Custom HeadLights.. Yay or Nay??

[NVR ENUF]

Basically you want to bake them in the oven at about 250F for about 5-10 minutes to soften the adhesive, then carefully cut them open.

Thanks, worked like a charm! I actually fogot about it and left in the oven for 45min. Smelled pretty bad but it opened right up after that. Should be no problem to upgrade better projectors but it does say, "HID not allowed" on the housing. Not sure why, maybe blinding oncoming traffic? I thought about retroin' these,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=320088770342&rd=1&rd=1
but if you look at the beam, it also has the dark spots Doug brought up about these projectors so why bother then. They do have the nice horizontal beam that these projectors don't have as they tail off upwards on the right side.

 

[cary]

It looks like he is just sticking some light in there as there is an artifact above the cutout that shouldn't be there. Check out the hella modules, perfect for a retro-

http://www.rallylights.com/hella/headlamps.asp

 

[NVR ENUF]

Well, looks like retro-fitting better projectors shouldn't be a problem. The bulbs that come with the lamps all say "Made in Germany". Those Hella's would definitely be a nice upgrade.

 

[FirstToy]

nvr enuf, good job not letting the naysayers get you down and turning this into a really interesting mod thread! hehe, continued modding! :bigok:

 

[jditom]

I would stick with the white side markers and use an amber bulb on your new clear blinkers.

Looks real good.

They are on my long list of future mods

 

[NVR ENUF]

Thanks guys!

Not sure if I'm gonna do any retro-fitting anytime soon. The light I'm getting with these lamps are bright enough for me but I might want to play with it a lil' if I have anymore tax return money left to burn. Wanna get ARB bumper 1st and possibly a new LC JDM grille so it will fit better with these lights in case I get too lazy and not dremmel the Lexus grille to fit.
I too, am liking the amber corners better than the white.

 

[Sackman]

If you ever do any retro-fitting be sure and do a write up!

Is is legal to drive w/o a front lisence plate?

Well, looks like retro-fitting better projectors shouldn't be a problem. The bulbs that come with the lamps all say "Made in Germany". Those Hella's would definitely be a nice upgrade.

 

[cary]

Is is legal to drive w/o a front lisence plate?

In California and Oregon, no, but it is very common. I drove without a front plate for 15 years and never was stopped or cited for it.

 

[NVR ENUF]

Like Cary mentioned, it is illegal not to have the front license plate but I have gone w/o them with all my vehicles since high school cause I don't like the look of them. I've gone 10yrs w/o them on the rig and have never been pulled over because of it. I did have a cop bring it up at a check point during Spring Break back in college days when I owned a convertible celica with a Kaminari body kit and the kit made the car look lowered even though it wasn't but the cop kept trying to find fault with it and then brought up the no front plates. I told him that's how the car came(dealer upgrade), and because there was no front plate brackets on the kit, he let me go, saying had there been available brackets, he would've cited me. Funny thing is, wonder if they'd still leave it alone for that reason because my E350 also has no front plate and no brackets for it either? Anyhow, it is still definitely illegal not to have them here in CA, just something they really don't go after I guess.

 

[Bear80]

If you do do a retro fit, can you see if high beam projectors can be made to fit? Is the projector housing a 50mm size in the lights? Hella makes a 50mm and 90mm set. It would be cool if the low beams are 50mm and you could fit the 90mm in the high beam set.

 

[cary]

If you ever do any retro-fitting be sure and do a write up!

Is is legal to drive w/o a front lisence plate?

If you do do a retro fit, can you see if high beam projectors can be made to fit? Is the projector housing a 50mm size in the lights? Hella makes a 50mm and 90mm set. It would be cool if the low beams are 50mm and you could fit the 90mm in the high beam set.

Couple of things:

1) You don't want to use the 50mm, only the 90 or 120mm. The larger the reflector, the more light from the same lamp. By the time you get down to a 50mm, you are loosing a ton of light.

2) Projectors are not used for high beams. The purpose of a projector is to provide a sharp vertical light cutoff, something you do not want with a high beam.

 

[mot]

Couple of things:
2) Projectors are not used for high beams. The purpose of a projector is to provide a sharp vertical light cutoff, something you do not want with a high beam.

So you wouldn't spend the extra $$$ on bi-xenons with halogen high's, but stick with low-beam projectors (and halogen high-beams)?

 

[cary]

So you wouldn't spend the extra $$$ on bi-xenons with halogen high's, but stick with low-beam projectors (and halogen high-beams)?

Me no. The bi-xenon uses a movable shutter to move the projector out of the way. To me that is just asking for something to go wrong. Even then, like you mention, they need a halogen high beam for throw (as you know xenon is generally not an option for a high beam because they take 2+ seconds to get to full brightness and it kills HID lamps to cycle them on and off). It is interesting they are offering a high beam HID specific lamp, I wonder if Hella has been able to get them to arc up and cycle fast enough to use as a good high beam?


Keep in mind, I am not a big fan of HID lamps because of their low Color Rendering Index. Give me a good Halogen lamp putting out 2000-2500 lumens over a 3000 lumen HID lamp any day.

 

[NVR ENUF]

If you do do a retro fit, can you see if high beam projectors can be made to fit? Is the projector housing a 50mm size in the lights? Hella makes a 50mm and 90mm set. It would be cool if the low beams are 50mm and you could fit the 90mm in the high beam set.

