gwesam, you are absolutely correct about requiring the correct housing to have proper HID lighting.
From;
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
HID headlamps are terrific, and they can offer significant and substantial safety performance advantages over halogen headlamps, but only if they're designed and built as HID headlamps from the start. Installing an "HID kit" in a halogen headlamp isn't an upgrade, it's a large and serious safety
downgrade.
In Canada, Transport Canada states;
If you wish to have HID headlights on a vehicle that was not originally equipped with them (ie: came from the factory with incandescent bulb headlights) you must replace the entire headlight assembly, bulbs and lenses, with HID equipment that meet the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (used to be CMVSS) Standard 108 and 108.1.
Peter