Violin
01-24-2007, 09:04 AM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/moneyshot.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/photo169Medium.jpg
It is not my intent to reinvent the wheel here. There is a great deal of information on retrofitting HID projectors available online. One very good source is the forums at HIDPlanet.com. Visit them and study the University section. Ask questions.
Moreover, this is not a “how to” thread. If you screw something up, get hurt, get a ticket, etc., don’t look at me, it’s your fault. I’m just giving some basic guidance here because I’ve performed one single retrofit and that was on a Yaris liftback. I am not an expert, just some idiot with an internet connection.
It is very important that you remember at all times that the ballasts for an HID system put out enough juice to maim or kill you. Gasses inside bulbs are at high pressure. Bulbs are made of glass. Working with a Dremel tool is inherently dangerous. Pieces of the material you are working on have a tendency to fly off at high speeds at odd angles. It is not uncommon for cutting wheels to break into pieces while rotating at high RPMs. Wear safety glasses and whatever other protection you determine sufficient. There are numerous other hazards. Be careful!
The way I set up my system was with single xenon projectors inside the headlight housing as the low beams and modified fog lamps as the high beams. I wanted to be able to flash the high beams even with the lights off and HID is not great with that. You could go with a bi-xenon projector to have both low and high beam HID, figure a way to cram both high and low inside the housing or just do without high beams if you always travel on well lit roadways. If you do go with separate high beams inside the housing, I’d suggest the 90mm Hella modules (http://www.rallylights.com/hella/90mm_modules.asp). They’re excellent from what I’ve read.
First thing you’ll need is a wiring harness. I wanted my low beams to stay on once I turned them on, even when the highs are on. I didn’t want them to come on if I flashed the high beams while the lights were off. For that I used this harness:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/wiringdiagram.jpg
You can read about it here. (http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7857&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) My modification is on page three.
To learn about making a harness, read this thread (http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6612).
I purchased my relays (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=330-070), relay sockets (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=330-075), fuse holders (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=070-675), terminal rings (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=095-665), diodes (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=1N4007) and heat shrink (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=080-112&CFID=4522557&CFTOKEN=78494491) at parts express. I also picked up their excellent soldering torch (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=372-208). To tap into the parking lamp circuit, I used these taps ( http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=082-140&CFID=4522557&CFTOKEN=78494491 ) and 1/4” male spade connectors that I purchased locally. I sealed around the sides of the taps and the back of the relay sockets with clear RTV silicone. To connect to our stock H4 bulb connectors, I got HL28100 H4 Male Connector with 12 Ga. Pigtails from Susquehanna Motorsports (http://www.rallylights.com/ ). To make connections to the high beams and ballasts, I picked up 2-way trailer connectors locally (Pep Boys). All connections get a glob of dielectric grease. I didn’t show it in the diagram, but I put a diode on the positive wire coming from the parking lamp circuit. Diodes are installed with the marking on the diode facing away from the power source:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/diode.jpg
I chose to make a separate harness for each side so that if one failed, I still have lights.
I purchased two headlamp housings from Sparks for about $100 each. If you do everything short of mounting the projectors ahead of time, you might get away without buying these. You might also end up without lights if you run into problems. You’ll probably need to reinstall halogens to get through inspection anyway, so bite the bullet and get a pair.
I chose Bosch e46 ECE projectors (http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html) for my retrofit. I purchased Denso ballasts and D2S Philips bulbs from this seller (http://www.hidexpert.com/). I highly recommend both sellers. The ballasts come with female spade connectors which are OK, but I was able to find Denso/Koito ballast plugs for sale on the buy/sell/trade forums at HID Planet. My bezels are Audi A4 bezels found on eBay. Good luck trying to find them, they’re in high demand. You’ll need a Dremel tool – the plug in types are best. You can pick up a basic kit at Lowes for $30.
Now… down to the good stuff.
