headlight upgrades?

[HoustinoJillian]

okokok before i get slammed for "not doing a search" i did, and i still want to post this.. anyone have information (pictures speak much louder than opinions on headlight upgrades for gen2s? i know theres a few gen3 guys running HID retrofits/kits, and i've heard some about BMW e36 92-98 headlights being close to fitting, but is this true? i'm talking mor ethan you're average "use silverstar bulbs" upgrade, etc.

I really like the look of the BMW angeleyes, together with the fact that they're projector style headlights so HID upgrade would be a lot simpler than retrofitting something into our current headlights.

so, anyone done it? or anyone done anything at all? (mainly for gen 2, i've read through all the gen3 discussion, and while i like it, the headlight design is too different to really get a good feel for gen2 integration)

 

[DDakRT]

Nope, anything that works will have to be custom made. The only set of custon gen II lights were Herman's and they've been sold.

 

[HoustinoJillian]

and also, how "custom" is custom? i knwo the headlights themselves would have to be fabbed, but what about the electrical work? say, for a system that has 9006 bulbs can the wiring be spliced in or do you run the risk of blowing up your new lights? the fabrication i could probably do, the electrical i'm a bit iffy on

 

[DDakRT]

Well I'm sure something can be fab up, but Herman's were 100% custom made.

 

[HoustinoJillian]

whats the difference? fabricationg my own headlights or.... custom making my own headlights? did herman have a company do it for him? i don't want to jump to a HID setup, but the BMW projectors just look sooo nice.

 

[shonole]

whats the difference? fabricationg my own headlights or.... custom making my own headlights? did herman have a company do it for him? i don't want to jump to a HID setup, but the BMW projectors just look sooo nice.

Here you go....

Check out Herman's....

 

[MYSHO1]

http://hanker.tripod.com/headlight-level3-project.htm

Check out Herman's....

WOW... Mad props to him for such a nice write up, and display!

Mine probly will not look as nice, but we will see

 

[HoustinoJillian]

excellent writeup, but 600 hours? holy ****!

 

[HoustinoJillian]

another one, but its for a CRX, not SHO... basics all still are there tho http://www.geocities.com/crx_auto/angel_eyes.htm

 

[fastsho92]

It might just be me but I don't think that angle eyes would look good on these cars. The only things ive done to my headlights was put in the Blue'ish bulbs and i painted the amber part of the corner light the same as my car. I think that looks good. Anything else is overboard i think. But hey, props on trying something new.

 

[TrueBlue]

Anything I'm about to say is © 2005 Tom Ruth, so back off bizznitches

I'm going to attempt to modify 94-95 Taurus SE/LX "discoballs" (also a copyrighted term ) to fit in where the SHO/Sable lamps would. We've done, uh, extensive "testing" on TCCA and determined that they will fit with some modifications. Basically I'm looking for the stock SHO lamps, but with the crystal lens and some other goodies. The setup would appear to be stock... off of a late model BMW.

$0.02.

 

[HoustinoJillian]

hmm i dont know...

 

[T.O_SHO]

I remember those lights, they were awsome....at the VERY first meeting of SHOPower me, my brother and herman talked for about an hour about those lights...Im not sure but if my memory serves me right, I THINK! he said something about it costing $2500 PER LIGHT!...Now I dont remeber if this is what it was but if someone knows please tell/correct me....but they did look awsome, even better in person then on the computer...Id also be interested in a light mod if somebody were to create one (hint hint)

 

[Yamaha V6]

I'm sorry, it looks like a friggin' Geo Storm man.

I used to have 9007 HIDs in my 95 MTX, they had good & bad points.

I now have (again, sorry to say it), Silverstars in the headlights & Sylvania X1010 HID driving lights in the fogs location. I shouldn't have said it, because I wouldn't want another 95 Moonlight Blue to look like mine...

 

[HoustinoJillian]

I'm sorry, it looks like a friggin' Geo Storm man.

I used to have 9007 HIDs in my 95 MTX, they had good & bad points.

I now have (again, sorry to say it), Silverstars in the headlights & Sylvania X1010 HID driving lights in the fogs location. I shouldn't have said it, because I wouldn't want another 95 Moonlight Blue to look like mine...

haha yeah after photoshopping that, i don't like it too much . i havent actaully driven the new SHO when its dark out yet so i dont know why i'm thinking about headlights haha

 

[andyrightcoast]

I think the best thing you can do to these cars is grab the SUVLights.com wiring harness and plug it into the stock wiring, it REALLY brightens up the lighting and is completely safe and legal to use. (And not annoying.)

 

[HoustinoJillian]

so you buy the 80/100 watt lighting harness and then stick a 55/60 watt bulb into it? that seems like it would burn through the light bulbs very fast.

 

[Camarok]

ok ok ok ok.... first off... check out hidplanet.com they have a forum section after you pass the intro.... and seeing as the taurus is a single bulb headlight... you may want to learn yourself on BI-Xenon technology... I actually just bought a set of BI-Xenon projectors with balasts and blubs from hidtech.com for 550 with shouds shipped to my door.
I would suggest aquiring another set of headlights as your retro pair so you can drive at night untill you are done with the retro. I can't WAIT to get started.

and on your comment about the headlight harness.... the wires dont matter on how much power your blubs will take, it's the bulbs that take the power.... the blubs act as the voltage drop (resistance) in the circuit, and the peripherals ( switch wires etc) must make that happen safely/properly.

Think of it this way. you buy a light fixture at a hardware store, put it in your house and it says 100 watt bulb max. well the electricity in you house is the same all the time, you can put a 10 watt blub in there and nothing will happen. It's when you put a 150 watt bulb in when its drawing more that the wires can handle, get hot then we have a house start on fire.
SOOOO that's why you get a wire harness when upgrading your blubs, so they can take the higher voltage drop...

but seriously, HIDs are the way to go if you have some cash and ingenuity.

 

[Camarok]

and another thing, I saw use of HID bulb retros.... I.E. you put 9007 HID blubs in your 9007 housing. Illegal, and crappy. you are putting hid lighting into a halogen housing, causing halogen beam pattern, and blinding light for everyone else. If you have ever seen a BMW Lexus etc with HIDs pull up to a buliding, you get a razor sharp line of black and white. there is a sheild in the projector that cuts off the light becuase it is so bright, and keeps the light on the road. Any Bulb hid kit you see... you find them alot on ebay, and note the location is usually in japan... are crap. If you do what to retro hids go with hella, osram, valeo, and I think bosch, you will also note that none of these companies will make the blub replacement hid kit IE 9007 9005 etc.
The only 2 blubs types being used now are the d2s and d2r.

Stay away from HID converson Kits...Ebay link these are bad, bad quality, illegal.... phooey

another good link

Sorry if I'm kinda pounding this idea around, but HIDs are the only real way to get better light on the road, and it's a great cosmetic upgrade when done right. It's a job, but its gonna be well worth it if you have the money!!

Not bashing any ideas, but look into HID!!!!!

 

[HoustinoJillian]

thats why i was originally really interested in retrofitting the BMW projectors w/angeleyes, basically this is how it works- projector headlights, HID upgradable, works. REFLECTOR headlights (such as ours) HID WILL NOT WORK in bulb only you have to use projectors. i'd like to start this project, but i'm only in nj for another 2 weeks or so, then central america for a month and shool a week after that, so looks like this'll be a project for NEXT summer.