus289 said, there will be no peripheral lighting.

As far as not having your headlights pop up you could strip the lights (bulbs) and whatever else you can think of. Then lower them and disconnect the headlight door motors. If you want to use your fogs as headlights just connect your low beam wires to your fog lights and you'll be set. The thing is you won't have high beams and you won't have a good spread of light.

6LITEREATER · 10-26-2009, 01:17 AM

Actually, I did this with my 1995 LT1. I LOVE the way that car looked but HATED it with the lights up. It KILLED the looks.

All I did was take the fogs out and put round halogen lights in their place, hyperwhites. Worked fine.

Never got pulled over but I could easily see it happening, coming down the road it does NOT look like headlights (even though it lights enough of the area up).

McNord@6LE · 10-26-2009, 02:31 AM

I think your headlights are supposed to be a specific distance from the ground. I know there is a lot of leaway, but I think your foglight hole is too low..... atleast to even pretend its legal. Would look cool though.

02TransAm/Batmobile · 10-26-2009, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WS.666

I'm planning on removing my stock Fog Lights and installing some long range housings/bulbs. This will eliminate the need for my headlights. I was thinking, could something be fabbed that mounted in place of the headlights that maintained the same look on the outside. I think they would have to have some sort of adjustment for the "cover".

Pros:
- Save Weight for Track Only cars or cars that have "headlights" in place of their fogs.
- Won't have to worry about motors or gears going bad.
- Can lean on them without having to worry about bending cover or throwing it out of alignment

Cons:
- Police may pull you over for no headlights if you're running on the headlight/fogs...technically not legal to do so (I don't think), but if you can see and the area in front of you is significantly illuminated, no one should give you any trouble.

Does 6LE want to give this a shot?

Just an idea...let me know what you guys think.

I'm exactly in the same boat as you. I don't use my high/low beams and would like to toss the whole assembly to save weight. I took it apart and that thing was heavy as hell! Maybe 8-10 lbs per headlight! That with the front support brace and air pump I removed I could lose 36 lbs off the front! I didn't think about takin out the assembly and mocking up some thing to hold the head light lens in place. I was, however, thinking about fabbing up some projectors on the frame in place of the high/low beams and making a clear headlight lens and VHT paint over it so it'll look stock.

Spartan7 · 10-26-2009, 06:50 AM

It is definitely illegal to roll around with only fog lights on at night. The headlights have to be a certain distance off the ground (around 22", states differ), and they must be at the far ends of the front of the vehicle.

I agree that the popped headlights kinda takes away from the smooth lines of our front ends, but nobody can really see your car that well at night anyway. I'd say go for it if you want though, I'd be interested to see the setup.

ZexGX · 10-26-2009, 05:21 PM

I would only do this on a track car (because removing your headlights is very illegal), and I would fab up a projector unit to fit in the foglight housing. The weight savings would be minimal because you're just moving high powered lights from above to down below. The weight difference could be made up by just the heavier gauge wiring, custom mounts and shields, and the HID ballasts. Since you are keeping the stock headlight covers and adjustment points, it would be more cost effective to keep most of the stock bracketry, and that's a lot of weight right there.

I have aftermarket halogen driving lights in my Formula bumper and they provide peripheral lighting due to the bumper design. Unfortunately they do not have a cutoff point so they would just blind oncoming drivers if they had anything brighter than a 55w halogen bulb. I had to use them in a pinch when I had no headlights, but I would not recommend it on a TA bumper or a street driven car.

Detoxx03 · 10-26-2009, 10:42 PM

I wouldn't recommend it on a street car

ikaros23 · 10-26-2009, 11:38 PM

I'm trying to fabricate some lightweight aluminum brackets to replace the heavy one of the headlights. it's a large plastic thing that holds both pop up housings with their motors and the bumper itself. that thing alone weight around 20 pounds.