[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

 

[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

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.

 

[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 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!)

 

[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.

 

[theGodfather]

Thanks for all the great info guys!

I got the E46 shrouds off eBay for about $100 but they are in MINT condition!

I havn't started the project yet as I have been sooo busy but maybe this weekend I at least take the headlights appart. I need to polish up the headlight surface a bit using the wetsanding/polishing tecnique, but I'll probably do them at the end of the project right before I put them in the car. I wonder if I should clearcoat the headlight surface after I polish them up to protect them?

I plan to keep my OEM fogs and run the JDM ones, but I want to be able to run them independantly from each other. One person suggested splicing into the current foglight wires and put a bigger fuse, however you have to check the gauge of the wire to see if it can handle the extra current draw. The fuses usually protect you from melting your wires!

I do have a wire/relay set from when I replaced my OEM foglights with a Civic set from eBay, so I will use that wire kit to wire the JDM foglights up and I have an extra switch on my "police horn" mod control panel that I have in my center console.

Other than that, that's all the news I have and hopefully after this weekend I have some progress!

 

[theGodfather]

UPDATE - Started on the project today!

Today I finaly had the time to start the project and got quite a bit done!

Breakdown of what I have done:

1. Removed all wire harnesses, bulbs, clips, etc. and baked the headlights. 2. Removed main headlight glass diffusor and the main headlight reflector.
3. Cut the reflectors to fit projectors. Fit the projectors in and made a few more extra minor cuts until they fit in perfectly the way I want at the right angle.
4. Mounted reflectors back into headlight assembly to properly and accurately position the projectors. Marked the reflector at 4 points where I will be drilling holes to screw the projectors to the reflectors.
5. Fitted shrouds onto projectors while in headlight and marked where the shrouds needed to be trimmed.

That's basically where I stand now and only have the following left to do:

- Remove reflectors from headlight assembly and drill out the small holes.
- Trim shrouds.
- Mount projectors to reflectors with screws which I will get from Home Depot.
- Clean out the inside of the headlight assembly and prepare for re-assembly.
- Re-assemble and re-bake the headlights to seal them up again.
- Put all parts back on again.
- Prep wiring for connecting.
- Wet-sand/polish headlight surface.

For those that have baked their lights, how easy is it to seal them back together and do they seal perfectly such that moisture doesn't get in?

Also a word of caution to everyone who wants to do this, I ed up slightly when baking them, I followed one person's instructions on the forums to put aluminum foil on the oven rack and placed the headlamp directly on there... well let's say I got some lines on the corner of my headlight that match the lines you get on your steaks when you grill them I'm so lucky it was on the very corner where the hood will cover it and should not be noticable. A nice set of fibreglass eyelids will definetely cover them. I didn't have a cookie tray so I put an upside down baking pan in there which worked perfect on the next headlight. Other than this, everything has been flawless and am looking forward to completing this during the week.

Dave, I may need your help with removing my bumper since I know you've done and will make my life easier.

More updates to come.

 

[theGodfather]

I put all my parts into ziplock bags which is something I always do especially when taking apart more complex parts of the car.

I'm using Audi A6 bi-xenon projectors and using E46 ('04 BMW M3) shrouds.

Going to buy a compressed air can to blow all dust and stuff out of headlights before sealing them as well and give them a interior wipe down with a microfibre cloth cause I'll hate to trap dirt inside even though I been relatively clean with my process.

 

[theGodfather]

Done.

A few pics here...

 

[theGodfather]

UPDATE: 04-16-2006

Finaly winter is over and the weather has warmed up and was able to install my new headlights! I also had to install additional wiring to run the JDM fogs with an additional switch located inside my centre console armrest.

Here are some pics from the latest photo shoot.

I havn't taken any beam pattern pics yet but what an amazing difference! The high-beams are out of this world at how bright they are! If you're not running HID high-beams, you don't know what you're missing! The patterns came out perfect except the driver side projector is slightly rotated about 1 - 2 degrees from normal (lower on the oncoming traffic side at least). It's barely noticable but I'm very picky although it's perfectly functional.. most people wouldn't even be able to tell.

Overall I'm happy with the success of this project and the improved night visibility and the modernized look of the car.

Let me know what you think.

 

[theGodfather]

Thanks for the compliments. I remember at first when I saw the first brave ones to undertake this project, I thought holy shit how hard it must be to do that. However after reading a few DIY and really thinking about it, it's not that hard, just have to be a little creative and good with tools.

Also an update, I had to take 1 headlight appart again. It fogged up when I washed the car and in the recent weekend of rain we had, it had a tremendous abmount of dropplets on the inner lens. The next day I removed the headlight from the car and stuck it in an oven again. I cleaned the inside lens up and polished it up, re-baked the light this time squeezing hard hoping to make a better seal. In the end just to be sure I applied an all purpose outdoor/indoor clear sealant around the entire seam of the headlight as extra protection. I will be washing my car today so I'm crossing my fingers it is sealed.

To answer a few questions:

Octane - Let me know when you want to do yours.. i'm ready

GreekPower - efxaristo yia ta logia sou

khoerling - Months ago I ordered a set of OEM civic foglights to replace my OEM fogs (exact same thing) as the glass lenses on mine were badly scuffed up. Well this civic kit came with a good wire harness to hook up the fog lights so I used that harness for the JDM fogs. I cut off all the wires I didn't need since I wasn't going to use their switch as I had a switch of my own to use which I ran into the centre console under the arm rest. I wired this harness to get power from accessory so I don't accidently leave the lights on and what's cool is I can turn them on independently from my other lights. Looks pretty cool just driving with the JDMs on. Hope this answers your question.

KeithQNguyen - Are you still looking for the diffusers? If so, PM me.

 

[theGodfather]

GreekPower - I don't type enough to know what English letters to use to make the proper sounds.hahah.

khoerling - I actually took it directly from the fuse panel by the kick-pedal. There is an aux. accessory and an aux. battery (always on) plug in there.