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-   -   HID projector retrofit into a non-RS halogen housing (https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120440)

caverman 01-10-2012 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1969to2010 (Post 4290376)
Dme we did the diy non rs car actually did a few and an rs car too. On my car we drilled 2 small holes in the reflector and used black zip ties. We also painted the halo rings black and lightly sanded the lights to eliminate the white looks way better in black if I can help just shoot me a pm or email me mcals@aol.com ill post some pictures tonight

Where is the DIY on that? I would be curious to see it as well.

dme 01-10-2012 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caverman (Post 4290923)
Where is the DIY on that? I would be curious to see it as well.

Same here. I think I may go for some fog lights while I'm in there doing things. Now I need to do a little research on those. Do you have any suggestions on ones that would fit and match the general look of the RS style headlight I'll be doing? The bulbs in the headlight will be the 5000K (that is the white light, right?)

caverman 01-10-2012 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dme (Post 4290973)
Same here. I think I may go for some fog lights while I'm in there doing things. Now I need to do a little research on those. Do you have any suggestions on ones that would fit and match the general look of the RS style headlight I'll be doing? The bulbs in the headlight will be the 5000K (that is the white light, right?)

Do you already have fog lights? Assuming you do all you need to do is change out the bulbs. I tried a couple brands but ended up using AAC's 5202 LED bulb. It's not a perfect match with 5000k bulbs but it's real close. Probably as close as you're going to get without converting over to an actual HID foglight.

They aren't the cheapest bulbs but they aren't hard to change. Just make sure you go through the fenderwell. Back when I did them there weren't any DIY on going through the fender well so I did it the hard way and ended up snaping the tabs on the side. Of course AAC wouldn't touch them once they broke....and they snapped off real easy so be carefull.

dme 01-10-2012 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caverman (Post 4291080)
Do you already have fog lights? Assuming you do all you need to do is change out the bulbs. I tried a couple brands but ended up using AAC's 5202 LED bulb. It's not a perfect match with 5000k bulbs but it's real close. Probably as close as you're going to get without converting over to an actual HID foglight.

They aren't the cheapest bulbs but they aren't hard to change. Just make sure you go through the fenderwell. Back when I did them there weren't any DIY on going through the fender well so I did it the hard way and ended up snaping the tabs on the side. Of course AAC wouldn't touch them once they broke....and they snapped off real easy so be carefull.

Mine doesn't have any headlights currently. That's where the difficulty comes in. Haha.

1969to2010 01-10-2012 04:12 PM

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129679

dme 01-10-2012 04:26 PM

caverman:

Since I don't have fog lights in my LS, would this be worth the money? http://www.automotivelightstore.com/lsfogpackage.aspx

I believe the bulbs they send are the ones you suggested to be a close match to 5000K headlights. 5000K is as close you can get to white, right?

caverman 01-10-2012 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dme (Post 4291729)
caverman:

Since I don't have fog lights in my LS, would this be worth the money? http://www.automotivelightstore.com/lsfogpackage.aspx

I believe the bulbs they send are the ones you suggested to be a close match to 5000K headlights. 5000K is as close you can get to white, right?

Honestly I haven't done much research on fog lights. Those from AAC look reasonable. I know BfXenon was selling a kit for about that much as well.

AAC's plasma bulbs weren't out back when I did fog lights. I used there 5202 LED bulbs. I can't give you an honest opinion on how they look compared to 5000k bulbs. From the pics they post it looks closer to 6000k bulbs though.

caverman 01-10-2012 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1969to2010 (Post 4291619)

Ahh....I remeber that thread now.

You don't happent to have pics of where you drilled and zip tied the halo to the housing you can post?

What about spray painting the halo black and then sanding it. That's the part that really has me curious. I would be nervous to do that personally. Once you spray it, they are definatley yours. I would also be scared to sand too much on the LEDs and cause one to come off or not work.

1969to2010 01-10-2012 06:23 PM

Ill check for a picture of that its one hole at the top of the reflector and one at the bottom. We used a power source to test the halos before we did anything to the halos. Painting them really wasn't a big deal at all

puertoricanfont 01-11-2012 03:08 AM

I wish someone could provide a DIY with the paiting of the chrome housing. I talked to theretrofitsource and it's only 230$ for their kit and if I do the install myself I would be saving over 800$ from sending them to one of the forums vendor. Appreciate the DIY tho!

caverman 01-11-2012 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont (Post 4294710)
I wish someone could provide a DIY with the paiting of the chrome housing. I talked to theretrofitsource and it's only 230$ for their kit and if I do the install myself I would be saving over 800$ from sending them to one of the forums vendor. Appreciate the DIY tho!

