Well you have all heard me bash on the EBAY, HALO, and all "plug and play" HID kits that are sold on the internet. Now is my room to talk. I am hoping to have this project finished by spring time. As I progress through this project I will post more and more pictures as I go. Also when I am all said and done, I will take tons of comparison photos of "HID kits" and my True HID Retrofit and show you the light. :cool:


http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/mmmm.jpg
Ahh yes I have recieved my extra lights in the mail!


http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/Prototype3.jpg
I drew up every little detail of the housing on the lamp. I will be designing and experimenting with mounting locations.

http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/Apart.jpg
It took me about 40 minutes just to get one headlamp apart. I had to heat where the cover met the backing with a hair dryer to heat up the sealant. I got the assembly seperated in about 30 minutes. The chrome shroud came off easily but the reflector itself was held to the frame pretty well. It took lots of prying and precision but I finally got it off. I have more than enough space to place any Xenon projector I can find here.

I have decided the projectors I will be using are the Hella E55 3 inch Projectors. (Audi A6/RS6 BMW 5 series)

This is a picture of the Projectors.
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/e55projectors.jpg


As I said before, I will update as I progress, with tons of pictures!

Few questions...
How much were the extra lights?
How much were your projectors?
Thanks

Will you still have high and low beam functions?

later

Yes I will still have a highbeam and low beam. The projectors I am using are a bi-xenon projector.

so you are basically going to cut a hole in the reflective housing, and place the projectors in it? sounds like its gunna look cool!

Well I recieved my projectors in the mail today so I figured I'd start working on the retrofit.

The Hella e55 Bi-xenon projectors
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID1.JPG

The back of our stock reflector
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID2.JPG

The back of our stock reflector with cap and rubber cover off
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID3.JPG

I had to bend this Bulb nose off because it was held in with some crazy glue that I couldn't get off:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID4.JPG

What I initially cut off:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID5.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID6.JPG

Then cut off again and smoothed out:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID7.JPG

Me hard at work :cool:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID8.JPG

The cobalt peeking at its new eyes:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID9.JPG

The projector temporarily mounted in the reflector
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID10.JPG

Note: I will have a shroud around the projector so the extra metal won't be seen.

wow, that's awesome! you should do a how to when you finally get finished. how much has the project run you so far?

wow, that's awesome! you should do a how to when you finally get finished. how much has the project run you so far?

Hehe, Lots less than anybody would think. I will let everybody know how much I spent when I am finished. :D

Hehe, Lots less than anybody would think. I will let everybody know how much I spent when I am finished. :D

awww, why you gotta be such a tease? :p :D

those would be sharp as hell if you were to throw a coating of bondo or some other compound over the entire silver part and paint it black or red

Bondo ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. gross. Yeah Impressive man. Nice job cutting out the housings, some skills for sure. PLEASE hook us up soon with your secret on how you got a handle on those xeons...Then we can copy you.... :)

your a creative guy, very nice work and idea. now you should start selling those to people. thats a sure money maker lol

ladda dee ladee dah

you should start selling those to people. thats a sure money maker lol

Thats a great idea but be forewarned, the workload that is inolved on a mass level can get tiresome and get old quick if your not into doing this day in and day out. Its one thing to do your own car but its another when you got a bunch to do ;) . I do these for the Neon community and it takes alot out of you thats for sure. It takes willing to sacrifice breaking parts and paying for stuff out of your pocket when stuff breaks. That can and does get expensive :cool: . Just be sure you know what you'd be getting into if you went down that path. Not trying to scare anyone from trying it, but I'm just letting you know its a very labor intensive thing and people that buy cheap pocket rockets usually don't want to pay for the amount of labro involved or just can't justify why it cost money for things like this. Thats the problem with the neon community. Some see my work and knnow its worth every penny while others cringe when they see my price tag. Comes with the territory :cool:

No way could I make these and sell them. There is sooo much work in this. I might do a set for somebody if I had time.

Thanks goes out to James Lee bigtime for the projectors!
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID17.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID18.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID19.JPG

Here is a picture with masked painted shrouds:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID20.JPG

Here is a picture with the usmasked painted shroud
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID21.JPG

I am still not done, there is much more work to be done!!

Those look awesome. Would look even better on my black car :cool:

Quick question: does the turn signal have an orange lense or is it clear? Or is it the bulb that makes the reflector orange. If it is just the bulb a silverstar turn signal would make that look much better. Less orange = better.

Is the re-wiring a bitch or what...?

Is the re-wiring a bitch or what...?

simple 9007 relay harness. takes about 10 minutes to make.

Wow... all this work you're doing is looking great.

So, not to sound stupid since I've not tinkered with my SS at all, but how hard was it to get the headlamp lens ( cover ) separated from the chrome back part? I assume everyone has to do that if they want to paint the chrome part to match the body right?

