EcoBoostJake

I picked up the below LED replacement headlights from JDM Astar. They also sell the fog lights, and I have been very impressed with them so far.




Before we get on the LED in stock house hate train, these are designed to be as close to the standard bulbs as possible, and are fully adjustable to make sure you are not blasting oncoming traffic. It took me 5-6 times of removing the headlight and adjusting and then placing it back before I got the light pattern just right, and they are fantastic. Although I will admit they do not shine as far a projector will, but they light everything up far better than my stock bulbs did.

smcox1

Led in stock housing hate train lmao!! Illegal is illegal however those don't look bad at all. Now stick 20% tint over them and they'll be horrible at night. Also do they have a noticeable high beam? Because I've heard a lot of these led lights don't.

EcoBoostJake

I did not mean to jack this thread on dip to talk LED, but since what is done is done.....

Yep illegal is illegal, which is why I am very glad I never see anyone going over the posted limit, make a turn onto a two lane road and immediately go to the far lane, or make lane changes without signaling. Oh and don't get me started on how happy I am to never see anyone texting or talking on their phones!

Outside of legality, you are correct the high beam does not display light the same as the stock bulbs. High vs. High, the stock bulbs show slightly more down the road. On the other hand, the LED bulbs give me about the same distance of light in low as the stock did in high. Now I just get that distance all the time, without needing to send light higher than necessary and into other drivers faces.

Now as far as dip goes, I had plans last weekend to dip both bumpers, grill and tires. I have black for the tires, black for the first 4-5 coats on the bumpers and grill, and then I plan on finishing off the last 2-3 coats with anthracite gray. Not sure about using a gloss coat yet, or if I will keep the C-clamps w/ bars black or gray. Sadly my project got put off and looks like I will not get a chance again for a few more weeks. Unless I do it in the evening little by little.

Thank you to those that have posted pictures of your trucks with black and gray, it really helped me pull the trigger. I hope I like it, and if I don't I only wasted $30.

smcox1

That's like saying, but officer everyone else was going just as fast as I was, still doesn't make it legal no matter what way you want to slice it. I would definitely do anthracite on your rims depending on what model they are.

flamehead16

i have these bulbs! i need to adjust the aim some more.

EcoBoostJake

Oh I know I could not talk my way out of a ticket with that line of reasoning. Then again if I am blinding an officer enough that he can tell I do not have LED specific headlights, then I deserve the ticket. Many people in my area deserve to be ticketed. A few of them are bigger trucks, but most are little rice burner cars with the coffee can exhaust that sounds like a weedwacker about to break.


As for the rims, I have standard 17" XLT rims. I was afraid if I dip everything gray it will be too flat... Maybe I could persuade someone to photoshop my rims in gray once I get everything done. I only have enough right now for the bumpers and grill anyway. Also I love the way my 20" chrome rims came out on my last truck. Although I prefer the added sidewall I have now for when I am off the pavement.

Chad Walker

Those JDMs are designed correctly. If you look they have placed a shield on the low beam LEDs. This is how Philips has designed their LED headlight bulbs.

stynkmonkey

I'm planning on plastidipping a punisher skull on my hood, if it works it's cheaper than any decal or vinyl graphic. Has anyone ever tried doing complex stencils with PD?

Built-not-bought

Thanks for the input guys. One of the MAJOR reasons I did not try to go white was the fact that I don't have the standard white. I have the pearl white and I don't think I could get a good enough match do do that. This was a cheap alternative to getting a full paint job. I do like the black so far and have had many people stop and talk to me in parking lots who love the look. I get that its not for everyone but I also think its leaps and bounds better than the ugly gold that lies beneath.

EcoBoostJake

So i finally found time this week to dip the grill and front bumpers on my truck. I am pretty happy with how it turned out, and I only ended up using 2-3 cans of black, and 1 can of gray. I still have to find time over the next few weeks to get the rear bumper completed, and then the rims, but this was the part I was least excited to do, and most happy to have done.

Now i have two questions for the group at large. The first is do you think I should go the extra mile and add a gloss coat over everything?

The second is, the front fender panel that goes over the bumper is not sitting correctly. I tried to push this back into place with my hands, but it would not budge. I also tired to look at how it is mounted but could not see anything. Thus my question is, has anyone seen this before and have an idea on how to fix it?

Thank you and cant wait to finish this up and have all the chrome gone!