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JDM Projector Retrofit Project (yes.. another one)

11164 Views 70 Replies 23 Participants Last post by  badboyr66, 
theGodfather
I know this subject has been talked on here alot with many threads to show different designs, etc. which I find really extremely useful. I am going to undertake my own retrofit project with a set of JDMs I now have as I am getting sick of the USDM beam pattern with my Phillips HID 9006 retrofit kit. It is much better light output than halogen, however the light pattern sucks compared to projector based headlights. And I do get the odd "hi-beaming" from oncoming traffic because of the glare.

What I plan to do is definetely keep the JDM yellow fog-light part as I like the look of it and it will look great next to HIDs. So I definetely am going to go with Bi-Xenon projectors as I do want the hi-beam capability. I have my eye on two types of these projectors:

1. Acura TL bi-xenon projectors which are known as one of the best out there now, however is very pricey. My first choice however if the price is right.

2. Bosch bi-xenon projectors which are also nice, but not as sharp of a line as the TLs beam cutoff line. But I can get these projectors for less than half the price of the TLs.

I definetely want to find a nice shroud as I want to have a nice clean look. I may even consider some custom fibreglass work which I can chrome it and make my own custom parts.

What one of my main questions now are I want to avoid having to buy new D2S bulbs since I already have a perfectly good set of Phillips 4300k re-based 9006 HID bulbs. I have looked at the dimensions on both the D2S and 9006 standards, specificaly the distance between the gas pocket/filament and the base of the bulb (which is the critical distance for proper beams), and the D2S is 27.1mm and the 9006 is 31.5mm. What I want to do is mount the 9006 HID bulbs into the D2S bulb holder on the projectors somehow and have the gas pocket of my rebased 9006 bulbs sit exactly where the gas pocket of the D2S bulbs sit.

I believe this is possible by adding material to the 9006 bulbs' bases (perhaps washers) to an approximate thickness of 3.4mm which would bring the gas pocket at the perfect position for proper beam pattern.. so basicaly I would have to find a way of keeping the bulb in place (mounting it).

I havn't had the chance to see a D2S socket on a projector in person yet to see how feasable it is, but at least I know the positioning of the gas pocket is feasable. Before I purchase/recieve a set of projectors, I would appreciate any feedback from those who have experience with these conersion/retrofit projects.

And also what is the largest diameter lens we can fit in there? 3" diameter?

My sources for bulb dimensions are as follows:

Phillips D2S:
http://www.nuconverter.de/assets/pbd2s.pdf

9006:
http://autolumination.com/images/auto_bulbs/9005_dwg.gif
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bl420
yeah those d2s philips bulbs are expensive...

I have e39 Hella projectors im currently retrofitting into JDMs, (nice cutoff line with 2 washers). I went with non bi-xenons for a reason because I wanted to retrofit either e36 high beam reflectors into the fog light area or use e36 projectors and take off the shield and use those as high beams. (of course e36 is halogens) but I was getting them for free... but I stopped because now I'm getting Audi A6 Hella bixenon projectors instead. Same projector I believe its just one is bi-xenon and the other is not. Once I saw bi-xenon high beams I was hooked. And I don't know if I'm keeping this car.

It has a 3" diameter including the metal housing that holds the lens. I'm using E46 shrouds and I only had to cut a little bit off the bottom for it to be flush with the chrome trim inside the JDMs. BTW the chrome trim in the JDMs has a 4" opening vertically.

Personally If I could... I would go with a bixenon projector that is sealed... meaning that you wont have to custom your own shroud to stop light from leaking to the heavens. It wasn't that hard to make a shroud for this projector but its easier on others because the e39 projectors is a bit weird shaped. I even took the step to try and fiberglass shrouds but they just ended up smelling like something burned. and I got sick... never fiberglass indoors without a respirator.

well heres a picture of a d2s projector base you requested


btw I do have a huge pic if you need it.
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The largest projector lens you can fit in there would be 3" and with a bezel, about 4.5". The bixenon mechanism at the bottom will make it tight but it'll fit. New D2S bulbs are relatively cheap on ebay.

