Mynes_3;1973170 said:
I have enlarged this as much as I really can. The problem is the projector bowl still sits on the edge in the housing, the PVC cap doesn't limit it.
Some Questions on Doing HIDs the Right Way
- Thread starter Silver MK3
- Start date
I have enlarged this as much as I really can. The problem is the projector bowl still sits on the edge in the housing, the PVC cap doesn't limit it.
I used is250 projectors with sti clear lenses. They are side ballast bi xenon and fit within the stock mounting bowl which is nice for aiming. I do however have to fabricate a front lens cover to protect the projector. They work great just have been on the back burner so I havent made the protective lens yet.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
GrimJack;1973215 said:
That's what I just did. I went to Lowes and bought some sort of roof flashing or so. I' not really sure what it was but it was only 84 cents and it was thin aluminum like I needed. I cut it into a half inch strip and spaced it out. Now the projector clears the lens, but it sticks out farther than the original headlights. I need longer screws to mount the new headlight to see if it will clear the upper front bumper. If it does then I think I have a winner. If not it looks like I will have to do something else.
gurley0916;1973231 said:
I think I read some posts you had made about that. I would be afraid that something would hit the projector and break it though. How do you plan to make the protective lens?
Im extending out the black trim because I lowered the headlights and then forming a lexan piece in the hole of the trim.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
It fits! I just screwed it in with the longer screws and it appears that everything fits. Ill finish up this one and get some pictures.
Should look good when you are done, it sounds like quite the project compared to mine.
gurley0916;1973242 said:
Should look good when you are done, it sounds like quite the project compared to mine.
akito;1973381 said:
Yeah I will get some pictures up later tonight.
T3rril79;1973388 said:
I'm going to wait until I get them fully finished and sealed to take them anywhere. Once they are in the car you can definitely check them out. I just don't want to risk breaking it or so by moving it around more than necessary. I've got a lot of time into just one of these.
Sorry I didn't get pictures up last night, I tried to upload them to photbucket today around lunchtime but it wouldn't let me. It just did so here they are.
I haven't yet sealed them back up with the new butyl, but I will soon. I also still need to use some JB Weld or some sort of epoxy to secure the PVC cap to the housing.
I did a test fit with the bulb in. The headlight fit in good, cleared the bumper with the longer screws. and opened and closed without any interferences. There was a slight clanking noise when I used the motors to move it up and down instead of doing it manually. I believe this noise was just the plugs hanging in there without anything plugged into them.
Here you can see the aluminum that I used to space the lens. There is a groove in the lens that the aluminum fits into perfectly.
unmodified headlight
Modified headlight on left, unmodified on right
I haven't yet sealed them back up with the new butyl, but I will soon. I also still need to use some JB Weld or some sort of epoxy to secure the PVC cap to the housing.
I did a test fit with the bulb in. The headlight fit in good, cleared the bumper with the longer screws. and opened and closed without any interferences. There was a slight clanking noise when I used the motors to move it up and down instead of doing it manually. I believe this noise was just the plugs hanging in there without anything plugged into them.
Here you can see the aluminum that I used to space the lens. There is a groove in the lens that the aluminum fits into perfectly.
unmodified headlight
Modified headlight on left, unmodified on right
Very nice! let us know how these turned out 
pictures of light output and cut off would be great too!
pictures of light output and cut off would be great too!
akito;1973765 said:Very nice! let us know how these turned out
Yeah I will. I'll get out my real camera instead of my phone and get some shots of them when they are finished and sealed up along with some output and cutoff shots. Hopefully my harness comes in soon.
Yeah, I'm going to check the rotation on them before I really tighten down the lock nut on the back. Then I will use the left/right, and up/down adjustment on the headlight bucket on the car as needed.gurley0916;1973935 said:
Got my harness in the mail today, it wasn't supposed to ship until tomorrow so I'm happy. This means I should be able to get these finished this weekend and hopefully some pictures up by early next week.
Here's an update.
I ran the wiring harness, got everything hooked up, and tested the lights. Apparently The Retrofit Source's last batch of ballasts has had igniter problems in a small percentage of them and mine were included so basically it was causing my HIDs to not fire up the first time. They would just flash quickly but not stay on. I called them about this and they are issuing replacements to people having this problem. I have a new pair of ballasts on the way from them.
I sealed the aluminum spacer to the lens this weekend but still need to seal this to the actual housing. Once I do this and swap out the ballasts I should be done.
The good news is when the HIDs were lit they looked beautiful and everything fits into the car perfectly without having to modify anything on the car. I can't wait to get this finished.
I ran the wiring harness, got everything hooked up, and tested the lights. Apparently The Retrofit Source's last batch of ballasts has had igniter problems in a small percentage of them and mine were included so basically it was causing my HIDs to not fire up the first time. They would just flash quickly but not stay on. I called them about this and they are issuing replacements to people having this problem. I have a new pair of ballasts on the way from them.
I sealed the aluminum spacer to the lens this weekend but still need to seal this to the actual housing. Once I do this and swap out the ballasts I should be done.
The good news is when the HIDs were lit they looked beautiful and everything fits into the car perfectly without having to modify anything on the car. I can't wait to get this finished.
Well I got everything sealed up and put into the car. I got the new ballasts in the mail also, but the drivers side one is still not igniting on first try. I'm probably just going to stick with these ballasts until The Retrofit Source gets their new ballasts design in about a month and then get them to replace it under warranty. The good news is that these lights look absolutely amazing. The cutoff is great and the beam is super wide with a lot of depth also. I couldn't believe how much I could see last night when I drove it for the first time with the HIDs.
I still need to do some minor adjustments for the alignment. My driveway isn't completely level so it was hard to tell when the lights were even, but on the road I could tell the drivers side needs to come up just a bit. Ill try and get some pictures with a real camera here in the next few days.
This is definitely one of the best things you can do to an old car. Earlier year on my way back from the local racetrack I was going down some county roads late at night doing 55mph (speed limit) and I hit an armadillo because I wasn't able to stop fast enough because I didn't see it soon enough. I'm sure with these lights I would have seen him much sooner and had been able to stop.
I still need to do some minor adjustments for the alignment. My driveway isn't completely level so it was hard to tell when the lights were even, but on the road I could tell the drivers side needs to come up just a bit. Ill try and get some pictures with a real camera here in the next few days.
This is definitely one of the best things you can do to an old car. Earlier year on my way back from the local racetrack I was going down some county roads late at night doing 55mph (speed limit) and I hit an armadillo because I wasn't able to stop fast enough because I didn't see it soon enough. I'm sure with these lights I would have seen him much sooner and had been able to stop.