Better headlights

Just a side question here: does the projector conversion have to also be an HID conversion to be effective and worth the effort? I mean there are tons of cars with halogen projectors. Just wondering.
 
Stanley said:
Okay, I'm seriously intrigued by this: great thread. I hope the OP doesn't mind, but since he seems interested in projector solutions as well, I figure I'd put together a projector package and see if it makes sense. As far as I could tell, for a proper conversion using the recommended Mini H1 8.0, you'd need:

1 set Mini H1 8.0 projectors
1 pair Morimoto XB35 2.0 35w Ballasts
1 pair Morimoto H1 XB HID Bulbs (at the desired temperature range)
1 pair of mounting brackets (Bare Retro Quik has a universal set for the Mini H1 8.0)
1 Morimoto 9007/9004 Motocontrol Bi-Xenon Relay Harness
Not clear if you need an anti-flicker capacitor link with the above.

Irv: does all this check out?

CDsDontBurn: If this is cluttering up what you're looking for, let me know and I'll start a new thread.
Click to expand...
You'll also need projector shrouds.

This link from The Retrofit Source puts all the required parts together as a full kit.


They also have a budget kit with more affordable parts based on older Morimoto hardware, which I would still take over trying to piece together everything from Amazon myself.

 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Just a side question here: does the projector conversion have to also be an HID conversion to be effective and worth the effort? I mean there are tons of cars with halogen projectors. Just wondering.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, typical 55W halogen lamps emit 1000-1500 lm at a color temperature around 2700k. A 4300k HID at 35 will emit closer to 3000 lm. So yes, worth the HID upgrade. :)
 
Irv said:
You'll also need projector shrouds.
Click to expand...

Any advice on shrouds that looks reasonably clean / natural with a 97 Bird? There seems to be a lot out there that match the Morimotos.

And do you know if projectors require / will benefit from an anti-flicker capacitor link?
 
Stanley said:
Any advice on shrouds that looks reasonably clean / natural with a 97 Bird? There seems to be a lot out there that match the Morimotos.

And do you know if projectors require / will benefit from an anti-flicker capacitor link?
Click to expand...

I have the Mini Gatling Gun which has a 92mm diameter. The fact of the matter is that most of the shrouds are too big to fit inside these housings. These are pretty much your only options that don't involve additional hacking for fitment. The only options in 2017 when my retrofit was done were the Mini Gatling Gun, Mini Graphite, and Mini Turbine. The latter two stand out unnaturally and I'm not even sure if the Mini Turbine fits.

Projector Type - 2.5%2522-Lens

No Projector retrofit kit is complete without shrouds to cover your bare HID or LED low and high beam projectors. Give it a finished look with our shroud selection.
www.theretrofitsource.com www.theretrofitsource.com

The anti-flicker capacitor link is for sorting out headlight circuits that run on PWM for their factory lighting systems, whether it's to support DRLs, LEDs, or headlight DRM. If you ever see modern headlights or accessory lights that flicker when captured on video, they're running on PWM. These cars predate that by a lot, so the answer for these cars is no.
 
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I had to anti-flicker the LEDs on my Dakota with 9007s. It had DRLs active though. Your mileage may vary.
 
Just got back from another night drive not long ago. The new / replacement ring holders are installed. Light output "seems" better, especially on the right side, but it's still subpar.

Honestly, the way the high beams are oriented as far as light output goes, I'd be perfectly happy with that. So maybe I just need to do some headlight adjustments? That would be the cheapest way to get decent light output out of what I (we) have.

Low beams:
1000001887.jpg

High beams:
1000001888.jpg

These pictures don't do this justice, but it's still visible. With low beams, you see the light focused on the ground ~15ft ahead of the car. With the high beams, the lights are a spread out and more of the road is visible.

All these options for projectors, shrouds, lights, etc. is all awesome, but it would take me to build this out.
 
What exactly do the shrouds do for you? I was looking at some of this stuff last night, but their (Morimoto's) website doesn't go into a ton of depth. Also, what are the mounting brackets for? I thought these attached to the headlight housing via a nut on the end of the housing that goes through the original headlight bulb hole?
 
They hide the projector assemblies from view so all you see of them is the lens.

The mounting brackets make for a more stable install. The projector stems are designed for H4 bulb sockets. They'll fit just fine in the 9007, but some trimming will be needed to go that route.
 
Is there any way to adjust the headlamp Assembly itself? I think that would be a quick fix if it can be adjusted.

If the lows can point more like the highs and spread the light out further ahead of the car, that would improve nighttime visibility a whole ton better alone.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
You can adjust vertical and horizontal aim of the entire assembly using the two adjustment screws. But you cannot adjust the beam pattern itself.
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Awesome! And I know the beam pattern can't be adjusted.

