How to Install HIDs on Late 80s Firebirds

HID headlights weren’t even offered as an upgrade option until 1991, when BMW introduced its new model-year 7 series luxury sedan in Europe. Since then, the use of HIDs has proliferated, but mostly on newer vehicles and higher-end sports cars. For those who own vehicles from the late 1980s and earlier, HIDs weren’t even a possibility when those cars came out. But that doesn’t mean your third generation Firebird can’t be adapted to use HID headlights. Below you’ll find a step-by-step guide for installing HIDs on these cars:

1 – To begin, you’ll first need to pop open the hood and remove the vehicle’s stock headlights. To do so, remove the three screws holding them in place around the border with a Philips head screwdriver. Once the screws have been removed, tug on the exterior cover and pull towards the car slowly. This should get it loose.

NOTE: Make sure the car’s battery has been disconnected before beginning the installation process.

2 – From the underside of the Firebird, take out the bolts (10mm) that keep the shrouds in place. You’ll also want to remove the air dam for good measure, so it doesn’t get in your way. You can now remove the shrouds, which will enable you to see the back of the headlight assembly.

3 – Third generation Firebird use sealed beam headlights, which can be a frustrating hassle to deal with during the HID installation process. Essentially, sealed beam units are one and the same as the headlight bulbs, making changes very difficult to carry out. In order to install the new HID bulbs you’ve purchased, you’ll need to open up the units and remove all of the stock bulb components inside them. To make this happen, unscrew the top two screws and remove the headlight casing, then disconnect the connector at the back.

4 – You’re going to have to do some makeshift work on this next step. Because there is not enough space between the rear of the headlight and the bulb itself for all the HID components to fit, you’ll need to remove the piece of plastic between the O ring and the bulb. Using pliers, carefully break off small pieces of the plastic, and slide them away from the wire. You’ll need to do this until the fit can be made.

5 – Take the HIDs and install them. To do so, you’ll need to install them the opposite way you did when taking them out. Take the wires and run them up behind the metal plate adjacent to the headlight casing. Then, cut the negative headlight connector off, at around 1.5 inches away from the plastic. You should do wire cutters to make a proper cut.

6 – Once the stock harness has been severed, you’re going to have to make some changes to the OEM wiring so that the positive harness from the HID kit can adapt to it. Simply strip the wire insulation from the wires about ¾ inches from the top. Then, take the female component and connect the wire to it on the rounded end. You’ll need to crimp as appropriate.

7 – Now it’s time to mount the ballast. On the driver’s side, mount the ballast to the old air pump bracket by screwing it on. There should be bolt holes on the bracket that make this fairly easy to do. To ensure the bracket stays in place, you can use ties or other strong materials. For the passenger side ballast, you’ll have to choose a place depending on your Firebird type. Formula models differ from Trans Am models, so make a judgment call about what place can fit and stably hold the ballast.

8 – Connect the male and female connectors, and make sure all the wires are properly attached. The wires are color coded with terminals on the ballast for easy installation, so match up the black one to the black end, and the white one to the red end.

9 – Now it’s time to put everything together. Make sure the bulbs are sealed securely in the sealed beam headlight casing, as you know this makeshift setup was not designed to hold HID bulbs initially. Replace the shrouds and the air dam, and tie up any dangling wires to avoid interference with other car mechanics.

10 – Shut the hood and test the lights. Because 1980s Firebirds weren’t made to utilize HID headlight components, this step is critically more important than it is on later models. If everything goes well, the lights should work fine, but you may notice some light humming with the lights running for the first 10 minutes or so of use. This is normal, so don’t panic. As long as both beams are working and the noise goes away, you’re good to go.