JGB98EB
Member
- Joined
- March 10, 2002
- Messages
- 25
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Monroe, CT
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1998 Eddie Bauer
I finally got tired of my 9007 HID kit in my stock halogen headlamp housings. The beam pattern was awful and people would always flash me because they thought I had my high beams on. I started out with 6000k bulbs which were way too blue. I finally took them out after almost hitting a fallen tree branch in the middle of the road (it was not easily visible due to the hue of the headlamps). I then switched to 4300k Philips bulbs. They illuminated the road better due to their hue and brightness. The problem was that they looked boring from the outside and still had that lousy beam pattern which would cause people to flash their high beams at me. About a month ago, I saw some BMW X5 (Hella) projectors on ebay selling for $130/pair. These are the projectors I bought:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/3873/Projectors.jpg
I had to buy them since they were such a steal (they are about $200/each brand new). I then saw a pair of OEM BMW Osram bulbs (4100k) for $50 on ebay (they go for about $120/each at the dealer). Here is a picture of the Osram HIDs:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/148/OsramHids.jpg
Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the Phillips 4300k bulbs since the bases were modified to fit in a 9007 housing. Of course I had to order some other items to start the project:
*From Home Depot: sheet of clear Lexan/Polycarbonate (approx 1/8" thick) to be used as a mounting plate between the OEM housing and the projector housing, Loctite Plastic Epoxy, GE Plastic & Polycarbonate Silicon Sealant, and silver spray paint
*2" Sanding Disc Holder, 80, 100, 150, 320, 600, 1000, and 1500 sanding discs (http://www.jacquescoulombe.com/sanding discs.htm) to smooth out the OEM headlamp lenses
*3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound (http://www.premiumautocare.com/3mperitcom.html) to use after sanding and smoothing out the OEM headlamp lenses
*A second pair of OEM headlamp housings so I wouldn't have to take them out of my car and risk screwing up the only pair I had
I started out by putting the headlamps in the oven for 8 minutes @ 375° in order for the epoxy to soften enough to allow the lenses to come off (may take less time depending on the oven). Then, I used a dremel tool to cut off the backs of the headlamps. After cutting the backs off, I used a belt sander to smooth them flat. This was the result:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/1292/ModifiedHeadlamp.jpg
I sketched the profile of the smoothed back of the headlamp onto the clear lexan sheet. Once the sketch was complete, I used a dremel to cut it out. Then, I sketched a hole to match the profile of the projector onto the cut out piece of lexan. The projector profile was sketched such that the projector lense bracket would fit snugly through the hole once cut out. After cutting out the hole in the Lexan piece, I drilled holes that were aligned with the mounting pattern of the projector housing. I then used the silver spray paint to paint the back side of the Lexan piece (to match the reflective paint on the inside of the OEM headlamp). Unfortunately, the projectors I bought were too large to fit inside the OEM housings. So, I had to dremel out notches in the top and bottom inside surfaces in order to just squeeze the projectors in. By using nuts and bolts (M3 or #4 would work) to mount the projector housing to the Lexan piece, the Lexan could now be bonded to the smooth back of the OEM headlamp housing by using the Loctite Plastic Epoxy. I then sealed the area where the Lexan met up with the OEM headlamp back with the GE Silicon Sealant. I also used the sealant all around where the projector housing met up with the Lexan to make sure the assembly would be water tight. Then, I modified the OEM headlamp lenses. I started out by sketching 3.5" circles on the insides of the lenses. I used a dremel to sand down the rough texture of the lenses within the 3.5" circle until they were relatively smooth. Then, I mounted the sanding disc holder to a drill press (a regular drill would work too) and sanded the surface within the circle. I started with the 80-grit disc and progressed all the way through to the 1500-grit sanding disc. While sanding, make sure to wet the discs or they will cause melting of the plastic shavings, leaving streaks in the plastic. Once I was done sanding, I coated the smooth surface with the rubbing compound. I used a buffing wheel to remove the compound and polish the surface until it was clear. An orbital would probably be able to accomplish the same result. Once I finished, I put the lenses back on the headlamp housings and was ready to install them in the car. It came out looking like this:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/7562/CloseUp.jpg
Here is another frontal shot of the car:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/1816/ExplorerwithProjecto.jpg
The HIDs look just about identical to BMW 325xi HIDs (right):
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/4840/ExplorervsBMW.jpg
The beam pattern came out alright:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/6407/InfamousGarageDoorSh.jpg
Sorry for the lack of pics. I didn't take pics of the whole process. If you plan to try to make some projectors, send me an email or IM and I'll try to give a more detailed procedure.
