[MikePL]

So I have always wanted to have a vehicle that has good lighting but all the vehicles that have cool lights are too modern (which equals too plastic) so they are a waste of money. Being a photographer I am very anal about light so I decided to make a change. I bought a pair of ballasts, bulbs and projector lenses even before I had the cruiser.

Here are some basics.

The purpose of all headlights is to give you a good view of what's in front, yet not blind oncoming traffic. Therefore all headlights have such a construction that creates a cutoff, a sharp border between light and darkness.

The oldest type of headlights are the ones we have (you have). These are reflectors created before computers were powerful and therefore they need a ribbed headlight lens to try to direct light. I say 'try' because if you point your truck at a wall you see just two blobs of light without any defined pattern or form.

With the advent of computer design, FF (free form) headlights were designed. They also use a 'conventional' reflector. The reflector is not round but it consists of lots of small squares. Each of these squares has a different angle and throws light onto a different part of the road. These lights are like a puzzle. Every square has a corresponding area on the road, and all these squares create a puzzle which ends up as a continuous light beam, with clearly defined cutoff (but not as good as it gets).

Projector lenses (the ones with the round loupe in front) are a bit different. Light is projected onto the glass lens but before it reaches it, it's cut in half by a metal curtain. This metal curtain defines the cutoff. This type of lights has the biggest efficiency and the best light pattern.

What you shouldn't do.

You cannot just put HID bulbs into any housing and be happy. Each housing is designed with a specific type of light source in mind. If you don't follow this advice you will have unpredictable results and you WILL be a danger and a pain in the ass for other drivers. The best way to manage the enormous luminosity of HID bulbs is to use HID-specific projector housings.


My problems

My problems were quite simple. I had everything except for the headlights. I could sand off the ribs on my headlights but they would be weak and any small pebble could smash them. So I did what most people consider stupid bling, I bought the halo land cruiser lights from ebay.

Let the fun begin.

Here are the lights that people either love or hate. I love them as they substract 8-10 years from my truck and it really looks cool.





Then I chose to go quasi-OEM and here are the Koito ballasts


And here are the projectors from a Lexus car or a Toyota (don't remember the model right now)




First I took off all the bulbs and metal clips




Then I put the housing in the oven and baked it at 150*C for 8-10 minutes (starting with a cold oven). You need to calculate this yourself as different ovens heat up differently.





Then I had to hurry and tear the headlight apart. It's good to have some gloves as it is a bit hot. Not to the point of leaving burns but very uncomfortable. After some pulling, the headlight was in two pieces.





Now clean all the goo glue from both halves of the headlight. This is going to take you an hour per light as the glue is terrible to get rid of. You won't need that glue anymore (at least I didn't bother).


Here is a comparison of the HID projector (left) and the halogen projector (right) which you all hate and probably for a good reason.






After some measuring and thinking it turned out that there's no way my new projector would fit inside. It was too long and too thick and it had different mounting. A rule of thumb is DO NOT TOUCH elements which are visible and irreparable. So I didn't modify the chrome half of the headlight to adapt the longer lens but simply cut off the back. I didn't bother much with that as you see.





Later on I came to the conclusion that the best way to fit the light is to use an aluminum plate and cut an oval hole for the light.




I wanted to achieve the following effect.




But in order to accomplish that, I had to fabricate some light mounts that could be adjusted from outside. This is why I welded on some nuts onto the projector brackets. Moving screws would move the whole projector, thus allowing me to adjust the light.

Here is a close up of a welded nut.



Here are all three nuts welded and painted.




Later I used hot glue to fix the whole assembly. I wanted to make sure that the cutoff line is horizontal and that everything is OK, so I installed the 'headlight' on the truck.





After this checkup I secured the plate with rivets, and then applied special plastic glue and on top of that a layer of silicone to make sure all is secure and tight.



As you can see above, there is some foam around the lens. This is to ensure a good dust seal and still provide flexibility for adjustments.