First thing you need to do is open up the headlamps. Remove the bulbs (duh) and put them in a preheated 225 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Work with one at a time. They’re really easy to open up because the glue used in our headlamps doesn’t harden, it’s more like soft bubble gum. I just used a flat headed screwdriver and popped each latch around the perimeter and pulled them apart by hand. It would help to have a second set of hands to keep the glue from getting on the chrome pieces – it’s very sticky. Don’t bother trying to reuse the glue – just pull it all off and toss it out. More about that later.
Now that you’ve got them apart, put the lens portion away for safe keeping – you want them perfect. Pull the blinker reflector out to the front and work it out from behind the main reflector carefully. It is held on with two clips.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/turnsignalreflector.jpg
The main reflector is held on in three places. First you need to push the shaft of this adjuster out of the slot:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/adjuster1.jpg
Now you pop this off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/adjuster2.jpg
Then just lift the reflector bowl off the other adjuster:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/adjuster3.jpg
The reflectors are pretty easy to scratch. Be careful and use blue painter's tape when you can. Don't use regular masking tape - I've read where people ended up pulling chrome off with the tape.
Take your Dremel tool to the back of the reflector bowl and cut the bulb holders off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/bulbholders.jpg
Enlarge the holes enough so that you can fit your reflectors through with their bulb holders:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/holeforprojector.jpg
The Bosch projectors are open on the sides. You’ll need to fashion a shroud so the light only goes through the lens – not out the sides. I used aluminum flashing and high temperature foil tape (for duct work):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/innershroudmaterials.jpg
This was my ‘inner shroud’ – not real pretty, but very functional:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/innershroud.jpg
To hide that and to provide a way to mount the bezel later, I fashioned an outer shroud from aluminum flashing. I first made a paper template and transferred that to the aluminum. It’s about ½ inch longer than the projector because I will cut that part into tabs, bend them back and use them to mount the bezel. I measured and left four mounting tabs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/outershroudmaterials.jpg
I used JB Weld, clamped the piece and allowed them to dry for a day:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/outershroudjbweld.jpg
There is space on the liftback to mount the ballasts under the headlamp housing. This is a well protected spot, especially on the side with the washer tank. I used heavy duty mounting tape and positioned the ballast like so:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/ballasttaped.jpg
I used a Tupperware 'sandwich keeper' (see eBay) to provide a splash guard on the side without the washer tank (there wasn’t room between the headlight and the oversized washer tank on my cold weather package car).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/tupperware.jpg
I cut it in half, removed the locking tab, drilled four drain holes and screwed it through the mounting holes on the ballast, into the headlight housing. The screws only protrude slightly inside the housing. The side by the washer tank just got screws, no Tupperware.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/ballastmounted.jpg
Now comes the most critical part of the whole process – determining where you’ll mount the projectors. You want them aligned in the bowl pretty close to the final aiming so that you’ll be able to use your factory adjusters. You’ll also want them pretty close to the correct rotation – you’ll have a few degrees of wiggle room when make your final adjustments.
On the Bosch projectors, there are three mounting holes and a notch. The notch will go on top. I Dremelled the opposite mounting tab off on mine so it wouldn’t block the parking light leaving just two mounting holes on each projector.
By now, you should have your harness(es) all ready to go. Find a nice level spot 25’ in front of a wall or garage door and determine where your lights should be aimed (http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-aiming.htm). Different projectors have different cutoffs, so be aware of how to aim yours. The Bosch’s that I used are supposed to be flat on the left hand side and drop off slightly to the right after the kick. The kick is to be directly in front of the headlight.
Put the new headlamp housings in your car with the reflector bowls back in place. Leave the adjusters in the middle position so they have about equal play up and down and left to right. Take a projector with a bulb mounted in it and plug it into the ballast. Be aware that the shield will actually be on the bottom – everything is reversed as it goes through the projector lens. Fire up the ballast while holding the projector in place and aim it on the wall. When you are satisfied with the aiming, with special emphasis on the rotational alignment, mark where you’ll be drilling through the stock reflector. Repeat the procedure on the other side (with the other projector). It helps if it is dark when you are doing all this (LOL).
