EL CAMINO Questions about HID conversions

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GBodyVillain

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jan 4, 2021
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Hi. I'm new to this forum and I know this subject has been beaten to death like a birthday pinata but I'd like to still take a couple swings with my broom handle. Tried searching google and the forum search function but not really finding the exact info I'm looking for. Maybe I just suck at google-fu. Anyhow I'm lookin to do an HID conversion on my 85 elky. I'm a pretty big noob when it comes to electrical stuff, after beating it with a hammer for a few minutes I'm out of most of my options. I'm looking at some Hella 4x6 housings after seeing mister pontiacgp post about them several times on this forum (hoping he may chime in as I'm mostly curious about his setup) and I'm curious as to what housings im suppose to get. Am I suppose to get 2 H4 housings and a pair of H1 housings?

As for the ballasts and relays I'll need, am I going to need a ballast for each bulb? I'd assume so, pair of 35W and a pair of 55W ballasts for the hi/lo and hi respectively. Do I need 4 relays, a relay for each side or even just 1 relay? Was lookin' at painless relay harnesses but they were just something that caught my eye during my searches. Also it would be nice to be close to plug and play if possible, I like to leave the option of reverting things to stock even though I don't ever plan on it. I just find it a fun challenge with certain things to make modifications revertable. I don't mind cutting wires and such if required but I'd just like to know my options.

Also no, I don't wanna go to better halogens. I already have all 4 replaced with some sylvanias and they're still lacking in light output, especially with modern oncoming traffic drowning out my beams with their insane output.
 

fleming442

Captain Tenneal
Dec 26, 2013
13,046
24,214
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I have Hella 4x6s in the low beam holes with OSRAM H4 bulbs. I moved the old sealed low beams to the high beam holes. There are relays to supply full battery voltage and I upgraded the ground by the horn. Honestly, I hardly even get to use the high beams.
Personally, I am no fan of HIDs. Too many components to fail with no real way to troubleshoot outside of part replacement ticked me off. Some say they've gotten better, but LEDs are where it's at.
 
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Doug Chahoy

Comic Book Super Hero
Nov 21, 2016
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I went with LEDs that are like modern headlights. They don’t look wierd, were strctly ply-play. Everything needed was in the plug in wiring. Glass housings. Drivers side is LED passenger side is new halogen.
 

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GBodyVillain

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jan 4, 2021
28
16
3
I was also looking at going the LED route but was finding discussions about legality and problems with them not working properly in conversion housings either being too dim or the beam pattern getting messed up if I understood correctly. Honestly if I can go the LED route and get good performance with little to no headache I may just do that. May go together with the digit-tails LED brake lights im looking at. I'd just like to keep light temprature down to a color that doesn't look super obvious that it's been modified like those blue headlights I always see. I also don't use my high beams much even though they offer great visibility as is in my neck of the woods. Just kinda forget I can use them.
 

mclellan83

Comic Book Super Hero
Jun 27, 2017
4,201
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Pgh, PA
I went with 2 types of LED for my setup, as stated before I really don't ever need to go to the high beams. If you do the outer style it has both low and high built into them, you most times have to repin them to get them to work correctly
20170511_182231.JPG
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303'505rollin

G-Body Guru
Sep 4, 2020
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Colorado2newmexico
Does anyone have the style that has the ring of LEDs that color match you ride? Been seeing those alot on older impala's and some G bodys but don't know how they function with the light fully on. Out here in the Mora valley its really dark and deer and elk are everywhere at night I need to blind them WAY before I get to them. So I'm looking for style and effectiveness
 
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mclellan83

Comic Book Super Hero
Jun 27, 2017
4,201
9,300
113
Pgh, PA
Does anyone have the style that has the ring of LEDs that color match you ride? Been seeing those alot on older impala's and some G bodys but don't know how they function with the light fully on. Out here in the Mora valley its really dark and deer and elk are everywhere at night I need to blind them WAY before I get to them. So I'm looking for style and effectiveness
My inner's have an RGB that you can customize to any color you want
 

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