HID projector retrofit into a non-RS halogen housing

[puertoricanfont]

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]

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont

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]

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont

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]

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont

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]

Originally Posted by caverman

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]

Originally Posted by jjjaroscak

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]

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont

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]

Originally Posted by puertoricanfont

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by caverman

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.

Originally Posted by caverman

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]

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]

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.