Take everything out and drill mounting holes in your reflector. I used 1.5 inch stainless steel number 8 bolts with washers on each side and nylon insert lock nuts. I also cut a nylon spacer at the same angle as the reflector so the bolts could go straight through and not put sideways pressure on the reflector like so (I also did the same thing between the projector and the reflector):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/nylonspacer.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/rearprojectormounted.jpg
I made the top mounting hole in the projector into a slot so that I’d be able to adjust the rotation later:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/enlargemountinghole.jpg
To hide the enlarged hole at the back of the reflector, I made a doughnut out of aluminum flashing and put that over the back of the projector before attaching it (just visible in this photo):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/projectormounted.jpg
Loosely mount the projector and put everything back in and set up 25’ in front of the wall again. Work on one side at a time with the other light off so that you can see the cutoff clearly. Get it perfectly level and tighten the bolts down snug, but don’t crack your reflector.
Drive the car back and forth at the wall to adjust the lights side to side. If it wanders to one side, it’s not aligned straight. You’ll have to remove the guards over these adjusters, Toyota doesn’t trust us to adjust these. They’re not very accessible with the headlight in place so you’ll have to un-mount and remount the headlamp a number of times until you get it right. Adjust them up and down correctly to be sure there is enough play on your factory adjusters before you seal everything up.
The back of the housing needs to be sealed or you’ll have condensation inside your lamps. I cut a little less than half of the factory opening off on the bottom to make more room for the bulb connector and JB Welded a section of 3 inch PVC tube in place.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/pvc.jpg
After that dried overnight, I notched it to allow the wires to lay in there:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/pvcnotched.jpg
I wrapped the wire with a little rubber tape, the kind that electricians use, and plugged in the light bulb:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/pluggedin.jpg
A 3 inch rubber pipe cap sealed it up nice and tight:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/booton.jpg
I drilled holes in the mounting tabs and attached my outer shroud. I ended up cutting off one of the mounting tabs that would go over the parking lamp (the most noticeable one). I cut the top into tabs and bent them out:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/readyforbezel.jpg
Then I JB Welded the bezel in place and let it dry for a day.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/bezelmount.jpg
Clean everything really, really well before sealing it back up. I put two 5 gram packs of silica desiccant in each housing to insure against moisture. (I have extra if anyone want to buy some).:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/dessicant.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/dessicantin.jpg
I got this Window Weld at NAPA. I used the 3/8” size but if you can get the ¼” size it would fit better.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/windowweld.jpg
I had to stretch the 3/8” stuff a little as I applied it. Put a continuous bead in the groove on the housing, starting at the bottom. Butt the ends together, don’t overlap them. Put the lens back on and snap it up. With a heat gun, warm up the back of the housing around the perimeter to get the glue to soften a little and snug it together, making sure all the tabs lock.
Reinstall your lights and spend the next few days aiming them just right.
For high beams, I used eBay fog lights. I installed them upside down, on the opposite side of the car they were intended for so the cutoff is on the bottom, not the top and it creates an arc of light going upward. I had to make the hole in the fog that the screw goes through into a slot so I could attach it. I aimed them straight ahead so they’d go as far down the road as possible. I altered H9 bulbs to fit in place of the H11with my trusty Dremel. They’re far brighter and work very well as high beams. This is a very dangerous procedure. There are warnings all over the package about high pressure gasses and exploding bulbs. Work carefully and with eye protection. Remove the rubber seal from the bulb so you don't damage it with the Dremel and reinstall it when you're done.