The inside of the light housing



My canine quality control




The beam pattern comparison. Left is a broad and bright HID light and right is the typical old fashioned blob of light (aimed way too high because I couldn't see anything)



Working hard at night

[MikePL]

Had to split into two posts due to image limit.....




Sealing the ballast with silicone to make sure water doesn't get in.



Ballast mounted on the underside of the headlight (in the pic it's upside down)




The final result.



I sealed the headlights with silicone, but applied a layer of oil onto one half of the headlight. This way I still have the chance of pulling the light apart if I need to. The original glue was too deformed to reuse it.

There are so many things to tell you, but it's late so I will stop right here. If you have questions, just ask and I will elaborate with more detail on the subject.

Hope you enjoyed it.

[CappyKD]

Nice job.

[barrypt5]

Wow...that was a lot of work!!

[Lka1988]

Looks *almost* factory, with the exception of those silly rings around the lights.

Not too shabby. I like it.

[chibo]

Wow. What is the approximate cost of doing this over?

[cary]

Now that is how you do an HID conversion. BTW, great beam pattern. Good job.

[MikePL]

Just one more answer before going to sleep.

COST:
- bling headlights - in your case check Ebay (around $200 with shipment), in my case $250
- ballasts and bulbs - $170
- projectors - $20

Total around $390-440

Don't ask about time. To do it good you need around 15-20 hours of work. So it can't be done easily in a weekend. The hardest thing is the first light as you need to assume an approach and measure a lot. The second headlight is 30% of the overall time. But no regrets at all. I feel as if I came from a cave into sunlight.

See ya tomorrow.

[chibo]

Hmm, I'd figured that the ballasts and bulbs would be the expensive part, guess I was wrong. Very, very temping at that price given how much the stock lows suck in my opinion. (I've got HIRs and the Slee harness. I'm used to BMW xenons.)

[Romer]

Nice write-up. Added to the FAQ

[Sc0-]

Disadvantage, plastic lenses... which will pit/get cloudy over time... advantages, might be able to source plastic lenses and all that's needed is another oven. Now if someone made those light assemblies with glass lenses for around $250...

[Miescha]

Mike in Poland: Really nice! No rush, but when you get the chance, please tell us from where you purchased the ballasts and projectors (part numbers would be even better, but I won't push it )

[ktmracer01]

that turned out great! i'm half tempted to do this myself.....

[vkfzj80]

that looks nice, will add it to my mod list to do some day

[hoser]

Bravo, well done!

But you might want to rethink using silicone sealant for sealing the headlights up. It is said to eat up the reflective foil stuff and cause other problems. Also makes it difficult to reopen and close in the future.

Go with Nissan Part# B6553-89915 Headlamp Sealant for that factory-like seal.

[grunt001]

Very cool.

Looks like the ballast is toyota part # 85967-05010 (least that's what the photo says).

Perhaps Cdan can get it for you?

[Martin White]

That is a beautiful job. I wish we could buy these already properly converted from, well, somewhere....

[lx450landcruiser]

wonder if some one with access to several projectors could source one of the same size as the bling lights? that way you just pop them out and pop the new ones in. would save a butt ton of time and work.

[MikePL]

Originally Posted by Miescha

please tell us from where you purchased the ballasts and projectors (part numbers would be even better, but I won't push it )

All was purchased from a local auction website, similar to Ebay. Of course there were lots of HID kits and other funky stuff but among them there was a guy selling Koito ballasts and Philips bulbs as a set. So I decided to go with these parts. I think that if you look for it on Ebay, you will find it.

Originally Posted by hoser

But you might want to rethink using silicone sealant for sealing the headlights up. It is said to eat up the reflective foil stuff and cause other problems. Also makes it difficult to reopen and close in the future.

Go with Nissan Part# B6553-89915 Headlamp Sealant for that factory-like seal.

Hoser, my main purpose here was better lighting and not looks, so I don't care that much about the chrome. But I will wait and see what happens and keep you posted.
I don't think I can get this Nissan headlight sealant here, but I will ask. Thanks for the part no.

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

wonder if some one with access to several projectors could source one of the same size as the bling lights? that way you just pop them out and pop the new ones in. would save a butt ton of time and work.

