HID upgrade...the right way!

[Gran Patron]

Sweet, you should start producing some extra's and selling'em cause I'll be one of your're first customers to buy a pair.!

Cuase whe it comes to electrical work I suck!

[real_ironman]

Originally Posted by D-BoB'91

I decided to go with the TSX projectors from an '05 Acura because of their size, output, price, and availability. I picked these up for $168 shipped over at hidplanet.

Is this the kit you got?
http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html

[SLakin]

Originally Posted by real_ironman

Is this the kit you got?
http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html

Nope, he is using projectors from an Acura TSX. Those E46 ones are a little larger (meaning harder to work with) then the TSX ones and the cutoff and color isn't as good. Look for TSX projectors on ebay... you'll probably find them for cheaper. Or look in the classifieds on hidplanet . com

[D-BoB'91]

Originally Posted by SLakin

Nope, he is using projectors from an Acura TSX. Those E46 ones are a little larger (meaning harder to work with) then the TSX ones and the cutoff and color isn't as good. Look for TSX projectors on ebay... you'll probably find them for cheaper. Or look in the classifieds on hidplanet . com

Yep, he's right. I didn't go with a kit. I pieced mine together from parts pulled from OE equipped vehicles.

I picked up my parts on the classifieds at hidplanet. If you look in the "university" section of their forums, they have dimensions and specs on all the different projectors available and what vehicle they came off of...(Just click here)...Take a look at the different sizes and see if you can find a pair that will fit into the space you are working with in your headlight. The TSX's are pretty easy to work with and they have one of the best cutoff's.

Here are the specs on the TSX projector:
Acura TSX Low Beam (Stanley):
Diameter = 71.05mm
Height = 85.30mm
Width = 120.80mm
Length = 156.45mm
Length(seat of the lens to mounting holes) = 42.00mm
Length(mounting holes to end of bulb) = 96.95mm
Width(between top mounting holes) = 100.45mm
Width(between bottom mounting holes) = 103.45mm
Height(between mounting holes) = 41.50mm

[99bluetahoe]

Great write up man. Great cut-off too.

[hca]

ah! ok, i get what youre saying. well thanks for clearing that up man!

[silver01]

That was a good write up. But I dont agree that (HID upgrade...The right way) is true. Either way you go projector or a kit, you will be doing it right. Acura was one of the first cars to bring hids and they were not projectors. Also many cars still come with reflector style HIDS. Toyota,Infinity,Mercedes,Lincoln are a few. I not putting down your project it came out awsome, I did the kit but I bought Phillips ballasts and bulds(4100k). I have had them for 3 years now. Projectors light in a more concentrated area were as reflectors shine just as if you had holagens but with more output of light. So it is really up to the user what way they want to go, it not about the wrong or right way.

[jr.parrish]

Originally Posted by silver01

That was a good write up. But I dont agree that (HID upgrade...The right way) is true. Either way you go projector or a kit, you will be doing it right. Acura was one of the first cars to bring hids and they were not projectors. Also many cars still come with reflector style HIDS. Toyota,Infinity,Mercedes,Lincoln are a few. I not putting down your project it came out awsome, I did the kit but I bought Phillips ballasts and bulds(4100k). I have had them for 3 years now. Projectors light in a more concentrated area were as reflectors shine just as if you had holagens but with more output of light. So it is really up to the user what way they want to go, it not about the wrong or right way.

You're completely wrong. Sticking an aftermarket kit into a reflector based headlamp designed for halogen bulbs is not synomous with an OEM HID application that utilize reflector housings instead of projectors. The reflectors for factory applications used by companies like Acura have been specifically designed to distribute the light emitted from an HID capsule (truthfully, there is no such thing as an HID bulb). Generally, when comparing HID reflector systems to HID projector systems, you will find that projectors are much more efficient and produce a brighter and wider beam pattern and have quickly become the preferred optics system for HID-equipped vehicle manufacturers and retrofitters (besides, retrofitting a reflector housing into another vehicle would be more work and would achieve lesser results than projectors would). Furthermore, HID capsules are broken down into two types: D2Rs, which are designed to work best when used in reflector housings, and D2S, which work best in projectors.

