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jchaussee
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Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 1318
Location: renton
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 Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:56 am Post subject: HID kits |
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| There is a guy right by my house that sells whole kit fir all four lights for 170 if anybody is interested. Glass projector housings and AC mid slim ballasts. I haven't bought or installed yet, but if anybody else is interested I am sure we can get him down on price. He also has the interior lights. I have only done dome and shifter light so far but it makes a huge difference. But he only has white lights right now. No colored. |
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DBL_TKE
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Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 1505
Location: Aloha, OR
1991 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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 Sounds kind of fishy to me. $170 for everything? Projector housings? Ballasts and bulbs? I'd be interested if the housings don't turn out to be fake, but I'm not getting my hopes up, sounds too good to be true.
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Richmond 3.73 posi| 36/24 sway bars | SLP LM2 | Koni's | Ground Control 800/200 | Y2K wheels | Dyno Don headers & Y-pipe | airfoil | BBK underdrive pulleys | Raised strut mounts | Extended ball joints | LCARB'S
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jchaussee
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Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 1318
Location: renton
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't know what a real projector housing looks like. But has bulbs and housing's are glass. Non the less it will be better then what I have now |
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DBL_TKE
Member
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 1505
Location: Aloha, OR
1991 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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these are fake
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Richmond 3.73 posi| 36/24 sway bars | SLP LM2 | Koni's | Ground Control 800/200 | Y2K wheels | Dyno Don headers & Y-pipe | airfoil | BBK underdrive pulleys | Raised strut mounts | Extended ball joints | LCARB'S
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jchaussee
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Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 1318
Location: renton
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| I am sure they fake. They don't look as bad as those though. |
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iansane
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 5740
Location: Bothell
1991 Pontiac Trans Am
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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I love me some HIDs. I have them in everything I drive. 
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| Quote: | | Sometimes I actually think I'm slightly retarded in the mouth. |
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Leejo2005
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Joined: 12 Jul 2009
Posts: 466
Location: Kennewick
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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| How hard was it installing it with the pop-up lights? |
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iansane
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 5740
Location: Bothell
1991 Pontiac Trans Am
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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| No more difficult than any other housing I've dealt with. Mount ballast, run wires to housing, enjoy crazy bright lights. |
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Alphius
Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 7:49 am Post subject: |
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Ian, do you use projector housings?
I've been thinking of throwing some el-cheapo HIDs in the Subaru, but I have E-code glass housings with electric levelers. They have a really sharp cutoff, but I would need casper shields to get it with a HID bulb. Right now I use Sylvania Xtravision for the untinted brightest readily available US market bulb. In my E-codes that bulb is already a million times better than the stock housings and lame-o bulbs.
I really am probably never going to do it since I would lose my high beams and the Xtravision with the E-codes is an excellent combo.
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84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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iansane
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 5740
Location: Bothell
1991 Pontiac Trans Am
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:45 am Post subject: |
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Not technically. But I rarely, if ever use my headlights anymore. I had a set of DDM tuning HIDs in my '99 GMC Denali projector foglights. Aimed a bit high for foglights I can roll around just fine using those as headlights. My regular headlights are not projectors and because of this don't put a lot more light down on the road surface. I debated doing a projector retro for quite awhile but for me it just doesn't make any sense, since I never use the headlights anymore and it's such a pain with the popups.
I have a set of the tiny morimoto bi-xenon projectors plus extra housings and everything but see no need anymore.
Now on a fixed headlight car I wouldn't even hesitate to do a projector retro. The same improvement you got when you went to xtravisions (if you think those are bright, try the genuine osram bulbs) you'll see at least double that with a true projector and HID setup.
And for the record, lots of these rebased HIDs like I have come with a "high beam" function. It isn't the greatest but in some housings it works well.
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| Quote: | | Sometimes I actually think I'm slightly retarded in the mouth. |
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Alphius
Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:21 am Post subject: |
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| iansane wrote: | Not technically. But I rarely, if ever use my headlights anymore. I had a set of DDM tuning HIDs in my '99 GMC Denali projector foglights. Aimed a bit high for foglights I can roll around just fine using those as headlights. My regular headlights are not projectors and because of this don't put a lot more light down on the road surface. I debated doing a projector retro for quite awhile but for me it just doesn't make any sense, since I never use the headlights anymore and it's such a pain with the popups.
I have a set of the tiny morimoto bi-xenon projectors plus extra housings and everything but see no need anymore.
Now on a fixed headlight car I wouldn't even hesitate to do a projector retro. The same improvement you got when you went to xtravisions (if you think those are bright, try the genuine osram bulbs) you'll see at least double that with a true projector and HID setup.
And for the record, lots of these rebased HIDs like I have come with a "high beam" function. It isn't the greatest but in some housings it works well. |
I don't like the look of a retrofit projector in a car that originally had halogen housings. I think there's no way to make it look good. Just my opinion. Plus then I would have to disassemble my spare set of plastic lights and get rid of the fluting on the lenses, which is no small task. I could recoup 3-400 of my cost however by selling my european glass housings, but then I would have to deal with UV damage and yellowing again. Here's an example of someone doing this, but he didn't get rid of the fluting which kills the cutoff and probably throws unfocused light in everyone else's eyes. 
http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?p=347210#p347210
I was going to go to Osrams but I didn't want to wait for shipping and I had one headlight out already, so I just got the best I could get at a local parts store. I think before these burn out I will get a set shipped and swap them in and keep the Xtravision for spares. I just don't know how much better they would be.
