Headlight upgrades HID and h4/h1 conversion revisited

I figured this would eventualy come up again..so might as well start off fresh with old and newly gained info.

so you want to upgrade your old factory sealed beams?

Option 1 you can switch to a replacement halogen such as sylvania.. you can get this particular brand in 3 different brightness levels.. the standard 3100k, the xtravision 3200k and the silverstar 4000k

the next upgrade would be to ditch the sealed beams for h4/h1 housings with replaceable bulbs and Relays!

some housings arent that great due to having more tree lighting then actual road lighting..some housings are plastic also and not glass..if that mater to you

The 3 best choices would be
Cibbie e-code(ECE)
bosche e-code(ECE)
Hella e-code (ECE)
I recommend the e-codes due ro having better beam patternt and light cutoff over the other h4/h1 housings..

you can usualy get these with or without a city light(just a 5 watt bulb with 2 extra wires to hook up)
the city light version will typicaly require a little bit of trimming to the buckets( a dremmel is a great tool for this)


The typical headlight combo for a 4 headlight system is h4 housing(hi/low) with h1 housing for highs

for a 2 light system its obvious ..h4 housing


According to Daniel Stern lighting the better setup for drivers that do more night driving would be 4 H1 housings
which are..
Hella Bifocal H1 low beam and a Parabolic H1 high beam

The reasoning is the bifocals only have one filament in the housing, so no comprimise in the optic..where as the h4s has a 2 filaments..one for hi and one for low.
You can get most of the mentioned above from here

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

now for everyone wanting HIDS
if its cheap its no good..the good kits have the ballast..
but even if you get a good HID conversion kit for your h1/h4 housings(best is ecode) if not ecode it will have the wrong pattern/light cutoff and blind oncomming traffic(scattered beam) due to the housing still being a reflector type and not a projector housing!
Im not totaly sure if a HID kit with an E-code(ECE) housing will do this but the fact of the matter is HIDs started off in reflector housings so...
http://www.hidxenonlights.com/digital_hid_kits_vs_standard

http://www.xenongate.com/H4+Bi-Xeno...5000K+Integrated+Digital+Ballast+HID+Kit.html


but for an extra hundred or two anf you can just go projectors
...so save your 120 to 250 dollars and either stick with the H4/H1 or H1/H1 setups or penny up for a real HID (projector housings) one place is here

http://www.sickhids.com/

 

I can get hid kits for i believe its the h4 for sixty bucks for the pair my bro just opened up a car audio shop here in so.cal it put them on my big rig and what a difference but i also adjusted my headlights to point down if you needa kit for any car let me know i will get it....joseph

 

Doesnt sound like a real HID kit. If it doesnt have a Ballast box/ignitor its not a HID
I bet that 60$ kit is just a Halogen bulb coated with snake oil..

 

No it comes with ballast box and just plugs to the factory harness

 

K ok, probably an autopal housing...which are ok. But the housing I mentioned are better. Due to having better light pattern and light cut off and very little to none tree lighting to the side...I take it the lens is plastic and not glass?
you should atleast run relays and not just plug it into factory harness..

I still trhink retrofitting an actual projector in the houseing will be the way to go so you dont emit scattered glare to oncomming traffic as that's what a h4 housing with HID kit is going to do, regardless if its a cheapo housing or a quality housing such as hella or cibbie..
I know one guyt mentioned hes retro fitting acura tl projectors in an h4 housing.should have awsome results when done
heres one place to buy them
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=25

 

Did that guy ever finish the projector housing modification? Someone, or a few people actually have chevelles with HIDs with no projector. They don't mention anything about the wide throw of the light though. Projectors would be nice if they can be done right but...I'd really like to see that process I think it'd be difficult.

---------- Post added at 02:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 AM ----------

And based on pictures of other muscle cars with projectors, it might look very weird. That projector bulb is very noticeable it may detract from the rest of the car since it could stick out so much.

---------- Post added at 02:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 AM ----------

And based on pictures of other muscle cars with projectors, it might look very weird. That projector bulb is very noticeable it may detract from the rest of the car since it could stick out so much.

 

Wow! $600 for headlights?

 

So I e-mailed ProStreet Lighting about their Halo Kit, the same one that guy put on his orange chevelle. It only comes in blue halo lights, and they're like 10k-12k in temperature color. So if you guys are like me and are kind of looking for 4300-6k then that's not the product you want.

 

headlight protection film
http://www.sharphid.com/category_s/2.htm

projectors
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=25

process on 7in light light what was mentioned previously in thread
http://www.motoringunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22619

 

Real HIDS have ballasts and projectors

when doing hids, dont install ballast nor projector in a reflector housing like the cibbie,boshe,hella, or AutoPAl..only install in a projector housing

you can get projector housings on ebay for 80 bucks..which included ballast/bulb and projector..but plan to atleast cutout their projector and put in the lexus or acura projectors for real deal

 

guess im slightly wrong again ha

from another forum post through mysearches on proper hid conversions
http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/20-exterior-sponsored-r-speed/69869-hid-lights-reflector-housings-reminder-some-you-out-there.html

"Just want to add one thing; You do not NEED a projector housing for an HID. There are HID bulbs that are designed to go into reflector housings. An arc bulb that is designed for an HID projector will be labeled as a D"*"S bulb, and an arc bulb designed for an HID reflector will be labeled a D"*"R bulb. The majority of the aftermarket kits (99.9%) are D"*"S - so yes, your information is still relevant. Just wanted to throw that in there since it is an option; not all HID's + reflector housings = bad. (Hell, some cars came stock equipped with HID's and reflector housings.)

The main point is the same; if the type of housing isn't designed for the type of bulb, don't put it in!"

 

if anyone ever wanted an LED headlight thats delivers unlike alot of other brands
http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/headlights/?filter=LED#product=500027

 

cool pics of JW LED projector housings installed on Chevelle.
best lighting you can buy for an automobile currently, and looks good nor doesnt throw-off the vintage image like the projectors of HIDS
http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=35087&page=4

 

If anyone is still looking into HIDS
these are prob best option, can be tailored to your needs and allot quicker turn around
http://blackflamecustoms.com/
http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...trofits-w-Top-Level-Components?highlight=hids

But the h1/h1 setup or JW Speaker setups I feel are better

 

I need to get some pics up in the pro touring section. I just finished a headlight conversion myself using full OEM projectors/housings/etc. Its HID and about a third the cost of the blackflamescustoms setup.

 

Yeah, they pretty much buy from retrofit source and build them and charge labor
post them :-D
did you paint the shield or get tinted projector lens to get rid of the "Bug Eye" look?

 

It's a totally OEM solution with a stock-ish looking lens.

 

if you can get a beam cutouff shot off a wall or garage door of something

 

Logan, What did you use??? Looks good. How about a how to?

Tim

 

Thanks guys. I was hoping to do a write up on it next week when I can get back out to the car again. Be looking for it in the pro touring section.