Author |
Message |
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:21 pm Post subject: Retrofitted HID projectors into the Westy (pics) |
|
|
Like many Westy owners I was dissatisfied with the lighting even with the Hella H4's on the Van so I finally got around to installing Bi-xenon projectors into the Westy from an Acura TL.
Here's a couple of pics and more in the link below for anyone interested.
Westy retrofit pics
Last edited by K58 on Sat May 05, 2012 10:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
carterzest Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2008 Posts: 3842 Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
|
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:23 pm Post subject: Re: Retrofit HID into Westy |
|
|
K58 wrote: |
Like many Westy owners I was dissatisfied with the lighting even with the Hella H4's on the Van so I finally got around to installing Bi-xenon projectors into the Westy from an Acura TL.
Here's a couple of pics and more in the link below for anyone interested.
Westy retrofit pics |
AWESOME JOB!
Daddy wants _________________ Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
whynotvw Samba Member
Joined: May 04, 2004 Posts: 1322
|
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:29 pm Post subject: Re: Retrofit HID into Westy |
|
|
K58 wrote: |
Like many Westy owners I was dissatisfied with the lighting even with the Hella H4's on the Van so I finally got around to installing Bi-xenon projectors into the Westy from an Acura TL.
Here's a couple of pics and more in the link below for anyone interested.
|
Awesome.
More details on the install please. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 12:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks Guys,
I took a few pictures as I went along that are in the flickr link but here's a brief description.
After removing the old headlights I attached 97-01 Jeep Cherokee headlight buckets (You'll need cut a larger opening with a hole saw to allow the projectors to fit the buckets). I then attached them to the original headlight mounting brackets and replaced the OE headlight adjusters with generic type which need to be be mounted at the top and side along with a set of springs to keep the lights secure. (I borrowed the method from a fellow Samba member)
The projectors themselves were mounted into a set of Pilot 7X6 H4 headlight housings with plastic lenses I got on Amazon. I made a template from the projector and using a Dremel tool cut an opening in the back just large enough to fit the projector. While using a power source so I could see the cutoff I leveled the projector and used quick set epoxy to keep everything in place, then taped the entire housing and projector with 3M aluminum tape to keep out any dust and moisture. Once secure I attached the headlight the same way you would a standard 7X6 sealed beam with a headlight bezel and screws. The lengthy projector with bulb and ballast connector attached fits perfectly with no modification needed. The rest of the work was simply wiring up a heavy duty bi-xenon harness using 14g wire directly to the battery to bypass the weak original wiring entirely. I then mounted and wired up the waterproof ballasts. I also had to modify the grille with a Dremel to allow the larger housings to fit properly. Once fitted you can't really tell the difference. I also drilled 4 headlight adjustment holes into the grille for pitch and yaw.
Night driving in the Westy is a total pleasure now and the looks you get from other motorists is priceless.
If you have any other questions please hit me up.
Link
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Syncroincity Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2007 Posts: 1557 Location: New York City
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 1:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
Nicely done! I'm going to do this with a set of 7" rounds one of these days... Morimoto bi-xenons ino a set of Ebay clear-lense headlights, good to see there's no fit issues with the length. _________________ '86 Syncro CHC Top AAZ Turbodiesel
'04 Passat Variant 4Mo 5MT
Vanagon Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=466866&highlight= |
|
Back to top |
|
|
climberjohn Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2005 Posts: 1840 Location: Portland Orygun
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 5:31 am Post subject: Re: Retrofit HID into Westy |
|
|
K58 wrote: |
Bi-xenon projectors into the Westy from an Acura TL. |
Where did you get the Bi-xenon projectors, from the junkyard or new parts? If new parts, can you tell us where? Nice work and good pix.
(BTW, your license plate is covered in 1 photo and visible in all the rest, if you care about it.)
-CJ _________________ '86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 11:06 am Post subject: Re: Retrofit HID into Westy |
|
|
climberjohn wrote: |
K58 wrote: |
Bi-xenon projectors into the Westy from an Acura TL. |
Where did you get the Bi-xenon projectors, from the junkyard or new parts? If new parts, can you tell us where? Nice work and good pix.