hid bulbs

I would spend the extra money to buy new ones because you'll know they have 0 hours of usage compared to used ones.
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mrkeith
Heads up: the fog lights are _not_ suitable for high beams.
In my opinion, the s2k projectors are the best out there.

k.
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R
TL bi-xenon projectors are very nice choice, nice output, wide beam and high intensity, similar to bi-xenon 04-05 LS430, single-xenon S2K and TSX projectors. But one thing I like to mention is Legend's headlight lens made by Stanley specifically the usdm sedan headlight tend to distort the intense beam lights(weird multiple cutoffs) from those Stanley projectors. I had that problem when I retro TSX projectors into usdm projectors and I saw two pro from hidplanet.com who retro S2K into Legends for their clients had the same problem. But when I used Valeo A4 projectors(less intense and brightness beam) before the TSX, the beam and cutoff are fine. Actually, the uneven thickness of lens is to blame and remember those headlights are designed for halogen lighting. So, if you decide to get TL bi-xenon, you may want to open up your one-piecer and check the lens first.

Just like imports-only1 said, cost of new 4100k bulbs on ebay is pretty reasonable. I got a pair of Philips 4100k for $64 and a pair Philips 5000k for $70 on ebay. One advantage of older D2S bulbs is it's already been color-shifted(after a couple hundred hours usage) so it is whiter than brand new 4100k bulbs.
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bl420
rayhk said:
when I retro TSX projectors into usdm projectors and I saw two pro from hidplanet.com who retro S2K into Legends for their clients had the same problem.
Click to expand...
usdm has projectors? did you put projectors behind the fluted lens?
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rayhk said:
TL bi-xenon projectors are very nice choice, nice output, wide beam and high intensity, similar to bi-xenon 04-05 LS430, single-xenon S2K and TSX projectors. But one thing I like to mention is Legend's headlight lens made by Stanley specifically the usdm sedan headlight tend to distort the intense beam lights(weird multiple cutoffs) from those Stanley projectors. I had that problem when I retro TSX projectors into usdm projectors and I saw two pro from hidplanet.com who retro S2K into Legends for their clients had the same problem. But when I used Valeo A4 projectors(less intense and brightness beam) before the TSX, the beam and cutoff are fine. Actually, the uneven thickness of lens is to blame and remember those headlights are designed for halogen lighting. So, if you decide to get TL bi-xenon, you may want to open up your one-piecer and check the lens first.

Just like imports-only1 said, cost of new 4100k bulbs on ebay is pretty reasonable. I got a pair of Philips 4100k for $64 and a pair Philips 5000k for $70 on ebay. One advantage of older D2S bulbs is it's already been color-shifted(after a couple hundred hours usage) so it is whiter than brand new 4100k bulbs.
Click to expand...
You made a good point there. Different lens have different effects on hid projector cutoffs. I didn't notice this problem of the JDM lens distorting the cutoff line of the projector in my Legend retrofit, but it was very visible with the S2000 projectors in my brother's '93 Accord JDM headlights. My brother's JDM headlights distorted the cutoff so bad with the S2000 that he didn't like it anymore. No matter how I positioned the projector, the cutoff was still distorted and it gets worst from far away. Thus, I swapped in some ECE valeo and it was a little bit better. But it wasn't as clear as some of my other retrofits. He lived with it though.
Thus, I recommend that you test it out first to see how is the cutoff before you start dremeling.
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mrkeith
The beam pattern will always distort somewhat.
Cut the lens around the projector to solve that problem.

k.
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theGodfather
Thanks for all the good info guys!

My 4300k phillips bulbs have very little hours on them so I plan to use them and believe i can mount them properly at the correct position to work!

I just bought my projectors off of eBay... it was neither the TLs or the Bosch projectors.. I got a set of Audi A6/RS6 bi-xenon projectors since I saw them listed for $215 on eBay and couldn't let them pass :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8018769623

I believe they will do just fine.

BTW.. does anyone recognize the shrouding from this pic? (A6 projector in this pic too) http://www.hidretro.com/pictures/pages/page44/10.JPG

I really like the look of that shrouding is it tapers quite wide which can help fill in the large oval on the legend headlight.

