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v1c10us
08-20-2008, 08:46 PM
Modded them a little bit, I was going to swap the lense out with TSX projector lenses but they were both crystal clear so I didn't bother.
I took the cut off shields and put a notch in the bottom allowing me to bend the cut off shield a little bit towards the reflector, It widened the beam pattern and made the cut off a little sharper.
I also filed the cut off shield angled down to let more of the light refraction make it passed the shield.
Overall I'm pleased with them, they're quite bright even with the bulbs I have in there(sylvania xtravision)
I'll be swapping them out for piaa high wattage bulbs down the line.
I'll have pics of light output up in half an hour or so after my camera battery charges.

icarus.na
08-20-2008, 08:53 PM
nice. is this why you were asking about what i did with my CTR projectors?

how'd you open up the headlights? oven or heatgun?

and how'd you seal them back up? i'm thinking about getting some sticky butyl rubber...

v1c10us
08-20-2008, 09:10 PM
yeah thats why I was wondering, but when I compared them to TSX projectors the only difference was that the cut off shield was the __/ for halogen versus the __/-- for HID.
The lenses were of identical quality etc etc, so I didn't need to switch anything since I'm using them for halogen not HID.
When I do put HID's in them I'll just swap the cut off shield from the tsx projectors.

I put the headlights in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes. I rested them ontop of ovenmits to keep any of the plastic from melting on the metal.
To re seal them I put them back in the oven seperate and then used a thin bead of silicone on the inside and pushed them back together till they clipped.
That grey stuff(might be butyl rubber) is really good for resealing them though, although it has a tendency to never fully dry and stay kinda sticky.

D3xn2o
08-20-2008, 09:40 PM
did you take pix of this stuff I wanna fill down the shield and stuff the angle is way drastic on mine i need a sharper cut off

v1c10us
08-20-2008, 09:41 PM
Notice: pictures are very subjective as far as light goes so I took different exposures so you can get a good picture of what they look like.
I got a good range of color without losing any sharpness or width by not using the washer mod and instead doing what the washer mod does: moving the cut off shield closer to the reflector basin.
You can see a color comparison vs street lamps and the lights inside my house in one shot, the light is the normal halogen color, but the cut off has a good amount of color in the hotspot.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2082.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2143.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2131.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2132.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2134.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2125.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2123.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2121.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2119.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2112.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2111.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/Kelbane/DSC_2099.jpg
^ that picture is with a low iso and average shutter speed, so it is quite dark, if you were actually standing there everything looks quite bright.

v1c10us
08-20-2008, 09:48 PM
did you take pix of this stuff I wanna fill down the shield and stuff the angle is way drastic on mine i need a sharper cut off

I did not but I can easily tell you what to do.
One thing I didn't do but wish I had was removed the nub on the cut off shield. to get rid of that stupid shadow.
When you open it up the cut off shield in the middle there is a piece that protrudes towards the lense, I'm sure it is probably for glare but removing it would be a good idea I think.

What you can do is remove the cut off shield from the reflector basin once you've got it open and on the face of it that would face the lense there is a piece of metal that needs to be cut into a little so that the shield can be bent. Bend it backwards about 1/4 inch
Now the top of the shield is flat but what you want to do is file the face of it so it looks like this /| as opposed to ||
with the angle facing the lense, this lets the light that bends on the top make it past the shield and magnify's the color.
if you are going to switch to HID the projectors are quite well suited for it actually you just need to mod the shield: take a piece of brass or aluminum with a flat top and bend it to follow the curve of the cut off shield.
What you are going to notice when you are in there is that the shield goes straight and then curves down without ever going straight again.
What you'll be doing is JB welding the piece of brass or aluminum a but further down so that the slope will flattedn out again, you can pick any height you want but ideal would be around 1/4 inch or less.

