Bi-Xenon Retro-Fit Simplified! (1 Viewer)

[Chef J]

First I have to mention everyone who has done a retro-fit into Depos and posted up images and tips. I'm not even going to name names as I don't want to miss anyone, Thank you for you innovation and knowledge.
Next, I have to thank Matt at theretrofitsource.com, great guy to work with, I can truly say I have not had better customer service!
I initially set out to do an FX-R fit but then decided to try the new Morimoto Mini D2S kit the sell

Bi-xenon Morimoto Mini Stage III Kit (D2S) - Complete Kits from The Retrofit Source LLC

I wanted to try and simplify the process as much as possible then do a write up if it worked so that there was really no reason anyone wouldn't want to take on the project if they had a set of Depos and the desire. The biggest positive of the Morimoto kit is that it almost completely does away with the need to remove or modify the projector bowl. Just as important is eliminating the need to align the projector over and over while mounting it properly, the projector is designed to fit and align in the H4 bowl with a firm yet flexible polymer ring on the bowl side and a lock ring on the back. Simply put, It Works Perfectly!

Step 1
Heat up the entire light housing so you can remove the glass, there are a lot of write-ups out there on how to do this so I wont go into great detail, just don't forget the thing in the oven, it doesn't have to get that hot to soften the adhesive
Step2
I elected to use aluminum tape to cover any holes on the projectors before mounting them. Matt at TRS suggested doing so if I found any odd stray light, I figured since I was keeping the reflector bowl chrome I might as well since he said it wouldn't hurt anything and I didn't want to tear it apart again if I didn't have to

 

[Chef J]

Step 3
I chose to open up the existing hole in the reflector to fit the solenoid wire through rather than putting it through the main hole between the mount ring and the bowl
That is literally all the modification necessary for the reflector bowl, 2 minutes with a Dremel for each bowl.
Before and After Pics

 

[Chef J]

Step 4
Mount Projectors and test fit shrouds. I tried the GTI-R shroud just to be different but ended up with the E-46 style like everyone else. The way the bezel is on the Depo lights would really only look good with a shroud that has a flat at the bottom in my opinion. The shroud required just minor trimming to get it set in the bowl and snug on the projector. I used silicone as suggested by many to glue the shroud, it should stay flexible and handles the heat and change in weather well.

 

[mot]

That's AWESOME!!!

I haven't pulled the trigger on them, but Matt was a great help when I was inquiring of the FX-R's myself, but now the Morimoto's look like they're the way to go!

Thanks for delivering the great news!

 

[Chef J]

Step 5
Clean, Clean, Clean TRS supplies alcohol wipes with all their stuff, I used it and a glasses cleaning cloth to make sure everything was nice before I glued it all back together.

Step 6
Put glass back on and set adhesive, i used the oven method again and supplemented it with a heat gun. While still warm put the clips back on. I additionally used a little more silicone around the edges of the housing where the glass meets it, I narfed up the housing just a touch using a screwdriver to split the case initially. I think that is common as obviously the plastic softens up as the adhesive does

Step 7
Time to put them in the truck, no need to go into depth here, just find a good place to mount your ballasts. I opted for the Morimoto ballasts instead of some DDM ones I had. The Morimotos are fully potted, connect directly to our existing 9006 plugs, available with long cables and didn't require adapters for the D2S bulbs.

Step 8
This made me a little leery as using wire taps is never my first choice, I did it anyway. The solonoid wires need to be attached to the high beam wires in order to actuate the curtain and let out unrestricted light for the high beams. I taped the taps up substantially as I forgot to run shrink wrap before tapping the wires, if I encounter problems down the road I'll solder and seal more effectively, for now they are working as they should.

Step 9
Find a wall and aim your new HID Projectors, again I wont go into great detail as there are a lot of resources out there and I assume different states have different guidelines.

All images below were shot at ISO 2000 - F5.6 - 10/th sec

First - Stock Halogen
Second - DDM 5000K HID kit bulbs in the Depos without projectors
Finally - Lowbeam 5000K Morimoto bulbs in the new Bi-Xenon Projectors

 

[Chef J]

That's AWESOME!!!

I haven't pulled the trigger on them, but Matt was a great help when I was inquiring of the FX-R's myself, but now the Morimoto's look like they're the way to go!

Thanks for delivering the great news!

Thanks Mot
I actually took your suggestion from a few weeks ago and have a matching 5000K 80 Watt H1's for the high beams. I went with Nokya Cosmic White, once I get the adapter I have ordered I'll post pics of the finished results

There is really no reason to avoid a retro-fit this way, I spent a less than a few hours at a leisurely pace to complete it.