Well, there's good news and bad news. I like to start off with bad news so.....

The low beams are 50mm and Hella charges twice as much for them than the 90mm. I asked why, and they said it's the newest technology(basically, smaller design). I would like to see someone else's 50mm lamp to see if it's worth the upgrade. They did try to convince me that they both perform the same but then I told them that I've heard 90mm give more light and then they fessed up and said that the 90mm will give out more light. So, if I did do a retro-fit, it would most likely be for the 50mm HID's but now we're talking talking a $1000!

The good news is if the 50mm do perform just like the 90mm but with slightly less light, according to the diagram, it is as well as the HID version a direct fit for this housing and should be an easy retro-fit. But if your determined to upgrade to 90mm, the bracket Hella sells should fit with a bit of modding since it only takes 3 screws to mount the projectors but you will have to cut out the bezel trim that's there for the 50mm. It shouldn't be a problem if they make a hole saw 3 3/8" to cut it out. The high beams are already cutout for 90mm since it doesn't have the bezel trim. I'm gonna see if I can find a set of used HID's at a decent price and go that route.

Here's the bezel trim that will need to be cut out to fit 90mm for the low beam. High beam doesn't have the bezel.

50mm Projector. Has the exact dimensions as the Hella's.

Now I know why my light isn't a straight horizontal beam. The plate is cut out that way. I actually like that because it allows me to see pedestrians or objects on the right much better.

Here's is the 90mm beam off my E350. Not HID BTW.

 

[NVR ENUF]

Me no. The bi-xenon uses a movable shutter to move the projector out of the way. To me that is just asking for something to go wrong.

I would stay away from bi-xenon's for same reason. That mechanism is bound to fail sometime.

Cary, I need your expertise on this ad. Is this guy jive'n?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=180095889600&rd=1&rd=1

Also, the Hella rep told me only HID's will give the rainbow effect but my cheapy projectors do too and they're not HID's obviously. The E350 doesn't give the rainbow effect at all.
Here's what a guy on ebay had to say but I don't trust ebay vendors much!

"There are BASICALLY three types of lenses. Frensel, Clear and Wavey (not including colored lenses). Clear lenses are just that...clear they are great for light output, clarity of the cutoff and color in the cutoff. Fresnel lenses are manufactured to have concentric rings on the lens like a tree has rings on it when you cut it. This helps to even out and disperse the light better. When you see a car coming down the road and one second its headlight output is purple, the next second its blue and the next second its white...that's because the it has a fresnel lens and the rings in the lens act like a prism....get light shined at you when you are between the rings and it looks white...get shined through the rings and you can see any color in a prism, but mostly violet. The wavey lenses are pretty much like Fresnel only the concentric rings are thicker and wider apart."

 

[cary]

Those appear to be the E46 projectors. Note that Daniel Stern has said he is not that fond of that model, you may want to stick with the Acura or Lexus Projectors.

You will get the rainbow affect with any projector lamp, whether halogen or HID. The effect is from the projector cutoff. At the edge of the cutoff, you see the effect of different colored light having different wavelengths. As it bends at the edge of the cutoff, the various wavelengths get bent more or less, resulting in the rainbow effect. It is the same thing you get with a slit lamp projector, basic physics. If you look carefully you will see even your E350 lamps do this. The big advantage of projectors over non projector lamps is you can get your brightest light right at the cutoff, where a normal lamp you end up having light falloff. By placing the brightest light at the cuttoff you can get it out further where you need it on a low beam.

You are getting to the point in your swap that you are beyond my general knowledge base. You should go check out this forum, which is focused on nothing but these types of swaps.

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/

 

[cary]

I would cut out the low beam bezel ring and use the 90mm. The should drop right in then.

 

[Sackman]

I just ordered a pair of these hearlights off ebay!


...Tech Part:

I want to disable the OEM turn signal lights and not use them. In order to do this can I use the parking lights on these lights as turn signals and splice them into the turn signal wires?

On a side note: I live in Orygun... is it legal to not have parking lights? If it is not legal, could I use the three LEDs as turn signals instead? (like NVR ENUF did w/ the yellow LEDS)

3rd alternative... That I would consider is some how wiring the parking lights and turn signals both to the corner parking lights so they would stay on when the lights are on, but when i hit the turn signal they would flash of, instead of flashing on... again, how legal this is... Idk.

 

[NVR ENUF]

...Tech Part:

I want to disable the OEM turn signal lights and not use them. In order to do this can I use the parking lights on these lights as turn signals and splice them into the turn signal wires?

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=87210&highlight=clear+lenses

I like your 3rd alternative as I thought of doing the same. Not sure how it would be wired though and I've blown enough fuses on this rig already!

 

[Baran]

after reading through the thread I'm more lost than ever. Please help me understand this.

I'm going to be buying the black ones and putting them in my 94.

1) Should I upgrade the bulbs and if so with what? I'm not that picky but if I can spend an extra $50 and get much better performance I'm all for it.

2) How hard is the upgrade can I just pull the bulbs out the back of the housing and put the new ones in?

3) How hard is the upgrade in general. do the lights come out the back or do I have to remove my brush guard?

4) How hard is installing the after market wiring harness?

I know that these questions are probably answered in the thread but with all the in depth discussion about light quality and such I kind of missed the big picture stuff.

Thanks all!