Hey Doc,

Those lights look fantastic!!!

Where did you put your flashers in the new lights or did you do away with them?

 

Looks great Paul.

I do have a couple points to throw your way. You talk about putting in HID's...which would mean a kit. The projectors that come in these aftermarket lights are often suspect as to their quality...as well as the fact that they are halogen projectors, which are different than HID. It is hard to tell from your pics...but the cutoff appears to be a little hazy. And your head-on shots suggest some glare...but it could just be the camera.

If it were my money, I'd scrap the projectors that come in those housings and replace them with OEM HID projectors, bulbs, and ballasts. Also, do not get sucked into the 6000k and up bulbs. They are coated and have reduced output. OEM 4100k bulbs are the way to go

Do a search on Ebay and see what you can find, you should be able to fit most any projector in there. S2K projectors would be ideal if you can find them and make them fit. Otherwise the Valeo or Bosch E46 are good choices as well. The Valeo has an amazing cutoff with a real nice and thick purple band when they are modded for color. Most available Valeos are actually H7 halogen projectors, but with the proper H7 to D2S adapter mod they work extremely well for HID.

Check out http://www.hidplanet.com and the forums there. More info than you could ever need. Most know alot about HIDs and retrofits. Most of them have also gone the "HID kit" route before and not been satisfied with the results. The site also offers some complete kits with either Valeo or Bosch projectors...for a VERY reasonable price. On par with the very few quality kits that are floating around.

As a side note I have no affiliation with HIDPlanet whatsoever. Im a member there and I will soon be doing a retrofit of my own. I just have to find a way to shoehorn some Valeos into the small space I have available in my Chebby. Im a newbie at all of this so go ask the pros over there. My handle there is MN Z-71...maybe I'll see you around.

And one more thing...if you do go with HIDs whether it be a kit or a full retro. Make sure that you go with a relay harness to keep from frying your stock wiring. HID ballasts draw somewhere near 30 amps on startup and before long your wiring will be extra crispy. Done right, this will also allow you to keep the low beams on when you switch on your highs. This way you can avoid hot re-strikes which are killer on HIDs. Again, the guys on HIDplanet can fill you in on this better than I can. Be sure and read through all the "Sticky(s)" to fill you in on all the questions that have been asked a million times before.

Hope this helps.

 

no offense MN but i know about HID's ive been around the block with them...but thanks for the tips....

 

Hey thats fine buddy. I havent been around here too much for awhile so I dont know you too well. Just thought I'd try and help.

What route are you thinking of going with HIDs?

 

i already have them, had them on my other car before i got the truck, its a retrofit hella kit...6000k...not really blue just really bright white

 

Holy crap...quick reply batman!

Ok...I look forward to seeing the results. Hope it works out well for you. I know it is sometimes possible to do it the right way using your method. I just dont like it when I see all manner of "kits" running around blinding people. When done right they can be pretty good.

Keep us updated.

 

no doubt gangsta, anyway go look at my other post i made, got some new pics an video up...

 

MN, not all 6000k bulbs are coated, just the crappy no name brands. I have Phillips Ultinon 6000K on my Hyundai tiburon with halogen projectors and they look good with a sharp cutoff. You are right about the lumen output though, they are not as bright as 4100-4300K but still nice none the less.


Dr. are the projectors the clear ones or the ones with a blue coated lens?

 

Yeah I know...I was just trying to keep an allready long post somewhat shorter. The Ultinons are pretty decent, but like you say they are less than the output of the 4100k. I think they are also rather expensive for what you get...but it all depends on the look you are going for. Ya know what they say, opinions are like a$$holes.

What drives me nuts is all these idiots that get their 8000k, 10000k, and 12000k kits...then burn everyone's retinas while probably getting worse forward lighting than stock.

Many people dont realize that the color does not come from the bulb, but rather the projector itself and where the cutoff shield is located. Some projectors, like the Bosch E46, have very little color. But hen you have the S2K's and Valeos that have very nice color, and can be modded for even more. Do something wrong and it can turn out green or yellow however.

 

Dr Paul,

I very cuious how your projectors will fit into this housing an how the retrogoes overall.

Please keep us posted. I'm looking for the best HID setup I can get and solid info on 04 and later F150's is non-existent.

I'm thinking of trying the VALEO PROJECTOR in this housing so I'll be curious if yours fits & I'll compare dimensions to the valeo.

Let me know how the mounting retrofit works. in partiular

FYI ... HID palnet has size chart for all projectors.

 

Dr Paul,
I just read a bit more. Are you retroing just bulbs or projectors and bulbs in to the units?

Can you give me a detail shout of of the stock projector mounts in the housing? Does it appear to be removable (mounted with nuts and bolts or other hardware) or is it permanent (until drilled out)

 

the projector in the unit can come out, buts its real tight in their, anyway im not really retrofitting anything, im just puttin HIDs in to replace the halagon bulbs that are their now, its not hard...the ballast an stuff will be outside the headlight somewhere ani ll have a grommet for the hid wiring to get into the back of the housing...

 

Thanks - Good luck. Let us know how the HID bulbs work in the stock projector assembly.

So I guess I'll have to be the first to use these with Valeo projectors ?

 

HIDPLANET is a member here as well in case you missed that. I think he was considering putting Valeo's into the blacked out housings that are available.

You might want to strike up a conversation with him and see what direction he is headed. These housings are pretty large, so if you used the stock or blacked out housings Im thinking you could even go with a TSX or other bixenon.

 

Wel I got mine delivered today via UPS and I opened them up and they are the wrong ones. They sent me 97-02. I called the seller and was really cool guy He is sending me out another pair tommorrow.;