D3xn2o
08-20-2008, 10:48 PM
I did not but I can easily tell you what to do.
One thing I didn't do but wish I had was removed the nub on the cut off shield. to get rid of that stupid shadow.
When you open it up the cut off shield in the middle there is a piece that protrudes towards the lense, I'm sure it is probably for glare but removing it would be a good idea I think.

What you can do is remove the cut off shield from the reflector basin once you've got it open and on the face of it that would face the lense there is a piece of metal that needs to be cut into a little so that the shield can be bent. Bend it backwards about 1/4 inch
Now the top of the shield is flat but what you want to do is file the face of it so it looks like this /| as opposed to ||
with the angle facing the lense, this lets the light that bends on the top make it past the shield and magnify's the color.
if you are going to switch to HID the projectors are quite well suited for it actually you just need to mod the shield: take a piece of brass or aluminum with a flat top and bend it to follow the curve of the cut off shield.
What you are going to notice when you are in there is that the shield goes straight and then curves down without ever going straight again.
What you'll be doing is JB welding the piece of brass or aluminum a but further down so that the slope will flattedn out again, you can pick any height you want but ideal would be around 1/4 inch or less.


Mad info dude thx again you helped me wit my harness originally thx again this time but what about just swapping the shield for the TSX shield wouldnt it jsut be easier?

And that who Flashing mod your talking about can be done there as well right?

frm_808
08-20-2008, 11:09 PM
cool pix man. good info on the mod too

v1c10us
08-20-2008, 11:34 PM
Yeah you could swap the TSX shield if you wanted to, but if you are going to do the flashing mod it would be easier to just keep the stock shield since the useful parts of the tsx shield wont be visible.
The flashing mod basically consists of replicating the shape of the tsx shield and jb welding it to the reflector side of the shield so that it just barely sticks up over the stock shield.
edit: regaurdless of if you use the aluminum flashing or the stock shield you still want to make a notch in the base of the shield so that it can be bent back ever so slightly

frm_808
08-20-2008, 11:44 PM
let us know when u do the hid version, ordered hids from our vendor and soon be purchasing the depo reps

v1c10us
08-21-2008, 12:05 AM
Im moving into a new apartment this weekend and moneys gonna be tight for a while so I probably wont be doing HID anytime soon.
If you are putting HIDs in your depos though I can get you pictures of what to do to get the cut off right for HID.

frm_808
08-21-2008, 12:17 AM
i hate apts. im trying to get out of this place and into a house so money is short here also

D3xn2o
08-21-2008, 12:56 AM
I would deff want some info on gettin the cut off good for HID's save me $200 man on the whole TSX Conversion...

I can get the D2S / D2R bulbs but i hate those I'd rather just get H1 P&P's and be done with it Where can i get the flashing?

v1c10us
08-21-2008, 02:36 AM
you can get it from home depot or lowes or something like that.
H1 is ideal for PnP because the optics are very similiar so rebasing it doesnt move the focal point too much

D3xn2o
08-21-2008, 02:55 AM
you can get it from home depot or lowes or something like that.
H1 is ideal for PnP because the optics are very similiar so rebasing it doesnt move the focal point too much


sounds good

listen to be honest what is the major difference in HID Projector lens and Halogen lens?

im new to the whole projector thing so im still learning here and there... i wouldnt be able to spot a difference

Rayme
08-21-2008, 04:03 AM
Nice job on the color mod..

oh and forget PIAA..this is the next best thing before HID

http://www.finemotoring.com/

Stock wattage. 2x the light (almost).

Oh and they do actually work, they are OEM on john deere's tractors flood lights.

D3xn2o
08-21-2008, 05:11 AM
ohhh boy the good ol Halogen Infrared Reflecting bulbs k have you had experience at all with these? I kno the tractors use them but come on they have to be super hot....


ohhh and i do believe they dont come in H1.... im not sure but i dont think they do...

remember the depo lights are H1's for low beam

blackyEP3
08-21-2008, 07:04 AM
Good job OP! It looks AMAZING!!!! :mcool:

Rayme
08-21-2008, 07:40 AM
ohhh boy the good ol Halogen Infrared Reflecting bulbs k have you had experience at all with these? I kno the tractors use them but come on they have to be super hot....


ohhh and i do believe they dont come in H1.... im not sure but i dont think they do...

remember the depo lights are H1's for low beam

You would definitly need to mod the socket yes I suppose.