Yes, that's probably a hella model. Give me some time and maybe I will find some pics of it. I would have used it if I could buy it, but unfortunately it's not available here.

[mot]

Hey Mike,

VERY nice work!
I know this is something that you had been wanting to do for a long time and it's really cool to you finally put it together!

Congrats!!

Mot

[hoser]

Originally Posted by MikePL

Hoser, my main purpose here was better lighting and not looks, so I don't care that much about the chrome. But I will wait and see what happens and keep you posted.

Your Hi-beam has the chrome reflector bowl too. Once that is shot, you could lose much of the output. Also, could you give the dimensions of your projector, maybe a diagram. That way these guys could try and find a suitable or maybe smaller projector for an easier retrofit. Thanks for taking the time to do the write-up.

[MikePL]

Originally Posted by hoser

Your Hi-beam has the chrome reflector bowl too. Once that is shot, you could lose much of the output.

Oh indeed. But on the other hand what's the problem. If anything happens to the hi-beam, I will just pop in a hi-beam projector. I hve become very good at extreme sawzalling


And one more thing. I am using the stock harness. HIDs draw an enormous amount of power at startup (the first 10-20 seconds) so everyone says that running a stock halogen harness is bad. It can melt, switches can melt etc... But I've done some thinking (strange huh?) and realized that the headlights have a separate relay so the switch is not in danger. The cables are also quite thick. I took the risk and so far nothing is melting.
I didn't want another harness as I like simplicity and not a bunch of cables under the hood.

In order to make my headlights as stock as possible I used the bulbs from the original ones and (you guessed it) sawzalled the plastic bases/connectors. Then I soldered the connectors to the bling light cables and now I can connect the lights as if they were stock.

I will measure the unused projector today and give the exact dimensions, so that you guys can have even cooler lights in the future.

[Montana Cruiser]

Originally Posted by MikePL

Yes, that's probably a hella model. Give me some time and maybe I will find some pics of it. I would have used it if I could buy it, but unfortunately it's not available here.

Any chance you could share which Hella model would be a "drop-in"?

[SR.GRINGO]

This is awesome work......Thanks As soon as we hear about the correct measurements going to get this project going. I got these measurements from HID planet for the different projector sizes..... Any thoughts to what version will fit in the ebay projector housing? My problem is I am sending these to an Address in the U.S. so I have to figure everything out before hand. Not sure if the Lexus LS430 projectors would fit but they give a nice wide beam.

******

PLEASE READ: Length was measured with a D2S in there and is measured to the end of the bulb. Diameter was measured for shroud fitting purposes and is a measure right on the edge, around the glass lens housing.

Hella 2nd Gen Bi-Xenon (aka E55):
Diameter = 79.80mm
Height = 96.95mm
Width = 106.15mm
Length = 163.35mm
Length(seat of the lens to possible mounting holes) = 58.80mm
Length(possible mounting holes to end of bulb) = 83.90mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 77.25mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 93.25mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 58.90mm


Stanley Bi-Xenon (aka TL):
Diameter = 80.25mm
Height = 95.95mm
Height(with solenoid) = 117.15mm
Width = 111.60mm
Length = 171.85mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 56.90mm
Length(seat of the lens to end of solenoid) = 89.25mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 95.80mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 82.55mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 90.85mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 71.40mm


Bosch Bi-Xenon (aka E46):
Diameter = 78.30mm
Height = 84.10mm
Width = 105.00mm
Length = 166.95mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 66.65mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 80.70mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 82.00mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 95.10mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 62.10mm


Valeo Bi-Xenon D1S:
Diameter = 82.55mm
Height = 96.00mm
Width = 106.20mm
Solenoid(sticks out by) = 9.40mm
Solenoid Length(from mounting holes) = 69.05
Length = 156.20mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 49.45mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb w/D2S) = 84.25mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 72.20mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 70.95mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 78.20mm


Infinity FX35/45 Bi-Xenon (aka FX):
Diameter = 69.20mm
Height = 105.10mm
Width = 111.80mm
Length = 150.70mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 54.60mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 72.10mm
Mounting hole distances are not measured beacuse most people
would make their own and cut-off stock brackets.