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/3873/Projectors.jpg
I had to buy them since they were such a steal (they are about $200/each brand new). I then saw a pair of OEM BMW Osram bulbs (4100k) for $50 on ebay (they go for about $120/each at the dealer). Here is a picture of the Osram HIDs:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/148/OsramHids.jpg
Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the Phillips 4300k bulbs since the bases were modified to fit in a 9007 housing. Of course I had to order some other items to start the project:
*From Home Depot: sheet of clear Lexan/Polycarbonate (approx 1/8" thick) to be used as a mounting plate between the OEM housing and the projector housing, Loctite Plastic Epoxy, GE Plastic & Polycarbonate Silicon Sealant, and silver spray paint
*2" Sanding Disc Holder, 80, 100, 150, 320, 600, 1000, and 1500 sanding discs (http://www.jacquescoulombe.com/sanding discs.htm) to smooth out the OEM headlamp lenses
*3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound (http://www.premiumautocare.com/3mperitcom.html) to use after sanding and smoothing out the OEM headlamp lenses
*A second pair of OEM headlamp housings so I wouldn't have to take them out of my car and risk screwing up the only pair I had
I started out by putting the headlamps in the oven for 8 minutes @ 375° in order for the epoxy to soften enough to allow the lenses to come off (may take less time depending on the oven). Then, I used a dremel tool to cut off the backs of the headlamps. After cutting the backs off, I used a belt sander to smooth them flat. This was the result:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/1292/ModifiedHeadlamp.jpg
I sketched the profile of the smoothed back of the headlamp onto the clear lexan sheet. Once the sketch was complete, I used a dremel to cut it out. Then, I sketched a hole to match the profile of the projector onto the cut out piece of lexan. The projector profile was sketched such that the projector lense bracket would fit snugly through the hole once cut out. After cutting out the hole in the Lexan piece, I drilled holes that were aligned with the mounting pattern of the projector housing. I then used the silver spray paint to paint the back side of the Lexan piece (to match the reflective paint on the inside of the OEM headlamp). Unfortunately, the projectors I bought were too large to fit inside the OEM housings. So, I had to dremel out notches in the top and bottom inside surfaces in order to just squeeze the projectors in. By using nuts and bolts (M3 or #4 would work) to mount the projector housing to the Lexan piece, the Lexan could now be bonded to the smooth back of the OEM headlamp housing by using the Loctite Plastic Epoxy. I then sealed the area where the Lexan met up with the OEM headlamp back with the GE Silicon Sealant. I also used the sealant all around where the projector housing met up with the Lexan to make sure the assembly would be water tight. Then, I modified the OEM headlamp lenses. I started out by sketching 3.5" circles on the insides of the lenses. I used a dremel to sand down the rough texture of the lenses within the 3.5" circle until they were relatively smooth. Then, I mounted the sanding disc holder to a drill press (a regular drill would work too) and sanded the surface within the circle. I started with the 80-grit disc and progressed all the way through to the 1500-grit sanding disc. While sanding, make sure to wet the discs or they will cause melting of the plastic shavings, leaving streaks in the plastic. Once I was done sanding, I coated the smooth surface with the rubbing compound. I used a buffing wheel to remove the compound and polish the surface until it was clear. An orbital would probably be able to accomplish the same result. Once I finished, I put the lenses back on the headlamp housings and was ready to install them in the car. It came out looking like this:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/7562/CloseUp.jpg
Here is another frontal shot of the car:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/1816/ExplorerwithProjecto.jpg
The HIDs look just about identical to BMW 325xi HIDs (right):
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/4840/ExplorervsBMW.jpg
The beam pattern came out alright:
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/6407/InfamousGarageDoorSh.jpg
Sorry for the lack of pics. I didn't take pics of the whole process. If you plan to try to make some projectors, send me an email or IM and I'll try to give a more detailed procedure.