The H11 bulb is on the left, H9 on the right:
Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/topbeforeMedium.jpg
After
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/topafterMedium.jpg
Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/plugbeforeMedium.jpg
After
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/plugafterMedium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/photo169Medium.jpg
It is not my intent to reinvent the wheel here. There is a great deal of information on retrofitting HID projectors available online. One very good source is the forums at HIDPlanet.com. Visit them and study the University section. Ask questions.
Moreover, this is not a “how to” thread. If you screw something up, get hurt, get a ticket, etc., don’t look at me, it’s your fault. I’m just giving some basic guidance here because I’ve performed one single retrofit and that was on a Yaris liftback. I am not an expert, just some idiot with an internet connection.
It is very important that you remember at all times that the ballasts for an HID system put out enough juice to maim or kill you. Gasses inside bulbs are at high pressure. Bulbs are made of glass. Working with a Dremel tool is inherently dangerous. Pieces of the material you are working on have a tendency to fly off at high speeds at odd angles. It is not uncommon for cutting wheels to break into pieces while rotating at high RPMs. Wear safety glasses and whatever other protection you determine sufficient. There are numerous other hazards. Be careful!
The way I set up my system was with single xenon projectors inside the headlight housing as the low beams and modified fog lamps as the high beams. I wanted to be able to flash the high beams even with the lights off and HID is not great with that. You could go with a bi-xenon projector to have both low and high beam HID, figure a way to cram both high and low inside the housing or just do without high beams if you always travel on well lit roadways. If you do go with separate high beams inside the housing, I’d suggest the 90mm Hella modules (http://www.rallylights.com/hella/90mm_modules.asp). They’re excellent from what I’ve read.
First thing you’ll need is a wiring harness. I wanted my low beams to stay on once I turned them on, even when the highs are on. I didn’t want them to come on if I flashed the high beams while the lights were off. For that I used this harness:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/wiringdiagram.jpg
You can read about it here. (http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7857&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) My modification is on page three.
To learn about making a harness, read this thread (http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6612).
I purchased my relays (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=330-070), relay sockets (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=330-075), fuse holders (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=070-675), terminal rings (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=095-665), diodes (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=1N4007) and heat shrink (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=080-112&CFID=4522557&CFTOKEN=78494491) at parts express. I also picked up their excellent soldering torch (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=372-208). To tap into the parking lamp circuit, I used these taps ( http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=082-140&CFID=4522557&CFTOKEN=78494491 ) and 1/4” male spade connectors that I purchased locally. I sealed around the sides of the taps and the back of the relay sockets with clear RTV silicone. To connect to our stock H4 bulb connectors, I got HL28100 H4 Male Connector with 12 Ga. Pigtails from Susquehanna Motorsports (http://www.rallylights.com/ ). To make connections to the high beams and ballasts, I picked up 2-way trailer connectors locally (Pep Boys). All connections get a glob of dielectric grease. I didn’t show it in the diagram, but I put a diode on the positive wire coming from the parking lamp circuit. Diodes are installed with the marking on the diode facing away from the power source:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/diode.jpg
I chose to make a separate harness for each side so that if one failed, I still have lights.
I purchased two headlamp housings from Sparks for about $100 each. If you do everything short of mounting the projectors ahead of time, you might get away without buying these. You might also end up without lights if you run into problems. You’ll probably need to reinstall halogens to get through inspection anyway, so bite the bullet and get a pair.
I chose Bosch e46 ECE projectors (http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html) for my retrofit. I purchased Denso ballasts and D2S Philips bulbs from this seller (http://www.hidexpert.com/). I highly recommend both sellers. The ballasts come with female spade connectors which are OK, but I was able to find Denso/Koito ballast plugs for sale on the buy/sell/trade forums at HID Planet. My bezels are Audi A4 bezels found on eBay. Good luck trying to find them, they’re in high demand. You’ll need a Dremel tool – the plug in types are best. You can pick up a basic kit at Lowes for $30.
Now… down to the good stuff.