Looks like you might have to make one.

Shouldn't be that difficult at all. Once you have the housing open and ready to paint, I would lightly scuff up the housing using something like a scotchbrite. Then wipe it down with a clean cloth and/or a little water and alcohol. Maybe blow it dry with some compressed air. Then one or two light coats of primer. Then a couple light coats of flat black and let dry.

Make sure to read and follow the instructions on the can of paint. It will tell you the drying times and how much time in between coats.

Also, you can try to contact C586 and/or TurboGuy327. He is the one that turned me on to HID stuff and he can either do them for you or at least point you to someone who can. I think he wanted $125 to do mine + shipping back and forth.

dme 01-11-2012 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont (Post 4294710)
I wish someone could provide a DIY with the paiting of the chrome housing. I talked to theretrofitsource and it's only 230$ for their kit and if I do the install myself I would be saving over 800$ from sending them to one of the forums vendor. Appreciate the DIY tho!

If I decide to go through with this, I'll try to make a DIY for that. I can't imagine it's too difficult.

jjjaroscak 01-11-2012 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont (Post 4294710)
I wish someone could provide a DIY with the paiting of the chrome housing. I talked to theretrofitsource and it's only 230$ for their kit and if I do the install myself I would be saving over 800$ from sending them to one of the forums vendor. Appreciate the DIY tho!

1. Take reflector and skuff up with light sand paper
2. Rinse off dust
3. Dry
4. Prime if needed (spray paint specifically for plastic doesn't require primer)
5. Spray 2 even coats following directions on the can on how much time is needed between coats
6. Let dry over night

That's all I did and i'm quite happy.

dme 01-11-2012 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caverman (Post 4291080)
Do you already have fog lights? Assuming you do all you need to do is change out the bulbs. I tried a couple brands but ended up using AAC's 5202 LED bulb. It's not a perfect match with 5000k bulbs but it's real close. Probably as close as you're going to get without converting over to an actual HID foglight.

They aren't the cheapest bulbs but they aren't hard to change. Just make sure you go through the fenderwell. Back when I did them there weren't any DIY on going through the fender well so I did it the hard way and ended up snaping the tabs on the side. Of course AAC wouldn't touch them once they broke....and they snapped off real easy so be carefull.

Are these the bulbs you use in your fog lights?
http://www.automotivelightstore.com/5202special.aspx

puertoricanfont 01-11-2012 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjjaroscak (Post 4296561)
1. Take reflector and skuff up with light sand paper
2. Rinse off dust
3. Dry
4. Prime if needed (spray paint specifically for plastic doesn't require primer)
5. Spray 2 even coats following directions on the can on how much time is needed between coats
6. Let dry over night

That's all I did and i'm quite happy.

Now does the paint have to be high temp? And I know it doesn't seem difficult but just wanted to make sure I didn't have to remove the chrome completely in the housing or projector bezels when sanding

jjjaroscak 01-11-2012 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont (Post 4297459)
Now does the paint have to be high temp? And I know it doesn't seem difficult but just wanted to make sure I didn't have to remove the chrome completely in the housing or projector bezels when sanding

I didn't get high temp and they've survived a desert summer's worth of hot driving and still look the same.

caverman 01-11-2012 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont (Post 4297459)
Now does the paint have to be high temp? And I know it doesn't seem difficult but just wanted to make sure I didn't have to remove the chrome completely in the housing or projector bezels when sanding

No....I don't think so. Roughing it up should allow the primer to stick and cover up the chrome look. Then you're just painting on primer.

dme 01-11-2012 02:18 PM

Okay... Sorry for the mass bulk of questions I keep having, but I'm trying to make sure I get all the right stuff.
  1. Is the 5000w bulb the closest to pure white I can get?
  2. Are the white AAC single color halos close enough to 5000w to match?
  3. Will these bulbs in the fog lights match the 5000w headlights? http://www.automotivelightstore.com/...bulbspair.aspx
  4. Will stock fog light reflective housings match the RS look of my headlights when I get done?

caverman 01-11-2012 03:21 PM

1. No.....4300k is what is OEM and it actually has a slight yellow tint to it. The 5000k have an ever, I mean ever, so slight blue to them. Most people would not look at them and say they are aftermarket. With 6000k and especially 8000k you can definately see the blue. I prefer 5000k personally.

