Let's talk about the Chevy lights..

[Suit]

I can only assume a large portion of you have seen this post or it's aftermath floating around some of the s-chassis groups on Facebook. For those that haven't, a dude used late 80s Chevy headlights on his Silvia front end conversion and it's making the internet explode. Here's the original post:

https://i.imgur.com/L2zAioZ.jpg

There have been two responses to this
Response A - :picardfp:
Response B - :bowdown:

So really, what do you guys and girls think? Dumbest thing ever or smart move? I'll start.. Personally I thought it was pretty clever and for a few reasons I'll elaborate on.

-Obviously for starters is the ever rising prices of bricks, it's a very cost effective option for this front end that also doesn't happen to, in my opinion, look half bad compared to some of the other stuff people have been known to use in place of sil headlights.

-Another reason is if this were to become popular, I believe it will actually help preserve the sets of bricks that are still out there. A lot of nice sets got completely destroyed in one way or another whether there life ended on a battle torn track car or on a vehicle that was totaled on the road. Which leads to my last thought.

-If your car is a dedicated track weapon I think it's a great idea. Your planning on beating and banging the car up anyway, you're going to be a lot less disappointed when you crack or explode a $50 headlight on the track than a genuine set of bricks. Most track cars don't have the best body panels and gaps/fitment as it is, so the lights not fitting perfect seem to be less of a concern here.

I'll end this by saying, if your car is built to look nice and clean with light street duty, I'd still rather see real bricks on it. :wiggle:

To the owner of the vert in question and OP of the original post, I'm sure you're on here, NM local here. Saw you drive No Coast this past year where I first saw your car and I thought it looked awesome! I'll admit here, when I saw the car In person, I had no idea those were not real bricks lol

[Krusty_s13]

Meh. I can agree with them being a cheap alternative for a track oriented car. But they look terrible, imo. I would much rather run a fiberglass "combat eye" headlight before running that.

[dorkidori_s13]

i have zero issues with these. its getting annoying seeing all the younger dudes getting all butt hurt and bitching about it TBH. guy came up with honestly the best idea for aftermarket S13 silvia headlights EVER. lightbars are just fucking stupid. the Chevy lights actually LOOK the part and function properly.

the amusing irony i find in all of this is... SO many people (especially youngins) are all on the LS motors nuts, but when someone puts yet another Chevy part on an S-Chassis, the internet loses its mind.

theres another fellow now working on metal bolt on mounting brackets for the Chevy lights. im all for it. i have to swap my hatch to S13 silvia face later this year so i can work on the S13 silvia bumpers i plan on releasing... and im really debating on doing this lighting setup as blowing $700-$1000 on just head lights (and thats coming from Japan via DHL since EMS is down) is not exactly something on the agenda that im happy about.

[Suit]

Meh. I can agree with them being a cheap alternative for a track oriented car. But they look terrible, imo. I would much rather run a fiberglass "combat eye" headlight before running that.

The straight black panel covers look decent but lose lights, I personally don?t like the illuminated combat eyes. I?m a pop up guy and always have been so I don?t have the same attention to detail for Silvia lights, but like I mentioned in the post I really didn?t even realize they weren?t bricks when I had seen the car in person at an event in 2020. I thought his car looked good tbh. Shame on me I suppose :bash:

[Suit]

i have zero issues with these. its getting annoying seeing all the younger dudes getting all butt hurt and bitching about it TBH. guy came up with honestly the best idea for aftermarket S13 silvia headlights EVER. lightbars are just fucking stupid. the Chevy lights actually LOOK the part and function properly.

the amusing irony i find in all of this is... SO many people (especially youngins) are all on the LS motors nuts, but when someone puts yet another Chevy part on an S-Chassis, the internet loses its mind.

theres another fellow now working on metal bolt on mounting brackets for the Chevy lights. im all for it. i have to swap my hatch to S13 silvia face later this year so i can work on the S13 silvia bumpers i plan on releasing... and im really debating on doing this lighting setup as blowing $700-$1000 on just head lights (and thats coming from Japan via DHL since EMS is down) is not exactly something on the agenda that im happy about.

I had the same thought with the Chevy swap stuff lol. Also, all the people calling out poor and broke stuff was also ironic to me, the car is a painted and well put together 1jz track car which is by far not a poor mans build at this point. For what it?s worth, and not all of them but most them saying those things had unfinished, non running cars or no s-chassis all together lol. And man I must say, if one guy doing this to his vert had this much of an effect on the current s-chassis community, having Dorki Dori produce front aero that purposely utilizes these lights will make people LOSE their minds! Haha

[afishysilvia]

Guy improvised and it turned out great. Anyone hating is just being a cock, who cares not your car. He’s not advertising them as oem or bricks, let him be. Schassis owners will forever be the peanut gallery.

