One thing to remember here,

A good H4 lens will add a better beam pattern but if you're still using a 60/55W bulb it will never come close to the light output of a GOOD LED. To get anywhere near that kind of output with an H4 system you need to be using bulbs that are closer to the 100/90w range. Even what you see in the second video above is still a 60/55W bulb. It is important to remember that with every step up in wattage the bulb life will be decreased and bulb coatings will reduce it even more.

Some say that 100/90w bulbs are too much for the street and will blind oncoming drivers.
That is true if you are using an aftermarket DOT approved lense.
ECE lenses have a very sharp and defined cutoff. Even with my 100/90W bulbs and Cibie ECE lenses I don't get flashed by oncoming drivers much at all. It does take quite a bit of re-aiming to achieve it. I've only used them in 2WD vehicles and I've noticed there's a fine line between aimed too high blinding the oncoming drivers and down too low. In a 4WD vehicle the problem of blinding oncoming drivers is worse because the headlight is much closer to your average drivers eye level. That makes lens pattern (ECE-DOT) choice and aiming the headlights even more critical.

I've turned my lights off when I'm following behind newer cars and watched what happened. It became obvious when looking at the signs on the edge of the road are better lit when I had my lights on. Once again this is despite the cars in front of me lighting them up.
Below note how the light goes upward on the right side with the E-Code headlights vs. the DOT sealed beam.




ECE Pattern

 

Consider your lens choice wisely. Exactly what do you want to see more of?

The following is taken from http://www.headlightservices.com/FAQs.html and slightly modified.
There are four basic differences between Hella Vision Plus DOT and a Cibie / Hella ECE/E-code lamps.



First is in the lighting pattern. For us in the US, the regulations date from the 50's. The US DOT mandates a dispersed pattern that puts a percentage of the light output UP and to both sides of the road so that overhead or roadside signs, which may not have other lighting or reflective characteristics, are lit for you. **This is why you get high beams in your face by upset drivers**

The European standard allows all the light to go on the road - they have a law that any overhead or roadside sign has to have it's own, independent lighting or must be highly reflective. So not only is there more light on the road with your low-beams, the high-beams are more precise as well. There is also a triangle of light on the right side to light up roadside signs.

The effect is that the E-code lights (Hella PT#003427861) actually put more light on the road for you to drive with, and offend oncoming traffic MUCH LESS because of the sharp cutoff in the lighting pattern; and all of this with the same wattage lamps as in the US. That's on low beam. Because of the DOT low-beam requirements, and the resulting lens and reflector design, it's impossible to get a good high beam.

Although the Vision Plus (PT#003427291 This is the DOT version) is substantially better than your typical off-the-shelf sealed beam, it's performance falls short of the E-Code/ECE lamp. Again, consider what you want your lights to do best.

The second difference is that the DOT required the lamp to have the three aiming lugs on the face of the lens. This requirement was dropped in the 2000 DOT Standard when visual aiming was approved. The Vision Plus lamps still have the aiming lugs, E-Code lamps do not.

Third, the lamp must have "DOT" molded in the face to confirm that it meets DOT specs. E-Code lamps do not have DOT molded in the lens.

Fourth, the lamp must not have more than 60 watts on high beam and 55 watts on low beam. The Vision Plus comes with a 60/55w H4 bulb in it in order to meet the DOT standard. The E-Code lamps are sold without a bulb because there are many variations in wattage and color available. It is not recommended to put a higher wattage bulb in a Vision Plus (remember the -DOT- spec lens pattern described above) because the light pattern could dazzle oncoming traffic.

If you can upgrade to an E-Code/ECE lamp, then this is the least expensive, easiest and most beneficial upgrade you can make to your forward lighting.

 

Well was able to install headlights with a obvious difference in lighting. The high beams are amazing but low beams are quite dim, I think maybe even dimmer than my sealed beams. I was able to get harness today in mail, so I will install and report back. Odin, I realize what your saying about the bulbs. Like I said I love the high beams but the low beams are definitely something I need to fix. What are the bulbs you use? I will be investing in a set of 90/100's now.

Thanks for your help with this issue and I hope someone else can read this thread and it helps them also!

Woody

 

UPDATEThe bolt that hold the windshield washer reservoir on is not a sufficient ground. Moved the ground to the front corner bolt and system works flawlessly!

Both lights are on but as you can see a noticeable difference between bulbs. Lol nothing is ever easy....... off to autozo to get some h4s till i can get these replaced......

Are these the Narvas your talking about?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NARVA-Standard-H4-12V-100-90W-x2-Bulb-Front-Stock-Lamp-BMW-High-Beam-PWH-/391141726110?hash=item5b11dd179e&vxp=mtr

 

If you purchased the Sealed Beam Replacement Vision X lenses the literature says they are DOT approved-

From above-
The US DOT mandates a dispersed pattern that puts a percentage of the light output UP and to both sides of the road so that overhead or roadside signs, which may not have other lighting or reflective characteristics, are lit for you.

