Plug and play HID conversion for early legacy(and others)

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:24 pm

You're not missing anything.

And I will state again that these are illegal in the US and every country that follows ECE regulations, for good reason.

The ECE regs require the housings to be designed for the lamp, be self leveling, and have headlight washers.

Here's a statement from the UK DOT:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:12 pm

Okay, a couple of questions:

Alot of the HID components are made in the same place -- Taiwan, China, Bratislava-- The same manufacturer's line of components could be OEM for any number of car makers in Europe while also leaving the factory labeled under any other purchased and registered name, ala aftermarket to Japan and the states.

How do they really know that certain kits vs. Approved OEM aren't functionally the same?

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:17 pm

Because approved OEM parts have reflectors designed for an HID bulb and are self leveling.

Adam West · Post by **Adam West** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:18 pm

Would you throw the (very expensive) projector retrofits listed here into the illegal group...

OR is their use of OEM approved parts put them in another cateogory?...ie. Ebay vs. the right way?...

Check out this link and go about half way down the page for details on the good stuff...

http://www.lightwerkz.net/prod_subaru.htm

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:25 pm

90mm Hellas.

Not cleaned yet and the edges need to be rounded off. That's a pre-facelift housing modified to accept the lights and polycarbonate sheet welded in place of the original fluted lens. The lens is so damn clear in the photo it looks like it isn't there. These are nearly as good as HIDs. If you do a search, Vikash had recommended these as replacements.

Adam West · Post by **Adam West** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:31 pm

Wow!!! Let's see them on th car? Wicked!!

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:38 pm

I'm too lazy and have too many other priorities. I mostly did this to practice with the plastic welder. Pretty straight forward actually. I'm going to build a coffee maker next. Just can't find the colored HDPE I need. Eventually I'll do the other set and instal them, but don't hold your breath for it.

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:48 pm

Adam West wrote:Would you throw the (very expensive) projector retrofits listed here into the illegal group...

OR is their use of OEM approved parts put them in another cateogory?...ie. Ebay vs. the right way?...

Check out this link and go about half way down the page for details on the good stuff...

http://www.lightwerkz.net/prod_subaru.htm

No, if you absolutely must have HIDs, that is the only thing I would recommend. I think they still may be illegal though.

SubaruNation · Post by **SubaruNation** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 5:54 am

wtf i want that headlight! so sick!
aaaaaaaaaa

i always thought about that, someone COULD just shape some glass and put it over their headlights (probably me in this example

).
i wish i could make something crazy like you did but just cutting glass to fit our headlights seems perfect, oh and another question.
there's this mitsubishi (shitty obviously) 3000gt in our local junk yard with the headlights still on it, and in damn good condition. would it be possibe to sort of frankenstein them into my headlights, then put the like pyrex or something similar over the top?
i dont care what you say about legalities (not to be an ass) but right here in the zoo, nobody cares and i could easily do something like this...which i should.....

but FOGS FROM BLACKBART FIRST! YEAH!!!!

SubaruNation · Post by **SubaruNation** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 5:56 am

oh and i also just got one of those cheap ass sets of those "HID" headlight bulbs off of ebay...by searching 92 93 94 subaru legacy.

do you guys know about those? i cant get them to aim right, mabey im just crazy but i cant figure it out.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 4:16 pm

As long as they're aimed right, the 90mm Hellas or that Mitsubishi would be completely legal. I don't know what the Mitsubishi mountings look like as far as adaptation to the housing goes. I wrote up a thread on this a long time ago called '90mm hella conversion' or something, but keep in mind that you will have to cut the inside of the car behind the headlight to clear the projectors. The pictures of the mods I made to the bucket and body should be in there still. I had used these with big holes cut in through the old lens to shine the lights through, but they looked like shit and I finally got around to replacing the lens face on one of them now - 2 years after the car's been off the road. Came out pretty good, but I wish they used acrylic over polycarbonate as the poly is a PITA to bend to shape. Much easier to cut, though, so I guess it evens out. An alternative that may preclude the body cutting and would be easier to modify the original bucket to, would be to locate the low beams only in the buckets and locate the highs in the grille.

beatersubi · Post by **beatersubi** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:13 am

What kind of plasitc welder did you use, and where do i get one?