[dorkidori_s13]

heres the guy whos making brackets...

https://www.facebook.com/RRFabs/

so $100 for Silverado headlights and another $200 for the brackets. sounds like a steal to me versus $500-$1200 for Silvia headlights, most of which are beat to shit.

oh and dont forget that the Silverado headlights are actually aimed for LHD roads, unlike S13 Silvia headlights which are set up for RHD roads.

[ZenkiKid]

Not gonna lie thats pretty genius. Kudos to them for figuring this out

[slider2828]

Cool indont need to make brackets. My neighbor has 2 80s suburbans and it fits exactly into my 1 piece east bear lightz as well. Come companies even make halo projectors with the same size.

Thanka for sharing

[deolio]

I thought they were levin headlights when I saw that car previously.

The proportions look kinda weird, but it doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as stupid ass light bars do.

I'm still curious about how 6th gen Galant headlights would look after all these years haha

[K4RR]

if someone would just have some bricks copied in china = rich

[Ryan_H]

All I can tell you is I'm tired of seeing it all over every FB 240 group there is. I don't even know why it's so polarising. I am a fan of OEM and genuine parts over everything else, but I don't see how this is different to any other headlight transplant that people have done over time (e.g. the Odyvia)

[derek king]

they look better than oem

[silviaks2nr]

They don't follow the curve of the hood but aren't terrible... and are too short. Not something I'd do. I always thought the late 80s early 90s mitsubishi mirage lights might work.

[dorkidori_s13]

if someone would just have some bricks copied in china = rich

ROI isnt there

[tuzzio]

This shit is annoying on fb. End of story.

[KA24DESOneThree]

A bunch of kids are going to run these on the street and blind people because they're completely unaware of the fact that replica headlights are utter shit and have to be aimed properly with a photometer to even come close to being safe for street use. AFAIK, the factory headlights (which were honestly probably shit too, given GM's '90s quality) have been discontinued, so the scatter-prone aftermarket headlights are the only ones available.

It's the same argument as bricks, except bricks are purpose-built to glare into oncoming traffic.

Either setup would need custom projectors to be truly street-legal in the sense of respect for other road users.

Track cars- good to go. Street cars- pay up, buy bricks, have them converted to LHD by making friends with someone who has a photometer and quite a bit of time to set them according to SAE J2560 standards.

I know, I live in a fantasy world. The real world is populated by CUVs with excessive glare as delivered by the factory and an NHTSA that gives exactly zero shits that it's made night driving more dangerous, not less.

[crash n' burn]

He is a friend of mine, known him and the car for a few years now. I didn't even realize they were chevy lights until he had the car out and popped the hood one day while we were talking about the swap. They look pretty damn good and unless you're within 5ft of them, you honestly couldn't even tell if you take in to account how many people don't run a grill with their setup anyways.

At the end of the day the car sees the track more than it does the streets. Just like the rest of the front end being fiberglass, if it takes a hit, its easily replaced. That's it. That's the point. For some reason, a lot of folks can't wrap their head around it.

He also has a high mount setup so the space just isn't there either to accommodate the original housings. Its a damn good compromise.

[ixfxi]

you dont need a light meter to setup a cars headlights, dimwit. you just need to know what you're doing.

in stock form, those truck headlights make great toilet paper. if you're broke i guess they are better than no headlights. but even at the quick glance that i gave them, i doubt that users will be able to align the optics AND the fitment alignment once installed on-car. you wont be able to achieve both.

ive said it time and time again, brick headlights should be discarded in the trash bins. the only headlights worth using are the dual or triple projectors WITH a modern projector conversion.

[mav1178]

if someone would just have some bricks copied in china = rich

ROI isnt there

Yup, there needs to be somewhere around 2-4000pcs (of EACH SIDE) made, plus the $5-10k mold fee that the factory will charge.

No one is going to front $300-500k to make headlights for people that complain about prices all day.

[deolio]

I'm pretty sure sooner or later Nismo will offer brand new bricks through their heritage program.

[dorkidori_s13]

Yup, there needs to be somewhere around 2-4000pcs (of EACH SIDE) made, plus the $5-10k mold fee that the factory will charge.

No one is going to front $300-500k to make headlights for people that complain about prices all day.

if the quantities were in the few hundreds for sets... i wouldnt mind pursuing the idea as the mold costs are honestly pretty cheap. but yeah, a $300k investment in something that would never see ROI in the first 5 years isnt worth it.