(BTW, your license plate is covered in 1 photo and visible in all the rest, if you care about it.)
-CJ |
Thanks for the compliments. I purchased everything here
and got all my advice from hidplanet.com
also, thanks, I covered the plate for a particular post. I do care but only so much. haha |
|
Back to top |
|
|
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 11:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
Syncroincity wrote: |
Nicely done! I'm going to do this with a set of 7" rounds one of these days... Morimoto bi-xenons ino a set of Ebay clear-lense headlights, good to see there's no fit issues with the length. |
Thank you and I think the round headlights would compliment the projectors better. I thought it would be fun to do a quad setup with an SA grille. What do you think? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
randywebb Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005 Posts: 3815 Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 1:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
maybe "the looks you get from other motorists is priceless" because you are blinding them _________________ 1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Syncroincity Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2007 Posts: 1557 Location: New York City
|
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 4:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
K58 wrote: |
Thank you and I think the round headlights would compliment the projectors better. I thought it would be fun to do a quad setup with an SA grille. What do you think? |
Yeah, I looked into doing that, with a set of BMW 5" projectors, unfortunately the steering column box behind the grille is in the way on the left side,
there's not enough clearance for a deep light...
I got the Morimotos from Retrofit as well, they are a great outfit, and really know their stuff.
randywebb wrote: |
maybe "the looks you get from other motorists is priceless" because you are blinding them |
Not if he did it the right way, and he absolutely did... the meatsticks that put HID bulbs inside incandescent fixtures are the ones polluting the night. The projector lense and the cutoff shield inside the real HID fixture ensure proper light distribution. The key here is using a true HID light fixture, not just a bulb, and mounting it inside a clear-lensed surround suitable to the vehicle. Visit the retrofit source linked in the post above, they have lots of info about this, it's some really interesting stuff.
There are also ready-made 7" round HID replacement assemblies, but they're pushing $700, the Hummer crowd seems to like them...
_________________ '86 Syncro CHC Top AAZ Turbodiesel
'04 Passat Variant 4Mo 5MT
Vanagon Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=466866&highlight= |
|
Back to top |
|
|
90Doka_Guy Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2007 Posts: 548 Location: South Jersey
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
Nicely done! Thanks for the writeup. It looks like TRS put a small writeup about this retrofit on their website.
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/retrofit_examples.php?retrofits_id=2
I just finished up a retrofit on my subaru (all sourced from the retrofit source, great company) and prior to that I had never driven a car with an HID setup before. The light output of the bi-xenons is phenomenal, and now I think I'm spoiled. I can definitely see doing this in the future. Come to think of it, I'm surprised GoWesty or the like hasn't developed a kit yet.
Thanks for doing this the right way. A blob of purple HID light glaring from halogen housings blinding everyone is one of the most obnoxious things on the road. _________________ -'87 Westy
-'90 Tintop
-'90 DOKA |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Crankey Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2004 Posts: 2654
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Quote: |
Not if he did it the right way, and he absolutely did |
actually, I notice if your driving on a road that isn't dead flat, oncoming headlights flash at you due to bumps in the road...looking like they are flashing their brights at you. it's annoying. couldn't that be a factor ?
driving in most of the city, I barely need headlights at all. some streets are defiantly under-lit but not all. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Keane wrote: |
Nicely done! Thanks for the writeup. It looks like TRS put a small writeup about this retrofit on their website.
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/retrofit_examples.php?retrofits_id=2
I just finished up a retrofit on my subaru (all sourced from the retrofit source, great company) and prior to that I had never driven a car with an HID setup before. The light output of the bi-xenons is phenomenal, and now I think I'm spoiled. I can definitely see doing this in the future. Come to think of it, I'm surprised GoWesty or the like hasn't developed a kit yet.
Thanks for doing this the right way. A blob of purple HID light glaring from halogen housings blinding everyone is one of the most obnoxious things on the road. |
Hey, thanks for noticing!
Yep, Matt saw some pics of my Westy and asked me if I'd like to be featured on the new site. I told him I would be honored.