First thing you need to do is open up the headlamps. Remove the bulbs (duh) and put them in a preheated 225 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Work with one at a time. They’re really easy to open up because the glue used in our headlamps doesn’t harden, it’s more like soft bubble gum. I just used a flat headed screwdriver and popped each latch around the perimeter and pulled them apart by hand. It would help to have a second set of hands to keep the glue from getting on the chrome pieces – it’s very sticky. Don’t bother trying to reuse the glue – just pull it all off and toss it out. More about that later.
Now that you’ve got them apart, put the lens portion away for safe keeping – you want them perfect. Pull the blinker reflector out to the front and work it out from behind the main reflector carefully. It is held on with two clips.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/turnsignalreflector.jpg
The main reflector is held on in three places. First you need to push the shaft of this adjuster out of the slot:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/adjuster1.jpg
Now you pop this off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/adjuster2.jpg
Then just lift the reflector bowl off the other adjuster:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/adjuster3.jpg
The reflectors are pretty easy to scratch. Be careful and use blue painter's tape when you can. Don't use regular masking tape - I've read where people ended up pulling chrome off with the tape.
Take your Dremel tool to the back of the reflector bowl and cut the bulb holders off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/bulbholders.jpg
Enlarge the holes enough so that you can fit your reflectors through with their bulb holders:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/holeforprojector.jpg
The Bosch projectors are open on the sides. You’ll need to fashion a shroud so the light only goes through the lens – not out the sides. I used aluminum flashing and high temperature foil tape (for duct work):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/innershroudmaterials.jpg
This was my ‘inner shroud’ – not real pretty, but very functional:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/innershroud.jpg
To hide that and to provide a way to mount the bezel later, I fashioned an outer shroud from aluminum flashing. I first made a paper template and transferred that to the aluminum. It’s about ½ inch longer than the projector because I will cut that part into tabs, bend them back and use them to mount the bezel. I measured and left four mounting tabs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/outershroudmaterials.jpg
I used JB Weld, clamped the piece and allowed them to dry for a day:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/outershroudjbweld.jpg
There is space on the liftback to mount the ballasts under the headlamp housing. This is a well protected spot, especially on the side with the washer tank. I used heavy duty mounting tape and positioned the ballast like so:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/ballasttaped.jpg
I used a Tupperware 'sandwich keeper' (see eBay) to provide a splash guard on the side without the washer tank (there wasn’t room between the headlight and the oversized washer tank on my cold weather package car).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/tupperware.jpg
I cut it in half, removed the locking tab, drilled four drain holes and screwed it through the mounting holes on the ballast, into the headlight housing. The screws only protrude slightly inside the housing. The side by the washer tank just got screws, no Tupperware.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/ballastmounted.jpg
Now comes the most critical part of the whole process – determining where you’ll mount the projectors. You want them aligned in the bowl pretty close to the final aiming so that you’ll be able to use your factory adjusters. You’ll also want them pretty close to the correct rotation – you’ll have a few degrees of wiggle room when make your final adjustments.
On the Bosch projectors, there are three mounting holes and a notch. The notch will go on top. I Dremelled the opposite mounting tab off on mine so it wouldn’t block the parking light leaving just two mounting holes on each projector.
By now, you should have your harness(es) all ready to go. Find a nice level spot 25’ in front of a wall or garage door and determine where your lights should be aimed (http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-aiming.htm). Different projectors have different cutoffs, so be aware of how to aim yours. The Bosch’s that I used are supposed to be flat on the left hand side and drop off slightly to the right after the kick. The kick is to be directly in front of the headlight.
Put the new headlamp housings in your car with the reflector bowls back in place. Leave the adjusters in the middle position so they have about equal play up and down and left to right. Take a projector with a bulb mounted in it and plug it into the ballast. Be aware that the shield will actually be on the bottom – everything is reversed as it goes through the projector lens. Fire up the ballast while holding the projector in place and aim it on the wall. When you are satisfied with the aiming, with special emphasis on the rotational alignment, mark where you’ll be drilling through the stock reflector. Repeat the procedure on the other side (with the other projector). It helps if it is dark when you are doing all this (LOL).