[KA24DESOneThree]

you dont need a light meter to setup a cars headlights, dimwit. you just need to know what you're doing.

You can aim headlights for your own better vision all you want, but headlights are more than just for you to see with. Other road users have to deal with our headlights' scatter and glare. I have astigmatism and as such, it means glare is amplified. Millions of people have astigmatism and who knows how many others are dealing with starring from lasik procedures. Blind someone at the wrong time and you may be on the receiving end of their temporary blindness.

I used to not care, but now I do care. I try to care about how my actions affect others, and I've educated myself.

[mav1178]

I'm pretty sure sooner or later Nismo will offer brand new bricks through their heritage program.

Nissan is actively reducing parts vendors, I doubt it will make it to Heritage Program.

Just look at the S14 Power Brace, 3x the price vs old with zero change in manufacturing or design.

if the quantities were in the few hundreds for sets... i wouldnt mind pursuing the idea as the mold costs are honestly pretty cheap. but yeah, a $300k investment in something that would never see ROI in the first 5 years isnt worth it.

Well, it can be made in any quantity... just have to pay out the nose for the lower quantity.

Tooling costs is just an estimate though.

[merlz]

I mean... If it weren't for dudes like this. The community wouldn't evolve at all. Everyone would just be stagnant with what is available.

The whole Sil80 premise was invented this way. 180 front ends were too expensive due to headlights so Silvia front ends were bolted on instead. Started a phenonium because of it.

Hat's off to him I say.

[spooled240]

Silverado-180sx, the new 'Sileighty' of 2021

I think it looks ok. Would I do it? No..

[[email protected]]

They look terrible.

[K4RR]

Yup, there needs to be somewhere around 2-4000pcs (of EACH SIDE) made, plus the $5-10k mold fee that the factory will charge.

No one is going to front $300-500k to make headlights for people that complain about prices all day.

America isnt the only country that would buy them think about it.

[derek king]

A bunch of kids are going to run these on the street and blind people because they're completely unaware of the fact that replica headlights are utter shit and have to be aimed properly with a photometer to even come close to being safe for street use. AFAIK, the factory headlights (which were honestly probably shit too, given GM's '90s quality) have been discontinued, so the scatter-prone aftermarket headlights are the only ones available.

It's the same argument as bricks, except bricks are purpose-built to glare into oncoming traffic.

Either setup would need custom projectors to be truly street-legal in the sense of respect for other road users.

Track cars- good to go. Street cars- pay up, buy bricks, have them converted to LHD by making friends with someone who has a photometer and quite a bit of time to set them according to SAE J2560 standards.

I know, I live in a fantasy world. The real world is populated by CUVs with excessive glare as delivered by the factory and an NHTSA that gives exactly zero shits that it's made night driving more dangerous, not less.

https://bungalower.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/nerd-gif.gif

[the_brownie1]

I love/hate them. Cool idea, fits the need of not buying $1000+ headlights, but I hate the way they fit. Kinda like a gap tooth silvia.

[KA24DESOneThree]

https://bungalower.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/nerd-gif.gif

That guy plus 130lbs plus a beard plus a hat is me, yes.

Hacking shit together has been the modus operandi of the S-chassis crowd for generations now. It's getting old. We, as a community, are old enough and smart enough that we should be able to not only figure out new options but also be cognizant of their shortcomings and overcome them.

Or, I guess we can just spend $300 on headlights that don't really fit in any dimension and say, "fuck it" and then bitch about how there aren't any clean chassis left because everything's been sawzalled by xanax-addicted high-schoolers.

[mav1178]

America isnt the only country that would buy them think about it.

and you're oversimplifying the production/logistics problem.

I can have headlights made tomorrow. I'm not going to wait 2-4 years to get my money back.

[Green Arrow]

All of the posts in here "I'd front the 300k to do it, but ROI isnt there"; No.

You dont have the money, if you did you could wait the approx. 3-4 years to make the PROFITZZ.

OT:
Great substitute, no better light direction than bricks, affordable.

[mav1178]

All of the posts in here "I'd front the 300k to do it, but ROI isnt there"; No.

You dont have the money, if you did you could wait the approx. 3-4 years to make the PROFITZZ.


Sorry, I have the money but I'm not going to spend $300k to wait 3-4 years to see what happens.

I've done enough S-chassis parts business over the last 20 years (probably somewhere in the neighborhood of around $3-5M sales attributed to me directly on/off over that time period) to know what works and what doesn't.

