My Sick HID retrofit

[landwomble]

I might be missing something, but why not get euro lights and fit aftermarket hids? I'm in the uk and will be spending about 50 bucks on a hid kit from hidsdirect to upgrade the standard projector housings when my ST2 arrives. Has worked great in my previous VAG cars...

 

[westcoaST]

The projectors in the euro headlights are not the same quality as a retrofit, as they are for halides. Also, purchasing a set of headlights runs about $700.00 to $800.00 + international shipping for the euros, or about $75.00 for OEMS. This is my daily driver, so it would be our of commission for several months. I got a set of OEMS for very little money, the morimotos offer high quality lenses with accurate cutoffs. Plus I can have mine look like no one else's.

 

[landwomble]

Ah OK. Fair enough. Just in case it's useful the euro guys see 35w hids work fine on stock loom, the 55w ones seem to draw too much current. Space under the headlamps to keep the ballast, too.

 

[TheStig]

did you ever get this finished up?

 

[westcoaST]

He's close to completion. SickHIDS had a air compressor problem, then the paint I sent him (performance blue) didn't lay down well, so he had to reblast it and repaint. So until we get the paint done, we cannot close it up. He has the plug and play wiring done. Hopefully done by December. I'll post pics once he sends me more.

 

[TheStig]

Appreciate it, ive been looking around and consensus is anywhere from 260$ a headlight to 400$ a headlight depending on how mild or wild you wanna go.

After i get a LHD cutoff set of euro projector headlights across the pond, ill break even most likely without putting an HID kit into them (which would probably be easiest).

Only issue is ill have to invest in another set of headlights. Which appear to be in the 250$ price range per headlight aswell lol.

 

[caliboy15]

update?? digging this out of the thread grave

 

[westcoaST]

Finally here & they look great.

I got my HID headlights. Pics in my build thread. Here are some pics. Install and more pics this weekend.

 

[DirtyBlueshirt]

So, you basically have useless high beams now?

 

[Chris G]

Did your retrofitter mention anything about it being a royal PITA to cut open the factory lights? Seems to be the general consensus as I am asking around for quotes.

 

[westcoaST]

He told me that deals with the butyl rubber high temp sealants and has developed a method which does not result in cracked lenses, or gouges in the edge of the headlight interface. I guess thats one of the reasons he takes forever, and costs an arm an a leg. Here are some pictures of the edges of the headlights.

 

[Chris G]

Interesting. I've been told by a few retrofitters that they simply can't open the lights effectively without messing them up and that I should consider an aftermarket headlamp option for retrofitted lights. I thought that was kind of crazy, but it seems like it's more common than I thought. Another retrofitter told me that they would cut the headlamp open using a hot knife and have to melt the plastic back together to seal them...

 

[westcoaST]

So, you basically have useless high beams now?

I have an LED that is installed in the high beam socket, so its not useless, but not really necessary. The projector is a Bi-Zenon projector that provides both low and high beams from one unit.

I will take photos of the cut off from the 55W Bi-Zenon HID projector in both low and high beam positions. This projector has an "eyebrow" that lifts when you click on the high beams. This raises the eyebrow cutoff and throws the beam further down the road. Coupled with the LED high beam, this should be brighter than the OEM low beam and high beam combination. I guess I could have added another projector for the high beam, but I really don't think the added cost is worth it.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I agree, with Bi-Xenon high and low a second projector is not really needed.

And I agree opening these lights up is a pain in the arse, I was going to offer the service and have my son do the work but just to much hassle so canned that idea.

I like to be seen in this tiny silver car so I am adding Mirimoto 38mm very bright LED DRLs to the high beam area and will wire them as full time DRL.

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I just went back over the thread and it looks like you have the bigger projectors, maybe the DS2 like I am using which is much more work and takes a bigger shroud, again making for more work.

Once apart the Mini H1 would be far easier, nearly plug and play, the bigger ones are just better lights and look better as well and though more effort the hard part is taking the lights apart compared to the fitment of the projectors.

