Keepin it classy, diamond clear corners and euro headlights

[dreddog47]

Went to the junkyard with 00meangreenXLT the other day looking for oh sh*t handles and a plug wire, and left with a set of euro headlights and clear corners

The yard had a new arrival with the 15 explorers they usually have, a black 98 sport... it was so new, the battery was still in it, and the factory alarm went off when I opened the door... So we came back 10min later and proceeded to disconnect the battery :

What made this sport stand out is the fact that it had a set of aftermarket euro housings and clear corners on it, that were in fantastic shape considering the age (They were made in 2005). These weren't the stupid projector housings, or the smoked set that you can find on ebay still, this set hasn't been made in years. I knew exactly which lights these were, since my brother had the exact same set on his old 98 v8 which is now in the back hills of pennsylvania probably running moonshine and meth.

The install sucked since I didn't realize it had different headlight aimers then OEM, and one tab also cracked abit on the pass side... When I return to the JY I'll grab all the remaining aimers off the 98 sport to make it perfect on the 00... But they still look great, and the headlight output is freaking amazing for silverstars, it has a useful high beam now.

Sorry for the cell shots, all I have right now

Best headlights and corners ever made for a second gen explorer, and it'll look even better if it ever gets a projector retrofit.


PS: If any of you find a company that sells these exact head and corner lights new, I'll be pissed and happy....

 

[Brandon96]

Dang.. those are classy! nice find!

Do you mind telling me what the difference in those and the ones found on ebay today is? (by no means is that a smart*** comment.. I'm curious)

EDIT - For reference EBAY

I heard they don't make 'em like they used to beam pattern wise..?

 

[lynchy wa]

Great score, it's the little things in life sometimes

 

[Anime]

What brand are they and what makes you think they are better than the current "diamond cut" lenses?

As far as I can tell DEPO and TYC are still making them, and there's still plenty of the even worse ones on ebay all the time.

Hopefully those aren't the ones made by APC...

 

[dreddog47]

Dang.. those are classy! nice find!

Do you mind telling me what the difference in those and the ones found on ebay today is? (by no means is that a smart*** comment.. I'm curious)

EDIT - For reference EBAY

I heard they don't make 'em like they used to beam pattern wise..?

Those have the amber reflector, which I don't like... I'm not sure how the beam compares since I've never seen them in person

The output on these are great though, a huge improvement over the stock housings.

What brand are they and what makes you think they are better than the current "diamond cut" lenses?

As far as I can tell DEPO and TYC are still making them, and there's still plenty of the even worse ones on ebay all the time.

Hopefully those aren't the ones made by APC...

All I know is they were made in taiwan in 2005, the depo ones have the amber reflector and I haven't found anything made by TYC that isn't OEM replacement. I didn't find much made by APC for explorer headlights either.... Do they make those smoke blacked ones on ebay?

I think they are better just by personal preference, I don't really like any of the lights on the current market.

 

[Anime]

Most of 'em are made in Taiwan, but the 'good' ones are probably the older ones made way earlier.

DEPO and TYC make OEM replacements with the amber relector, but they also make full clear lenses too, which seems to be why they are somewhat decent compared to manufactuers that just crank out crappy clear lens housings.

If you like 'em and got a deal, that's great, though, regardless of the specifics.

The real test of how great a headlamp assembly is would be the beam pattern of the headlights though. Some reports are that even the crappy housings put out more light than stock, though it might do so at the expense of glare in the face of oncoming traffic.

Maybe if you aim your beams using the wall/garage door method you can get an idea of how good/bad they are, in addition to how they do when driving.

 

[dreddog47]

Most of 'em are made in Taiwan, but the 'good' ones are probably the older ones made way earlier.

DEPO and TYC make OEM replacements with the amber relector, but they also make full clear lenses too, which seems to be why they are somewhat decent compared to manufactuers that just crank out crappy clear lens housings.

If you like 'em and got a deal, that's great, though, regardless of the specifics.

The real test of how great a headlamp assembly is would be the beam pattern of the headlights though. Some reports are that even the crappy housings put out more light than stock, though it might do so at the expense of glare in the face of oncoming traffic.

Maybe if you aim your beams using the wall/garage door method you can get an idea of how good/bad they are, in addition to how they do when driving.

Already aimed them, and they do have a very nice flat cutoff, it doesn't throw light everywhere like fluted lenses. He's really satisfied with these housings, they are a 100% improvement over the stock fluted faded housings