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HID retrofit (lots of pics)
This project is not that hard, but it's time consuming. You need quite a bit of patience.
08 Mercedes-Benz E55 projectors 4300k bulbs Here are some pictures of what I'm working with Stock headlamp http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_4991.jpg Headlamp with Mercedes-Benz projectors. As you can see, they're a lot longer. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_4992.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_4994.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_4995.jpg 1. Wire harness ($20-$25) I think you could buy H13 harness on Ebay, but I have no experience with them, so I recommend making your own. It's the easiest part of this project. I bought a cheap soldering gun from Radioshack and soldered the wires together. You could crimp them, but that's up to you. Parts you need: 1 In-line ATO/ATC Fuseholder 10 AWG 10ft 1/2" Split Loom Tubing 10ft 18 AWG Red/Black Zip Cord 10ft 16 AWG Red/Black Zip Cord 1 1N4007 1A 1000V Diode (I bought 3, just in case) 1 12 VDC Automotive Relay SPDT 30/40A 1 Gold Ring 10 AWG 3/8" 2 Pair 1 12 VDC 5-Pin Relay Socket Interlocking Style 1 220uF 35V Axial Mini Electrolytic Capacitor This is the wiring diagram that I followed (stolen from HIDplanet.com/forums with the capacitor added to avoid the flickering issue with our Jeep). Also see this thread https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...695&#post26695 http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/...on_Harness.jpg I used the 16AWG wire for the HID and 18AWG for the solenoid. 5 feet 16AWG from battery to passenger light (where the relay is located and where i'll be plugging into the stock socket), 5 feet (16AWG to ballast, 18AWG to solenoid) from passenger to driver side. To make the socket, I broke off an H13 bulb and soldered wires from the relay to it. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5009.jpg White is ground, red is low beam, and black is high beam http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5010.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5011.jpg and the finished result http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5012.jpg 2. Cutting up the headlamp I highly recommend that you get a Dremel for this part. I don't know how you could go about this without a Dremel. It's about $55 at Target. I bought an extra headlamp (aftermarket crap for $87 shipped) so I could work on one at a time and still be able to use the car. Turn on your oven to 400 degrees and let it warm up for 10 minutes. Turn it off and put your headlamp in for exactly 10 minutes. Don't pull out early, else it'll be a b**** to pry it open. Use a pair of oven mittens to take it out and work quickly. I use a flathead screw driver and a plaster scraper (is that what it's called?) to pry it open. I think this part is the hardest part of the project. I needed a helping hand to do this. Have a second hand holding a second screwdriver as you work your way around. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_4996.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_4997.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5000.jpg For my projectors, they're 3 inches, so I started with making a hole that wide then gradually trim more to fit it. Don't cut more than you need to. The back of the headlamp is made of some sort of hard clay, so it's very easy to cut but messy, so wear a mask. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5002.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5004.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5007.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5008.jpg Get some screws and screw them in. I used #8 machine screws (2 inches long) from HomeDepot. Tape up any opening, depending on your projectors. I used aluminum tape which is also available at HomeDepot. Optionally, you can put a shroud on it. I got this pair ($22.50) from here http://store.theretrofitsource.com/p...a2081342e6f786. You can glue them on, tape them, do whatever you feel like. I pressed the cover back on without any glue because it was already very tigh fitting. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5029.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5030.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5031.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5032.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5033.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5034.jpg 3. Mounting For the passenger side, you're going to need to remove the airbox and the power steering oil temporarily. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5036.jpg In this picture, right where the green socket is, see that taped up connection? you're gonna need to thin it out by removing an excessive amount of tape around it. Then you push it down a little bit to allow enough clearance for the long projector. Because my solenoid socket is located right where the white socket is plugged in, I had to grind that plastic part down a bit. It really depends on your projectors. You'll know what needs to be done when you try to fit it. I mounted the ballast beneath the headlamp socket. As you can tell, I don't have too many pics of this part; I was too anxious to see the result. As for the driver side, you need to loosen the horn a bit and rotate it up to create room. There's also a relay mounted there, but you can just push it to one side. http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5035.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5040.jpg you can see the wire harness coming across to the driver side http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5041.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5042.jpg Some beam pattern shots http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5043.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5044.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5045.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5046.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5048.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5049.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5074.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5075.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5076.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5077.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5078.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5079.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5080.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5087.jpg http://www.forthehuynh.com/Jeep/HID/E55/IMG_5088.jpg Videos Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 HID vs Halogen comparison I'd recommend heading over to HIDPlanet.com/forums and read up. I got my projectors, ballasts, and bulbs from a member there. You could also try theretrofitsource.com or Ebay. Plenty of other places to buy parts. Please don't go for more than 5000k bulbs. Then you'll just look like a ricer with horrible output. Any question, just shoot away. |
nice one
the aiming is a lot better than a simple bulb conversion like me http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2.../Photo4172.jpg |
nice one man. took some confidence to bit the bullet and give it a go. looks alot better than the SLC ones. :thumbsup::clap:
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Looks great. Good job and thanks for sharing :)
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Excellent!!! I like it! Congrats on a great job man!
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Looks awesome dude. Just put this on my list. I retro'd some TSX clear lense projectors in my mazda so, this shouldnt be too bad. Thanks for the write up!
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Looks amazing, way better than screamin lizard custom's, and cheaper :yup: Nice job
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As I get ready to address my headlights, I really appreciate the details in all of the photos in this write up. It really gives a good of what will be involved in the upgrade. :clap:
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Looks really slick. I don't think I would have the intestinal fortitude to give it a go though.:beer:
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Wow, thank you for taking the time to type this in and to take such excellent photos along the way. You may have given me the courage to try this as well !
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