Help with HID retrofit (1 Viewer)

[Texas Sun Power]

First off. I'm pretty aware I'm probably cutting corners here, but I am attempting to install some HIDs that I bought from eBay on my LX470. I have 2000 LX470 Glass headlamps. I bought H1 HIDs, 35W, easy enough... I found the only way not to rewire the thing and instead plug and play would be to modify (cut) the cap that houses the bulb so that the included wires and adapters would fit inside the cap. Gulp, did that. I'm planning on using silicone to seal it up.
Second, I found that the HIDs don't just slide right in like a halogen bulb due to the white stick thing (to be technical). I don't know if this is safe or not, but I asked a friend to "hold my beer" and ground with a Dremel tool, the projector housing. I think it's aluminum and hoping it's not magnesium. I ground enough to make the HID bulb fit in there and lock in place as it should. I'm a little concerned with fine dust that's in the projector now. I'll blow out with canned air or wet/dry vac. I looked at some other posts on here and now I'm like... holy s**t. I didn't do anything like what these other gentlemen have done to make a nice, neat modification. No new housings and carefully fabrication of shields for aiming etc.
Have I made a huge, tiny mistake and need to go get some Halogens before doing this to the other side?
Photos here:
Prime Photos

 

[Spike555]

OPT7 - LED & HID Lighting for Cars, Trucks & Motorcycles

Buy off Amazon and done.
I've been running the Flux Beam for 5? yrs with zero problems, zero. None. Zip. Zilch. Plung and play baby. $100 and I have bulbs for life.
Yes I bought high and low beam bulbs for my LC. The DRL's work just fine.
My wifes Sedona eats headlight bulbs for lunch and you have to remove half of the front end to change them, installed these...4yrs same bulbs, zero issues.

Sorry, but I cannot help you other than that because I have no idea on how to help with what you're dealing with.

 

[Grade D Angel]

If the "cap" you are talking about is the quarter-ish turn plastic cap that you have to open to replace the bulb on the inside, then thats pretty typical. Most HID kits require you to drill it. But instead of silicone-ing it back closed, just use a simple grommet. Measure the hole you cut (hopefully with a hole saw?) and then order up your grommet. For reference, I think that cap material thickness is about an 1/8".

But dear lord man, just buy a plug and play kit. Don't be dremmeling into the projector housing! I went with XenonDepot H1 kit and haven't been happier, until right this minute when I was getting the link and saw they're 50% off. Thats an insane deal. They literally just plug into your factory wiring harness and fit directly into your housings. You just have to put the hole in the cap (and I think these even come with a grommet to plug the hole)
Low Beams - H1 - Full Xenon HID Headlights Kit - Free Shipping & Lifetime Warranty | XenonPro.com

Edit: sorry, I just saw your photos. Yeah....the placement of the cut into the cap there isnt exactly ideal. If it works it works tho! I can see why you'd want to use some silicone. I might suggest still just using a hole saw and cutting a hole in the back of the cap and using some plastic weld or something to close up that slit. You'll never get a good seal on that with it on the edge.

 

[Texas Sun Power]

If the "cap" you are talking about is the quarter-ish turn plastic cap that you have to open to replace the bulb on the inside, then thats pretty typical. Most HID kits require you to drill it. But instead of silicone-ing it back closed, just use a simple grommet. Measure the hole you cut (hopefully with a hole saw?) and then order up your grommet. For reference, I think that cap material thickness is about an 1/8".

But dear lord man, just buy a plug and play kit. Don't be dremmeling into the projector housing! I went with XenonDepot H1 kit and haven't been happier, until right this minute when I was getting the link and saw they're 50% off. Thats an insane deal. They literally just plug into your factory wiring harness and fit directly into your housings. You just have to put the hole in the cap (and I think these even come with a grommet to plug the hole)
Low Beams - H1 - Full Xenon HID Headlights Kit - Free Shipping & Lifetime Warranty | XenonPro.com

Edit: sorry, I just saw your photos. Yeah....the placement of the cut into the cap there isnt exactly ideal. If it works it works tho! I can see why you'd want to use some silicone. I might suggest still just using a hole saw and cutting a hole in the back of the cap and using some plastic weld or something to close up that slit. You'll never get a good seal on that with it on the edge.

First let me say thank you for your reply. I did a whole bunch of jacking around with my wife’s car and still have one headlight out! It was my fault. I touched the damn bulbs. I wiped them with 91% alcohol, but I ruined them. Oh well. My question is this: do I give up on this at least for today and go get a halogen which will certainly work or buy another HID? Since I’ve cut, ground, installed a ballast etc....
It’s almost dinner time, so I think i know my answer. But really, why would buying a set of bulbs anywhere else be any different? I will have to grind the projector opening to fit any HID H1 bulb, right?

 

[Grade D Angel]

First let me say thank you for your reply. I did a whole bunch of jacking around with my wife’s car and still have one headlight out! It was my fault. I touched the damn bulbs. I wiped them with 91% alcohol, but I ruined them. Oh well. My question is this: do I give up on this at least for today and go get a halogen which will certainly work or buy another HID? Since I’ve cut, ground, installed a ballast etc....
It’s almost dinner time, so I think i know my answer. But really, why would buying a set of bulbs anywhere else be any different? I will have to grind the projector opening to fit any HID H1 bulb, right?

Well, I can only speak from my personal experience, but I didnt have to grind down anything to install my H1 HIDs.....and don't let people fool you, there IS a difference between a higher end set of HIDs and a cheap set. I had run a $40 HID set in the LX, which was OK, tried a different set of bulbs and then went with the XenonDepot ones which have been great.

But again....the grinding thing would concern me. An H1 is an H1. If its an H1, it should fit fine.