I purchased an OEM set of lights that had been previously modified from another builder in California...because....it's for a Sierra...there are a ton of truck owners out here....these will sell quick.
WRONG-OOO!
I knew these were SLE headlights; meaning they Did NOT come with the upper and lower DRL LEDs....which is fine...that's only for looks....these were meant for better lighting performance.
They previously had the old crappy projector ripped out and a new mini d2s projector installed.
I upgraded the lighting to HIDs and replaced the turn signal for a switchback version and called it a day.
Failing to realize that most guys that own the 1500 sierra's don't really wanna mod their lights or pay close to a grand for something they might not understand what they were getting....I mean, at my price, these were a steal for what the owner was getting.....cool looking modded lights and MUCH higher performance than even the 2017 Denali 2500 Sierras.....but nooooooo....not one bite on these.
So, after talking with a potential buyer, I realized I need to do something that (I think) has never been done......and SLE to SLT conversion.
Here is the justification:
SLE Headlights $600-$800 for a pair
SLT Headlights $800-1600 EACH
SLT uprades: Basic White DRL boards and 25w D5S Bi-Xenon Projectors
So, if I could take a set of SLE headlights and keep them under $1000-1500 for the set and make them better than the SLT version....then owners of the SLE platform will want to upgrade their existing lights to be better than the SLT owners.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
One thing I failed to realize when I jumped at this chance....the Upper and Lower panels of the SLE headlight shroud are actually molded in. To me, it'd be smart to make 1 mold of the lights and then create removable blank panels for either the SLT or SLE versions...but noooooo...GM had a different idea.
So I had to actually very carefully cut out the upper and lower portions of the shroud to fit the clear lenses I saved from a prior build.
Once that was done, I used some Diode Dynamics Switchback HD LED Strips for the upper and lower DRLs.
Then, i mounted some RGB led strips in both upper and lower sections for the Tri-Demon Eyes.....as well as the projector to complete the trifecta.
I had to make custom backboards for the lower drl section, because it'd show too much of the inner headlight compartment...and that'd be lame.
While these LEDs might not project as far as the OEM SLT DRLs would....they are far superior to in ALL other aspects and angles. As soon as you move from the front of the headlights, the SLT LEDs dim...because they have forward firing LED reflector buckets.....these HD LED Strips however emit a constant bright light at all angles, front, side, top and bottom.
Wrapped up...it'll be hard for most people to tell a difference in these First Ever SLE-to-SLT conversions.....but once they do recognize them, the'll still be as jealous as ever and what a set for themselves!
Er...well....that's the plan anyways!