How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

[Don W.]

Quick easy way to aim your headlights.

With truck empty on a level surface and “going straight,” for example, drive into the garage as straight as you can. Place any available vertical surface in front of the truck and move the truck to within inches of the “vertical surface”, plywood whatever. Turn the headlights on and switch to HIGH BEAM. Mark the center of the resulting spots of light on the plywood. Roll truck back a few feet so that you now have two large spots of light on the plywood. Adjust the headlights so that the large spots are centered on the marks made previously.

If things are really bad you may want to do it twice.

If you’re doing 4 headlights disconnect so you’re doing only one pair at a time.

Just remember, straight, level, and high beams. You should do as good as any machine.

Don

 

[six_wheeler]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

Hello Don,

Any numbers involved? i.e. exactly how far from the wall should the vehicle be? How high (and how car apart) should the light spots be for correct adjustment?

TIA,
Shady

 

[Don W.]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

Hello Don,

Any numbers involved? i.e. exactly how far from the wall should the vehicle be? How high (and how car apart) should the light spots be for correct adjustment?

TIA,
Shady

I generally roll back 4-6 feet. Whatever gives you a large, reasonably well defined spot that shows the misalignment if there is any. What you're aiming for (pun intended) is the headlight beams level, parallel to each other and parallel to the (left-right) center-line of the vech. on high beam.

Hope that answers your questions.

Cheers.

 

[gkrcr882]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

Good how-to! Are you going to do one for the foglights in the future?

 

[Don W.]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

Good how-to! Are you going to do one for the foglights in the future?

Sure. Actually it works the same, just no high beam to remember.

(Check my original post date. Kinda funny getting all this activity all of a sudden.)

 

[gkrcr882]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

:rotf:

 

[l-eater]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

I use a similar method. I get back maybe 50 feet from the outside of my shop with a vehicle that has known good lighting and shine the lights onto the wall. I park the vehicle needing adjusting about 20 ft away with the front end in line with the other vehicle and with its lights shining on the wall as well. Then I adjust the height of the high and low beams to the same as the good car and adjust the left and right aim also.

 

[Don W.]

Re: How to aim headlights (quick and easy)

Well there's also the dark empty back road method. Just get them suckers shooting right where you want 'em.