I would like to make them black as well to clean up the looks a bit, but maybe I'll by new assemblies and take them apart instead of the originals.

Here is a picture of the shrouds unpainted.
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID22.JPG

Here is a picture of them painted.
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID23.JPG

Painted with a dirty cover on them.
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID24.JPG

I also added a little mini shroud around the projector itself in the last two pictures

Now the design itself is complete, I just need to assemble everything, fine tune a couple things here and there, tighten all the bolts, and do my wiring harness.

looks great mercury! you're a true artist.

Okay, this is definately great and all, but why not wait for the projectors from cobalt addiction and then retrofit the HIDs? Wouldn't that be less work? I love the look of them!! You are seriously talented. The reason why I would like the cobalt addiction ones is the fact of the angel eyes. Hook them up to your daytime running lamps. That would be pimp. Plus, I like the look of them. Just a thought.

-deltona cobalt

First off I think those projectors look very ugly. 2nd off they are going to be $300+. Then I would need to spend even more money to buy projectors for them and the rest of the HID equipment. It would actually be more work because replacing a car that already had projectors in it is harder due to the specific holes for the original projector.

Here is some of what I am using for my wiring harness:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID27.JPG

Everything is soldered...
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID28.JPG

Then heat-shrink'd
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID29.JPG

My de-bulbed 9007 base for my input
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID30.JPG

The harness naked:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID31.JPG

The harness clothed:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID32.JPG

I am planning on waking up early tomorrow and trying to seal up the headlamps. Then when I get back from work at 9 pm, they go in!!

Yay Only 3 More Hours!!!! Git R Done

Mercury, it was just a thought. But I understand your answer. I like them. But, hey to each their own. I'll be excited to see yours. I wonder what the wiring harness is going to look like all hooked up. At least you clothed it. Got an interview at Sprint tomorrow, more cash flow hopefully. Then you all need to look out. I see turbo and a new rims (18"+). New motor mounts and a clutch will be following. Then I might even tackle a project like this. This is very advanced for me though.

A great mounting location for my ballasts:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID33.JPG

My cardboard template that took me almost an hour to get perfect:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID34.JPG

Metal cut shroud:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID35.JPG

Silica Gel:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID36.JPG

Silica Gel in the headlamp to prevent moisture:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID37.JPG

The final product:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID38.JPG

Just a teaser image for now:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID39.JPG

Btw I started working on them last night at 9pm and pulled an all nighter and still haven't slept!

WOW they look great i like them alot.

any updates??? looks good homie

Yo Mercury Can You Show Some Pictures Of Your Car? I See That Small Picture Whit The Cobalt That Says Mercury And I Think It Looks Cool Whit That Small Wing

Night shots???

Night shots???

soon my friend

Let me start off by saying it was almost impossible to find a completely dark area to take pictures. Most of these are in dimly lit enviroments.

First shot
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID44.JPG

Some awesome Blue/Purple/Turquoise Cutoff color! :cool:
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID45.JPG

A blury shot of what I see.
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID46.JPG

Another oddly lit enviroment
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID47.JPG

Lots of light turquoise along the cutoff
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID48.JPG

The only dark area I could find!
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID49.JPG

Floor shot of the beam
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID50.JPG

Showing exactally how long this beam travels.
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID51.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/HID52.JPG

My bi-xenon in action
http://home.comcast.net/~dsc220/bi-xenon.gif

Wow man it looks like they work great.

So how do they work?

wow... write up a parts list and such now... that is awesome

wow dude that looks great. ok why havent we seen any pics of that gauge pod??? PLEASE post some :)

Sweet man. Now how about some pics of that gauge pod and more info on that?

Later

mercury, that looks awesome! i guess you finished this up while i was in florida, but i have to say nice job. will you be doing a how to on this at some point? this looks like a nice summer project for me, i love the cutoff colors those produce.

Oh my god! Those look freakin sweet!! I am talking with Jason over at Blinglights.com. I am going to get the VHO HID kit in the 8000K. Going to be close to over 500 bucks, but it should be worth it. Thats HID for high and lo beams. Going to rip out orange reflectors today. Anyway, great work! We wouldn't expect anything less from you.

Good light but I am not impressed with the look of the housing when all said and done.... sorry just my opinion

Good light but I am not impressed with the look of the housing when all said and done.... sorry just my opinion

Well I originally was going to paint my lights black. I didn't really make these projectors for visual appeal, I made them so I could have optimal lighting for night driving. :D

No need to appologize for an opinion.

I for one don't find the ebay projectors to be visually appealing.

And to each their own. I like the look of the ebay lights, but I hate how faulty they are. All of the led's in one of my lights are already burned out. Your lights do have a good look to them. Especially that blue/turquoise/purple border.

Where can I find silica gel? I bought the halo projectors and they fog up immediately after a car wash.

^^^ Lots of packaging stores/craft stores like AC Moores, Ben Franklin Crafts etc...