Projector Headlight Install

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91blaze
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Projector Headlight Install

Post by 91blaze »

Now I know there is a thread on CC about projector headlights, but I decided to do mine with aftermarket ones rather than trying to find stock BMW headlights. First of all, the headlights I used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/121486323122?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are aftermarket halo projectors made for 89-95 BMW's. They have a lot of extra plastic and parts that must be removed to work. First of all, the original mounting points and mounting "bracket" need to be removed. You can simply unscrew most of the adjusters but a few of them need to be cut off. Once you get the headlights out of the assembly you can then work on taking off all the extra plastic. First of all, the chrome rings around the top can be popped off. The stock Corvair rings will fit in place of them. When I started working on this I only removed the adjuster arms because I figured I could make it work. If you decide to use these headlights you can simply skip removing just the arms like I originally did and move on to the next part.

In order to make these fit, there is a lot of excess plastic to get rid of, which I will show with the next two pictures:

Image

Image

As you can see here, there is a lot to remove. I used a dremel to do this, but you can use whatever you want. Quite simply, all you need to do is cut around the base of the reflector just far enough that the headlight will fit snugly in the Corvair bucket and ring, like you see in the picture. The high beam is simple since there is no projector, however, the projector one is a little more difficult. You need to unscrew the screws that are holding the projector on. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures, but they are pretty obvious once you see them. The projector is attached to the base with a few more screws and the attachment points must be cut off so they don't interfere with the headlight buckets. Basically you want to remove everything except what is show in the picture. DO NOT cut off the mounting points for the magnifying lens.

Once everything on the projector headlight has been cut down to size you need to glue it to the headlight housing. The hole that the projector fits into needs to be slightly enlarged to fit correctly. I just used a deburring tool to do this. To attach the projector I used some heavy duty super glue, but be careful as it may haze up the lens a bit if you use too much. Mine got a little hazy but it doesn't affect the performance of it and isn't noticeable unless you get close to it. Once you get this done and they all look like the ones in my picture you can move on to the next step.

The high beam fits in the stock headlight buckets very well but the projector requires a little modification of the bucket and backing piece. You only have to cut out just enough to clear the projector reflector mounting points. I used tin snips to accomplish this. Not too pretty but it works. Here you can see how much had to be cut, not too much.

Image

Once this is complete they go in just like stock headlights. Only thing left to do is the wiring, which isn't too difficult. You can cut the old connectors and wire them up just like the old ones. I will be wiring the halos to the parking lights but you can do whatever works best for you. I highly suggest running relays to power the lights, especially if you wire them to both be on with the high beams. I hope this is informative enough for everybody, if I missed anything or something isn't clear feel free to ask. I will leave you all with a few pictures of the lights and how well they put out light.

Image

Image

I cut out a large hole in the bucket for clearance but after installing I don't think it is necessary. You may need to make a small hole but might clear, you can judge for yourself. It's really not difficult to cut a hole if you need to.

Image

Here is how much it sticks out from the cut hole:

Image

Low beams (projector):

Image

High beams (reflectors):

Image

Couldn't get a good picture of the halos, they're not the brightest during the day so I will have to get one at dusk or something. Here is a pic of them at night:

Image

The headlights use H1 bulbs which are not high/low, so the high beams turn off the main lights and turn on the two reflector style lights. As you can see, they are pretty bright on their own but I may end up wiring them to leave the projectors on with the high beams if I don't get enough light from them. Thanks for reading, hope it works out for everybody. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to leave a comment. I'm not the best at how-tos so please feel free to ask.
Last edited by 91blaze on Tue Mar 17, 2015 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by thewolfe »

Lookin good! And easier than my projector retrofit. To solve the HID turning off with high beam problem, get a 10 or 15A diode and wire it from the high beam wire to the low beam wire with the cathode toward the low beam. I put mine in the wire harness that goes down to the foot switch.
Nate Wolfe
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91blaze
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by 91blaze »

I have a way to wire them up by making the low beam relay powered directly from the headlight switch. The wire that runs from the light switch to the foot switch is on constantly when the headlights are turned on. Until I drive it at night I will leave them wired separately because I think the high beams should be bright enough on their own.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by SyntheticBlnkerFluid »

Looks good. Don't like the idea of cutting up the buckets, but it looks like this is always a possibility.
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91blaze
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by 91blaze »

That's why I included the picture of the bucket. I cut them up when I thought I was going to use the headlights with all the plastic still attached. With the plastic gone you might not need to cut up the buckets. I plan on getting new buckets sometime since mine are rusty and when I do I will find out if they fit.