I know about the rebased "high-beam" electromagnetic function, but it really would not work at all with my housings. I would need casper shields to maintain my defined cutoff and the high beam function wouldn't work with caspers. Although with my levelers I could simulate highbeams by just turning my level knob to 4 and raising the lights all the way.  If I did a real retrofit I could put halogen highbeams in my housing along with the HID lows.
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84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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Schultzy89GTA
M.R.A. (11sec Club)
Joined: 08 Jan 2004
Posts: 4415
Location: Gresham, OR
1989 Pontiac GTA
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:27 am Post subject: |
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Ian,
I thought you were running DDM in the firebird currently... no? I have been looking to upgrade my motorcycle headlight to DDM and contemplating it for the GTA.
-Schultzy |
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DBL_TKE
Member
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 1505
Location: Aloha, OR
1991 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:28 am Post subject: |
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Drop in "bi-xenon" HID kits just have a magnet that moves the Casper shield for the high beam function. They always have problems with not keeping the Casper shield still so you get a flickering effect a lot of the time. To me it's extremely annoying and I wouldn't get them again.
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Richmond 3.73 posi| 36/24 sway bars | SLP LM2 | Koni's | Ground Control 800/200 | Y2K wheels | Dyno Don headers & Y-pipe | airfoil | BBK underdrive pulleys | Raised strut mounts | Extended ball joints | LCARB'S
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Alphius
Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:44 am Post subject: |
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| DBL_TKE wrote: | | Drop in "bi-xenon" HID kits just have a magnet that moves the Casper shield for the high beam function. They always have problems with not keeping the Casper shield still so you get a flickering effect a lot of the time. To me it's extremely annoying and I wouldn't get them again. |
As far as I was aware the high-beam function moves the arc, and there is no shield at all. Unless yours were different? That's how the DDM tuning ones work. They have no shield and just move the light source back and forth electromagnetically.
Shields I would have to buy separately or fabricate with a DDM kit.
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84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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iansane
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 5740
Location: Bothell
1991 Pontiac Trans Am
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:59 am Post subject: |
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| Alphius wrote: | I don't like the look of a retrofit projector in a car that originally had halogen housings. I think there's no way to make it look good. Just my opinion. Plus then I would have to disassemble my spare set of plastic lights and get rid of the fluting on the lenses, which is no small task. I could recoup 3-400 of my cost however by selling my european glass housings, but then I would have to deal with UV damage and yellowing again. Here's an example of someone doing this, but he didn't get rid of the fluting which kills the cutoff and probably throws unfocused light in everyone else's eyes.
http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?p=347210#p347210
I was going to go to Osrams but I didn't want to wait for shipping and I had one headlight out already, so I just got the best I could get at a local parts store. I think before these burn out I will get a set shipped and swap them in and keep the Xtravision for spares. I just don't know how much better they would be.
I know about the rebased "high-beam" electromagnetic function, but it really would not work at all with my housings. I would need casper shields to maintain my defined cutoff and the high beam function wouldn't work with caspers. Although with my levelers I could simulate highbeams by just turning my level knob to 4 and raising the lights all the way. If I did a real retrofit I could put halogen highbeams in my housing along with the HID lows. |
I think a retro looks a bit out of place on say a camaro (and even then, not really) but on a car like you scoobaru it would look almost OEM. Most new cars have standard designed headlights with a good projector slapped in. But that's just one man's assh...opinion.  I can understand the yellow'ing/UV damage but realistically, how fast does that happen? The fluting doesn't give quite as nice of a cutoff but it's still really impressive. I swapped OEM projectors into the BMW and the hella lenses come fluted factory. Not that bad.
My origingal DDM h4s had that shield and the solenoid moved the light, just like a regular H4. I don't know about current ones though. I've had the bird ones in for almost 3 years? If you did a REAL retrofit you'd be dumb not to use bi-xenons and ditch halogen crap all together.
| Schultzy89GTA wrote: | Ian,
I thought you were running DDM in the firebird currently... no? I have been looking to upgrade my motorcycle headlight to DDM and contemplating it for the GTA.
-Schultzy |
Oh I do, When I was tailing you in the M3 I was rocking the DDM setup in the headlights. But since I put the HIDs in the foglights I never turn my headlights on anymore! |
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Alphius
Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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| iansane wrote: | | I swapped OEM projectors into the BMW and the hella lenses come fluted factory. Not that bad. |
But those are halogen projectors, not HID. So you still have the scatter problem. Granted not as bad as a halogen reflector but not as optimal as a true HID projector.
If I was going to do a retro the correct way I'd use these in factory plastic housings with the fluting removed and painted reflectors.
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=141
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84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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Alphius
Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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iansane
Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 5740
Location: Bothell
1991 Pontiac Trans Am
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Alphius wrote: |
But those are halogen projectors, not HID. So you still have the scatter problem. Granted not as bad as a halogen reflector but not as optimal as a true HID projector. |
The projector doesn't cause the diffusion, the outer lense does. But I get what you mean and yes, there is scatter to a degree but it's negligible. |
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Twilightoptics
Hardcore (12sec Club)
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 9191
Location: Auburn , WA
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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I come across projector housings all the time. They are for big rigs, but I could keep a few of them if you guys want to dissect them. They use a HB3 2 wire style bulb, but are clearly projection lenses.
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Alphius
Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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