How to install new headlights in a '96

[KLS]

I'll soon install new headlights for a friend in her '96. She lives out of town, and I'll only have the tools I take with me.

Are there any tricks to getting the old headlight assemblies out and putting the new ones in?

What tools should I take?

I bought new headlight assemblies from 1001headlights-dot-com. These are TYC brand from Taiwan, and seem to be very good quality. There are cheaper headlights on eBay and other outlets, but I get good service and good quality parts from this outfit. If the cheaper lights are TYC, great.

The assemblies came with standard Sylvania 9007 bulbs, but I changed those for Philips Vision Plus bulbs. These put out 50% more light with standard wattage by using better gases in the bulb and more precise filament placement. suvlights-dot-com is one source; there are cheaper sources from England on eBay. I'm using these bulbs the cars in the family fleet, and I like them very much. I won't use any bulbs with blue tint. The blue blocks some light, and the blue (even if they look whiter) causes more glare to oncoming drivers and more glare in snow, fog, rain, & wet road haze.


Ken

[charger72]

This job's a piece of cake. My 16 year old son changed the drivers side on his in about 15 min. The only tool he needed was a 10mm (I think) wrench. There wasn't enough room to get a ratchet on all 3 nuts. The only pain was you can only turn one of them about 1/2 a turn at a time. No biggie. There were 2 wire harnesses to disconnect and the old assembly slid right out. Good luck!

[KLS]

Thanks for the info. Working in my garage would be no problem. Travelling to someone else's home to do the work on a car I've never seen under the hood is more of a challenge. (I really have looked under that hood once...she was visiting us, and I checked things...after I put air in all four tires, two quarts of oil, a half gallon of coolant, and a half gallon of windshield wash she was ready to go. She's 75, smart, but ditzy.)


Ken