As for the temperature...it's all in the laws of energy.

If it uses the same wattage as halogen, and outputs more light, the heat emanated will be less. (more energy converted in lights = less heat). Same laws apply for HID which runs super cold compared to halogen.

If you're scared of heat, stay away from overwattage bulbs!

..the whole HIR concept uses "wasted heat" to produce more light.

ep3moschini
08-21-2008, 08:15 AM
home depo headlights FTW :mangel:

v1c10us
08-21-2008, 01:10 PM
Good job OP! It looks AMAZING!!!! :mcool:
Thanks, I'm quite pleased with it


home depo headlights FTW :mangel:
Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth it but when I plugged one in and saw what came out I decided they had to be modded

sounds good

listen to be honest what is the major difference in HID Projector lens and Halogen lens?

im new to the whole projector thing so im still learning here and there... i wouldnt be able to spot a difference

The lenses aren't very different. There are 3 types of lenses, fresnel, clear, and these kinda cloudy ones.
The tsx used clear lenses and they were no clearer than the one on the depo's so there was no need to change it.
Fresnel lenses have circular grooves on them that soften cut off and glare and reduce brightness a little, but spread the light wider, g35s have them I believe.
For halogen you don't need a fresnel lens, and you can use either a clouded or clear lense for halogen but clear is best.
typically the only lens differences is in the size, the larger your lense the further it needs to be away from the reflector but the bigger lenses gather and spread light better. If you had a 6 inch lense the reflector and lense would possibly be up to a foot long, but very bright.

The only real differences are in the cut off shield and occasionally the reflector basin is shaped slightly different.

D3xn2o
08-21-2008, 02:45 PM
K sounds good I think ima pull my lights out soon and play a bit

icarus.na
08-21-2008, 03:29 PM
OP, what brand of sealent did you use?

v1c10us
08-21-2008, 04:39 PM
well in the past I've had good results with just reheating the preexsisting sealant, so I did that.
But because I'm away of depo's being known for leaking I also added some clear silicone.
It was in a caulking gun type tube at home depot and it had an X in the title, like xtreme silicone or something.
It was the clear kind, they also had black or white.
I've used it before and never had trouble with leaking.
If you dont want to go through the hassle of reheating it to use the old sealant you would probably wont to remove all of it to get a good seal.

v1c10us
08-21-2008, 09:33 PM
next project will be HID projector foglights in the OEM housings.

maconperformanc
08-22-2008, 05:18 AM
Nice write up and good info... i'm still nervous about opening mine up though.

Chad
08-22-2008, 07:40 AM
Nice job on the color mod..

oh and forget PIAA..this is the next best thing before HID

http://www.finemotoring.com/

Stock wattage. 2x the light (almost).

Oh and they do actually work, they are OEM on john deere's tractors flood lights.

That's bookmarked for research!

I'll tell you what guys, I'm no lighting person, and reading this thread has become rather humbling in knowing that I'm dumber than I thought.

v1c10us
08-22-2008, 09:07 AM
That's bookmarked for research!

I'll tell you what guys, I'm no lighting person, and reading this thread has become rather humbling in knowing that I'm dumber than I thought.

Hah its about time! I have never read one of your threads without going, damn that guy knows too much stuff!

D3xn2o
08-22-2008, 11:12 AM
next project will be HID projector foglights in the OEM housings.

I deff wanna see this...

Rayme
08-29-2008, 04:17 PM
*bump, do you have wall pic of the cut-off before/after...or just after?

mitchell_ep3
10-04-2010, 09:43 PM
i know its old but BUMP!!!! did you get into the HID mod yet?