Where are the adjustment screws located?
 
There are two per headlight, they go through the plastic 9mm mounts in the header panel. Use a 4mm socket to turn them. Sometimes they get stuck and need a little penetrant/lubricant to move freely without spinning the mounts, might not be an issue with a CA car though. :)

1761234747432.png

For L/R alignment use the adjustment point on the top corner. For vertical alignment use the adjustment point at the bottom in the middle. Needless to say, tighten the screw at the bottom to raise the aim (lengthen the arm), and loosen the screw to lower the aim (shorten the arm). To aim them laterally it's opposite for each side. Aiming towards the outside of the road you would loosen the L/R adjustment, and to aim them towards the center of the road you would tighten it (for the L headlight you would loosen to turn it L, for the R headlight you would tighten it to aim it L).
 
By the way, if you need a flat, long surface with a wall at the end for headlight aiming, I have found grocery store truck unloading bays at night perfect. It's best to get permission from the store manager first, but in my experience they don't care.
 
theterminator93 said:
There are two per headlight, they go through the plastic 9mm mounts in the header panel. Use a 4mm socket to turn them. Sometimes they get stuck and need a little penetrant/lubricant to move freely without spinning the mounts, might not be an issue with a CA car though. :)

View attachment 15147

For L/R alignment use the adjustment point on the top corner. For vertical alignment use the adjustment point at the bottom in the middle. Needless to say, tighten the screw at the bottom to raise the aim (lengthen the arm), and loosen the screw to lower the aim (shorten the arm). To aim them laterally it's opposite for each side. Aiming towards the outside of the road you would loosen the L/R adjustment, and to aim them towards the center of the road you would tighten it (for the L headlight you would loosen to turn it L, for the R headlight you would tighten it to aim it L).
Click to expand...

Dude, awesome. I'll give this a shot!
 
theterminator93 said:
There are two per headlight, they go through the plastic 9mm mounts in the header panel. Use a 4mm socket to turn them. Sometimes they get stuck and need a little penetrant/lubricant to move freely without spinning the mounts, might not be an issue with a CA car though. :)

View attachment 15147

For L/R alignment use the adjustment point on the top corner. For vertical alignment use the adjustment point at the bottom in the middle. Needless to say, tighten the screw at the bottom to raise the aim (lengthen the arm), and loosen the screw to lower the aim (shorten the arm). To aim them laterally it's opposite for each side. Aiming towards the outside of the road you would loosen the L/R adjustment, and to aim them towards the center of the road you would tighten it (for the L headlight you would loosen to turn it L, for the R headlight you would tighten it to aim it L).
Click to expand...
Thank You for the explanation on how to adjust these housings. I've lost access to my service manual and this is a godsend. I've jacked around with mine and I can't see much at night except the overhanging trees. Treacherous to ride w/ me at night. I just hope I'm not blinding anyone, except all these trucks w/ leds!👍
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
By the way, if you need a flat, long surface with a wall at the end for headlight aiming, I have found grocery store truck unloading bays at night perfect. It's best to get permission from the store manager first, but in my experience they don't care.
Click to expand...

I used to use the wall of the vacant JCpennies anchor at the mall, but I suspect they demolished it because I never asked permission. Oops…
 
Has anyone found a best approach for the 94-95 headlights - other than changing to 97?
This is probably a different thread.
 
I don't know if it is an option for the 94/95 headlights, and it sounds like a whole ton of work to me, but the Saturn guys used to sand their fluted lenses smooth so they could retrofit projectors into the older housings.
 
From what I have read, they will crack and yellow out over time if you do that.
 
I ran some LEDs last year and had to pull the headlight way up to get the beam close to incandescent. Those bulbs in general sucked, but they worked great in my 2nd Gen Ex. When I installed these new LEDs I had to bring the housing back down and they have been good so far. The housing looks a lot better also, the gap between the bumper and the housing was obnoxious with the other LEDs.
 
Derphound01 said:
From what I have read, they will crack and yellow out over time if you do that.
Click to expand...

I remember someone doing it at TSTNBN and it wasn’t much to look at either, the retro reflective housings kind of camouflage the projector, but in this it just looked like a little flashlight glued in there
 
I wonder if we could make a better housing. Or rework one from a modern car.
Who's got the best, widely available headlights?
 
I like the idea. I’ve been using different prompts to ask copilot for images of modern car headlights that compare to 95 housings. So far 94-97 Honda projector look roughly the same. Really need measurements to get better results before I stalk a parking lot with a tape measure.
 
Something helpful would be measurements of the available space; Anyone have a car with the lights out, so we can get measurments? We should do both styles, early and late (the hoodline around the HL changes 95-96, are there other changes?.
 
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