HID Retro Number 3 (2Ga Headlights)

[Blurred Talon]

Here is my opinion on the retro thing. Okay I have a set of projector headlights made for my 2Gb. I put 5000k bulbs in them and they look awesome. I had 8000k's in them for like two years. Anywho I think if you want to retro use 5000k bulbs better light output and if you buy projectors for your DSM still use 5000k bulbs. I just don't see the difference in retro and in the projectors made for our DSMs.

You must be blind then.
My old retro blew the eBay projector with an HID kit out of the water on more then one local car.

I am so scared to take my headlights apart honestly, because when i put it in the oven and baked it to take the glass off...well let's just say it came off, along with everything else, but i will take the LED corner light thing to someone who knows how to do it, and have them do it, and blame them if they mess things up

Heat was too high, I do 170F for 10 minutes and used a putty knife to take them apart.
Or use a heat gun.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Finally started working on the projector side of things today.
Before I start, anyone wishing to retro TLs into your headlights, don't! Unless you have massive headlights it will take a lot of cutting. I didn't believe these things were this big till I saw them with my own eyes.

I started by removing all the OEM hardware, I'm going to try my hardest to leave the OEM level in place too (I just think it's cool).

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I then marked some reference lines on the housing.

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Then I busted out a 3 1/4" hole saw and went to town.

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I didn't take pictures but I cut away a far bit of the reflector bucket for the Bi-Xenon solenoid to pass through. I'm going to have to remove a piece of the bottom of the headlight to get this thing back into the housing, after it's in I can then put the part with the seal back in and then rebuild the bottom. I'm not sure what I'm going to use yet, I'll start reading some some different glues and adhesives before I decide.

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[InfiniteGSX]

You gonna use a front face for the Projectors? If so what you have in mind?

Err nevermind. Saw the original post. Duh.

 

[Blurred Talon]

, no worries man.

 

[WannaBeBoosted]

Cudos to you Blurred, ive yet to see anyone spend this amount of time for better light output. Needless to say it seems as though there is no comparison for quality light. Im impressed, not that im anyone but damn I wish I could do something along those lines.

 

[TSI from Hell]

Thanks Anthony for not being the a__hole on the the street with cheap after market HID. People should take this as an example; don't go HID unless you know what you're doing and be DOT approved please!

 

[WannaBeBoosted]

What he said! ^

 

[Blurred Talon]

Cudos to you Blurred, ive yet to see anyone spend this amount of time for better light output. Needless to say it seems as though there is no comparison for quality light. Im impressed, not that im anyone but damn I wish I could do something along those lines.

Thank you.
It's not very hard to learn how to do this though, some time and some patience, there's tons of info on HiDplanet : The Official Automotive Lighting Forum - The Buzz

Thanks Anthony for not being the a__hole on the the street with cheap after market HID. People should take this as an example; don't go HID unless you know what you're doing and be DOT approved please!

Your welcome I had an HID kit in my old car for all of a month before going back to halogen.

This is still not DOT approved though. Since DSMs never came with HIDs even a proper projector retrofit is still considered illegal in the eyes of the DOT even if you are using OEM parts.

 

[WannaBeBoosted]

Off topic but I tried changing out my leds on my 08 Gsxr cluster and was wondering if its possible to heat the board up too much getting them out/in? 2 out of the 6 work and I have no clue why. Im pretty good with a soldering iron and dont think I did anything wrong. Is there a way to test out the leds/connections? Thanks back on topic.

 

[TSI from Hell]

Your welcome I had an HID kit in my old car for all of a month before going back to halogen.

This is still not DOT approved though. Since DSMs never came with HIDs even a proper projector retrofit is still considered illegal in the eyes of the DOT even if you are using OEM parts.

Oh I see. Nevermind the DOT part then You get the point though, at least you won't blinding people driving down the road but you still retain the upsides of HID's.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Off topic but I tried changing out my leds on my 08 Gsxr cluster and was wondering if its possible to heat the board up too much getting them out/in? 2 out of the 6 work and I have no clue why. Im pretty good with a soldering iron and dont think I did anything wrong. Is there a way to test out the leds/connections? Thanks back on topic.

It is possible to over heat an LED when soldering. I did it on the turn signal I built and had to swap a couple out.
The only way to test them is to either have an LED tester (besthongkong.com sells them for like $6) or have a bench top power supply and the correct resistor for your LED then wire it up.

Oh I see. Nevermind the DOT part then You get the point though, at least you won't blinding people driving down the road but you still retain the upsides of HID's.

I got it
I'll be happy that this retro will look OEM in comparison to the others I had on the car.

