2004 Headlamp and Door handle upgrades

[Desert1957]

Just thought I would post these upgrades to my 04 Z71. If you want a cleaner look on the front end and doors.

[ATTACH][ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[hatzie]

How was the fit on the aftermarket headlamps?
Can they be aimed properly?
If they fit well what is the brand?

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by hatzie

How was the fit on the aftermarket headlamps?
Can they be aimed properly?
If they fit well what is the brand?

Aiming was no problem, fit and finish was above average, only issue the two lower tabs on the headlight buckets was a little loose in the rad support mount. I used some foam tape, problem solved.

Check Ebay for the Headlight/Turn signal kit , Door handles are a GM escalade part.

[Desert1957]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHROME-2003...0AAOSw-uhaYRWu

Made in China, same as everything.

[hatzie]

The new GM stuff is made in China too but the GM parts fit as they should.

The China lamp assemblies I tried out didn't adjust properly and one of the four didn't fit under the hood.
After the second no-fit set I decided to bite the bullet and pay for surplus market GM parts.

Glad you found some that worked for you.

[davischevy]

I bought the ebay units, and they worked great.

[95 S_Trucker]

FYI, your headlights and turn signal lenses are not DOT approved, and they will fail PA state inspection.

The reflectors built in to them need to be amber.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by 95 S_Trucker

FYI, your headlights and turn signal lenses are not DOT approved, and they will fail PA state inspection.

The reflectors built in to them need to be amber.

They look ilke the light output is probably fine but they are obviously non-compliant. Not sure whether it'll become an imperial entanglement in PA before the annual safety inspection. PA is the bleeding edge of the Nanny Northeast... Depends on what Johnny Law is looking at when you drive by him.

It's not just in the Northeastern Nanny States, where we have compulsory safety inspections, that people need to worry about this now.
I've seen regular vehicles pulled over by DOT cops in the middle of nowhere out West. Likely either illegal tint, exhaust noise, or non-compliant headlamps/taillamps.

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by 95 S_Trucker

FYI, your headlights and turn signal lenses are not DOT approved, and they will fail PA state inspection.

The reflectors built in to them need to be amber.

I have a "Connection" so no problems.

[stroker87]

i have some aftermarket in my truck fit fine look good but the light is aimed to the right a lot no adjustment to get it pointed straight, do these point the light to the right to?

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by stroker87

i have some aftermarket in my truck fit fine look good but the light is aimed to the right a lot no adjustment to get it pointed straight, do these point the light to the right to?

Not as much as I would like, but I've had no complaints from oncoming drivers.

[hatzie]

RH=Passenger side of North American market vehicles.
The aim point skewing toward the RH side of the truck causes issues with your own ability to see directly ahead. If they are skewed to the RH side you won't get problems with on-coming traffic. Oncoming traffic will only notice beams skewed unreasonably to the LH side of your vehicle.
The aimpoint being too far Left is a defect I found on the two sets of Chinese lamps I tried in my truck.

The Left-Right Horizontal optical centre and actual Vertical centreline of US-DOT compliant lamp housings will be indicated by a mark. On both of my 2003-2006 Silverado GM housings it looks like the Greek letter Theta θ.
When you aim the lamps for US-DOT compliance;
The centre of the low beam high-intensity spot of both lamps on the aiming target should be a 6° downtilt from the lamp centreline... This works out, at 25', to approximately 1" below the horizontal line drawn on your target at the actual centre height of the headlamps. This is not the edges it's the centre of the hotspot.
The centre of the high intensity spot should be approximately 1" to the Left of the vertical aim line drawn down toward the ground at the lamp optical centre point. Again this is not the edges it's the centre of the hotspot.

[Desert1957]

I haven't gone through this aiming procedure, But with the bulb upgrade to Silverstar ZXE the pattern seems a little to centered out of the box. Even and overlapping, nothing weird.

I will try this aiming procedure and let you know how it turns out.

[hatzie]

There are no Horizontal aiming screws on the 03-07 Silverado. Only Vertical up and down aimpoint can be adjusted.

If the lamps hotspots are skewed horizontally left or right when you check them that's where they will stay.

If someone knows of a blocking plug that can be drilled out to access a horizontal aiming screw on the 03-07 Silverado headlamps please step up and tell all.