What works is me trying to source parts from vendors without a MOQ or tooling investment on my part. I've been able to source some parts, but bricks are elusive. My next step is to try to go direct to Nissan's 3rd party factory that used to make the brick headlights, and see if they are willing to make an unbranded "generic" brick headlight using the original mold/tooling. If I can bypass the traditional route it would be a much faster process without the need to front so much money... but part of the problem is that a lot of these Japanese companies will not take meetings without a trusted person introducing, and they also won't take meetings virtually (i.e. I have to go in person). It's all dragging out unnecessarily...

$300k investment isn't the issue, it's inventory turnover. I can sell nothing but S13 Power Braces (and a bunch of other random parts like glass S14 headlights) for the next 3-4 years and turn over $300k much, much faster than waiting for replica S13 brick headlights to show up.

[Green Arrow]

Sorry, I have the money but I'm not going to spend $300k to wait 3-4 years to see what happens.

I've done enough S-chassis parts business over the last 20 years (probably somewhere in the neighborhood of around $3-5M sales attributed to me directly on/off over that time period) to know what works and what doesn't.

What works is me trying to source parts from vendors without a MOQ or tooling investment on my part. I've been able to source some parts, but bricks are elusive. My next step is to try to go direct to Nissan's 3rd party factory that used to make the brick headlights, and see if they are willing to make an unbranded "generic" brick headlight using the original mold/tooling. If I can bypass the traditional route it would be a much faster process without the need to front so much money... but part of the problem is that a lot of these Japanese companies will not take meetings without a trusted person introducing, and they also won't take meetings virtually (i.e. I have to go in person). It's all dragging out unnecessarily...

$300k investment isn't the issue, it's inventory turnover. I can sell nothing but S13 Power Braces (and a bunch of other random parts like glass S14 headlights) for the next 3-4 years and turn over $300k much, much faster than waiting for replica S13 brick headlights to show up.


Cool man, I believe you. Anyways back OT....

[s14freak]

So, on topic of the OP, I ain't mad at it. It's a track car, dude made it work.

On topic of the fit functionality, there could be an opportunity there for someone to make more than just the mounting brackets. These Chevrolet lights aren't exactly the right size, so if someone was to produce a grill and or bumper that they worked with, could be a good way to make a little money.

And then on topic of reproducing Silvia lights, I'm kind of surprised that someone hasn't come up with a 3D printed housing and just use an aftermarket clear lens with retrofit projectors. Again, could be an opportunity for some income.

But, I have an S14 and an S13.4, so I don't really have a dog in the fight. Just my worthless $.02.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[speedgod^s13]

People on FB that are mad about what someone did to THEIR CAR

Teens that have no problem slapping LS's into their shitbox/missle 240's.

Guys that are price raping on bricks.

I mean some of the guys that are talking shit about his car, really need to take some time and reflect on their own build, because his car is one of the nicer purpose built cars that I've seen in a while. Fuck what anyone says, because they aren't paying for your build.

[ixfxi]

You can aim headlights for your own better vision all you want, but headlights are more than just for you to see with. Other road users have to deal with our headlights' scatter and glare. I have astigmatism and as such, it means glare is amplified. Millions of people have astigmatism and who knows how many others are dealing with starring from lasik procedures. Blind someone at the wrong time and you may be on the receiving end of their temporary blindness.

forget driving, buy yourself a walker

[super.trick]

This is a great idea. The only reason this isn't a win for everyone would be the trolls and people triggered by them.... 'these look great', 'these look just as good as real bricks' etc etc.

These don't look great. But they do look plenty convincing, especially from a distance or in motion, and they don't stand out enough to detract from an otherwise decent-looking car. (The horrible panel fitment of most S-chassis actually helping in this rare instance.)

It seems they are better than the real thing in every other regard besides aesthetics, so forgive me for only talking about how they look.

Now if only drifters found out about this before running 3/4's of the world's brick supply into the wall....

EDIT: I suppose there is also an element of gatekeeping... folks not wanting these 'boutique' parts accessible to the masses.
But honestly, this is what makes these particular lights so great... while they are convincing, if you care, you will absolutely notice they are not the real thing. And if you decide that bothers you, then you can get some real bricks for your car instead.
In fact, you'll have less people to compete with to find a set, since all the folks who weren't bothered will be rocking Silverado lights. win-win

[ixfxi]

the whole purpose of headlights is to be able to see at night

the whole reason bricks suck is because you cannot see at night and they are not compliant for use here in north america

the whole reason projector headlights are superior is because you can retrofit them with modern optics

the whole reason these chevy lights are stupid is because not one person here has posted any illumination photos

the worst part is that 2% of people on this forum have the mental capacity to understand this, let alone the budget to pay for quality headlights

[super.trick]

Anyone remember this car? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-2NKg1Z2RM&ab_channel=PlatformGarage)

To me, this where Silverado lights belong, not on public streets with other drivers at night. I'm sure several sets of Silvia lights met their end on the front of this thing prior to this 'solution'.

