stoggy
11-29-2011, 10:06 PM
Hey everyone, I have a 2002 Legacy GT sedan, which by all accounts is a fantastic car except for the lighting. I tried the JDM HID reflector type lights--suck, even with proper 50W equipment. So I've ventured into the projector market now.
So far have mounted the projectors and aligned them in the housings, held in with JB Weld. I opted not to use the silicone washer or threaded nuts, etc. Also if you notice the differences between the stand alone cutoff shots, you can see that the cutoffs are not the same. I am using Philips 85122+ bulbs and Denso ballasts. I tried swapping bulbs and ballasts between the two projectors and nothing changed it...not sure what's the issue here. Either way, other than aesthetics the lighting is killer.
Parts used in this retro:
Morimoto Mini D2S x 2
Philips 85122+ x 2
IS300 Denso 35w Ballasts x 2
E46-R Shrouds x 2
Homemade Relay Wire Harness x 1
**EDIT**
Ok so like I said, my camera was jacked that actually had the nice build pics so the pics below is all you're going to get, sorry guys. I can describe the steps I personally took to do this however:
Very first thing to do before beginning anything is to fire up the headlight assembly with a stock H1 bulb in it. Do this against a large flat wall. Mark the position of the cutoff (as best you can) on the wall with tape. Be accurate because this will determine how your projectors align in the end. I don't care how you mount the light while doing this just make sure that you can mount it the exact same way when you install the projectors. The more time spent here will mean less time dickin around later when you realize your cutoffs are not straight. Do one light at a time. I did it with a car battery in my living room, I don't recommend doing it on the car as there is no room to work behind the lights.
Okay, onto the actual retro steps:
1. Follow any tutorial on taking headlamps apart, ie: heat gun or oven method, your choice.
2. Once lights apart, remove old H1 socket by remove two screws and then remove the bulb cap by removing the remaining single screw. Discard as you won't need these again.
3. Determine where you want the projector to sit. If you have GT lights I highly recommend the top portion where the low beam originally goes simply due to the black trim on the lens being in the way. If you have L lights, well, your options are only one and you have a much easier time I might add. I have GT lights and so I chose the low beam reflector so this tutorial is designed around that.
4. You want to create about a 2" diameter hole centred within the low beam reflector for the projector to mount. You can use whatever you have handy. My tool of choice is a RotoZip or a RotoZip bit in a Dremel. This bit is like a drill bit but cuts sideways, very easy. Blow with air gun, or your mouth for that matter any debris remaining. You want absolutely ZERO dust, dirt or debris left when you install the projector. Do not use solvents or chemicals.
5. Test the projector to make sure when you put it in the hole you have adjustment all the way around, ie: you can position the way the projector points.
6. Line up your headlight in your jig you made earlier. Put your bulb in your projector by putting the bulb in first, followed by the steel split washer and rubber boot--angled side down--finally tighten down hand tight with the lock ring.
7. Place projector into hole you made and line up with the tape marks you made. You should be as accurate as you can with this. I used JB Kwik to 'tack' the projector in place by mixing 2 parts hardener to 1 part steel. This allows the JB to dry very quickly while giving you just about a minute to line up your projector. You should only have to hold it as long as it takes for the JB to set. Let JB dry for 5 minutes then verify the alignment is still within the tape marks. Apply slightly more JB Kwik to 'tack' it a bit more, but this time use the standard 1:1 mixing ratio.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 with the other headlight.
9. If all looks well and both projectors are aligned with one another then proceed to inspection. Make sure no dust has gotten on the lens or bowl of the projector.
10. Now you can put the shrouds on. Make sure to take your time and trim a little bit at a time to make them fit. I had to trim a little on the top flat edge and on the right rounded side of mine to clear the reflector enough. With different shrouds it will be different so this part is entirely up to you.
11. Bake lights again, reassembly yada yada yada you know the drill.
12. Time to modify the back cover. Using your drill or Dremel or whatever cut out the section where the projector and connector interfere with the cover. I used tuck tape to temporarily seal up the back until I think of a better solution, but if you have time by all means experiment. Plumbing fixtures, ie: PVC plastic pipe fittings, work well for this kind of thing.
13. Install on vehicle, wire up per wiring harness included with kit and you're ready to go. Find a large flat wall when it's dark and go aim your lights properly. There are numerous diagrams on the net so I'm not gonna post one but make sure you aim them, you'll be sorry if you don't because it will look terrible in the distance and you could blind others.