So basically, reflectors and projectors used in the automotive industry fall into two categories: those designed for the optics of HID, and those designed for halogens. Therefore, the only RIGHT WAY to use HIDs in a non OEM application is to retrofit HID projectors or HID reflectors (but again, why would you)into your factory housings. Any other way (regardless of what HID kit sellers will tell you about rebased capsules, which is total crap, and other modifications to make these the "right way") to have HID in your vehicle, is in fact the wrong way.

D-BoB'91- I'm glad someone here is doing it the right way. The retrofit looks great.

[silver01]

Say what you want, my light output and pattern is the same as that of the older Acura TL. My buddy has one and we have compared my beam pattern to his.Quote: (truthfully, there is no such thing as an HID bulb) apparentlly you havent heard of Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium,and Mercury Vapor all of which are all HID bulds. And of course more manufactures are going to projecorst for better light pattern, its call improvements in the automotive industry. As time passes more improvements are made and some day the 05 TSX projector will be obsolite because they will have come out with a better way to project the light, thats life, thats improvements. And Im not puting down what he did like I said it came out awsome and the light pattern is too, but dont say that its the right way. Like i said my and my buddys car has the the same light pattern when on a street shinning down the road.

[jr.parrish]

We're getting off topic, so I'm not going to address this anymore than by commenting on your last post. The point about the bulbs was nothing more than a technicality and doesn't really pertain to the argument. Yes, I'm familiar with the types of capsules you mentioned, but my point was that they are not truthfully called bulbs, but rather capsules or lamps.

As far as your beam pattern being within spec of OEM HID equipped vehicles, that is a load of crap. Especially if your referring to the 2001 in your sig. About four years ago, with my 99, I started messing with OEM HID equipment and went through a couple of sets of OEM lamps and ballasts, and then moved onto the some of the kits you can now find on Ebay when they first started showing up. There are pictures and posts on this forum to prove it if you care to search back that far. The factory 99-02 headlights are terrible for HIDs, they don't even have a cone over the bulb/lamp to bounce the light back towards the reflector before projecting it forward. In effect, putting HIDs in the stock housing makes them act like nothing more than flood lamps. I really am quite familiar with this setup. Heck, I even tried running a set of aftermarket halogen projector replacements I found off ebay and the beam pattern was still awful.
Since you have an 01, you have one more option. Find a set of Xenarc replacement headlights. That’s what I did after about six months of messing with drop-in kits. It's actually the only fully legal way to add HID and the beam pattern is a world of difference to what you have now, and I'd bet you on that.

[D-BoB'91]

Thanks for the support guys(SLakin, jr.parrish, g0dl355). Unfortunately though we retrofitters are outnumbered over here. There is no use arguing with the "kit" users on a topic that it seems they haven't done real research on. That's why I will quit replying to stupid posts in this thread and others concerning "kits".

I am simply trying to provide a guide for people who WANT to do a retrofit. If you don't want, or don't agree with a retrofit, then stay the heck out of my thread and flooding it with

Here are some great posts to check out on the topic.
Argue all you want over there, not in my thread-
Click
Click

For those out there that have no knowledge on HID and want to do an upgrade...please check out the University Section over at HiDPlanet and spend some time researching it. If you do, you will no doubt realize that retrofitting IS the best option to do an HID upgrade...the right way!

[D-BoB'91]

Sealing Everything Up
There is no right or wrong way to seal the housing...just make sure it is sealed! I finished up the project and left the back end open for a week or two and the rain caused the front lens to condensate...therefore I had to go back and re-seal everything.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you cut a large hole in the back of your once watertight headlight housing and now you want attempt to return it to that watertight state. You mainly want to protect the projector and ballast from moisture and water. By creating a good seal you will also prevent condensation on the front lens.