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:05 pm

Amazon, Ebay, or whatever. It's a Urethane Supply Company Mini Weld Model 5 and it's kind of like a cross between a soldering iron and a glue gun. If you have compressed air, you can get an air one, which is cheaper.

If you plan on doing this, get a bundle of polycarbonate welding rods (amazon, $4.95) as only a few come with the kit and you'll need a lot more. I never used a welder before this and it only took me most of one 12" rod to get a hang of it (which can be remelted). The thing you need to make sure of is that you make a V groove where the pieces meet so the rod has some penetration. It's basically getting the rod feed and welder movement speed coordinated right. If anyone plans on doing that I could get into more detail as I do have previous experience with plastics.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:30 am

evolutionmovement wrote: The thing you need to make sure of is that you make a V groove where the pieces meet so the rod has some penetration.

Room for rod penetration: Check.

Thanks for bumping the 90mm conversion thread. I may just get into that, instead. HIDs seem just a bit more complex, and with the legalities of certain setups, it seems simpler to just go with a halogen.

beatersubi · Post by **beatersubi** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:16 am

Thanks, evolutionmovement. I do have a compressor, so I might look into that. A pair of finished lights like the pic you posted would not only work very well (a lot better than my stockers), but look awesome.

tris- Please save your penetration thoughts for your sunday morning boob girls

. Were not that interested.

SubaruNation · Post by **SubaruNation** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:42 pm

ha ha wtf i seriously had no idea what he was talking about except for what you just said!

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:39 pm

Yeah, someone learning from my mistakes could make them look better, too. I had to experiment a little more than I liked and it shows, but it only looks that way up close.

SubaruNation · Post by **SubaruNation** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 6:55 am

uh....... i am personally distracted by your headlights beauty to notice any slight blemishes or cosmetic problems.

ha ha

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:11 pm

The sealer I used around the inside edges between the alloy that spans the spaces around the headlights and the housing is messy and the dark-gray paint is uneven. If you caught it in the right light you could just make out a slight waviness to the lens where it bends around the upper outside corner. Polycarbonate is a PITA to bend. It doesn't like to bend easily, can blister if too much heat is used, and doesn't conduct heat. Acrylic is so much easier, but Subaru used polycarbonate for the impact resistance, so there's not much choice.

SubaruNation · Post by **SubaruNation** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:00 am

oh. could you use lexan?
judging by the strength of me smashing my nalgene on the floor right now, that seems like a good idea!

SP-Boxer · Post by **SP-Boxer** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:09 pm

Do you still want me to send an email???

I'm sure that there are several of these kits in the US.
I don't understand why they would be illegal in the US. We follow very strict rules. And the light beam is OK for government

Not just in Holland, but also in Belgium, Germany, France, etc.etc.

Ow and it's Dutchman, not Deuchman or whatever

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:36 pm

Ha, so what's the difference between deutch, dutch, and douche? I've learned it's all in the context of which finger you're putting where and how much you're paying for it.

Totally send an email! It's worth a shot, right?

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:10 pm

The United States has lots of stupid laws (big surprise), so there won't necessarily be a good reason for them to be illegal. The real reason probably has to do with who lobbied hardest since this country is controlled by corporations. Actually, I think it is a corporation with heads of big business as shareholders.

SubaruNation, Lexan is polycarbonate, just a brand name, like Plexiglas is acrylic or Kleenex is a tissue.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:38 pm

Perhaps you're right, Steve. I suppose carmakers decided that if aftermarket HID kits were made illegal, then people would buy new cars in order to have HID lighting accessories.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:31 am

I don't think it's quite that clear cut, but I'd be a billionaire were I a betting man who always put his money on the weasely nature of our politicians/robber barrons.

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Plug and play HID conversion for early legacy(and others)