WhiteOut Posted February 24, 2005 Report Posted February 24, 2005 Yesterday I tried to find a definitive answer to whether or not it was possible to upgrade mini-quads to use Silverstar bulbs. And while I did find a lot of useful info, I also found a bunch of crap that was misleading or just plain wrong. So, with that in mind I set out to do the upgrade and I hope that by writting these instructions at least one other person will find this post helpful. So here goes.... You'll need: -Silverstar 9006 low beam headlamps or 9005 high beam lamps -High Temp RTV sealant -T-15 Torx screwdriver -flathead screwdriver You may want: -Sylvania H4351 headlight assembly 1. Remove headlight assembly from car. On a Cutlass this simply involves removing the plastic suround by popping out the three plastic anchors with the flathead screw drive and then a single T-15 screw on the top of the headlight. 2. Pray to god that you have Sylvania replacement lamp assembly's installed. If you do all you need to do here is simply twist the bulb out of the socket. Its held in place by RTV sealant and can be hard to turn at first, but it only takes about a 1/3 of a turn to come loose. If you have OEM lamp assembly's installed you'll have to cut the bulb to remove it from the assembly. Either way its not too much work. 3. You'll now need to grind down the tangs on the outside rim of the replacement Silverstar bulbs. I used a bench grinder for the task, but I would imagine a file, rasp or dremel would work just as well. 4. The hole on the inside of the lamp assembly will need to be bored out slightly to accomodate the Silverstar bulbs. The fit on my Sylvania lamps was VERY tight, so minimal work with a rasp enabled me to slip the bulbs in without any interference. You may or may not need to do this depending on what assembly your car has installed. 5. Load up the inside edge of the lamp assembly with high temp RTV sealant where you will be attaching the bulb. 6. Slap the bulb in place pressing down evenly. When your happy with how its seated simply put a bead of RTV around the joint to assure a good seal. 7. Wait overnight or at least a couple hours for the RTV sealant to dry to your satisfaction and slap those bad boys back in. 8. The payoff. Please ignore the dirt on my car...it is winter afterall. Silverstar dim headlamp Normal halogne bright headlamp with Silverstar dim installed. I'll post more pictures of the process, and possibly some better shots of the lights themselves once I do the brights later this weekend. Hope that helped some. Quote
Brian P Posted February 24, 2005 Report Posted February 24, 2005 what the heck are you grinding and boring out? I'm confused. I put the silverstars in my headlights (sylvanias), and it was literally pop-out, pop-in. I didn't even put sealant on it because the O-ring kept the bulb snug and in place. It was literally a 5 minute job for me. Quote
terryk2003 Posted February 24, 2005 Report Posted February 24, 2005 what the heck are you grinding and boring out? I'm confused. I put the silverstars in my headlights (sylvanias), and it was literally pop-out, pop-in. I didn't even put sealant on it because the O-ring kept the bulb snug and in place. It was literally a 5 minute job for me. :withstupid: ...i DID use sealant on mine...but it only took like 10-15 minutes...i didnt have to grind anything down... :? Quote
LukeZ34 Posted February 24, 2005 Report Posted February 24, 2005 There's a better picture of the difference in bulbs. Quote
WhiteOut Posted February 24, 2005 Author Report Posted February 24, 2005 what the heck are you grinding and boring out? I'm confused. I put the silverstars in my headlights (sylvanias), and it was literally pop-out, pop-in. I didn't even put sealant on it because the O-ring kept the bulb snug and in place. It was literally a 5 minute job for me. The hole in the headlight assembly wasn't quite large enough for the bulbs to fit through with out a bit of grinding on the inside of the hole. I guess I figured it was smarter to do a bit of grinding/filing than risk breaking a $20 headlamp by forcing it to fit. I would whether you have to do grinding or not will probably depend on what brand of aftermarket lamp assembly you have, I had Sylvania's that I put in last summer. Quote
HokemBokem Posted February 24, 2005 Report Posted February 24, 2005 So how much do these cost? 20 bucks a light? Quote
5speedz34 Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 So how much do these cost? 20 bucks a light? IIRC: $25 around here. Quote
terryk2003 Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 So how much do these cost? 20 bucks a light? IIRC: $25 around here. yep...the silverstar bulbs are about $25 each... Quote
Brian P Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 I'll have to take pics one day. The silverstars sit in the housing exactly like the "Original" bulbs did. On a side note I just put in those silverstar amber signal bulbs. If you don't care about your signal lights looking "purple" when off, don't waste your money. Quote
terryk2003 Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 On a side note I just put in those silverstar amber signal bulbs. If you don't care about your signal lights looking "purple" when off, don't waste your money. ...i have those too...that was actually one of my first mods...AND...while they look kinda neat when they're off (chromish, bluish, purple look)...they look like normal amber bulbs when on...i really don't think they're worth the $20 i paid for em...thats just my opinion though... :? Quote
Brian P Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Oh u paid for em.... ....well some people noticed a difference, but if you compare light output to a NEW amber bulb, it's exactly the same. Then again the package doesn't claim it's brighter. Quote
Cornerdealy Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 so basically if i buy the new sylvania housings and silverstar bulbs all i have to do is put the bulbs in the housings and then put the new housings in where the old ones were? It's all just basically replacement? Are the housings the same for the hi and lo beams? Quote
EurosportZ34 Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 so basically if i buy the new sylvania housings and silverstar bulbs all i have to do is put the bulbs in the housings and then put the new housings in where the old ones were? It's all just basically replacement? Are the housings the same for the hi and lo beams? this is all confusing me a little but i think you are right Quote
WhiteOut Posted February 25, 2005 Author Report Posted February 25, 2005 so basically if i buy the new sylvania housings and silverstar bulbs all i have to do is put the bulbs in the housings and then put the new housings in where the old ones were? It's all just basically replacement? Are the housings the same for the hi and lo beams? Correct, its pretty much a simple bulb swap if you have Sylvania housings. And yes, the housing for the high and low beams are exactly the same, they just use differant bulbs. Quote
supreme_style21 Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 You guys should throw up a picture of those amber bulbs... I wanna see how they look in there when they're off. Quote
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