2. I can't answer this one.

3. These aren't exactly the same as 5000k but are real close. Close enough to use. You won't really get the colors to match until you go with a true HID in the fog light. Those are what I ended up using and I'm a little picky about matching the colors. Just know they aren't an exact match and you'll be good with them. Only you or someone that has dealt with aftermarket lights would even notice. 99% will say they match.

4. Not sure if I understand or know how to answer this one. Most OEM fog have a black trim ring and chrome housing. But to make it all match you might paint the housing black. I would try the chrome housing first and go back and paint the fogs later if you decide to. They are not hard to get in/out once you learn how.

caverman 01-11-2012 03:28 PM

Those of you doing this on your own, just remember you'll need to adjust the actual projector in the housing. I remember on TurboGuy's thread he did one light at a time. When it came time to adjust the projector he faced the car at the wall or garage door. Then before putting the lens back on he would put the headlight back on and make the horizontal and vertical adjustments to the other light. Hopefully that make sense.

dme 01-11-2012 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caverman (Post 4298580)
1. No.....4300k is what is OEM and it actually has a slight yellow tint to it. The 5000k have an ever, I mean ever, so slight blue to them. Most people would not look at them and say they are aftermarket. With 6000k and especially 8000k you can definately see the blue. I prefer 5000k personally.

2. I can't answer this one.

3. These aren't exactly the same as 5000k but are real close. Close enough to use. You won't really get the colors to match until you go with a true HID in the fog light. Those are what I ended up using and I'm a little picky about matching the colors. Just know they aren't an exact match and you'll be good with them. Only you or someone that has dealt with aftermarket lights would even notice. 99% will say they match.

4. Not sure if I understand or know how to answer this one. Most OEM fog have a black trim ring and chrome housing. But to make it all match you might paint the housing black. I would try the chrome housing first and go back and paint the fogs later if you decide to. They are not hard to get in/out once you learn how.

Thank you for the help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by caverman (Post 4298656)
Those of you doing this on your own, just remember you'll need to adjust the actual projector in the housing. I remember on TurboGuy's thread he did one light at a time. When it came time to adjust the projector he faced the car at the wall or garage door. Then before putting the lens back on he would put the headlight back on and make the horizontal and vertical adjustments to the other light. Hopefully that make sense.

So this is something you need to have the bumper off with the headlight open to adjust?

caverman 01-11-2012 03:39 PM

3 Attachment(s)
Correct. You'll need to take the bumper off to get to the head lights. Then just take one headlight off to work with it. Before putting the lens back on, mount the headlight again and put the light up against a wall to adjust. Then when the lines match up you can work on the other light.

Here are a couple pics of how TurboGuy did them. I made the top of my cut-off line match the other side. In his it looks like he made the bottom of the right match the top of the left.

dme 01-11-2012 03:41 PM

Okay, thanks for your great help! Another question: do you know how to open the aftermarket housings? I remember you said you had one and it was much easier.

caverman 01-11-2012 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dme (Post 4298772)
Okay, thanks for your great help! Another question: do you know how to open the aftermarket housings? I remember you said you had one and it was much easier.

RetroSource actually did mine. So I don't have any real experience with opening up the housings. However, he told me the aftermarket one was much easier to open. The glue is not as hard to seperate.

I had bought a set of used OEM lights but when they arrived at TRS one was busted during shipping. It was easier just to buy a single aftermarket one. I actually have one OEM headlight and one aftermarket headlight. You can't tell a difference.

dme 01-12-2012 10:51 AM

I talked to RetroSource and they told me that if I sent them the aftermarket housings and AAC halos, they would paint, retrofit, and install the halos for $645 for labor and parts. I asked if that included adjusting the lights, and he said since they don't have a Camaro there, they'd get it close and it would just need some minor adjusting.
  • What's involved in minor adjustments?
  • Is that a good price for parts and labor?


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