 

[Chef J]

Heres a High beam shot on a better wall
Images still shot at same camera settings

 

[Chef J]

Low beam on same better wall

 

[superjuice]

WOW! Very impressive! So if one projector does high and low beams, are you using the other headlight at all? Great job and thanks for sharing

 

[Chef J]

WOW! Very impressive! So if one projector does high and low beams, are you using the other headlight at all? Great job and thanks for sharing

Thanks
I have 80Watt 5000K Halogen bulbs already in the lights just not hooked up yet, waiting on the 9005 to H1 adapter I ordered a week or so ago, all high beam pics are just the single HID Morimoto projectors, with the curtains down obviously and actuated by the regular in cab high beam stalk switch.

 

[Chef J]

Here are some daylight pics of the finished project, looks basically just like everyone else's except in my driveway

 

[lndcruz]

Looks really good! You might think of adjusting your lights a bit though(or is that just one projector on?) so you have a space between the two dips.

Glad everyone else has jumped on the e46 shroud as i did. I wasn't a fan of the earlier retrofits with the gatling gun shrouds.

 

[pinoytoys]

Great write-up. Thanks for posting the Morimotos. Will be doing this soon.

 

[lndcruz]

Also why didn't you opt for the h1 mini's? People seem to be happier with them since they are wider and more intense. But negative is having to use h1 bulbs.

 

[95Fantasma80]

Can we see a farther shot?

They are aweomse man! I remember you wanting to do them a while back...

Do think FXR's they would fit directly in like the Mini's? or you would have to dremel the hole a little larger?

 

[Chef J]

Looks really good! You might think of adjusting your lights a bit though(or is that just one projector on?) so you have a space between the two dips.

Glad everyone else has jumped on the e46 shroud as i did. I wasn't a fan of the earlier retrofits with the gatling gun shrouds.

I plan to pitch the passenger side out a bit and there is a little more definition than the pic shows. I kept the same camera settings to make it a valid comparison to the halogens so I think the brighter light may have washed it out, in person you can see it a lot better. The E-46's are the only way to go, I think anything else would look weird because of the bezel.

Also why didn't you opt for the h1 mini's? People seem to be happier with them since they are wider and more intense. But negative is having to use h1 bulbs.

Matt from TRS actually suggested the D2S ones as they are a better fit for a H4 housing vs the smaller H1, and they are about 1/2 an inch shallower than the H1. I have another set of Depos that I might try it with though, I already have bulbs and a couple sets of ballasts.

Can we see a farther shot?

They are aweomse man! I remember you wanting to do them a while back...

Do think FXR's they would fit directly in like the Mini's? or you would have to dremel the hole a little larger?

Thanks
I'll shoot some more pics tomorrow night a post them up. I'm pretty sure the FX-Rs won't mount the same way as the minis do other wise Treeroot, Lndcruz and the other pioneers of this mod would have done it. Theses and the Morimoto Mini H1's were designed to go into a housing with zero to minimal cutting. One of the cool things about the Mini is it uses the same 2.5" lens as the FXR does so theoretically it should have very similar light output when using the same bulbs.

 

[rhyary]

Chef J,
Looks good, but would you be able to put together a list items and how you obtain them?

From you project writing, it is hard to understand where all the parts are coming from.

Rami

 

[Chef J]

Chef J,
Looks good, but would you be able to put together a list items and how you obtain them?

From you project writing, it is hard to understand where all the parts are coming from.

Rami

Thanks Rami
I posted a link above, here it is again

Bi-xenon Morimoto Mini Stage III Kit (D2S) - Complete Kits from The Retrofit Source LLC

You will want to select the E-46 r shrouds and the 9006 w/ high beam taps, that will get you all the HID parts needed to get the job done.

I used Slee's upgraded wire harness just to be safe and only used the high beam taps from the TRS kit

Slee - Light Harness

I'd bet if you contacted Matt at TRS he would cut you a deal on just the taps, but the harness was only an additional $15 so I just got it as well.

You will also obviously need to source a set of Depo headlights for your truck, I suggest EBay, there are a few sellers on there still offering them for around $130. I gather several vendors got together recently, contracted them from Depo and brought in a shipping container, I suggest getting a set before they are all gone.
If you want to run the H1 High Beam lamps in addition you will need to source a 9005 male to H1 JDM adapter or figure out another way to connect them. I am waiting on one vendor so I don't want to promote it until I see that they work. As soon as I get the connector delivered and see that it works I'll post up a link. Understand that the separate H1 lights are completely unnecessary though, I just tend to lean toward overkill.
Good Luck, it's so easy to retro-fit this way there's almost no reason not to.

 

[Chef J]

As requested, A couple more night pics

 

[Chef J]

The DS projector seems to need a bit of adjustment. When I fit them I backed that one off just a touch, there should be about an mm or two of shift that may take some of the downward pitch out of it. I could fit and fiddle with them over and over, eventually I'll have to be satisfied.