Land Rover LR3 Bi-Xenon (aka LR3):
Diameter = 78.30mm
Height = 95.30mm
Height Trimmed = 88.50mm
Width = 126.30mm
Width Trimmed = 121.70mm
Length Total = 141.75mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 45.50mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb w/D2S) = 96.25mm
Width(between top/bottom mounting holes) = 63.20mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 76.80mm


Hella Low Beam (from pre-2002 Audi A6):
Diameter = 71.90mm
Height = 103.65mm
Width = 110.55mm
Length = 159.00mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 55.40mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 84.45mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 67.85mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 82.35mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 87.95mm


Audi A4 Valeo DOT D2S Low Beam:
Values are approximate
Height = 85.00mm
Width = 100.00mm
Length = 150.00mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 60.00mm
Width(between mounting holes) = 60.00mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 72.00mm
Thank you LiquidKernel for Valeo measurements


Mitsubishi Lancer Evo8 Low Beam:
Diameter = 85.10mm
Height = 86.00mm
Width = 109.50mm
Length = 171.40mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 61.75mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 77.30mm
Width(between mounting holes) = 98.15mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 28.35mm


Mazda 3 Low Beam (Stanley):
Diameter = 85.10mm
Height = 98.50mm
Width = 116.50mm
Length = 167.00mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 53.00mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 87.70mm
Width(between mounting holes) = 97.85mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 68.50mm
High beam bracket would be cut-off on this projector, comes integrated OEM.


Lexus RX330 Low Beam (Non-AFS, w/Subaru Legacy Shield):
Diameter = 77.10mm
Height(with Shield) = 109.50mm
Height Bowl = 96.70mm
Width Bowl = 106.50mm
Length = 139.20mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 48.60mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 90.60mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 33.75mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 40.50mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 98.80mm
This projector usually comes with a cut-off shield that has OEM mounting brackets integrated. Most would usually cut these off and make their own holes for mounting. Subaru Legacy Halogen projector is almost idnetical to this Xenon projector. We used cut-off shield from the Legacy projector as it is smaller and has mounting holes built-in. All measurements are to reflect shield replacement. Height and width measurements are also given for an actual Xenon reflective bowl.


Acura TSX Low Beam (Stanley):
Diameter = 71.05mm
Height = 85.30mm
Width = 120.80mm
Length = 156.45mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 42.00mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 96.95mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 100.45mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 103.45mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 41.50mm


Honda S2000 Low Beam (Koito):
Diameter = 71.70mm
Height = 105.60mm
Width Trimmed = 113.50mm
Length = 135.30mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 41.40mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 93.90mm
Mounting hole distances are not measured beacuse most people
would make their own and cut-off stock high beam bracket, width is measured as trimmed.


Lexus SC430 Low Beam (Koito):
Diameter = 71.70mm
Height = 100.30mm
Width = 130.00mm
Width Trimmed = 125.30mm
Length = 138.30mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 43.90mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 94.40mm
Mounting hole distances are not measured beacuse most people
would make their own and cut-off stock mounting brackets, width is measured as trimmed because it could be trimmed a bit.


Lexus LS430 Super Wide Low Beam (Stanley):
Measurements for this projector are provided as "naked" - shroud removed, OEM mounting bracket removed, supplemental reflector was included in measurements. Also, assumed some "fat" (eg.: AFS spindles) would be trimmed. Where it says "trimmed", this is only an assumptive place where it was deemed best to trim without too much sacrifice. Some people will choose to trim more or not to use the whole or most of the shroud that gives this projector most of it's bulk. Please remeber that this is a very large projector/shroud combination.
Diameter = not measured as this projector comes with it's own shroud
Height = 117.05mm
Max Width = 134.32mm
Trimmed Width = 125.80mm
Width Bottom Reflector = 124.10mm
Length = 154.75mm
Length(tip of the lens to possible mounting holes) = 55.95mm
Length(possible mounting holes to end of bulb) = 98.80mm
Lexus LS430 shroud measurements:
Max Height = 143.62mm
Trimmed Height = 131.70mm
Max Width = 173.15mm
Trimmed Width = 154.30mm

