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TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
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Author:  burubado [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:10 am ]
Post subject:  TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
I molested the car a bit on the weekend...

This is what I started with:
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installed some of these:
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which are for these:
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Nice and snug, will probably make a new hole below the light hole and stick a grommet in there for the wires to go thru. But for now, pretty tidy.
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A couple of people have asked me to make some for them.
no, I won't, but this guide may help you make your own.
Buy a pair of crystal housings, you need the clear front ones, not the bumpy ones otherwise it will **** up your light patterns. Get ones with a metal backing too - it's easier to work with. Oh, and a GLASS lens!!!! HID lights will make plastic lenses turn into soup. Also, make sure the locating tabs on the back fit your car's housings, if they don't grind them back so it's flat.
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pop the **** in the oven at about 80 degrees (pre-heat it)
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it went in at this time:
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and out at this time:
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the trick is to get the glue soft so you can pull them apart - if the glue is roasted, chances are you will **** up the lights, make your house stink, burn yourself and have an angry mrs.

Use some pretty pink gloves unless you're an idiot and like burnt fingers
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A small, flat blade screwdriver or chisel will allow you to gently pry them apart.
If this isn't easy, then heat it for longer, otherwise you'll break the glass.
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Tada!
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Remove the bulb cover if you have one.
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Time for lunch while they cool down.
Steamed pork buns. yum. I steamed these while i baked the reflectors.
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I played an advanced level on portal while i waited too, but that's optional.

If you are keeping the reflector chrome, be careful not to scratch the chrome when you remove the glue, also, if you have a cat, ensure she does not eat the glue like mine tried to
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The H4 holder ring is no longer required, so remove it. I squished it in my vice :)
my bench is so messy :(
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nicely squished
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and removed
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Use tin snips to chop into it like this, then bend the tabs up to make it easier to cut.
Don't cut them too big, you can always remove more, but you can't add it back on.
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chomp chomp chomp
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poke your projector thru, chances are you will need to chop off a bit more, but that's easy now because of the larger hole. If you have an angel eye ring or something, chances are you will need to cut a little extra off in one spot for the wires like i had to.
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oh sh*t the cat's eating the metal tabs i cut off!
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No kitty! (omnomnomnom)
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This is how fits together once it's all in place.
You can see how the glass sits about a mm above the reflector because of the projetor lens - this is OK!
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Snug-ish. If there are some gaps, it's all good, as long as you can't see it from the front
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If you don't want the reflector to be chrome, now is the time to paint it! You could paint it black, or body coloured, or anything. I just kept them chrome, I want it to look somewhat factory.

Now, you need some knead-it stuff. You squish it together until the colour is even and then it hardens in about 20 minutes, This will be used for two purposes, to hold the projector in place and to seal the back from moisture/dust etc.
The cat wanted to eat this too, but I didn't have much left so no kitty, not this time!
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If your projector has a plastic coating, pull it off now.
Clean the reflector to get rid of finger prints etc and use a rag so you don't get anything dirty with knead-it fingers.
Once the reflector is in place and sitting level, start to squish the knead-it in place, really work it in the gaps.
You can see the angel eye wire and the appropriate cut out here too.
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Put it all around to seal it properly, you can get it smooth in a second, just get it on there for now.
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Smooth it out )remember you won't be able to see it anyway, you just want it flat enough that it won't foul the backing plate on your car. Once it's smoothed out to your liking, sit it somewhere where it is suspended by the housing, not the prrojector.
The last thing you wnat is for the projector to move and be on a funny angle.
I just used the projector packaging. Sorry about the dark photo.
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The projectors likely came with sealant for putting it back together. If it didn't you need to make sure it won't be affected by heat otherwise your lens may go cloudy. Remember, HID gets a lot hotter than normal H4 bulbs!
Only use enough selaant to just seal the gap between the glass and the reflector, if you put too much on, it will squish into the reflector area and it will look sh*t, you will need to pull it apart and clean it all off which is annoying - i did it on my first one and it was awful. So learn from my mistake!
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Nice little seal. But it won't be enough to hold it in place.
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For this i used high quality electrical tape. Wound tightly around the lens and reflector, it holds everything firmly in place. I wanted the black to go to the edge, you can sit it back further if you like.
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Like a bought one :) When the knead-it is hard you can paint it, but I didn't bother, you can't see it anyway and I was out of satin black!
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I also installed clear inner lights, still need to make them yellow, but can't find glass stain aerosol!
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Let's put the grill back on and see how it looks....
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Beautiful!
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All done, have fun. This is just a guide, if you **** it up, it's your own fault.

