Every HID conversion I have seen has been blinding to oncoming drivers so I'm not sure I'll go that route. Of course that is likely due to them just not being aimed properly. I am planning on carrying the outline theme from the tail lights to the headlights.

 

The big thing with HID conversions is to use the proper housings. Standard glass lenses in say a Honda Civic with HID bulbs will diffuse the light over a large area and can't be aimed properly, or at least that has been my experience. However, with a nice projector style housing, the projector lense has a cutoff inside that clips the beam to a crisp horizon line that can be aimed properly. A good example in my experience is a friend of mine has a Scion FRS that came with halogen bulbs inside projector housings. The projector housing with the aftermarket kit, which is a cheap $40 eBay item, clips the light to a crisp horizon line and doesnt blind drivers. I know this because I have driven towards his car at night and was ok.

This is an example of a pair of Audis (I think they are Audis, got the photo off google), the one on the left has reflector housings. The one on the right has projector housings.



Now, if HIDs are not your style, then I'm sure you will have a tidy, well-done, and clean install to show us in the future. Your work thus far has been very well executed, except you did lax on the hooker jokes in the last video.

 

HIDs will probably depend on if I can find a set of proper HID housings to replace the existing sealed beam units, in the style that I want. LEDs are another option. At the moment I'm concentrating on finishing the rear of the car so I'll get to the front once done.

All the other lights on the car will be LED as well. Just considering whether I will shave the side marker lights or not. I fear shaving them might make the side of the car too plain. Remove some of that 70s/80s charm. But, a modernised set of markers, flush with the body, would be fairly cool.

 

somehow this is a controversial point, but all of the racers and a lot of the oems have switched to LED's.

 

The controversy stems from the DOT regulations that a vehicle can only have ONE low beam per side and ONE high beam. The Audi LEDs were originally illegal in the states, so the Europeans got the cool LED housings and the US was stuck with the standard bi-xenon housings. I think the DOT might have given Audi a pass, because almost all of their newer cars have LED low beams, or maybe just driving lights. I'm not entirely sure. The US government never made much sense on these things.

 

oh lol, that is a good point.

i mentioned that all the racers switched to LED's years ago, in another thread, and was told that was impossible...

 

I was at a Nissan meet this past summer (was with a buddy buying wheels. I'm not a Nissan fan) and there was an S13 LSX powered drift car that had led sleepy eye housings. I thought they were kinda cool, even though they weren't aimed for crap and didn't have a good beam. It was pure form over function.

 

Remember the Cosmo has very distinctive lights at the front, 4 sealed beam headlights with a very obvious chromish surround. I don't want to destroy this look, but do want them to compliment the look of the tail lights. Black chrome is the current plan for tall the trim, so 4 headlights with halos (in Canada we have legally mandated daytime running lights) would look very awesome. So what I can find with halos or that will allow me to modify to add them, will likely dictate whether the headlights are halogen, LED or HID.

 

I personally am a fan of the look of round sealed beams done right.

I found these. They look cheap, but they also fit the halo criteria.
5 3/4 Round Headlights Halo Ring [H5001-H5006-HALO - 5RND-HLO-HDLT] - $69.99

Looking forward to the next video though. How is the new house/garage turning out for you?

 

I believe the cosmos is like the first gen RX-7, 7" round.

 

Last I measured I think the Cosmo is closer to 5", but that was a while ago and I didn't bother writing it down.

Those are basically what I've been looking at and fairly ideal. Best part is that the halo LEDs aren't glued in place, so I can substitute a set of RGB LEDs and choose my colour to compliment the paint/black chrome. Not that it won't be some shade of "white" of course.

I'm slowly getting the new shop ready. It's a lot of work for one person evenings and weekends, combined with having to get the house livable as well, and find some time to work on the Cosmo now and again. Shop wise I'm just preparing to pull down that middle wall. It's quite load bearing, so wood will hopefully be delivered sometime this week. Need to make pony walls to support the building then heft in a beam of four 25' 2 x 12s. Whether I'll get to that next weekend I don't know. Getting that wall removed is sort of key in the process because once that's done I can easily shift stuff around to clean and paint the rest. Then rewire, air system. And at that point I'm functional.

 

And hopefully make videos of the shop re-work? Would love to see the strategies and craftsmanship going on for the new shop.

 

I remember you saying that you wouldn't document the shop work in episode 40.5, but you gotta at least treat us to a walk through.

 

Hey Aaron; I'm making new small lights and blinkers for the RX7 (1st gen) maybe you can adapt it for tha Cosmo?
Don't know if it works like it supposed todo but hey


White leds: Cree LP377FWH1-60G-00001 (typ. 3.8 lumen)
Orange leds: KINGBRIGHT L-9294SECK (typ. 0.3 lumen)

 

Any pictures of the boards assembled and in the lights?

 

Maybe next year need to order parts and the boards, first need to test the schematic out.

 

Make the boards yourself. You just saw how easy it is.

 

Costs more then ordering 12 of them in China

 

First test with the fender lights: https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread.../#post12006763 looks nice doesn't it

 

I guess if you don't already have all the stuff to make boards then buying it really adds up. I chose to go that route because I wanted to try the toner transfer process (again, I'm very impressed by the results) and only two of my boards are the same (reverse lights and controllers). The China suppliers want some sort of quantity higher than 1 otherwise it becomes $50 (Canadian) per board.

I like how your LEDs say "Super Orange". That must be an amazing shade of orange!

As you have probably discovered, putting white LEDs under an orange lens doesn't look right. Sort of reddish yuck. Must mean that while LEDs are missing that whole band of the spectrum. I found my best results with yellow LEDs under the orange lens. Orange just looked too dim.

 

The orange lens is already goneski the white leds are for the small lights and the orange for the blinkers and super orange is more redish then orange, that's why I'm going with the yellow versions Dedicated page: CD-PC :: RX-7 Fender LED light only I need to fix the schematic, it's still the old one

I ordered my boards yesterday at elecrow.com $12.9 for 10 boards 5x10cm board with white surface.

 

Just a little update on what's happening with the car and the shop.

 

Need updates....

 

I guess I could record another small update video. But I'm also getting closer to having another episode ready to go, so...Working hard on the shop and house. A lot of shop painting this weekend...

 

That reminds me. I need to finish painting my kitchen.....