Unless your talking about the buckets that hold the headlights themselves, sorry I shouldn't use the same name for two parts. Those are easy to cut up, only used tin snips on mine.
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91blaze
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by 91blaze »

Took it for a night drive Saturday and found the high beams are very bright on their own. I will be leaving the high and low beams wired separately because they really don't need to both be on. I must say, even though I aimed them a little low, they are great and definitely worth it.
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91blaze
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by 91blaze »

Bump for those I've talked to recently about this. Been a year with these and I must say they really are great. I drive at night quite a bit and these work just as well as any new car's headlights. To get the same ones I have just search "bmw e30 projectors" on Ebay and you should find some that fit your needs. They range from $150 for the cheap ones (like mine) to $300 for the nicer ones (not really needed unless you like the looks of them better). Be warned, the more expensive ones may not fit the same as the ones I have. Also I would steer clear of HIDs as they really are more of a hassle then they're worth especially sense the projectors alone make plenty of light.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by thewolfe »

What's the hassle with HIDs? As long as one buys quality ballasts and bulbs there isn't much problem except the higher cost. I think this is where a lot of people go wrong. HIDs are brighter and look better than halogens in my opinion. The real problem is there's a lot of chinese junk ballasts and bulbs being sold on ebay and other places that are sub par quality, don't last, inconsistent color, and aren't as bright. That has been my experience anyways. Side by side junk ebay ballast and quality made in japan morimoto ballast have a significant difference on light color and output on the same bulb.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by 66vairguy »

Forget the HID's . The newer LED systems are taking over. Personally I find approaching a car a night with HID lamps a real pain - literally very uncomfortable to the eyes. Over a decade ago the NHTSA released this statement -- "As expressed through complaints to NHTSA, some drivers report that the light from HID headlights seems blinding, even though the intensity of such lamps does not exceed Federal standards."

Part of the problem is the HID light wavelength - tends to be towards the blue, or higher frequency, range. Seems human eyes don't respond well to this at night resulting in glare and discomfort. This issue has been addressed with the newer LED headlamps to produce both a brighter and "warmer" light (more towards the red side of the visible light spectrum) -- " SAE J2650 includes a requirement for red color content as a percentage of the full visible-light spectral power distribution."
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by azdave »

66vairguy wrote:Part of the problem is the HID light wavelength - tends to be towards the blue, or higher frequency, range. [/b]
OEM HID bulbs are in the 3200K color temp range. No problem. You do get a little color flare in the cut-off area but manufactures have been taking the sharpness off of the cut-off area so the "flicker" effect is less when approeching a car with HIDs. Some creative people actually work very hard to make that color flare more pronounced even though it does nothing to improve their night vision. It''s just for showing off.

The problem with HIDS is all the people running aftermarket bulks in the 5000K -8000K range to look cool and trendy. Worse yet, they are installing these cheapo Chinese HID kits into projector housings only designed for filament style bulbs. Of course they are also installing HID capsule into regualr reflector/filament housings. Great if you need to spot a racoon in the trees from 1000'.

Sadly, most people complaining about headlight glare don't know an OEM headlight from an illegal custom job so they blame all HID lights in general. True OEM HIDs are not the issue eveyone thinks. It all the cheap HID aftermarket stuff that is really offensive and giving them a bad name.

LED headlights are getting better but I still prefer an OEM HID projector to an LED if given the choice.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by thewolfe »

Yes LED is the latest technology. I have them in one of my cars and I like them. You cannot tell the difference between them and an HID color wise. It depends on the color bulbs you purchase. You can get the same blinding wavelengths in an LED. HIDs are brighter though. You can also get HIDs in lower wavelengths that produce color similar to halogens but most people want the whiter light. As LED becomes the new standard prices will drop which will make it the clear choice over HID but for those that want the brightest light and are using the proper housings so as not to blind oncoming drivers, there is nothing wrong with HID.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by 91blaze »

If you can find good quality HID projectors then by all means go ahead and get them. I only try to steer people clear of them because most don't pay attention and buy cheap junk that either blinds other drivers or don't work half the time. I also can't guarantee that the HID projector housings can be made to fit as I was able to with these. But if you have the extra money laying around to try them and know what to get then go right ahead.
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Re: Projector Headlight Install

Post by SyntheticBlnkerFluid »

azdave wrote:
66vairguy wrote:Part of the problem is the HID light wavelength - tends to be towards the blue, or higher frequency, range. [/b]
OEM HID bulbs are in the 3200K color temp range. No problem. You do get a little color flare in the cut-off area but manufactures have been taking the sharpness off of the cut-off area so the "flicker" effect is less when approeching a car with HIDs. Some creative people actually work very hard to make that color flare more pronounced even though it does nothing to improve their night vision. It''s just for showing off.

The problem with HIDS is all the people running aftermarket bulks in the 5000K -8000K range to look cool and trendy. Worse yet, they are installing these cheapo Chinese HID kits into projector housings only designed for filament style bulbs. Of course they are also installing HID capsule into regualr reflector/filament housings. Great if you need to spot a racoon in the trees from 1000'.

Sadly, most people complaining about headlight glare don't know an OEM headlight from an illegal custom job so they blame all HID lights in general. True OEM HIDs are not the issue eveyone thinks. It all the cheap HID aftermarket stuff that is really offensive and giving them a bad name.

LED headlights are getting better but I still prefer an OEM HID projector to an LED if given the choice.
^^^^ This right here. HID bulbs belong behind a projector lens, not halogen style reflector housings. That is the biggest culprit when it come to people complaining about HID headlights. Also people don't get them properly aligned after installation and end up making the cut off line higher than it should be, therefore blinding oncoming traffic.

LED bulbs are going to require the same type of treatment an HID bulb does when it comes to what style lens it needs to be installed into.
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