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Leveling my lights..

BlackGT1

BlackGT1

New member
SOOO, my genius self screwed with the lights to level them inside the actual space for the headlights when i got my car. (The right one seemed to be pointing more down than the left one.) But I realized that neither of them were truely level after I did this... So what is the distance from the ground that the center of the light beam should be at, so I can fix them correctly.
One points really high and to the left, and the other just a tad high.
 


OH! and I need new headlights and corners and was debating getting black housings, but does this severely decrease light output... i care about output more than anything really. And what would be a suggested bulb to use, I just have regular sylvania bulbs.. 9006 I believe, I dont have enough money to run HID's the right way yet, so what are the best "normal" bulbs I can run and get the best output?
 
If you go ebay black lights, then your light output would be less due to the smaller chrome reflector. If you paint a set of OEM's to look like the stockers, then the light output is just like stock. Also a 97-03 uses a 9007 bulb. I myself am using the philips xtreme power bulb. If you want to align the lights, I suggest you park your car on a level surface and 25 feet away from a wall and align them that way. I don't have alink off the top of my head.
 
Hmmm.... I swear it was 9006's... oh well I'll check. And you are saying get some OEM lights and paint the reflectors black, or get a lense tint? because I really want the housing black. And yeah I knew the level surface and all, I just cant think of the distance the focused beam has to be off the ground...
 


[h=4]Things You'll Need[/h]
  • Tape measure
  • Masking tape
  • Screwdriver



[h=2]Instructions[/h]
  • [h=2]How to adjust headlights on a Pontiac Grand Prix[/h]
    • 1 Pull your Pontiac Grand Prix to within 25 feet of a flat wall, like a garage door. Park the vehicle on a flat, level surface.


    • 2 Measure from the ground up 4 feet on your flat wall and using the masking tape, place a horizontal line across the wall. The horizontal line should be a little wider than the width of your Pontiac Grand Prix.


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    • 3 Locate the center of your vehicle bumper and transfer that position to the horizontal masking tape line on the wall. Using the masking tape, make a vertical line across the horizontal line in the position that represents the center of your vehicle's bumper.


    • 4 Measure from the center of your vehicle's bumper to the center point of each headlight. Transfer those measurements to the horizontal masking tape line in the same manner that you transferred the center point in Step 3.


    • 5 Open the hood of your Grand Prix. Locate the adjustment screws on each headlight. The vertical adjustment screw will be on the top of the headlight and the horizontal adjustment screw will be on the lower outside edge of the headlight.


    • 6 Turn the headlights on and set them so the low beams are showing. Using a screwdriver, adjust the screws until both headlights are centered on the horizontal and vertical center points you created with the masking tape. When they are centered, turn the vertical adjustment screw until both headlights are showing the top of the light, across the horizontal tape line.

      Your done!!!! hope this helps.


 


Haha, I was born in San Diego. Started the remembering ages in Pennsylvania.. So Im a Pittsburgh fan, drives Cowboys fans here crazy.
Too bad like 85% of you guys live on the East Coast or in the Mid North, parts pic up are never available for me :(
 
Guz, where did you get the Philips Extreme Power Bulbs, the parts stores around here dont have them, and how is their llife span?
 
BlackGT1 said:
Hmmm.... And you are saying get some OEM lights and paint the reflectors black
Click to expand...

This is what you want. You can try and salvage your lenses now by using an off the shelf headlight kit like the 3M kit and spraying a layer of clear coat on them after.

I got my philips bulbs online. Here are some links. I think I got mine from bulbs.com. I have had them for almost a year with no issues.

Amazon.com: Philips 9007 X-treme Power Headlight Bulb, Pack of 2: Automotive
<b>Philips <font color="red">Xtreme Power</font> 9007 65/55W / HB5</b> (TWO PACK)
9007XPS2 - Philips X-TREME POWER 9007/HB5 Halogen Low and High Beam Headlight with + 80% More Light. | Bulbs.com
 


SO... that article only helped get my lights horizontally correct.. not vertically.. 4ft is WAAAAYYYYYY to freaking high...
 
That's is what I usually do^ Except first I drive my GP up to the wall to mark the horizontal line level with the center of the headlights, and then I don't level them vertically with the tape line you make, I adjust it so the top cutoff for the lowbeams are about 3 inches below the tape, gives good visibility and no blinding other drivers.

I just did it to by buddy's Jeep as his lights were aimed so high that they acted like high beams (luckily his lights aren't very bright to say the least), and since his Jeep only allows EITHER low or high beams not both (I still don't understand this design, maybe insufficient electrical?) his high beams were literally just aimed into the trees... WTF?!

And whatever you do, if you get brighter headlights, even if you have the urge to do so, don't get anything but halogens. HID's filaments are in a slightly different spot than halogens, so you get a horrible light pattern and blind drivers, damn trucks in my area do that **** all the time. That's when I get 'em with the LED tailgater switch :th_biggrin2: If you ever go HID, do a projector retrofit.
 
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