Hid + Projector Mod!

[mtsusa]

Well, after a long time of bugging the mess outta you guys, I finally completed my HID/projector mod last night. Thanks especially to herkdriver007, M. Cueva, and iminaquagmire for their write-ups and constant advice!

 

Here's my truck to start

 

 

Now for taking out the headlights...GM really dropped the ball on this one! There's 2 bolts at the top that need removed...

 

 

...one underneath the headlight that holds this little bracket- just loosen the bolt enough to turn the bracket to the side (no need to remove)

 

 

...and one under/to the side of the headlight. I found it surprisingly easy to remove one of the bolts holding the plastic inside the fender and just pull it away slightly, then go at the bolt.

 

 

The next steps I didn't get to take any pictures of, but for fitting the actual projectors on these it's pretty straight forward. The diameter of the threaded portion to the projectors is maybe 3/32 larger than the inner diameter of the existing bulb holder, so using a dremel with the small sanding tool will quickly enlarge the hole. Also, inside the reflector, remove the light diffuser and sand the little protrusion that it's mounted to.

 

Also, the back side of the low beam mount has 2 little rings...the inner of which needs to be cut down and flush with the flat chrome area that the bulb will actually sit against. Look at herkdriver007's write up for this, I followed it to a T and couldn't have made it any more clear myself.

 

As for the bi-xenons, I ran the wires out of the rubber seal and sealed the hole with silicon, much like herkdriver's. I just spliced into the stock high beam wires and soldered the bi-xenons in. Make sure you test fit this first by installing the high beam wires and seeing where the best place is to splice, since the bi-xenon wires are short.

 

I also decided there was too much chrome in the headlights, and coupled with my polished aluminum billet grille, I didn't want to overdo it in the front. So I masked off the outside of the housing and covered the reflectors with saran wrap (YES- masking tape WILL peel up little bits of chrome!). Kept the reflectors chrome and the insides black...kinda looks like the Tahoe headlights.

 

 

 

 

And the "finished" product.

 

 

I decided to leave my amber reflectors in for a couple of reasons. Yes, PA state code mandates that at least 2 passive reflex reflectors be installed on either side of the vehicle, but my real reason was insurance. If someone hits my parked truck and is smart enough, they can pull the "he didn't have reflectors" defense...I mean, not to say that would make me 100% at fault or anything, but it'd certainly heighten the chances I'd have to pay for some repairs.

 

Besides, I've never seen headlights done like mine

 

Now, test fit the lights (without the lenses installed), making sure the beams are leveled. Rotate the housings slightly to get them level (as tight as they might be, they'll still turn a slight bit with force, and it won't hurt 'em).

 

 

 

 

I forgot to turn off the flash...kinda flooded out the picture so you can't see the light too good. It's level, I'll just adjust the heights later...sine it uses the stock height adjuster.

 

As for running wires and mounting ballasts, here's what I did. I ran the relay to the inside of the coolant reservoir and mounted the ground on the core support under the airbox. I mounted the relay to the inside of the core support, the passenger side ballast ride behind the headlight on the rad support, ran the cable along the rad support, and mounted the driver-side ballast on the rear of the rad support by the windshield wiper reservoir. The pics do a better job of showing it!

 

 

 

 

 

And...finished product!

 

 

 

For the record, this is the Bi-xenon Morimoto Mini Stage III kit from theretrofitsource.com.

 

I pulled my DRLs (31 and 33 in my truck) so these bulbs don't run unnecessarily during the day, and to avoid any strobing issues. Though some people don't have them, some do...it's in the way the DRLs run...I believe the volts are pulsated from 0-12v or whatever, therefore the stock halogens perceive it as a lower voltage. However the high-power HIDs can't account for this and they may strobe...so I'm gonna avoid that possibility altogether.

[jrrod2004]

If mine were only that easy

[Metro12]

Looks good buddy! Turned out very sharp.

[iminaquagmire]

That's too bad about the reflectors. It totally changes the look with them removed. Still looks good though. You could have saved yourself a lot of work taping off the projectors. The plastic whole chrome shroud piece detaches and comes out. There is a writeup on GMFS I think (never go there myself). What color are your bulbs?

[mtsusa]

Ah good to know now lol...they're 4300K

[jrrod2004]

Ah good to know now lol...they're 4300K

 

 

You didnt use any shrouds??

[mtsusa]

I used the gatlin gun shrouds, they're not on in the test pics but you can see them in the final ones.

[lsuguy]

Looks great man. Can't wait to take on this project one day.

 

How did you paint the chrome? Sand it down any before? What kind of paint did you use? I'm pretty new to custom painting and whatnot.

[mtsusa]

Looks great man. Can't wait to take on this project one day.

 

How did you paint the chrome? Sand it down any before? What kind of paint did you use? I'm pretty new to custom painting and whatnot.

 

 

Thanks man, yeah I sanded it down by hand with 400 grit sandpaper...it doesn't take much to get it off and down to the plastic. I primed it with a plastic primer and used a good quality semi-gloss black paint. You gotta be careful around that chrome, though. Depending on temperature/humidity/how long/what kind of masking tape you use on the chrome, it might barely pull some up or it might remove a lot...that's why i just used saran wrap to cover the chrome I didn't wanna paint.