tman12345

I bought a kit for strobe lights and you are supposed to drill holes in the headlight for the bulbs to push in through. Has anyone done this. Someone told me if i had sealed headlights to not do it, but i don't even know what sealed headlights are.

the_ocho

sealed headlights are sealed. the head light is actually a bulb.. if you can replace your bulb with say a 9004 and not the whole headlight then its not sealed.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

sealed beam headlights are lights where you swap the entire light assembly out... not just the bulb...

and that person was right... dont drill into a sealed beam headlight...

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Sealed beam headlights are made entirely of glass, case and all. I don't think you could drill into it even if you wanted.

tman12345

so if i can pull just the bulb out then it not sealed and I can drill it?

abecedarian

if you can remove the bulb, it's not considered a sealed-beam. the term sealed beam refers to having the filament(s) permanently sealed in the housing.
you can drill into them with little problem if you drill with the proper bit, typically diamond-abrasive, and do not try to force the bit through the glass. otherwise the stress will fracture and/or shatter the housing. there have been some polycarbonate (lexan) sealed beams made but they're rare.
even if you have the polycarbonate housing, you have to be careful drilling it. in my experience, the best way is to start with a very small bit, and very little pressure, then use progressively larger bits.

93toyrunner

yes that is correct

surf4runner

yes.
you dont want to let the 'magic illuminating gas' out of a sealed beam or it no worky anymore.

but it doesnt mean youll be sucessful in drilling it

carbide tip bit(or whatever they sell for glass), go slow! or youll be replacing the lamp...

iamsuperbleeder

I'm surprised no one has asked this yet

why are you installing strobes?

in your Runner?

abecedarian

to help pump the bass

iamsuperbleeder

I though maybe it added HP, but then I though about it, and if he just wanted to do that, he'd install a ground effects kit instead...

shancerlelby

trail police. it helps get those pos chevys and fords out of your way

Mic09dcsm

desconhecido

If you find that your headlights have removable bulbs, do not touch them with your bare fingers or they will burn out shortly. Use a paper towel or something or be very careful.

ovrrdrive

Even most sealed beams still have sealed bulbs in them. When I just changed out my headlights last week they had been in there so long that the front glass was actually off on the passenger side. The only thing holding it together was the retaining ring. The bulb still worked, but the light output from it was terrible due to moisture and dirt inside the lens.

Would I drill into them to install a strobe then?

Probably not. If you want to do it that badly see the headlight conversion thread that should still be on the front page. get a set of the ebay H4 housings and drill your heart out. I'm pretty sure the housings are metal so you should be able to drill right through them.

They also sell a set of diamond coated carbide drill bits at Harbor Freight for drilling glass. I'd use them in a drill press though and not in a hand drill...

X-AWDriver

When would you use strobes? School parking lots? Car shows?

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

he already answered that...

tman12345

my friend had them on his truck and he got some other set os he gave them to me, so I said what the hell i'll put them on.

Fink

The strobe kits we have at the Fire Department don't require any drilling at all.
Every state has its own laws so you might want to check your local statutes and be sure there is nothing that prohibits you from having them.

What kind of kit is it? Does it have a standalone power supply and control panel?

Fink

ovrrdrive

I've started to mount a set of those several times. Which ones are you getting?