Attempting hid projector retrofit +pics
 

Using one of the threads posted a while ago as a guide, I'm attempting my very own retrofit. While I wait for my e46 bi xenon projectors to arrive, I'm prepping and polishing the lense... Here are some pics..

Was gonna use sand paper but.....
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=220679&stc=1
This is much easier
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=220680&stc=1
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=220681&stc=1
Took about 5 minutes to get to this point
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=220682&stc=1
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=220683&stc=1

Gonna hand sand it a lil bit tonite.. or make my own sandpaper circles (higher grit) and see how they come out.. :bigthumb:

I am very interested to know if you are able to sand down the ridges. I tried jewlers glass scratch remover on the fog lights but it didn't seem to do anything. If the fogs were clear glass they would actually be very usefull.

I'll be curious to see how this whole thing turns out, as I was going to do one with E55 bi-xenon

Yeah I should have gotten the E55, would have been a lot easier to wire, but I found a good deal on these and the e46's are supposed to have more light output. I paid $329 shipped for projectors, bulbs, ballasts :)

Wait what? The cover I'm sanding down is plastic. The little circles are 120 grit sandpaper so I took the ridges off in no time at all. Now the real work begins as I work my way up the sandpaper grits then finally buffing it out with some plastic polish.

If the fogs are plastic then you'll need to actually sand it down to remove the ridges, otherwise, you'd just have some very shiny ridges

IMO, I would just install normal HID projectors instead of the E46 Bi-Xenon. If your looking for the purple, blue, and white effect from the cut-offs of the projectors with a 4800k temp HID bulb, the E46 Bi-Xenon projectors won't cut it. I know because my girlfriend has a E46 coupe, and although the it's bright, it doesn't have a colorful cut-off compared to my former S2000 or Nissan Altima. If in fact your set on Bi-Xenon, I would opt for some from the 5, 7, or X5 series as the projectors produce more color and are made by a different company.

BTW, Bi-Xenon is useless and you will most likely never use it.

I'm looking to improve my FD's lighting ability while slightly modernizing it. If I want more color, I can always do the washer mod but that's not what I'm worried about.

I will most definitely use the bi xenon because sometimes I drive at random dark roads that curve and change elevation. I opted for these over the low bean TSX projectors. TL bi xenons would be weird to fit into the FD housing.

In that case, good luck with the project.

Seems like your going to document all your steps with pictures? Please do, because I'll be attempting something very similar in the near future and will probably need a guide. :)

awesome idea about sanding down the ridges. Very interested in how this turns out as I am looking to do the very same thing to my car soon. BTW, have you seen this thread in the interior/exterior section? https://www.rx7club.com/non-classifieds-violations-59/4-eyes-headlight-fd-progress-510340/

I've seen that, I'd rather retrofit using real projectors instead of fogs. I'm going to get much better light output and a sharp cutoff :)

I agree, I was going to wait and see how he mounted them, and then just try and get the mounting parts and supply my own projectors, ballasts etc.

Also, with that design, you leave the projectors exposed to water, rocks, etc...

The fog light covers are very thick, heavy and blury. I can only assume they are glass. I was not aware of the headlight covers being plastic.

Very cool idea.

Yes, that is why I was waiting to see if he came up with a bezel, or some kind of lens to protect them from the elements. And if he did not come up with something to protect them, I was going to see if it was possible to fabricate something on my own.

I never thought of doing what you are doing, for some reason. I'll watching with interest in how this works out. Best of luck.

I have no idea what I'm talking about, but couldn't you use these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-94...80816043QQrdZ1

instead and they would be glass "crystal clear?"

I heard it's plastic as well... also, I'm cheap and sanding materials cost me 15 bucks :)

Good call, I'm excited to see what comes of this.

what's bi-xenon? is it the one that has low and hi beams?

Projector that has both hi and lo. Hi beam mode triggers the cutoff shield to move out of the way.

OK, so.. roadblock. I got the e46 bi xenons, drilled out the housing and then realize that there's no way to seal the headlight without leaving the shield actuator exposed :(.... So... DO NOT attempt this with e46 projectors

So, I'm gonna sell the projectors and buy a new set. Most likely, I'll get a set of E55's (bixenon).

^ make a cover for the bottom half, after reading this thread i remembered that i started a bi-xenon retro fit but have no idea how the project ended up in my attic. :dunno:

I just stumbled across a set of projectors for bmw, are you sticking the actual projectors with the little lens and everything?

I though that you were trying to instll the hid kit with bi-zenon bulbs?

Oh no... that would take like 5 min..... I'm using the real hid projectors. In my case the BMW e46 projectors. I'm following DIY that another forum member posted but he used E55's instead and the shield actuator is inside the reflective bowl which allows it to create a water tight seal with the stock housing.

I don't see how I can make a cover for the bottom half.. Well, It'd have to cover the whole assembly for that to work... =(

Very interested to see the end result...

i dont think there is enough space for a panel cover for the bottom half maybe for a sleek retrofit but not for a popup cause when the lights are down theres barelly any room on the bottom of the lights. i havent measured how much clearance there is so dont go by my words just yet. i would take measurements, make a mold that i can fiberglass on and make a cover up. then start adjusting from there . you can install recepticles on the lower half and mount the cover with screws, seal it up with your prefered sealer after you have your lights setup and then your set. its just an idea though. :redface:

i didnt read much in this thread. but i know there is a compound you can use to buff the glass. do you know the name of that compound? . i saw it on the speed channel..... it starts with an R. but i do know you use a felt buffing bit on a multi-speed drill.

=/

There's no glass involved here, the cover is made out of plastic.

As far as fiberglassing, I was just thinking the same thing while I was in the bathroom. I can fiberglass near the back end of the projector assembly and have it go around the stock reflector.

I'll buy some fiberglass tmrw when the stores are open and hopefully have some more pics by then

Rouge? That is the common name for very fine jeweler's polish. It is RED in color, hence the name rouge which is French for red. Generally it is the last compound you would use when polishing something out. Usually you would need to work down through other grits first, especially the OP of this thread!

I have notice the FD fog lights are useless. I just assumed they were too weak. I am skeptical that polishing hem (inside?) would help much. Maybe a higher wattage xenon bulb in there would make a difference?

It would be very interesting to see what it turns out like, I've never seen it being done before.

There's actually another thread of this. Look up hid retrofit and you'll see a nice walk through. The guy used e55 projectors though, which are a lot easier to retrofit and i'm using e46 projectors. My projectors are supposed to output a little more light.

I didnt get a chance to get the fiberglassing kit and I'm going to be out of town this weekend. I'll try to see if I can get something done on Tuesday and post up some pictures

=)

I would suggest you to go and buy the ebay clear lenses instead of trying to polish the fd lenses.Even the smallest scratch inside the lens distorts the light output.Been there done that.

Wow this looks awesome! Good luck with it.

Alrite, so i suck at fiberglassing so dont laugh! Actually, i think it's more resin than fiberglass lol, but that cuz I got the stupidass jelly instead of the liquid resin... oh well live and learn

Here's my fiberglass cover. I plan on jbwelding the bottom and the top to create a nice seal.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=223035&stc=1
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=223036&stc=1
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=223037&stc=1
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=223038&stc=1

Looking good man, keep up the good work


https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...hmentid=223038

Looks like somehting I use to smoke out of in college LOL

I'm now taking orders for fiberglass bongs :P