E46 HID retrofit installed! (tons of pics inside)

[gearbox]

Originally Posted by jnlzr great job on the retofit. im jealous!!!! im in the middle of doing my retrofit.. i had the projectors like forever, just got started on it again... any advice? yeah, the hardest part is deciding how it will fit together. you are limited with shroud and bezel options. decide that before going any further. then you can get some ebay lights and practice with cutting and stuff. also be sure you measure the aim and setup a station inside the house with a battery to test them and make sure they are mounted correctly. the projector will need to be rotated slightly to be off center with the stock reflector. then be sure the height is okay. once its put together, you can still move the whole light up and down a few inches and tighten bolts accordingly.

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[1sykcivic]

why didnt you use your e55 shrouds?

[gearbox]

didnt fit at all, they were way too big and there was extra space around the projector. these shower drain were exact match for the lens shape.

here are some more installed pics. you think water will be an issue getting on this connector?

pass side



driver, wow what a tight fit lol



and ballast, needs more stick tape to hold it in place.



weather strips relocated onto headlamp to cover the silicone. looks cleaner this way.



and the result of an all day attempt to secure my positive connections. there is hid harness, hvs, stock harness wires, hood light, alarm, amp, etc lol. its alot, but its now rock solid. you dont wanna know how many grounds i have on that radiator frame lol

[Envy]

nice gear! i think you now should be the proud owner of a
Honda 330i EX

or a

BMW Civic

[HighBoost]

Nice job...actually very nice..u really do know how to swich gear good.
im about to do mine retro too.. hopefully i can get some help/suggestion from u when im bump into some problem durin retro
again .. NICE

[Rufus]

Amazing job d00d

[colourwolf]

Damn.....it looks nice.
Now do mine~~

[pheaton]

So if you were to forget all the money that you used before you got to this point and just bought the parts that you ended up with.

How much was it for everything excluding the fogs?

[sl33pyriceboi]

Originally Posted by Envy

nice gear! i think you now should be the proud owner of a
Honda 330i EX

or a

BMW Civic

lol.....in that case, im the proud owner of civic type-tsx

[1sykcivic]

hmm you should cut up that stock rubber boot and fit it so the connectors dont get wet, thats what I did.

Also your projectors seem to mounted way to back, does any light hit the reflector?

[pheaton]

Peekaboo, I see you in the reflection..

[LatinEM2]

Looks really nice man. Great job

[icedcoco]

wow gear. looks very nice. what did all that cost you? i really want to do a retro but i have some other priorities.

[gearbox]

there is some glare off the chrome housing, but it shoots way up into the air where nobody will see unless youre sitting on top of a big rig. i think there is also a lil bit which is what lights up the road signs. not as bright as halogen glare, but still there and bright enough to read the sign.

heres what it would cost if you dont mess up lol.

bosch e46 single projectors $100
ebay clear headlamps $100
china 50w ballasts $120
philips DL50 bulbs $110
wire harness with relay $15
supplies and extra things $50

so figure right around $500 for a retro that will be one of the brightest on the road.

it rained and the connectors did not seem to be wet at all. also so far there is zero fog in the lights. i think the ebay design is great. when i had my oem lights sealed up completely, they would fog in the corners a little. well the ebay design has a single vent in that spot, so it prevents the fog from forming. yay. also i need to get a ziptie for that ballast so it doesnt fall on the alternator belt.

thanks for all the comments. i actually just got done installing catz zeta kit to the halogen foglights! hehe. i mounted the ballasts underneath the headlamps and ran all the wiring with the bumper off. so yeah, get ready for even more light, about as bright as h3c hid kit with 2000+ lumens. im prolly gonna switch back to clear bulbs once the piaas burn out for even more light. pics coming tonight, but heres a sneak preview

heres where i mounted it, kinda hoping it doesnt fall, there is not much shelf holding it up. but i wrapped the wires around stuff so it wont actually fall to the ground.



stock (12.5v) vs boosted (15.4v) can you tell the difference??



and a quick pic of the hid relay mounted for easy access. all i have to do is unplug the green trigger wire when i take it to shops lol. that red stuff is just terminal protector spray.

[Envy]

why would you need to disconnect it when you goto shops? n yea gear, this is kind of inspiring lol


n where did you get that split loom tubing? i need some.