Car shows are like playgrounds butfor motorheads. The one thing that we always see, though, is people putting hundreds of hours into their cars, customizing everything from the carpet to the engine, but rarely sporting anything beyond stock headlights.
While many will argue that wheels can make or break a project, headlights can make a strong statement as well. So when Matt Kossoff from The Retrofit Source contacted us about doing a custom HID headlight installation we were very interested.
To be honest, we were hesitant about chopping up a pair of perfectly good headlights - we didn't know how it would look or if we had the ability to tackle a job like this. After a moment of consideration, we agreed to have a go because we could never turn down a good mod!
Obviously there are a number of plug 'n play HID kits on the market, but Retrofit uses parts from existing headlight systems and tells you how to adapt it to your own vehicle.
After comparing the HIDs supplied by Retrofit to the stock headlights, the mental image was appealing. However, we decided that if we were going to chop up a pair of functional lights we would make sure to get the look we wanted.
We ordered a set of FK E-codes because we planned to paint the inside of the housings when they were disassembled (something along the lines of a joey mod), and we wanted the tinted amber turn signals to match. We also wanted the foglights supplied with the FKs. All said and done, we wanted to ensure we had a good set of headlights to fall back on in case something went horribly wrong...
Step By Step ContinuedStep 1. First order of business was removing the front end and unscrewing the stock headlights. This operation is becoming as common as putting on socks. (To anybody attempting this for the first time, there's a ton of internet threads on front end removal.) With the car's eyeless sockets staring up at us it was time to start work on the lights.
We started by removing the lens covers. This can be a bit scary but rest assured, it's simple when done right. Once you release the metal clips, there are two methods of removal. One is to put the headlights in the oven on a low setting for a short period of time to heat them long enough to warm the adhesive holding the lens on. Somehow we didn't feel comfortable putting a new set of $300 headlights in the oven so used a heat gun instead. We ran the heat gun along the edges while prying the lens with a wide-tip screwdriver until there was enough room to get a couple of fingers inside. Despite burning our sausages a few times, the lens cover came off relatively easily.
Step 2. We pulled the covers off the back and disassembled the lights - everything pretty much unscrewed or popped out. Having never taken a set of headlights apart, it took under 15min to figure out how everything came apart.
Step 3. Once disassembled, we figured out how the shroud rings were going to fit. The installation instructions called for a Dremmel to do most of the cutting on the back of the reflector housing. This seemed awkward without proficient Dremmeling skills, so we bought a 4" hole-saw bit from Home Depot that perfectly matched the shrouds we'd be fitting. We used a pen to mark where to drill, then put a circle in the reflector housing.
Step 4. Once we fitted the shroud into the reflector, we then used epoxy to glue the shroud in place.
Step 5. After waiting two hours for the epoxy to dry we painted everything inside the housing using regular flat black paint.
Step 6. Now came the hard part: We used four 2.5" screws to secure the HID housing into the back of the shroud. While it sounds like a simple task, getting this right was crucial to a nice light beam. To ensure we had a level beam, we used a car battery and a set of jumper cables to power the lights on a counter and adjusted the housing inside the shroud until it looked perfect. We then used a sharpie to mark the spot.
One thing to pay attention to is that HID uses an extremely bright bulb with a shield cutting the beam in half, essentially to keep the light on the ground and out of the eyes of oncoming drivers. The light is projected through a fisheye lens, giving it a crazy, magnified beam. When mounting the lights we didn't consider how a fisheye lens would flip everything upside down. It wasn't until the lights were screwed into the car that we realized we couldn't see the road, but were able to signal UFOs!
After some reverse-installation everything was fitted and mounted level.
Having tested the lights, we used polyurethane on the screws to ensure none would screw back out on us. Polyurethane would hold everything in place while keeping us from a Gorilla Glue battle if for some reason we needed to take everything apart again. Any number of substitutes would suffice. While not the slickest looking substance, it did the job.
Step 7. Looking at all the HID paraphernalia sticking out the back of the light, we had to do some serious trimming to the housing. This was a case of checking where it was hitting then trimming it with a Dremmel until we had a hole big enough to screw the light into the housing. Thankfully, we were able to keep all the stock aiming mechanisms, so re-adjusting the lights wasn't an issue.
Step 8. Wiring was one of the easiest stages. There were only two wires coming from the lights that matched the bulb plug, so we used two male wire connectors and the rest of the wiring was almost impossible to mess up. Between no-brainer wiring instructions and connecter-specific plugs, everything was wired without a miss.
When it came time to mount the lights back into the car, there's only one word to describe the fitment - lucky. We didn't really measure how well the lights were going to fit with the new assembly hanging out of the back. However, it all cleared with millimeter clearance on both lights; the windshield washer bottle on the passenger side, and the battery on the driver side were extremely close but it still fit.
After that we only had two things left on the agenda - sealing and adjusting. We explored a lot of different options to seal the back of the exposed housing. After many web chats and plenty of discussion there were endless ways to seal the headlights. The suggestion we tried was two layers of electrical tape covered with silicone caulk sealant. After it dried, it was sprayed over with some Plasticote. We found this method works great.
We improved the seal by using some Flex Plastic, heated and vacuumed around the housing. We then used a couple of bungee cords to secure it snug to the back of the lights, making any bulb changes or adjustments more accessible. As you can see, this project can go as far as your imagination can carry you.
We took the newly mounted lights to a flat, white wall and did all of our adjustments there. Because we mounted everything off the stock reflector housing and aimers, adjustments took two minutes. At the end we had a nice cut beam spanning roughly 160.
Contactwww.theretrofitsource.com - the site has instructions, explanations and forums to help you. They will assemble a kit to order and prices range from $300-600, depending on the type of parts supplied. Apparently there are a variety of parts with different illumination performances, aesthetic qualities, size and ease of install. Projector lights with a low beam are generally cheaper than high and low beam bi-xenon projectors.
The parts we had were Hella bi-xenon projectors, Generation 4 ballast units and Phillips bulbs. These are commonly found on applications such as the new 7- and 5-Series, X5, Z4, plus Mercedes E-Class and ML
The RetroFit Source doesn't supply plug 'n play HID kits, preferring to offer original equipment parts from companies like Hella, Valeo, Stanley and Bosch. These are engineered for the task, so should be more reliable.
While the website is a resource for DIY installers, there's also a network of recommended retro-fitters who can do the job for you, so visit the site.
Behind the wheel - before and afterIt took a bit of trial and error to figure out how high we could adjust the beams without blinding the driver in front. But even aiming them moderately low, the light quality is the difference between night and day.
When asked to try this installation I initially thought, "what's the big deal? Headlights are headlights." But after seeing the difference before and after, I can say it's like driving a new car.
I personally get a kick out of watching the lights change color as they warm up.
To summarize my experience, there were a few moments during the install when I wanted to pull out my hair. After it was finished, however, I can't imagine why I drove with normal headlights for so long.
If I were to rate this DIY on a difficulty scale from 1 to 10, I'd probably say it's about a 7. If you're a rocket scientist you'll have no problems; but if you're an Average Joe like me, you might want to invite some friends over, even if for nothing more than an extra pair of hands.
If you've been considering an HID upgrade; look out of your window. This is definitely the season for such a project. I can hear some of you saying, "Wow, what a chop job!" But since I've never tackled something like this before, I'm very pleased with the outcome.
Fitting the HIDs is more of an art than a job since the possible solutions are boundless. And yet this kind of a job is as real as the scene gets, so I hope it helps those who have the guts to customize. Keep Dubbin'.
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