 

[caliboy15]

so the baking method doesn't work? 270F for 7 minutes

 

[westcoaST]

That has not worked on Ford products (I'm only aware of Ford headlights, as thats what I've owned) since 2011, unfortunately. This sealant is a higher temp sealant. I believe 350F + lots of prying, wedging, and more baking, should work.

 

[blurred]

I have an LED that is installed in the high beam socket, so its not useless, but not really necessary. The projector is a Bi-Zenon projector that provides both low and high beams from one unit.

I will take photos of the cut off from the 55W Bi-Zenon HID projector in both low and high beam positions. This projector has an "eyebrow" that lifts when you click on the high beams. This raises the eyebrow cutoff and throws the beam further down the road. Coupled with the LED high beam, this should be brighter than the OEM low beam and high beam combination. I guess I could have added another projector for the high beam, but I really don't think the added cost is worth it.

Did you find out which projector is being used, as well as which bulbs and ballasts?

When you speak of an "eyebrow" that "lifts" you have it backwards. You should spend some time on HIDplanet so that you can research and understand what you have. There is a shield at the bottom of the bowl, this shield creates a flat(ish) cutoff so that light if projected only on and down the road. On a bi-xenon this shield is either dropped slightly or flipped forward to allow the blocked light to project upwards.
Unfortunately this doesn't "add" any additional lumens, it simply allows the lumens you have available form your single bulb to also project above the cutoff. This is "ok" as a high beam, however because you have removed your secondary high beam bulb (those LEDS will do nothing to project light, they will only look bright head on) and more importantly the reflector (the crucial part) you can no longer "add" lumens when using the highs. So if you are at 4000lumens per side you will still have 4000 lumens with your high beams activated, however you have lost the option of adding an additional 1800-2100 lumens per side with a proper standalone high beam. The other issue with not having a second high beam is that if you are flashing at another driver to get their attention they may not recognize you are actually doing this as there is no difference in intensity (it can appear that you hit a bump in the road or bouncy suspension).

I'm interested to see how they look with the body colour paint! Have you checked in the sun how close the match is?

Good luck, in for install and output pics!!

 

[Chris G]

I agree, with Bi-Xenon high and low a second projector is not really needed.

And I agree opening these lights up is a pain in the arse, I was going to offer the service and have my son do the work but just to much hassle so canned that idea.

I like to be seen in this tiny silver car so I am adding Mirimoto 25mm very bright LED DRLs to the high beam area and will wire them as full time DRL.

-------------------

I just went back over the thread and it looks like you have the bigger projectors, maybe the DS2 like I am using which is much more work and takes a bigger shroud, again making for more work.

Once apart the Mini H1 would be far easier, nearly plug and play, the bigger ones are just better lights and look better as well and though more effort the hard part is taking the lights apart compared to the fitment of the projectors.

I've heard the MINI H1 is the easiest retro for these cars. Props to WestCoaST for going all-in on something bigger.

 

[westcoaST]

Tomato, tomato. Up or down, light throws further down the road when I hit the brights, a second light lights up, and gets noticed. I could have spent an extra couple hundred bucks, and had a high beam, but I still think that's an overkill for well lit freeways.

The paint match is exact since the place I purchased the paint from puts Ford code paint in aerosol cans. The company i use is in my build thread. I doubt I'll miss my high beams as I'm a city freeway hauler, no longer a country boy in Indiana, like when I worked for Cummins Engine. I have the same setup in my 2011 Mustang and the "high beam" works fine for me.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I have lived in multiple West Coast states and driven in most of the US states and after 4.7 decades have found I hardly ever can use high beams and when switching back and forth repeatedly it is best to just stay on the lows(good ones of course) and slow down a bit if needed.

At one point I had a fully gutted 510 with dual 7" high and low beams, 7" Hella rally version pencil beams and another pair of fogs that size and only used them way out in the boonies hauling arse with trees ready to eat my car and me in it, I am not sure how I survived that part of my life.

That said, a really good set of projector high/low (bi-xenon industry speak) will be more than enough for most any real driving needs, I am quite sure, as well as quite sure the stock lights leave a great deal to be desired.