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Thinking about doing an h.i.d. projector retrofit on a 2nd gen

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Old 12-08-2005, 08:31 PM
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Thinking about doing an h.i.d. projector retrofit on a 2nd gen

YUP! I'm going to buy some cheap "crystal cut" housings and h.i.d. projectors (bi-xenon), ballasts, bulbs, etc... off ebay and the retrofit shall begin! I'll do a write up (if I remember! Any advice would be helpful! Hope to get all the stuff and get it done soon! (I'm going to ask my wife to buy me this stuff for x-mas)
Old 12-08-2005, 08:34 PM
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MAKE SURE YOU DO A WRITE UP!!!! I want to see how this turns out...
Old 12-08-2005, 08:56 PM
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Yes we need a writeup for this...make sure you get glass housings
Old 12-08-2005, 08:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Racer944
MAKE SURE YOU DO A WRITE UP!!!! I want to see how this turns out...
I will try my best to do a write up!





Originally Posted by Silver_Truck
Yes we need a writeup for this...make sure you get glass housings
Definitely!
Old 12-08-2005, 09:42 PM
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take pics

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Old 12-09-2005, 01:41 AM
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Pictures and a write-up are a must! This "yet to be mod" is something i think about almost every night that i drive...

Make us all happy
Old 12-09-2005, 04:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Silver_Truck
...make sure you get glass housings
Forgive my ignorance, but why do they need to be glass? Will the plastic ones melt?
Old 12-09-2005, 05:59 AM
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Take a look at what I did HID Retro , it may help you.
Old 12-09-2005, 06:50 AM
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my father has '00 acura TL and his hid's don't get hot enough to melt snow off the lights like a regular halogen do, so yeah, why glass?
Old 12-09-2005, 09:26 PM
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I don't know about the glass thing... hm... Anywho, Bratik, you were my inspiration! I've been really checking out those sites on your 3rd gen write-up. I may need some help with the wiring harness. This project will be done over then next few months as I don't have enough cash to buy all the components at once. But, I will start with the projector mounting in the regular rectangle housing. I'll be buying aftermarket housings as they have clear glass where the halogen ones seem to usually have patterned glass. Just remember guys, that you 2nd genners that are post '91 will deal with different issues since my headlights are sealed beams. Anyway, I'll start with the mounting issues first, then do all the electrical second. Mounting is my biggest concern as the electrical SHOULD be pretty straightforward. I'll keep all you guys informed... ESPECIALLY the 2nd Gen Fleet!

Last edited by Keggo; 12-09-2005 at 09:27 PM.
Old 12-09-2005, 09:40 PM
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Great idea Kevin! If this works and you get this written up before I get the Hellas I may join you! I love my HID in my Subaru, on my bicycle, and in my dive light. Hope all's well!
Old 12-09-2005, 09:54 PM
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Hey Joel! What kind of Hellas are you getting? You have an STi??????!!! SWEET! The '06? or 04-05? Or is it a Legacy? I want to get this done soon.
Old 12-09-2005, 10:10 PM
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Hey Kevin - the STI is an '04. Maybe someday I'll put it in gravel rally trim and see how it does on the fireroads. For now it's still new enough to keep it glued to the tarmac. In the mean time, the truck is my offroad "rally machine." I was thinking about the Hella Vision Plus and going 55/100. Roger (4Crawler) has had good experience with them. I had Hella's in my GTI years ago and they worked well for me then. I want to stay DOT. Do you think you can do a DOT HID system? The STI HID's are cool. They have a beam height adjustment on the dash. I think it's 5 different positions. So, you can be nice to people in traffic and still make the lights stretch down the highway when needed. Keep us posted on your project!
Old 12-10-2005, 04:25 AM
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I think for the 2nd Gens with the composite lamps, that the ridges/etc. on the inside of the glass are detrimental to the HID output. After separating the lens from the housing, is there a way to smooth the ridges from the glass? I realize it probably is not a DIY operation to accomplish this...
Old 12-10-2005, 10:30 PM
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On plastic lenses it is possible. But I'm buying aftermarket lamps that have clear lenses for this experiment.
Old 12-11-2005, 08:16 PM
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Ok, just purchased some E46 Bi-Xenon projectors.
Old 12-11-2005, 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Cebby
Forgive my ignorance, but why do they need to be glass? Will the plastic ones melt?
I don't know if they'll melt but the majority of the plastic replacement ones on the market are of very low quality. Mine have deteriorated terribly over time and the mirror reflecting stuff is falling off in places.
Old 12-11-2005, 10:42 PM
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Ew... that sucks. I'm going to be sanding the reflector and painting it black. Also, xenon bulbs actually burn cooler (don't they??). I'm going to take extra precautions wiring up the solenoid for the high/low feature so the solenoid doesn't get too hot... Gosh... the wiring is going to be crazy. Anyway, here are the projectors I bought.


Last edited by Keggo; 12-11-2005 at 10:43 PM.
Old 12-11-2005, 11:25 PM
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What are they from and where did you get them?
Old 12-12-2005, 08:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Keggo
Ok, just purchased some E46 Bi-Xenon projectors.
see quote


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