by JSkeet
Sorry dude if I come off harsh, but I've been on this board for over 6 years, and a GM man all of my life, trust me, I know GM cars. PS i think the custom looking ones are cool too, just don't believe it'll improve your rain driving much.
I thought about a similar swap a while back, but with a different composite unit that was angled back a little and came out to the front edge of the bumper, you know, to help aerodynamics a little too...instead of those GTS covers.
I actually walked up to an Brown '86 Monte LS yesterday and it was hazed dull plastic...could'nt even see the bulbs!

 

How would 300zx lights (1990+) lights fit in the maro headlight buckets?

 

Rather than try to convert your headlights to some hacked abomination, why not upgrade what you already have? Sylvania's Silverstars are affordable, direct bolt-in replacements that increase light output substantially. The candlepower is increased, the light is much whiter (as opposed to the yellowish color of regular Halogens), and the pattern is broader. They look very similar to HIDs! After replacing them, have them professionally aligned. NOT the DIY light pattern on a wall BS. I love mine. They worked so well in my Z28, I went out and bought a pair for my S10. Never heard a negative comment about them.

The difference is like night and day And like 90rocz, I now can see quite well at night in the rain.

 

SilverStars are what I like too, their hyperwhite and bright. Also you can add driving lights which are white not amber like fog lights. But please turn them off when oncoming traffic aproaches, be polite..

 

not trying to be a smart *** but what qualifies a person adjusting a light to be a profesional. i think i could adjust my headlights just as good as the guy at the dealership. and to paysomeone to have a light aligned. not realy worth it to me.

 

i just wanted the info of the '86-'88 monte headlight swap for my favorites... i plan to do it one day as the aftermarket or 'euro' headligh conversions are lame IMO... although i like the idea of halo's. guess im kinda wishy-washy with my customization techniques??

as for having any headlights PROFESSIONALLY aligned, thats such a waste. if you use a marker on the tip of your screw driver and count the rotations per low beam/high beam you can align them yourself to YOUR liking which is what I already did.

and 90rocz we're cool man... i was just gettin pissy cause i KNEW this mod had been done before and I personally have lots of friends w/ 3rd gens that complain of low factory visibility from the headlights.

 

An optical headlight aimer will do a better job than your DIY method ever could. Its like comparing handported cylinder heads to CNC, or setting toe with a string rather than an alignment machine. BTW - Maryland state inspections require this type of headlight aim.

 

As for having headlights "professionally aligned....
Aligning headlights w/o the right tools takes some talent. A nice foggy night would be the perfect time to try.
But at my job, where I build vehicles, we use a fairly simple "pair" of aimers that not only sets a light at the correct elevation, but also the correct distance from the other light.
It uses suction cups to hold them in place and lines up on those "bumps" cast into the headlight lenses. Then each one has leveling bubbles and "degrees" for elevation, and mirrors with an alignment mark to set them which you look thru one, at the other one, aiming them in a straight forward direction.
You can purchase something similar at local parts stores.

 

90rocz is probably the most right but most of us don't have the tools nor do we want to pay for them (at Advance auto $875.00) but this link will probably help. http://www.advanceautoparts.com/engl...0010801ha.html

I thought about the Monte light assembly but also thought about the hazing problem. Seen how many rustangs have that problem lately, a bunch of 'em.
I use the Sylvania Silverstars and am very impressed with the performance with them.

 

If the hazing your talking about is just the outside what would stop someone from just buffing that out?

Here's another good site for headlights.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

 

Yeah, I've heard they can be buffed out, but again your talking about something that requires a good "touch" to get right. And it'll happen again too. Plus I'm not sure if some of it is on the inside from heat or not???
No, I've seen some for about $150 once, but you might be able to rent them at Autozone?? I'll check on it....

 

I spend enough time maintaining my 'Z' without adding equipment that is really not going to benefit me to begin with. This looks to be more hassle than it is worth. I put a lot of thought into mods on my ride and this one does not fit my program. If you follow the link iansane gave you will probably benefit greatly. I do know my voltage readings at the lamps are about 1vdc - 2.5vdc low. And still my lighting benefitted from the Sylvania Silverstars. I plan to do the rewire operation shown on the website.

 

take a look here.....
http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/
scroll down to elec.......great head light up grades.....