 

[WannaBeBoosted]

Could I use a DMM to test? I know cont wouldnt work and also I noticed that the LEDs have a notch in one of the corners. Meaning that the led isnt perfectly square, arent leds diode's? Only let current through one way and not the other. I can take a few pics and send them to you via email if you need to see what im talking about.

 

[Blurred Talon]

LEDs only accept current one way, your right.
I believe you can test with a multi meter.

 

[joyfil2001]

Long shot here, but do you have any of your old set ups for sale? I currently have an HID kit in my stock housings, aimed slightly more downward than they should be as to not blind any oncoming traffic. I have more of a chance of blinding someone I drive next to because of the cut off. I would love a retro conversion. Just don't have the time or the patience to do it myself. Very nice setup by the way.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Long shot here, but do you have any of your old set ups for sale? I currently have an HID kit in my stock housings, aimed slightly more downward than they should be as to not blind any oncoming traffic. I have more of a chance of blinding someone I drive next to because of the cut off. I would love a retro conversion. Just don't have the time or the patience to do it myself. Very nice setup by the way.

Nope, sorry. All my old set ups where scarped and the parts sold off or traded.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Dropped the TL into the stock reflector bucket to line up where I have to cut the headlight housing.

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Here's the TL sitting in the reflector bucket.

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Reattached the reflector mounts.

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Depinned the headlight harness and removed it from the head light.

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Screwed the reflector back in so I could mark the housing.

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Housing marked.

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Housing cut.

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Checking the clearance, still had to remove a bit more.

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Took a bit more off and there's lots of room now. I'll make a custom cover for the bottom of the housing to cover it all up.

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Here's the ballasts I'm using, they are Bosch AL Gen 2s that were modified/boosted by azdave (I bought them from another HIDP member who had Dave mod them originally).

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[Blurred Talon]

Here's some shots of adjusting the boost level via the Rotary Knob.

Stock.

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This is 45W I believe.

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This is 55W.

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Last is 65 or 70W.

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Picture of the assembly off.

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That's it for now, lots of trimming to fit the shrouds on, I'd like to have the projector sit a bit further back so I'll work on that tomorrow.

 

[D00kie]

Good stuff here!!!!!!!

 

[Blurred Talon]

Thanks!

Going to finish up my jig today and grab a low beam headlight to aim it on the wall. I hope to have one projector mounted by the end of the week.

 

[D00kie]

How much would you charge to do something like this???

 

[Blurred Talon]

Depends on many different options and since I'm not a vendor on the site I'm not allowed to comment on that within the forums. However you may PM me if you'd like.

 

[Carter_95RS]

Great work man.

I've been tossing around the idea of something like this. Very helpful.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Glad to inspire a few people!

1 projector is now mounted, yay!

I built myself a headlight jig out of wood. This works by holding the reflector level, also the jig must always be in the same place when being used (marked my tape and marker lines on the floor and jig).

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Leveling up the OEM reflector, on 2Gs the Horizontal lines in a 2G are level with the ground. Knowing this I can set the OEM reflector up in the jig and use a level to make sure they are level.

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Now I use my power supply to turn on the 9006 bulb.

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Then I mark the halogen cut off on the wall.

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Now I load the other trimmed reflector on to the jig and put the TL projector in place. Please note that the TL projector I'm using is a slope cut off projector. I then fire up the projector and check it against the tape line, move it around a bit and BAM!

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Here's what I use to hold the projector in place, I will use more once it's had several hours to cure. The projector will not be going anywhere.

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I leave the projector on while applying the urethane to ensure it's still lined up correctly. I was able to move it the tiny bit I needed so it sit perfect with the tape line.

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Here's will the jig will sit for the next 24hrs while the urethane cures (note that I had to move the jig back from the tape lines to close the door, the projector didn't move though, I checked).

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[Blurred Talon]

Got my 2nd reflector bucket ready for the TL projector. I haven't said it before but please work safely, wear safety glasses/goggles and a charcoal filter mask. The dust that's kicked up when cutting reflectors is thicker then chalk dust, you don't want to be breathing that in.

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I grabbed some Super Clean to clean the grease off the headlight housing. Once I seal the bottom up again I plan to paint the whole housing a similar shade of gray to what they are now.

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Nice and clean!

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Here's the Passenger side reflector bucket mounted in the jig.

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A little bit of tweaking and we're good to go!

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Here's the back and bottom of the driver side reflector. I put a couple dabs of urethane on the projector before putting it in the reflector to aim it. Once that's done I run a bead around making sure to fill any gaps (I use a putty knife if I need too). Once it's cured I run another bead around and smooth it down and also do the bottom of the projector. When it's cured the projector will not move at all.

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Passenger side sitting on the jig curing. I check it after a couple hours to make sure it's still lined up because I'm anal.

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[black_gst]

you do some nice work! maybe one day i can afford to pay you to make me a set