JDM headlight retro questions

[peter]

So Its pretty obvious that the stock headlights in my '98 Legacy suck. I have wanted HIDs for a while but kept finding something that stopped me from getting them. I think I have a plan figured out now, but I still have a few questions.

I was thinking about getting a DDM HID kit. I want bright, useable light, but nothing thats going to be really annoying to other people. I was thinking a 55w 5000k kit, how good would that be?

Which projectors would be a good choice for the retro that work well but arnt too expensive?

I also want to do some angel/ owl eyes/ halos, whatever you want to call them. How hard would that be and what might it cost?

I also keep hearing about 'city lights' with the JDM lights. What exactly are those?

And finally how hard would it be to do all this myself? It doesnt seem too hard and I like projects like this, so I would love to be able to do it myself.

Hopefully I didnt forget anything, and thanks to everyone that helps out.

[Legacy89]

About the HID kit, 55w will not give you that much more performance than the 35w. It will mostly just blind other drivers and make your bulb burn out faster.

[peter]

Well thats good to know. Saves me $10 too

[cusco-awd]

City lights are just that. City lights. Say you are in a big town that is lit up at night like Vegas or a big downtown city where theres enough neon out to see, You dont need your headlights so you just have the city lights on. Kinda like marker lights.

[StatGSR]

any real reason why you want to do a projector retrofit instead of just using the stock jdm projector that comes in the light? also i dont see the point of doing a projector retro and filling them with $40 hids....

I was thinking about getting a DDM HID kit. I want bright, useable light, but nothing thats going to be really annoying to other people. I was thinking a 55w 5000k kit, how good would that be?

im a fan of the ddm tuning stuff.. although in this case the 55w isnt tgoing to be significantly better then the 35w so id opt for 35w



I also want to do some angel/ owl eyes/ halos, whatever you want to call them. How hard would that be and what might it cost?

it was a bitch in the beggining, i used ccfl rings and broke 4-5 of them before i figured out a way for it to work.. want very expensive tho


I also keep hearing about 'city lights' with the JDM lights. What exactly are those?

those are small output lights that cusco-awd mentioned, located in the space between the projector and the sidelamps



And finally how hard would it be to do all this myself? It doesnt seem too hard and I like projects like this, so I would love to be able to do it myself.

easy install.. $20 max for wire harnesses, relays and what not

[peter]

any real reason why you want to do a projector retrofit instead of just using the stock jdm projector that comes in the light? also i dont see the point of doing a projector retro and filling them with $40 hids....

Because the stock projector is for RHD. And I have heard many positive things about the DDM kits, and they have a lifetime warranty so what do I have to lose.

And thanks Zues Marine for the great response, thats exactly what I was looking for. And I have decided to go with the 35w kit. I really like the red eyes your headlights got, I think thats what Im going to go with. Where did you get the ccfl rings from? And when changing the projectors is it as simple as just taking the stock one out and attaching the new one or is it more involved then that?

ive never really had any problems blinding other drivers with the stock projector aimed right..

ccfl from ebay.. here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280479622032&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT)

this is how it'll end up..the wires from the ring escape nicely from above the projector, and out to where the bulbs connect
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/05/100_0270-1.jpg

i left the plastic rings around the actual ccfl itself beacuse i couldnt figure out a way to keep it there..

i trimmed off the 4 mounting plastic nubs that were on the plastic so the wire'd line up to go out the top.. and superglued them to the housing..

i havent had a problem with them melting from the HIDS of falling loose because of my driving so im good

end result:http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t232/wakeboardingguy/IMAG0099.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/

[peter]

Doesnt seem to be too hard. Thanks for the help. I think some red eyes like that would look really nice with the Mica Ruby Red color. Im really looking forward to doing this, except for how Im going to open the lights up.

put them in the oven at 275 for 10-15 minutes

[peter]

put them in the oven at 275 for 10-15 minutes
Thats what Iv heard to do, but it kinda worries me putting those in the oven, even though many people have done it with no problems.

i was worried too. no big deal tho.. nothing bad happened

[StatGSR]

Because the stock projector is for RHD.

I really like the red eyes your headlights got, I think thats what Im going to go with.


your worried about the projectors because they are set up for RHD but want to put red lights on the front of your car which is ridiculously illegal... yea that makes sense..... :smt017

no offense zues, they look badass but i cant believe you have gotten away with it for as long as you have..

[TGX4776]

I think the only way they are illegal is if you are driving with them on. other wise it is perfectly legal to use when parked.

[peter]

I think the only way they are illegal is if you are driving with them on. other wise it is perfectly legal to use when parked.

Exactly. I wasnt planning on having them on while driving. It was just something I saw that was a cheap mod to the headlight that would look cool for some pictures, or to have on while just being parked somewhere, or doing some off road driving so anyone around could identify my car.

[Legacy89]

Just install a switch on the ccfls an if you get pulled over. Just turn them off.

[peter]

Just install a switch on the ccfls an if you get pulled over. Just turn them off.

Thats what I planned on doing. I wanted to have a separate switch for it so I could turn it off or on whenever I wanted

yeah to all that.. i ran mine to a switch... dont have them on alot because i feel like a honda ricer, but everyonce in a while i let the scooby get pissed, lol