HID retro is complete....What do you guys think??

[Jorge18]

Alright guys, here it is. I finished up the retro this weekend. Here are a couple of pics...

Headlight taken apart with old projector...

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Headlight with no projector...

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Difference between projectors (left is the stock one...right is the Valeo)

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Bracket I had to fab up to make it fit with the headlight brackets...

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Valeo ready to put in...

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Valeo in the headlight..

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And finally...THE RESULTS...

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Cutoff pic...

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And heres a vid to show how it looks when it starts up..(rightclick save as)
http://www.ch3tech.com/jt/photos/albums/My car/HIDs/turnon.AVI

And that's all folks..What do you guys think??

BTW: I want to thank FireBretha for all his help!! Thanks dude!

 

[speedy13]

good job,it looks bright as hell with the camera.So how does it perform in real life?

 

[Jorge18]

It's AWESOME.. Expensive and a f'ing hassle, but soo worth it.

 

[chico904]

Looks great bro, how much did the whole setup run you?

 

[Jorge18]

About 500 bucks.

 

[vividracing]

That is very nice. Lets see some pics of the car in the daylight to see how they look on the car.

Thanks
Rich

 

[Jorge18]

These are old pics, but it looks the same now.

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[SpoolinV8ETR]

You have a nice car. The only thing i dont like about it (and its just my opinion) is the metal strip of the top of the window. looks out of place. GJ on the lights by the way

 

[Jorge18]

THe metal strip is gone..I finally got the new weather stripping!

 

[BacknBlack92ESi]

Nice work. Glad to see more people doing more fab work. Was going to this myself but had other plans on other project's.

 

[Jorge18]

Some more pics....

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[Spidey]

Nice job, looks like they came out real good. I need to do this some day...

 

[Toshiro]

Looks good. Any more info on the parts you used?

 

[Tsi_User]

Looks good. Any more info on the parts you used?

I'm curious also, are the lights LEGAL? They look brighter than my stockers w/the high beam on

 

[stock1g4g63]

It seems so, it looks like there's a nice clean break between the lit and unlit areas as shown on the fence, which would prevent it from blinding people since the light stops before it reaches the windshield.

 

[TrystanGST]

I'm curious also, are the lights LEGAL? They look brighter than my stockers w/the high beam on

In a word, no.

From a great HID retro resource :

What kind of headlamps are legal to use?

Retrofitting of an ENTIRE sealed OEM HID headlamp from a different vehicle keeping all original functions intact is legal in North America. Obviously, it must be mounted in the approximate same height and as solid as on the original vehicle. In a court case worst scenario, it will most likely will be used against you, but the right lawyer will be able to defend you. Note that functions consists of low beam, high beam, markers, turn signals, amber side reflector, leveling system (if equipped), cleaning system (if equipped) and AFS system (if equipped).
All other kinds of retrofits are illegal, unless results from a testing lab can show otherwise. The cost of such test is around $10,000 and consists of various environmental, durability, material, aimiability, and so on. Even if you are willing to pay this amount, it is not granted that you will pass. Based on the report you will have to make design adjustments where it failed and go for another test. All in all, designing legal headlamps is not for the DYI mechanic.

Is it illegal to sell HID kits?

All HID kits containing an HID bulb intending to replace a halogen bulb is illegal to sell in North America. This is not a new regulation, its been there since way before HID kits came on the marked. It basically goes under regulations regarding non-compliant lighting. Equipment commercially made/sold in the US currently carries a fine of up to $10,000 per occurrence.

Is it illegal to import HID kits to the US?

Yes it is illegal. Unless equipment complies with current standard and is covered by a certification. This makes import a criminal act, you cannot blame the shipper or brokerage company. They can only advise you not doing it.

But as long as you have them properly aimed, and you completed the retro with true HID components, you shouldn't have a problem.