[mikec003]

I like the creativity. Get's the gears in my head moving...

[LoSt180]

Just reminds me of the whole cookie sheet thing that started on the S-Chassis page a year or two ago. Just hilarious memes that will die down eventually. The people complaining "oMg tHiS Is sO aNoYiNg!!1!!" just make it that much funnier.

[slider2828]

the whole purpose of headlights is to be able to see at night

the whole reason bricks suck is because you cannot see at night and they are not compliant for use here in north america

the whole reason projector headlights are superior is because you can retrofit them with modern optics

the whole reason these chevy lights are stupid is because not one person here has posted any illumination photos

the worst part is that 2% of people on this forum have the mental capacity to understand this, let alone the budget to pay for quality headlights

You can get these in projector form and just upgrade for better cutoff. Now whether if it works with bulb retrofit, someone's going to need to fork out the money.....

[Thursday7]

the whole purpose of headlights is to be able to see at night

the whole reason bricks suck is because you cannot see at night and they are not compliant for use here in north america

the whole reason projector headlights are superior is because you can retrofit them with modern optics

the whole reason these chevy lights are stupid is because not one person here has posted any illumination photos

the worst part is that 2% of people on this forum have the mental capacity to understand this, let alone the budget to pay for quality headlights

Imagine being this dense, intentionally ignoring the fact that bricks are popular because they unanimously are the best looking on a sil-front. Mf out here trying to ride a wave of pRaCtIcAl fUnCtIoN in a community that celebrates a car that's not practical and not (comparitively) functional.

[mav1178]

Imagine being this dense, intentionally ignoring the fact that bricks are popular because they unanimously are the best looking on a sil-front.

I personally prefer projector lights, I think they look better.

Everyone has their own tastes, let's just leave it at that...

[dorkidori_s13]

I personally prefer projector lights, I think they look better.

Everyone has their own tastes, let's just leave it at that...

dual projectors FTW!!!

[bigs]

Imagine being this dense, intentionally ignoring the fact that bricks are popular because they unanimously are the best looking on a sil-front. Mf out here trying to ride a wave of pRaCtIcAl fUnCtIoN in a community that celebrates a car that's not practical and not (comparitively) functional.

ixfxi is that person on the internet that becomes passionate about something when it gains traction, meanwhile he's never had a single strong feeling about the subject before.

People complaining about bright headlights make me laugh. Do you forget how to operate a car and swerve into the nearest tree when there are bright headlights shining at you? No. You flash your brights, hope those aren't their actual headlights, and get slightly pissed off for about five seconds when you realize they had their brights on.

Let's be real haha, bright headlights are a small inconvenience. They aren't going to kill everyone you shine them at. If you have Astigmatism, don't drive at night....or take the proper precautions. Lameeee argument.

Good for that dude finding something cheap that still looks decent. It will never be better than the original, but at least it's not a light bar.

[ixfxi]

ixfxi is that person on the internet that becomes passionate about something when it gains traction, meanwhile he's never had a single strong feeling about the subject before.

how about this post i made back in 2007:
https://zilvia.net/f/showpost.php?p=1451111&postcount=22

the nice thing about the internet, its big enough to stuff up your ass


what a lot of people just dont understand is, this isnt a brightness issue.. its a beam pattern issue. lets use suspension as an example. what i advocate for are good suspension components and a proper alignment. what most of you morons talk about, is lowering your car to the point where you can barely drive the car on the street and running -20 degrees of camber.


i dont understand the level of retardation and stupidity. there are plenty of buses driving around with universal (modular) headlights. just buy some modular low & high beams, fab up a mounting bracket, align and DONE. no janky chevy lights.

ya fuckin morons

[AKADriver]

These lights are junk on the GMs they came on. But, at least it's an improvement over light bars which aren't even headlights.

If you have the skills and creativity to mount these then you could make a mount for 90mm Hella projectors (the same type used for low-profile popup conversions) and have seriously good light.

[Farzam]

Truck lights on silfronts is the visual equivalent to hearing a straight piped 350z.

The fact that this is even a discussion on here makes me want to jump off something really tall.