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Old 11-21-2010, 02:57 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Hella 500s behind grill: Install Pics

On the last few vehicles I've had (Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra), I've installed a set of Hella 500s behind the grill...usually on the radiator support or a bumper bracket. I've completed the install on my Hihy, and thought you all might be interested. They fit perfectly. Personally, I've put a set of 100w bulbs in these, in place of the stock 55w. I've run them that way for years, with no problems (You do have to trim the base of the bulb to fit it in the 55w housing).

The first pic shows the lights from the front. Unless you're looking, they're not noticeable.



Surprisingly, the grill has a minimal impact on the lights' output.

The next pic shows one individual light, closer up. As you can see, they're perfectly sized for the grill opening.



This pic shows the mounting. If you pull off the big plastic shield between the grill and radiator, you'll see the plastic tabs that hold the grill to the radiator core support. I drilled holes in two of those tabs and bolted through them. The only complication is that there isn't much room here to get the lights pointed correctly. There's a lot of trial and error. I found that you'll either have to trim the back of the light housing a bit, or bend the lip of the core support back a bit. You'll see what I mean when you go to install.



This shows a slightly more zoomed out view of the install.



I mounted my relay to the rear of the radiator core support, right above the battery. To control the relay, I tapped into the high-beam wire going to the right headlight.

It works great, they look good, and I'm very pleased with the install. Let me know if you have any questions.

Last edited by TrailDust; 11-21-2010 at 08:08 PM. Reason: Photo links edited for display.
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Old 11-21-2010, 10:13 PM   #2 (permalink)
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And oh yeah...those are the upgraded horns on there, too.
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Old 11-22-2010, 08:26 AM   #3 (permalink)
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USA

Nice Job...thanks for sharing..I'm sure they look awesome lit up behind the hybrid grill.

I have the same premium horns as well...A huge improvement over the "damn beep, beep" ones.
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Old 11-22-2010, 06:14 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Bravo, these are the mods I like to see. I'll have to show my wife to see if she's interested. I just bought a set of Hella Black Magic 500 series driving lights for my Sequoia, I might have enough room to do the same setup.

I'm begging you to see some output pictures, I'm curious how much the grill interferes as well as how much additional output you get. On my wife's Highlander I've upgraded all bulbs to Sylvania Silverstar Ultras with the biggest difference being the foglights, it's literally like having another set of headlights on the road. She doesn't want me to have an HID retrofit done so this might be the next best thing. In my Sequoia I have also upgraded all my bulbs to Ultra's but also had a set of Lexus LS460 bi-xenon projectors/ballasts/etc retrofitted into my headlights. It's never enough light
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Old 11-22-2010, 06:47 PM   #5 (permalink)
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That's cool! Nice clean install too.
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Old 11-22-2010, 08:25 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Agreed...well done, nice write-up! Already added to the Mods & Maintenance sticky under the General Modifications sub-section.
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Old 11-22-2010, 11:25 PM   #7 (permalink)
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You inspired me to come up with a solution for my Sequoia, the only other member that did something similar to his Tundra had a very involved process. I used the holes where my factory horns were and relocated the horns

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forum...atinum-owners/
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Old 11-22-2010, 11:42 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMSinMD View Post
You inspired me to come up with a solution for my Sequoia, the only other member that did something similar to his Tundra had a very involved process. I used the holes where my factory horns were and relocated the horns

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forum...atinum-owners/
What kind of light are they throwing? I assume it's satisfactory for you?
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Old 11-23-2010, 12:47 AM   #9 (permalink)
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I'll let you know as soon as I have them hooked up. Tonight was just trying out fitment, etc.
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Old 11-23-2010, 07:18 AM   #10 (permalink)
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I'll try to take a few pics at night, to show the output difference...my headlights are still stock.
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Old 11-23-2010, 12:22 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMSinMD View Post
I'll let you know as soon as I have them hooked up. Tonight was just trying out fitment, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lawfarm View Post
I'll try to take a few pics at night, to show the output difference...my headlights are still stock.
Cool! Thank you, gentlemen.
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Old 11-23-2010, 06:35 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Doh, my HID are brighter than my Hella Black Magic. Anyone interested in a 1 day old set of Hella Black Magic 500 series for $100 shipped please (serious).
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