Hella actually recommends you *NOT* install a higher wattage bulb with this type of lens. As you can guess it's probably because of the amount of light that's thrown to the left and upward. Adding a 100/90w bulb to that might get you high beams in your face more than you like. Adjusting the lens down to avoid getting flashed might end up with lights that don't throw down the road enough. It's gunna be a bit of a gamble. Like I mentioned the ECE lenses have a sharper cutoff so you can get away with higher wattage bulbs more often than not.


But you asked-
The Narva 48901 are the bulbs I use and there is no blue on them. They're just an old school bright bulb. There is one ebay seller selling a set of Narva's with the same part number but they are advertising 110/100w on the package and it looks like they have some blue tinting on them.


I probably wouldn't trust an overseas Asian seller because of rampant counterfeiting, but it's your money. For most things lighting I like to use http://store.candlepower.com/h4hb29003bulbs.html or http://www.danielsternlighting.com/p.../products.html. Sternlighting is where I originally got my lenses and bulbs. I don't think it's possible to purchase from him without talking to him a little. He knows a lot about lighting and he sends a quite the long winded generic email. It is good information though.

I used candlepower the last time I needed to replace the bulb in my motorcycle. I just filled out the form and they were here in about one week. I believe they were just a little bit cheaper than sternlighting. About $36 shipped for two 100/90's but it's guaranteed that you'll get Narva OR Philips bulbs form either- FYI -- Philips bought Narva and sometimes sends us Philips 12569RA vice the Narva Brand - both made on the same production line in Germany



Also note what Candlepower says about the bulb-
Narva 48901 / Philips 12569RA 100/90W High Wattage Motorcycle and Off Road Headlamp bulb.

This over wattage bulb is ideal for night-time animal spotting, racing, off-road, farm, and special-service usage. Life hours are 100/150hrs (Hi/lo), but produce 2600/1700 lumen.

Please note that these bulbs are not compatible with stock wiring. Relays and heavy-gauge wiring are necessary.

.

 

While the pic isn't too close I think I can see your positive battery post clamp.
Do you have these clamps on your battery? If so it's time to replace them as the design is junk and should only be used for temporary purposes.




If you have to put new ends on smaller wires with a crimp connector take the plastic end off and use adhesive lined heat shrink tubing on it to help keep moisture out. If you go that far you might as well upgrade to a thicker wire like 8 or 6 awg there too. Like I said, I like overkill on the grounds.



As you found out the grounds are mighty important when it comes to headlight output. What gauge is your main ground from the battery to the engine?

I always go overkill on the grounds to avoid potential problems. Plus it normally helps the engine crank over faster when the engine is cold or in the cold winter months. I added a 1/0 awg ground using military specification battery post clamps.http://www.ebay.com/itm/361348789554?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITEven though they cost more I purchased lead clamps because the zink coated "lead free" (pot-metal) ones don't hold up as well.
With the mil spec clamps adding different things is very easy and the connection is more secure than using marine battery post clamps. On these both bolts for the wires are 3/8 while on the marine style the clamps have a 3/8 and 5/16 bolt. They also make nice covers for them to help keep water off if ya need it.

Not mine




ronfrancis.com
Proper Grounding

Never overlook the importance of good grounds. – Scott Bowers

According to Bowers, there are ten items which can make or break your wiring installation. First and foremost is proper grounding of the harness and all related electrical items.

“The importance of grounding is often overlooked. For any individual circuit, it equals half of the circuit and can cause havoc when a ground is compromised. Make sure paint, powdercoating and rust are cleared away for any grounding location,” he explains. We’ve all seen (or been) that racer who is constantly chasing electrical issues, with individual items not turning on or off when they are expected to – many times this can be directly traced to a poor ground.”

americanautowire.com
Grounding Tips

"The main cause of most automotive electrical problems is caused by a bad ground situation. Always keep in mind that a circuit has to be complete. This means that the current has to be able to travel from a good ground to the positive side of the energy source in order to operate. Do not rely on just the negative battery cable as the only ground; always incorporate a separate ground wire or cable from the engine block to the chassis."

Ground from block to chassis, that's something I haven't done to this truck- yet.

.

 

Hey guys there is a harness kit 4crawler used to have a link to on his site that works well with the High beam indicator in the dash does anyone know where to find that kit ?

 

I just saw another 1st Gen with pre-83 front clip. You have a write up on this or more pictures? This is dope.

 

I seemed to accidentally replied to this thread. I had intentions of starting a new thread....