Tutorial: HID conversion, bling headlights

MikePL · 10-10-07, 03:58 PM

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 · 10-10-07, 03:59 PM

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 · 10-10-07, 04:01 PM

Nice job.

barrypt5 · 10-10-07, 04:15 PM

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

Lka1988 · 10-10-07, 04:20 PM

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

Not too shabby. I like it.

chibo · 10-10-07, 04:24 PM

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

cary · 10-10-07, 04:25 PM

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

MikePL · 10-10-07, 04:44 PM

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 · 10-10-07, 04:47 PM

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 · 10-10-07, 05:07 PM

Nice write-up. Added to the FAQ

Sc0- · 10-10-07, 05:12 PM

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 · 10-10-07, 05:19 PM

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 · 10-10-07, 05:22 PM

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

vkfzj80 · 10-10-07, 10:21 PM

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

hoser · 10-11-07, 12:09 AM

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 · 10-11-07, 12:30 AM

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 · 10-11-07, 12:53 AM

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

lx450landcruiser · 10-11-07, 01:03 AM

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 · 10-11-07, 01:44 AM

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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 · 10-11-07, 07:51 AM

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 · 10-11-07, 10:02 AM

Quote:

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 · 10-12-07, 01:18 AM

Quote:

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 · 10-24-07, 09:27 PM

Quote:

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 · 11-10-07, 11:29 PM

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

10-10-07, 03:58 PM	#1
MikePL IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 435	Tutorial: HID conversion, bling headlights 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 __________________ '96 Lexus LX450. 2.1" DIY spring lift. 285/75/16 and bling HID lights fotograf

10-10-07, 03:59 PM	#2
MikePL IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 435	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. __________________ '96 Lexus LX450. 2.1" DIY spring lift. 285/75/16 and bling HID lights fotograf

10-10-07, 04:01 PM	#3
CappyKD IH8MUD Regular Join Date: May 2007 Location: SoCal TLCA# 17571 Posts: 472	Nice job. __________________ Kirk D 4 sale My 94' FZJ80 Factory Locked 251k, Nitto 285/75/16. CDL switch, Diff breather extensions. LandTank (Thanks) Modified Blue Hub, CB, aftermarket temp gauge, 14" Aux fan, Slee Harness's. Alpine in-dash DVD, 5.1 decoder.

10-10-07, 04:15 PM	#4
barrypt5 IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Walla Walla, WA TLCA# 18114 Posts: 268	Wow...that was a lot of work!! __________________ '97 LX450 Locked (w/CDL switch) Approaching 100k ARB'd (10k T-Max Winch) - Lightforce 240 Blitz'd 285/75-R16's Nitto TerraGrappler AT OME 2.5" 850/860's - MetalTech Sliders '04 Corolla 5spd 38mpg "on-Road Trip Rig" "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary

10-10-07, 04:24 PM	#6
chibo IH8MUD Addict Join Date: May 2006 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 935	Wow. What is the approximate cost of doing this over? __________________ 97 FZJ80 - Sold 96 Nissan 240SX

10-10-07, 04:25 PM	#7
cary IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,544	Now that is how you do an HID conversion. BTW, great beam pattern. Good job. __________________ I'm married, I can't afford a signature line.

10-10-07, 04:44 PM	#8
MikePL IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 435	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. __________________ '96 Lexus LX450. 2.1" DIY spring lift. 285/75/16 and bling HID lights fotograf

10-10-07, 04:47 PM	#9
chibo IH8MUD Addict Join Date: May 2006 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 935	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.) __________________ 97 FZJ80 - Sold 96 Nissan 240SX

10-10-07, 05:07 PM	#10
Romer Kneel for the Shaman Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Englewood, Colorado TLCA# 13968 Posts: 7,446	Nice write-up. Added to the FAQ __________________ Ken Romer ~ Friend of Shaman Keeper of the FAQ, Defender of Newbies, and Slayer of Tards Commander Rising Sun 4WD Club - K0ROM 97 LX450, Supercharged, Locked, and lots of other stuff ROTW 96 LX450 - ROD's 06 4Runner - Wife's 99 4Runner - daughterofromer's 03 BMW Z4 Roadster

10-10-07, 05:12 PM	#11
Sc0- IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Houston Posts: 267	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... __________________ '94 FZJ80: Pioneer 880PRS, TS-A1672R F&R. '01 CBR600F4i '01 Giant NRS1 '02 VW Golf TDI '03 KFX400 (MX stuffed)

10-10-07, 05:19 PM	#12
Miescha Guy Fawkes Lives! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: St. Louis, MO TLCA# 8094 Posts: 973	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 ) __________________ *1996 FZJ80* (original owner) Black & Oak, 105k miles with factory F/R lockers, CDL switch, hand throttle, OME Springs & Shocks, ARB, Warn M12000, Milford Barrier, Dual Optima Blues, extended breathers, OEM dash cupholder, 285/75/16 BFG AT, Landtank seat rails, Slee AC dryer & T-case skid plates, Slee light & aux harnesses, Slee SS brake lines (frame->axle->caliper), V-1 with remote display, Icom IC-7000, Yaesu 8900R, Cobra 75wstx, Larsen NMO-2/70 & NMO-27, 100-series pads

10-10-07, 05:22 PM	#13
ktmracer01 IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Lubbock, TX Posts: 294	that turned out great! i'm half tempted to do this myself.....

10-10-07, 10:21 PM	#14
vkfzj80 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: olympia, wa TLCA# 17207 Posts: 114	that looks nice, will add it to my mod list to do some day __________________ 95 TLC, factory locked, CDL switch F.O.R. lift kit, 4.88 gears, 315 Dick Cepek FCII

10-11-07, 12:09 AM	#15
hoser IH8MUD No-Lifer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,805	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. __________________ 98 LX470 85 BJ70

10-11-07, 12:30 AM	#16
grunt001 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 49	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?

10-11-07, 12:53 AM	#17
Martin White IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Abbotsford, B.C. Posts: 1,097	That is a beautiful job. I wish we could buy these already properly converted from, well, somewhere.... __________________ 90 VX Ltd, HDJ81 RHD, 1HD-T 4.2l turbodiesel, auto, BFG 285-75-16 AT's, 3" lift, 15mm spacers all round, OME heavy / medium springs, triple locked, JDM tube frt bumper, 3" mandrel bent exhaust, aeroturbine muffler, Safari Snorkel. SOLD - to backroads backpacker...

10-11-07, 07:51 AM	#20
mot I ruin surprises. Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 4,017	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 __________________ My e-bay Links New Item: LC80 Rear Plate Holder TEQ Collectibles JDM Toys R/C FJ40 Chassis OEM foglights and HID's JDM LC60/62 Goodies JDM Powered Fender Mirrors, etc... JDM LC80 Goodies JDM LC100 Goodies

10-11-07, 01:03 AM	#18
lx450landcruiser IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: bellingham wa/prescott az Posts: 2,377	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. __________________ 1996 LX450 ARB, dual batteries, remote starter, 760 watt sub woofer, in dash CB, Custom switch pannel, cut and turn mod, magnaflow, custom rear bumper, rock lights, 2.5 lift, snorkle. clear side lights, CSC alum spacers, 33s, and more to come.