These are the housings I used, you will need a HI/LO type if you want the one light to do high and low beam. They have a motor inside to change the beam.
These kits require a ballast, you will need to purchase them seperately off the seller. Make sure you clearly specify the frequency of light you want as well as the colour of the angel eye.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/9005-9006-Bi-xen ... 1e59275ee1
I don't think this is the same seller that I used, but it is the same product. Cheaper now than when I bought them two years ago too...

Hope this helps!
Author:  burubado [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
Wiring is straight forward, they have an H4 fitting to plug into the factory plug, a +ve, a -ve and two wires for the angel eye which i will wire to the park light circuit.

I am going to be rewiring a little bit using different relays and headlight swicthes, so I haven't finished it yet. But when it's finished I'll take photos of the beams etc.
Author:  24TKman [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
nice!! i thought about doing this to my 240k.

im tossing up between a semi sealed H4 upgrade or full HID?

does your hid unit hum?? ive heard they can be a little noisy?
Author:  burubado [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
Noisy? Can't see why it would be noisy... I'll let you know once it's hooked up.
They do have a little noise to them normally but nothing obtrusive.
Author:  nebuchernezzer [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
They are fairly noisy...when the car is off and you have your head in the engine bay inspecting your handiwork.
No chance in hell you'll hear them from inside your car with the engine on even if you drive something as quiet as a prius.
Author:  spiff [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
I would recommend The Retrofit Source

The FX-R bixenon lenses are awesome, plus they have really good customerservice. Good quality bulbs, ballasts, plug'n'play wiring harness, basically everything you need to get setup.

Also, HID's DO NOT(!) get hotter than regular filament bulbs.
If they did then why haven't my plastic lens melted yet ?

Another tip, get your car up against a wall(about 20-30feet away) and mark the old cut-off line with tape or something similiar. That will make aiming the new hids much easier. :)

And yeah they make some noise but you don't hear it inside the car.

And your new setup looks sweet 8)
Author:  burubado [ Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
They are relatively power hungry, so it's best not to leave them running for long with the engine off anyway.
Thanks for the replies.
Author:  24TKman [ Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
burubado wrote:
They are relatively power hungry, so it's best not to leave them running for long with the engine off anyway.
Thanks for the replies.
arnt they high volt/low current?? something like 12000 volts but draws very little amps?? dunno really, just what im told as that would be another advantage
Author:  burubado [ Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
I'm not sure on the figures, but they do warn in the manual to start the car before turning your headlights on.
Author:  nebuchernezzer [ Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
I thought they were more efficient, ie they chewed about the same ammount of power but produce more light and less heat from it.
Author:  MYDATO [ Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
Whats the difference between these and the H4 HID conversion kits you can buy?
Author:  SR20Datsun [ Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
I like the write up. Well done. Bloody cats.
Do you have to do the step with the pork buns?
Author:  burubado [ Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
MYDATO wrote:
Whats the difference between these and the H4 HID conversion kits you can buy?
The difference is that this is a proper projector setup.
Those cheap kits you can buy are used with the standard reflector which is dangerous as the light refraction isn't correct and it will dazzle other drivers while giving you poor quality, unfocussed light output
It's kinda like driving on high beams while wearing dark sunglasses.

A projector setup has a properly focussed lens for precise light output that will not blind other drivers.
SR20Datsun wrote:
I like the write up. Well done. Bloody cats.
Do you have to do the step with the pork buns?
Lunch is a very important part of the process, but it can be substituted for beer or bourbon...
Author:  James May [ Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
nebuchernezzer wrote:
They are fairly noisy...when the car is off and you have your head in the engine bay inspecting your handiwork.
No chance in hell you'll hear them from inside your car with the engine on even if you drive something as quiet as a prius.
If your headlights are louder than your engine, you aren't driving a datsun.

Excellent write-up. Might try it one day...
Author:  burubado [ Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TUTORIAL: HID projector headlights.
Time to add a bit to this.

Got them all wired up to my 910 bluebird switches :)
still need to align them properly, but here are the beams:
HIGH:
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LOW:
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nice and sharp, just the way they should be :)

As for noise, when they are warming up they make a high pitched noise for about 30 seconds, then they are almost silent. Even the warm up noise isn't overly loud.

Power consumption is surprisingly next to nothing! Much better than the H4 setup that was installed before! That's without the car running.

Heat - they don't seem to get too hot, but I haven't left them on for all that long because it's just sitting in my garage.

So happy with these so far! I'll try and get photos when i align it so I can post them up too.
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