I found a significant resource for automotive lighting info

[ciper]

I've been trying to find a non rice and non blinding headlight improvement and stumbled across this
http://ss091.fusionbot.com/cgi-bin/ss_s ... =154998759
They have a regular interface but the site map gives you an idea of the info available.

Specifically I was reading this http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-filament-bulbs.htm

Information from that site saved me from buying 3000k bulbs. I didn't realize there were so few manufacturers of bulbs and the only quality bulbs made are in 4100K, 5000k and 6000k! Meaning all the rest are painted

On a side note its fucking HARD to find an HID conversion kit that isn't a POS. The market is flooded with cheap chinese kits as low as 70$ but I have a strong feeling you get what you pay for. I doubt these kits maintain the correct beam pattern so I'm very weary.

[jamal]

no HID kit is going to maintain the stock beam pattern. It doesn't matter what kit or projectors/reflectors you have. If it's an HID bulb that goes into a halogen housing, your shit is fucked.

Some housings will provide a better cutoff than others, but the output is still going to be all wrong. My friend has an HID conversion in his Lotus Elise and while the cutoff is somewhat sharp, the beam pattern is spotty and it's still blinding to drive in front of him, even after I spent a long time making sure they were aimed the best that they could be.

Everyone with HIDs in their WRX that I've driven in front of or seen drive up was also blinding.

Anyway, here's another significant source for lighting info:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/


On an unrelated note, are you coming down to the shop or what? Weren't you guys supposed to bring a car to get tuned?

[ciper]

That is my concern. I don't think its possible without manually retrofitting a full projector setup into the old housing. I see JB weld in the near future.

I'll try to drop by sometime this week. I've gotta find an AC shop, fix a sloppy shifter and fix a differential bushing but otherwise I'm free.

[evolutionmovement]

The 90mm conversion I did is great, but a lot of work. It could be done quicker and better now that I know better, but is still a PITA.

[ciper]

In case anyone stumbles across this later and have HID lights in mind this link will help
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... sions.html

I specifically enjoyed the PDFs where they tested the HID kits in a lab environment using three different headlight housings mounted on a bench.

[Adam West]

And then there's these folks...I suppose the ultimate would be having these guys build up a set of the EDM headlights with OEM HID's?...

http://www.lightwerkz.net/about.htm

Late model Legacy gallery...

http://high-intensity.org/forums/showth ... 3e87&t=107

[evolutionmovement]

The "EDM" units would end up the same as if they did a USDM (except for levelers and city lights, I suppose) as the projection units would require the fluted glass lenses to go away. They don't make a BC/BF Legacy unit, though the old Impreza one is similar in appearance to the units I built (except it looks like they molded a new lens rather than cutting off the fluted part of the lens and plastic welding a clear piece in its place). What I like is that they used a 1-lamp combo unit instead of two units for low beam and high beams. That's the kind of thing I could use for the Cessna car if I ever find a fuselage.

[legacy4ever]

coming soon...

[evolutionmovement]

That looks the balls! Much better than my hack job. I wish I had known about the single combo projector - would've been a much cleaner instal and required less cutting of the car inner body to fit the lamps. Probably easier to get a wider aiming range as well.

How are you doing the lens? Are you getting a plastic lens to use the surround and replacing the fluted part or do you have something else in mind? If you're dumping the glass lens, someone in the US would gladly trade with you, I'm sure.

[legacy4ever]

Actually your Hella 90mm conversion inspired me for upgrading the headlights. I like quad headlights but it is too much hassle to install two projectors in one housing.

As for the lenses, the fluting is going to be polished down. They do it in Poland where I come from. Another option is to make some acryl glass lenses. Found the how-to on a retrofit forum.

[evolutionmovement]

I can definitely vouch for the hassle of installing quad headlamps. I tried polishing the fluting on the polycarbonate lenses we got here and after way too much work, they looked terrible. Hope the glass is easier - I've never worked with glass. My design school had glass blowing, but trying to get that class was almost impossible. They probably didn't teach polishing anyway.

[Legacy777]

That's pretty damn cool looking!

[legacy4ever]

a little teaser

I put them on the car for testing and aiming.



they are done in 90%. just need the glass made (pita) and the ballasts anyhow squeezed in (the horns on the left side need to be replaced).

[evolutionmovement]

How are you making the glass?

[legacy4ever]

I send the lenses to polishing, to sand the fluting down. However the guy informed me that particulary these (Ichiko) glass headlights are very hard to polish and it takes a lot of time. It's a hard tempered glass so it's a hit or miss, they can suddenly break in pieces. Oh well we'll see...

[Buffman]

why not just get the plastic lenses that go over the stock housings and have them polished.

[evolutionmovement]

Flutes. He'd have to do the same thing, but they'd still be plastic and they'd likely look like shit. If what he's doing works, it would be the best solution by far. The other solution that works is to cut the face off the lens and plastic weld in a clear piece of polycarbonate to replace it. Glass wins if it works.

[Buffman]

yes but with plastic there's less of a chance to of destroying the lense..

[evolutionmovement]

And is nearly impossible to make work. I spent at least 60 hours to get blurred, crazed plastic. A couple hours with a Dremel, some poly sheet, and a welder does a much better job and the new plastic hasn't lenses won't have had years of UV damage.

[Adam West]

So Ben will you be offering this service to the EDM headlights you sell? I'm tempted to ship mine back to you...Congrats! It looks terrific.

AW

[Buffman]

And is nearly impossible to make work. I spent at least 60 hours to get blurred, crazed plastic. A couple hours with a Dremel, some poly sheet, and a welder does a much better job and the new plastic hasn't lenses won't have had years of UV damage.

My friend must know the magic then. Of course they're not perfect as they were 10+ year old cores, but my stock originally fluted lenses are what you see in front of my projectors.

But yeah I would definately agree new poly carbonate would be the easiest solution.

[evolutionmovement]

I have no idea how he did it. The lens design must be easier to work with. It doesn't look like it, but there are a few compound curves to it, the thickness varies throughout, and the edges by the bottom can only really be accessed with a Dremel. The other issue is that the UV inhibitors leech out over time and so you're still stuck with old plastic with a tendency to yellow. Wish I hadn't bothered trying to clear them to begin with.