This is another point where you will have to be creative. I have seen people use pvc plumbing pipe and lots of JB Weld. I have seen rolled pieces of roof flashing and silicone. Not to mention a full blown vacuum forming job!

I gathered several different materials and just played around with a few prototypes before deciding to use aluminum tape and plastic cups because I had ample supply of both.












The cup wasn't deep enough to cover the entire projector and allow me to plug in the ballast. So I decided to cut the end off and use another cup to extend the length. I taped them togehter with the aluminum tape and then lined the inside and out with a few layers of the tape to add strength and heat resistance.












Once I was happy with the fit, I secured the cups to the housing using the aluminum tape to seal up the cracks and gaps. For the end caps I am either going to use these 3" rubber end caps for pvc piping that fits inside the lip of the cup...or these custom made metal end caps that fit over the outside lip of the cup.










Now that the back end is sealed up, it is time to re-install the front lens. Just re-heat the oven and stick the headlights and lens in to soften the glue. Take them out and stick them back together. There should be adequate glue left around the lens and housing to create a good seal, if not you can use some clear silicone to go around the edges.

[D-BoB'91]

Protecting the Ballasts
To protect the ballast from water I used a small Plano tackle box that I trimmed up from the fishing section at Wal-Mart. This will only protect the ballast from water splashing around. To properly seal the ballasts you can use some thermally conductive epoxy that is for use on electronic equipment and fill the casing with that stuff. But it is rather expensive and I didn't have the time to do it that way. For more info on that method, try doing a search at hidplanet on waterproofing ballast.

There are other ways to protect the ballast; tupperware, rubbermaid sandwich boxes, waterproof camping containers,etc. Use your own judgement here. I think you can even pick up factory waterproof housings for some of the ballasts, like the Hella Gen3's.

Here are the pics of my setup after trimming everything out-









Mounting
Now that everything is sealed up, it's time to stick these in the truck.
Driver Side-






Passenger Side-






Now the grille can be re-installed-

[91k4x4]

wow, thats a really nice job. i wish i had the funds to do this. looks sweet man.

[Smooth05]

Excellent write-up! Thanks for the good info. and Pics! Now is there anyone that has done this on a NBS style headlight? I have an 05' Chevy and would love to see it done before I attempt it.

[papastahoe]

D-Bob'91,nice job,great thred.but now i'm realy confused,I just bought some clears with projectors
for 140.00 no name brand off e-bay (dt-motors)94-99
8 pc.kit w/bulbs I plan on giving them a better seal but didn't think I would have do do any more than just plug adjust and play. good looking front end on your truck btw..

[Alexander]

That looks kick a$$. I like the looks of yours much more than many of the cheap-o kits or the APC ones... Now you just need the Euro clear turn signal lights to finish off the look!

[D-BoB'91]

Thanks guys. I'll post some before and after pics of the output.

Originally Posted by papastahoe

D-Bob'91,nice job,great thred.but now i'm realy confused,I just bought some clears with projectors
for 140.00 no name brand off e-bay (dt-motors)94-99
8 pc.kit w/bulbs I plan on giving them a better seal but didn't think I would have do do any more than just plug adjust and play. good looking front end on your truck btw..

On the aftermarket projector headlights, the projector is a cheap "lens" that doesn't really have any functional optics. If you take a look at the projector from the TSX you will see that there are two parts, the lens and the bowl. These two pieces are engineered to perform together and create the proper optics to make the nice cutoff you see, and help 'project' the light out further.

Don't worry though, if you were to attempt a retro all you would have to do is cut out that crappy projector and put an OE one in it's place. It would look cleaner than mine since it already has the shroud molded into the headlight. Check out this guys retro into an aftermarket projector headlight.

[bubbakutz]

awesome write up! great job.

[neevnav]

Should definately be a sticky for this forum.