Jeep JK LED Headlights Installed for $174!

[Gladiator_92]

Like all of us with halogen headlights, I have been on the hunt for a pair of quality LEDs since I first drove my Gladiator at night. Before my Gladiator, I had a JK with the upgraded LEDs from the factory and they were amazing! I don't think I will ever be able to go back to halogen lights moving forward. After exhausting all aftermarket and obviously factory options that I liked due to price - I had an idea.

I remembered that it is not uncommon to find a pair of the awesome JK LEDs on Facebook marketplace for around $200. So that go me thinking. What if I picked up a set of those and mounted them using some adapter brackets similar to what everyone is using for their aftermarket 7" LEDs? Then, all I would need to figure out is the different plugs and my Tazer programmer would handle the Jeep's computer. PLUS! PLUS! PLUS! The JK headlights are a one piece design and the mounts are easily broken in minor accidents. SO, my goal would be to find a pair that were 100% functional but had broken mounts and could not be re-installed in a JK. Therefore, I could negotiate an even lower price for both lights!

Well, after some thought and a little research - I pulled the trigger.

I got a set of JK LEDs with a broken mount for $100 on Facebook (awesome deal). Quadratec makes a harness specifically to go from the JK connection to the JL connection. As for the headlight adapters, I went for the Amazon specials but you can get yourself a really nice set for more money. (Which I might do in the future)

What you'll need:

1. Headlight adapter brackets ($45): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KJZNM7P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2. Quadratec ($29): https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadratec/h13-jl-adapter-harness-jeep-wrangler-jl
3. 2017 - 2018 Jeep JK LED Headlights (100): Facebook Market place
4. You will need an LED headlight programmer or programming but I already bought mine for tire size, etc so for me: $0

As of today - I have all the parts and have confirmed that the lights are plug and play with the quadratec wiring adapters. I will need to trim the JK light housing in certain areas to get them to fit inside the adapter rings. The trimming will only include removing plastic that was originally part of how they mounted to the JK. Should be a simple job for a dremel. The purple taped off area in the below pictures is the area the rings will cover. I will be trimming the raised plastic areas up to that point.

Over the next few days I will get to the install and tweaking the adapter rings to be just right. I will report back with my progress and more pictures of the install but couldn't wait to share.

Sponsored

 

[FutureOdin]

I thought about going this route, since 7" headlights are way cheaper than 9", but I just couldn't get over the fact that I'd be putting in a smaller light, and I think it looks a bit.

I ended up opting for these: https://www.amazon.com/BUNKER-INDUS...7233449&sprefix=Bunker+Indust,aps,161&sr=8-58

I'm pretty happy with the result, and they're definitely one of the cheaper options around.

 

[Gladiator_92]

I thought about going this route, since 7" headlights are way cheaper than 9", but I just couldn't get over the fact that I'd be putting in a smaller light, and I think it looks a bit.

I ended up opting for these: https://www.amazon.com/BUNKER-INDUST-Wrangler-Headlights-Headlamp/dp/B07QG7W82B/ref=sr_1_58?crid=1UC259GGRVIYK&dchild=1&keywords=bunker+indust&qid=1617233449&sprefix=Bunker+Indust,aps,161&sr=8-58

I'm pretty happy with the result, and they're definitely one of the cheaper options around.

I thought about going with a cheaper light but i was concerned about quality of the unit and the light output. This method allows me to have a mopar manufactured unit for under $200.

 

[Gladiator_92]

post an output/wall shot of the lights... then lets show how the $175 lights looks

These are Jeep JK lights manufactured by Jeep. They retail for around $800 and are a great light. As I mentioned, you can get them cheap and I got a set for $100.

 

[Gladiator_92]

I completed the install tonight. Had to do a lot of cutting and sanding on the JK light housing to get it to fit in the adapter brackets. Overall install was about 3 hours including the cutting and sanding.

See pictures below of how to remove the old mounting locations on the housing. You then need to remove the tapered outside diameter of the housing so they slide into the adapters.

After that, the rest was easy. Mount the light in the adapter - mount the adapter/light on the Jeep - plug in the adapter wiring harness - adjust the beams and flash the computer.

Overall, so far I am very pleased with the look and the functionality of the lights. The beam cutoff, spread and brightness are almost the same as my brothers Jeep JL with factory LEDs. See for yourself below.

Low Beam: (JL Factory LED left - JK LED in Gladiator Right)

High Beam: (JL Factory LED left - JK LED in Gladiator Right)

Low Beam at ~15 feet:

Low Beam:

High Beam:

 

[FutureOdin]

To each their own. I don't like this look of the smaller "eye," I think it looks odd. You can definitely see that the JL is brighter than the JK.

 

[wvuviv30]

Low Beam at ~15 feet:

PASS... these have a lot of glare and will blind oncoming traffic... there should be almost no light on the top 2 garage door panels.

Here is what good headlights look like.

 

[Gladiator_92]

PASS... these have a lot of glare and will blind oncoming traffic... there should be almost no light on the top 2 garage door panels.

Here is what good headlights look like.

I suppose Jeep manufactured headlights aren't "good" then? The lights I installed have the same cutoff as the factory JL/Gladiator lights in the side by side picture.

What brand of lights are you running? Also, how about a night shot, any minor bleeding above the cutoff will be significantly less during the day.

 

[tkclemmer]

I completed the install tonight. Had to do a lot of cutting and sanding on the JK light housing to get it to fit in the adapter brackets. Overall install was about 3 hours including the cutting and sanding.

The install looks really clean and the 7" lights kinda have a utilitarian MB/GPW look to them. I also like the idea of OEM quality parts.

If I recall from my JK days, the 7" headlights have 3 alignment tabs to help them index into the buckets. From your pictures it doesn't look like those exist after trimming the extra material away. Did you have to manually align them and clamp them down with the adapter's trim ring? Have you seen any rotational movement?

 

[Gladiator_92]

The install looks really clean and the 7" lights kinda have a utilitarian MB/GPW look to them. I also like the idea of OEM quality parts.

If I recall from my JK days, the 7" headlights have 3 alignment tabs to help them index into the buckets. From your pictures it doesn't look like those exist after trimming the extra material away. Did you have to manually align them and clamp them down with the adapter's trim ring? Have you seen any rotational movement?

Thank you, they have been awesome.

You are correct about the alignment tabs. I trimmed them off so these fit inside the adapter buckets. The entire circumference of the light makes contact with the adapter and it is clamped down so absolutely no rotational movement. You need to adjust them outside of the adapter because of how tight it is. Yes, it is a manual adjustment to align them rotationally in the bucket and then you can use the adjuster screws to align the light pattern out front.

Sponsored