I'd like to think a VW supplier might offer an hid kit but judging from what I've seen it would be too expensive and/or not enough interest.
Are you on hidplanet? Love to see some pics of your Subaru? _________________ Westy HID Projector Retrofit
Last edited by K58 on Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
randywebb Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005 Posts: 3815 Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Crankey wrote: |
Quote: |
Not if he did it the right way, and he absolutely did |
actually, I notice if your driving on a road that isn't dead flat, oncoming headlights flash at you due to bumps in the road...looking like they are flashing their brights at you. it's annoying. couldn't that be a factor ?
driving in most of the city, I barely need headlights at all. some streets are defiantly under-lit but not all. |
the higher quality cars with HID lighting have ato-leveling to ensure the beams don't blind other drivers
this would be esp. important on a Van where the load varies greatly from one drive to another _________________ 1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
insyncro Banned
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 15086 Location: New York
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
This is one sweet addition to a Vanagon...whatever the price.
Thanks for posting this and the links. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Crankey Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2004 Posts: 2654
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
randywebb wrote: |
Crankey wrote: |
Quote: |
Not if he did it the right way, and he absolutely did |
actually, I notice if your driving on a road that isn't dead flat, oncoming headlights flash at you due to bumps in the road...looking like they are flashing their brights at you. it's annoying. couldn't that be a factor ?
driving in most of the city, I barely need headlights at all. some streets are defiantly under-lit but not all. |
the higher quality cars with HID lighting have ato-leveling to ensure the beams don't blind other drivers
this would be esp. important on a Van where the load varies greatly from one drive to another |
wow, cool to know. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Phishman068 Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 1867 Location: Pittsburgh PA (ish)
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Aren't there 7'' HID lenses and lights that should be a drop in for an SA grill or round headlight grill? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
tristessa Samba Member
Joined: April 07, 2004 Posts: 3992 Location: Portland, OR
|
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Phishman068 wrote: |
Aren't there 7'' HID lenses and lights that should be a drop in for an SA grill or round headlight grill? |
Yeah, someone posted 'em earlier in the thread.
I've been tinkering with a pair of E46 projectors and some cheapo 7" H4s but without a big bubbled lens they'll be way too deep for my Bay or the Fastback project. Might be able to use them in the wife's Benz, could definitely put them in the Cabriolet... |
|
Back to top |
|
|
dr. no Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2004 Posts: 578 Location: Santa Fe
|
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Quote: |
the higher quality cars with HID lighting have ato-leveling to ensure the beams don't blind other drivers
this would be esp. important on a Van where the load varies greatly from one drive to another |
Speaking on behalf of all other drivers on the road: This should be mandatory with lights this intense. Installation doesn't matter if they are shining in my eyes, and out here where the roads are two-lane, winding and hilly, no installation or levelling will do it. I'm just glad most of my neighbors drive cars of similar vintage... _________________ Scott
http://lungehphoto.com
'83.5 Westy s/p 1.6td JX and 4sp DK transplant--wonderful!
'86 MB 300GD
'06 MB Sprinter
'17 BMW X1
'89 Isuzu Trooper
PAST VWs:
'82 NA diesel Vanagon
'86 7-passenger Vanagon
'77 Bay
'71 Bay
'74 Things (2)
'69 Karmann Ghia (the only one I miss--in nice weather, anyway...)
'91 Fox |
|
Back to top |
|
|
IdahoDoug Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010 Posts: 10247 Location: N. Idaho
|
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 11:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Actually the newer factory HIDs come not only with auto leveling, but also aiming correction as you drive so when these drivers come over a rise in the road they don't blind you. That's been the case in Europe for a decade as their research found the "hobby horse-ing" over undulations was a blinding issue so the headlamps can constantly adjust. Wish our gummint would get off their fat butts and update our lighting laws... Ours are among the worst in the world - including 3rd world countries. It is well known outside the US that our lighting laws are in place to protect our US lighting suppliers by having unique (and lower quality) standards. Thanks, Washington DC!!
DougM _________________ 1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|