Take everything out and drill mounting holes in your reflector. I used 1.5 inch stainless steel number 8 bolts with washers on each side and nylon insert lock nuts. I also cut a nylon spacer at the same angle as the reflector so the bolts could go straight through and not put sideways pressure on the reflector like so (I also did the same thing between the projector and the reflector):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/nylonspacer.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/rearprojectormounted.jpg
I made the top mounting hole in the projector into a slot so that I’d be able to adjust the rotation later:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/enlargemountinghole.jpg
To hide the enlarged hole at the back of the reflector, I made a doughnut out of aluminum flashing and put that over the back of the projector before attaching it (just visible in this photo):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/projectormounted.jpg
Loosely mount the projector and put everything back in and set up 25’ in front of the wall again. Work on one side at a time with the other light off so that you can see the cutoff clearly. Get it perfectly level and tighten the bolts down snug, but don’t crack your reflector.
Drive the car back and forth at the wall to adjust the lights side to side. If it wanders to one side, it’s not aligned straight. You’ll have to remove the guards over these adjusters, Toyota doesn’t trust us to adjust these. They’re not very accessible with the headlight in place so you’ll have to un-mount and remount the headlamp a number of times until you get it right. Adjust them up and down correctly to be sure there is enough play on your factory adjusters before you seal everything up.
The back of the housing needs to be sealed or you’ll have condensation inside your lamps. I cut a little less than half of the factory opening off on the bottom to make more room for the bulb connector and JB Welded a section of 3 inch PVC tube in place.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/pvc.jpg
After that dried overnight, I notched it to allow the wires to lay in there:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/pvcnotched.jpg
I wrapped the wire with a little rubber tape, the kind that electricians use, and plugged in the light bulb:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/pluggedin.jpg
A 3 inch rubber pipe cap sealed it up nice and tight:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/booton.jpg
I drilled holes in the mounting tabs and attached my outer shroud. I ended up cutting off one of the mounting tabs that would go over the parking lamp (the most noticeable one). I cut the top into tabs and bent them out:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/readyforbezel.jpg
Then I JB Welded the bezel in place and let it dry for a day.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/bezelmount.jpg
Clean everything really, really well before sealing it back up. I put two 5 gram packs of silica desiccant in each housing to insure against moisture. (I have extra if anyone want to buy some).:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/dessicant.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/dessicantin.jpg
I got this Window Weld at NAPA. I used the 3/8” size but if you can get the ¼” size it would fit better.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/windowweld.jpg
I had to stretch the 3/8” stuff a little as I applied it. Put a continuous bead in the groove on the housing, starting at the bottom. Butt the ends together, don’t overlap them. Put the lens back on and snap it up. With a heat gun, warm up the back of the housing around the perimeter to get the glue to soften a little and snug it together, making sure all the tabs lock.
Reinstall your lights and spend the next few days aiming them just right.
For high beams, I used eBay fog lights. I installed them upside down, on the opposite side of the car they were intended for so the cutoff is on the bottom, not the top and it creates an arc of light going upward. I had to make the hole in the fog that the screw goes through into a slot so I could attach it. I aimed them straight ahead so they’d go as far down the road as possible. I altered H9 bulbs to fit in place of the H11with my trusty Dremel. They’re far brighter and work very well as high beams. This is a very dangerous procedure. There are warnings all over the package about high pressure gasses and exploding bulbs. Work carefully and with eye protection. Remove the rubber seal from the bulb so you don't damage it with the Dremel and reinstall it when you're done.
The H11 bulb is on the left, H9 on the right:
Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/topbeforeMedium.jpg
After
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/topafterMedium.jpg
Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/plugbeforeMedium.jpg
After
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1103/rjenkie/plugafterMedium.jpg