---
Now I had a few pictures of the work in progress but my camera got stolen, so I have only a few pics from my phone which are ok, but not great. Here goes:
OUTPUT BEFORE INSTALL 1
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_2-1.jpg
OUTPUT BEFORE INSTALL 2
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_1-1.jpg
PROJECTOR MOUNTED IN HOUSING
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_3-1.jpg
FINISHED PRODUCT
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_6-1.jpg
LOW BEAM
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_4-1.jpg
HI BEAM
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_5-1.jpg
So far have mounted the projectors and aligned them in the housings, held in with JB Weld. I opted not to use the silicone washer or threaded nuts, etc. Also if you notice the differences between the stand alone cutoff shots, you can see that the cutoffs are not the same. I am using Philips 85122+ bulbs and Denso ballasts. I tried swapping bulbs and ballasts between the two projectors and nothing changed it...not sure what's the issue here. Either way, other than aesthetics the lighting is killer.
Parts used in this retro:
Morimoto Mini D2S x 2
Philips 85122+ x 2
IS300 Denso 35w Ballasts x 2
E46-R Shrouds x 2
Homemade Relay Wire Harness x 1
**EDIT**
Ok so like I said, my camera was jacked that actually had the nice build pics so the pics below is all you're going to get, sorry guys. I can describe the steps I personally took to do this however:
Very first thing to do before beginning anything is to fire up the headlight assembly with a stock H1 bulb in it. Do this against a large flat wall. Mark the position of the cutoff (as best you can) on the wall with tape. Be accurate because this will determine how your projectors align in the end. I don't care how you mount the light while doing this just make sure that you can mount it the exact same way when you install the projectors. The more time spent here will mean less time dickin around later when you realize your cutoffs are not straight. Do one light at a time. I did it with a car battery in my living room, I don't recommend doing it on the car as there is no room to work behind the lights.
Okay, onto the actual retro steps:
1. Follow any tutorial on taking headlamps apart, ie: heat gun or oven method, your choice.
2. Once lights apart, remove old H1 socket by remove two screws and then remove the bulb cap by removing the remaining single screw. Discard as you won't need these again.
3. Determine where you want the projector to sit. If you have GT lights I highly recommend the top portion where the low beam originally goes simply due to the black trim on the lens being in the way. If you have L lights, well, your options are only one and you have a much easier time I might add. I have GT lights and so I chose the low beam reflector so this tutorial is designed around that.
4. You want to create about a 2" diameter hole centred within the low beam reflector for the projector to mount. You can use whatever you have handy. My tool of choice is a RotoZip or a RotoZip bit in a Dremel. This bit is like a drill bit but cuts sideways, very easy. Blow with air gun, or your mouth for that matter any debris remaining. You want absolutely ZERO dust, dirt or debris left when you install the projector. Do not use solvents or chemicals.
5. Test the projector to make sure when you put it in the hole you have adjustment all the way around, ie: you can position the way the projector points.
6. Line up your headlight in your jig you made earlier. Put your bulb in your projector by putting the bulb in first, followed by the steel split washer and rubber boot--angled side down--finally tighten down hand tight with the lock ring.
7. Place projector into hole you made and line up with the tape marks you made. You should be as accurate as you can with this. I used JB Kwik to 'tack' the projector in place by mixing 2 parts hardener to 1 part steel. This allows the JB to dry very quickly while giving you just about a minute to line up your projector. You should only have to hold it as long as it takes for the JB to set. Let JB dry for 5 minutes then verify the alignment is still within the tape marks. Apply slightly more JB Kwik to 'tack' it a bit more, but this time use the standard 1:1 mixing ratio.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 with the other headlight.
9. If all looks well and both projectors are aligned with one another then proceed to inspection. Make sure no dust has gotten on the lens or bowl of the projector.
10. Now you can put the shrouds on. Make sure to take your time and trim a little bit at a time to make them fit. I had to trim a little on the top flat edge and on the right rounded side of mine to clear the reflector enough. With different shrouds it will be different so this part is entirely up to you.
11. Bake lights again, reassembly yada yada yada you know the drill.
12. Time to modify the back cover. Using your drill or Dremel or whatever cut out the section where the projector and connector interfere with the cover. I used tuck tape to temporarily seal up the back until I think of a better solution, but if you have time by all means experiment. Plumbing fixtures, ie: PVC plastic pipe fittings, work well for this kind of thing.
13. Install on vehicle, wire up per wiring harness included with kit and you're ready to go. Find a large flat wall when it's dark and go aim your lights properly. There are numerous diagrams on the net so I'm not gonna post one but make sure you aim them, you'll be sorry if you don't because it will look terrible in the distance and you could blind others.
---
Now I had a few pictures of the work in progress but my camera got stolen, so I have only a few pics from my phone which are ok, but not great. Here goes:
OUTPUT BEFORE INSTALL 1
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_2-1.jpg
OUTPUT BEFORE INSTALL 2
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_1-1.jpg
PROJECTOR MOUNTED IN HOUSING
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_3-1.jpg
FINISHED PRODUCT
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_6-1.jpg
LOW BEAM
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_4-1.jpg
HI BEAM
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/11/photo_5-1.jpg