I guess this project will kick off in about 1 - 2 weeks. I'll document it to add to the wealth of DIY information in this forum.
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theGodfather said:
Thanks for all the good info guys!

I just bought my projectors off of eBay... it was neither the TLs or the Bosch projectors.. I got a set of Audi A6/RS6 bi-xenon projectors since I saw them listed for $215 on eBay and couldn't let them pass :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8018769623

I believe they will do just fine.

BTW.. does anyone recognize the shrouding from this pic? (A6 projector in this pic too) http://www.hidretro.com/pictures/pages/page44/10.JPG
Click to expand...
$215 for those projectors is a bit on the high end. Those usually sells for about $150-175. No more than $200 for sure....and knowing henrylampa, his prices are a bit overpriced! But he's a great seller with great customer service. I've bought several stuff from him also. The shrouds from hidtech are from a BMW 3-series (E46). Check out the "FOR SALE" section on www.hidplanet.com. They have alot of great parts at great prices.
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bl420


thats e39 projectors with the e46 bezels... i modified those a bit to fit.

and thats in the jdm's reflector housing. if you do get e46 bezels you have to be careful with them... they scratch very easily. i got them for $75 a pair

and you probably could've negotiated with henrylampa... he agreed to sell me the same ones (a6 bixenons) same one you got for $150 but I was also buying one ballast off of him too.
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theGodfather
Wow.. that's a really clean job. That's the look I'm after and that shroud is nice! I'm assuming that e46 bezzel will fit the A6 projector because of the 3" diameter?

OK.. so maybe I didn't get the best deal then :p I guess when I saw all the TL projectors go for $450.. I thoguht $215 was a deal. At least I got my KA8 JDMs for $200! (now THAT's a DEAL!)
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2
bl420 said:
usdm has projectors? did you put projectors behind the fluted lens?
Click to expand...
Here is my Tsx retro into usdm headlight with the same E46 shrouds as yours. I finally solved the cutoff distortion problem by swapping the lens made by Depo into the headlights. Depo makes very nice and mint lens with no optical distortion at all.

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whyteLegend
:eek2: those look great very clean ... hook me up :)
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HARLEMLEGENDZ
do u have the diy for this its great
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bl420
HARLEMLEGENDZ said:
do u have the diy for this its great
Click to expand...
well everyone gets different projectors so its hard to make a DIY for this

but basically what you have to do is open up your headlights

take out the reflector housing

and cut a hole to fit the projectors

then you mount the projectors to the reflector housing using screws or whatever

and depending on what type of projectors you get... you might have to make a shield for them to keep light from leaking everywhere

then after that you take fluted glass lens off and basically all you have left to do is wiring for the HID ballasts
and putting the headlights back together

after that mount them
and aiming it correctly

thats it..
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theGodfather
Well I got all the parts I need now so I will star this project soon.

Basicaly I have the following:

- JDM coupe headlights
- A6 bi-xenon projectors
- new Phillips 4300K D2S bulbs (didn't bother with trying to make the 9006 fit)
- '04 BMW M3 Shrouds (currently in shipping)

I have all the tools necessary and just need to get some of that JB Weld stuff.

Only thing I need to figure out now is lighting up the "fog" part of the JDM headlights to some auxilary switch with a relay I must install as the hi-beam switch will be hooked up to the bi-xenon solenoid for tru hi-beam action. I already have OEM fog lights in the bumper so this is something I have to just figure out how to do it.

Will take pics as I do this project.
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bl420
where did you get m3 shrouds?
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rayhk said:
Here is my Tsx retro into usdm headlight with the same E46 shrouds as yours. I finally solved the cutoff distortion problem by swapping the lens made by Depo into the headlights. Depo makes very nice and mint lens with no optical distortion at all.

Click to expand...
I WILL BUY THOSE HEADLIGHTS FROM YOU ASAP! :eek2:
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bl420
if anyone wants to know a way to hijack this thread furthermore....

contact algre
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