My Bixenon retrofit (E30)
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decided how i was going to seal it up today. i wanted to use a fiberglass kit and glass it in, but the two negatives of that are 1)fiberglass resin doesnt stick to plastic very well and 2)its a fairly permanent cover so if I ever needed to take them apart, i would be heavily cursing. also, after researching aluminum foil tape, i'm quite impressed with the stuff. i'd call it 'duct tape on crack'.
depending on which version you get, it has a heat range from -25deg to 325deg, is 100% waterproof, has 'aggressive' adhesive, and can even be applied under water. good enough for me.
so i bought the tape ($18/roll) and the silicone sealant (good to 400deg or something) and applied the sealant today. it will have to dry 24hrs before i apply the tape.
Dan
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headlights are installed! heres what all was finished:
Finished sealing up the projectors with aluminum foil tape:
The headlight bucket had to be slightly trimmed to fit one of the brackets I added to secure the projector.
Install into the bucket:
Installing the lights into the car
Take out your headlights and the plastic sheilds on the back:
Get your harness and your beer ready:
Installed the ballasts behind the headlights. There are big ass ballasts, but they fit along side just fine
Heres where I attached the harness for the main power (13V constant as shown with voltmeter):
And the ground:
Neatly run the harness down the engine bay:
Seal up the relay to keep water out of it as it ends up by the ballasts/headlights:
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7735/relay1.jpg
Run the plug for the drivers side across the body with the other factory wires which cross behind the front valance right under the grill:
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/7692/harness1b.jpg
Heres all the plugs youll end up with for the lights. This is everything except the city light (if you have euro-spec lights)
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/5628/wiring1.jpg
Headlights installed:
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6475/installed1.jpg
Aiming the headlights:
Draw your diagram (or use tape if you dont want to deface someones property) according to http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html
The cross is the exact location of the lights on the car, the bottom line is 2.1 inches below and is where the cuttoff should land.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7734/aiming1.jpg
Back the car up 25ft
http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3596/aiming2.jpg
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/5274/aiming3.jpg
Where the lights landed before aiming
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6023/aiming4.jpg
Headlights aimed properly.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4184/aiming5.jpg
Very happy with how bright they are. Whatever flickering that was happening when first tested is gone. Will post some output pictures when I get the chance.
Dan
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Clean install and nice write up! This is on the to do list for sure. I just need to do some more research.
@DrLeadFoot
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Thanks. this is the #1 mod to do to old cars with old headlights. the beam pattern is wide enough to span across all 3 lanes on the freeway plus onto the shoulders
Dan
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Which projectors are better? s2000 or fx-r's?
/this is me not doing research...
@DrLeadFoot
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DrLeadFoot said:
Which projectors are better? s2000 or fx-r's?
/this is me not doing research...
Moliter you need to bring your car over by Scott sometime so i can check it out. Hopefully it is better than your m3 was.
s2000 are better but are harder to fit due to their size. Here is a link to all you need to know:
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tsweers89 said:
Moliter you need to bring your car over by Scott sometime so i can check it out. Hopefully it is better than your m3 was.
s2000 are better but are harder to fit due to their size. Here is a link to all you need to know:
was going to say, most OEM HID projectors are going to be better, but that comes with a little more $ and more trouble installing versus the fx-r
keep in mind also, the fx-r is a bixenon light, which means it has the low beam function plus a high beam in one unit. that is not the case with s2000
Dan
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straight6pwr said:
was going to say, most OEM HID projectors are going to be better, but that comes with a little more $ and more trouble installing versus the fx-r
keep in mind also, the fx-r is a bixenon light, which means it has the low beam function plus a high beam in one unit. that is not the case with s2000
This is true, but i have yet to say i wish i had bi-xenon when my low beam output is so good. Even with my tsx projectors i didn't have a problem.
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tsweers89 said:
Moliter you need to bring your car over by Scott sometime so i can check it out. Hopefully it is better than your m3 was.
s2000 are better but are harder to fit due to their size. Here is a link to all you need to know:
Good link Timmy. I think I'd go with the FX-R's just because of the $$ and bixenon feature. And I've read a couple of build threads with them being used. With my lack of research I'm following the crowd not blazing a new trail.
Better than the M3 was!?! Always hatin'. The paint on this one isn't anything to write home about but it's what's on the inside that counts!
I just need to clean it up and clean up the engine bay a bit and bam!@DrLeadFoot
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putting a true HID retrofit on the e30 is pretty uncommon, and is pretty new ground as it is, no matter which kit you use.
Dan
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straight6pwr said:
putting a true HID retrofit on the e30 is pretty uncommon, and is pretty new ground as it is, no matter which kit you use.
It does look pretty invasive but I'm pretty handy. Is there enough room to retain the plastic covers in the engine bay behind the lights?
@DrLeadFoot
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yes plenty. the fx-rs are actually smaller than the stock projectors.
Dan
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This is my finished product using s2000 projectors. This is in a e34 platform
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/5361472547_3d0c428351_z.jpg
Why is it a link and not posting right here. wtf
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e34 projectors and e30 projectors are the same thing. (mounting tab locations are different due to platform, but its the same retro)
Dan
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