Quick write up about my home made HID projector headlights

[maxljq]

I'm not satisfying with the factory JK headlights.
I had try JW speakers earlier, and it turned out they were too write(or say blue) for me that I could not see clearly in rain or fog. they don't have a very solid cut off either. (don't get me wrong, JW speakers are very good headlights and thay do have a perfect beam pattern, all I'm trying to say is that they are just not worth $2000)
And since there isn't any RHD 7" HID projector light assembly product that I can find, I decided to make them myself. here is a quick write up about how i did it and some tips for u guys if u want DIY.



There are 3 things u will need in order to make the lamps.
A pair of 7" round light housing
A pair of projector sets
Two HID bulbs & ballasts that suit ur projector


For the housing, please find one as thick as possible, otherwise u will not be able to fit the projector in.
This is the housing I am using (I have already removed reflect bowl in the photo).



Projectors. I bought this projector assembly from ebay.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221124806463


I highly recommend this one because the back of it has a H4 style clip so that if u are using a H4 housing(eg. stock housing), u will not need to do any modification to ur housing for mounting the projector, just plug in & play. they are quite expensive but worth the money.

(p.s. if u are using stock housing, please note that becasuse of the thin reflector bowl, a decent glass lens will be needed to cover up the projector. like this one here
)



For mounting, Since I've got a flat back housing, I just simply drill 4 holes and bolt the projector in it.

If u r doing the same way I did, please note that u have to make sure the projector is in the center of the housing, otherwise u will not be able to fit it in ur car. I know lots of people like the way Mercedes G-wagon does, but there is just not enough room for a JK to have a off center projector in.



Then glue the cover on, and that's it!




however, if u do want a better looking, find urself a good shroud.
here is what I've got, I have it custom fabricated to suit my projector for the best result.

But u can also find a lot of good looking shroud products on ebay.



Installation


The fitting space is very tight on both side of the car, especially on LHS.

The horn is required to be relocated to make room for the lamp. U can either unscrew the red one or the blue one and re-bolt it on the body where the arrow goes (see pic down).




after u have ur lights on, u can place ur ballasts here.

same rule apply on both side.

Put everything back together and it's done.





before

after




here is the beam pattern of my projectors (15 metres away).


it has a great blue cut off (10 metres from the light source).




And finally a night driving video here.

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[georgesadlik]

Very nice, thanks for sharing

Cheers George

[Lim@]

digging up an old thread. how are these going? how much did the whole thing cost you? i personally feel anything over about $400 i would just go the easy option of trucklites or something. but the cutoff looks really nice, and visually look great!

[aido_3927]

Do you still get the ability to use the factory headlight level adjuster?

Great write up btw!

[LeighP]

Neat job.
HIDs aren't an easy mod in NSW....to be legal, any retro-fit has to incorporate self levelling and a cleaning system....which makes things really hard.

[maxljq]

Originally Posted by aido_3927

Do you still get the ability to use the factory headlight level adjuster?

Yes, of course.

Originally Posted by Lim@

digging up an old thread. how are these going? how much did the whole thing cost you? i personally feel anything over about $400 i would just go the easy option of trucklites or something. but the cutoff looks really nice, and visually look great!

I switched back to my JW speakers, only because I sold my lights for a very good price. And I'm about to sell my car later this year as well, so no intention to make another set.
it did cost me around $400 for the materials. however, for the performance, a good set of HID projectors are much more superior than either trucklites or JW speakers.

Those LED lights do have a wider beam pattern than the stock lights, but everything else(light output, cut off sharpness, light spread evenness, etc.) they are just about the same as stock lights IMO.
And I personally don't like LED's blueish color, make eyes very tired at night. just some of my own experience.
Overall speaking, either trucklites or JW speakers are slightly better than stock lights, but these LED units are just no match to those HID projectors.

[thisisadu]

I've built hid projectors in my bikes and I absolutely loved their brightness and cut off. It was so good and I only had the Chinese projectors. Pain in the ass the stock headlight assembly are semi sealed and so small so u can't open them up
By the time you factor in everything it's quite expensive. There's a bloke on ebay now selling the hid projector bolt in kits for round 400 mark