[SR.GRINGO]

Again from Hid Planet

Lens

Overall Diameter=Dt, Curved Diameter=Dc(dia. of the curved part of the lens, without the flat edge), Center Thickness=Tc, Edge Thickness-Te. All Measurements are in Millimeters

Hella Bi-Xenon Lens:
Dt=74.67mm
Dc=69.96mm
Tc=22.69mm
Te=3.65mm


Bosch DOT Bi-Xenon Lens:
Dt=73.70mm
Dc=70.46mm
Tc=21.41mm
Te=3.00mm


Stanley Bi-Xenon Lens:
Dt=74.64mm
Dc=69.88mm
Tc=22.28mm
Te=3.36mm


Valeo Bi-Xenon Lens:
Dt=76.71mm
Dc=71.95mm
Tc=26.96mm
Te=3.33mm

Stanley Low Beam (Honda S2000):
Dt=66.00mm
Dc=62.54mm
Tc=24.60mm
Te=3.54mm

Koito Low Beam (90-96 Nissan 300ZX):
Dt=65.00mm
Dc=65.00mm (same)
Tc=23.50mm
Te=1.75mm

Stanley Low Beam (Lexus SC430):
Dt=66.30mm
Dc=62.60mm
Tc=24.60mm
Te=3.60mm
f(appx)=50-52mm

Mazda 3 Low Beam:
Dt=78.75mm
Dc=72.50mm
Tc=33.45mm
Te=4.55mm

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo8 Low Beam:
Dt=78.90mm
Dc=74.70mm
Tc=30.45mm
Te=3.05mm

Hella E38 Low Beam:
Dt=67.20mm
Dc=61.00mm
Tc=22.35mm
Te=3.50mm

Hella E30 Low Beam Halogen Clear:
Dt=67.00mm
Dc=60.70mm
Tc=21.85mm
Te=3.48mm
F=55.90

[MikePL]

I am currently away from home so I will be able to give the measurements within 7-8 days.

I sort of forgot about this thread. You know, all the threads where people just put HID bulbs into the stock reflector get pages of replies and lots of enthusiasm.

But my thread received a few replies (although very positive) so I thought that either my mod is too boring to discuss or too ideal to add anything

Anyway, wait a few days and I will do as promised, I will measure the original projectors that I removed.

[ColoradoLC]

Great writeup. I have HIDs retrofitted on my Passat and I can tell you guys a couple things that may help your project if you want to undertake this.

1. I saw a comment on the plastic housing and questions about pitting, etc. A company called Xpel makes headlight film to prevent this. Check them out here: http://www.xpel.com/

2. HID ballast and bulb kits can be bought here for single filament (no high and low beams in the same bulb) for $56! http://vvme.com/

I am shopping for an 80 right now and this will be my first mod. I can't live without them now that I am used to them. Everything else is just cheap. I was even going to try and fit them to my 60 before I decided to sell it.

Thanks for the great writeup.

[knorrena]

I have two questions: 1) what feature(s) do the halogen projectors have that makes them hated by others, 2) why didn't you just use HID bulbs in the halogen projectors?

Karl

[MikePL]

Hi there, I just returned home and will do as I promised, which is to give the measurements of the projector I replaced and I will also tel Knorrena some basics. Just wait until I unpack and eat something.

[hoser]

knorrena, putting an HID bulb (capsule) behind a Halogen projector is akin to putting on somebody else's prescription glasses. An HID capsule does not put out light the same way a halogen bulb does. Some claim decent results with the HID bulb behind a halogen projector. However, the results will never be optimal.

There are also "rebased" HID bulbs that claim to position the HID capsule at the "correct" focal length for use with Halogen projectors. I'm not really sold on that though. Go with the HID projector that is designed and tuned for HID capsules.