xtremerevolution Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Overtime slowed down a bit at work, so I finally got a chance to start on this project. Retrofit includes Morimoto mini H1 projectors. These are some excellent projectors; not some Chinese crap. Designed for HIDs. Had to take his old housings apart to get the clear corners out. Heat gun FTW. Since the old housings were junk, we got new ones. So much damn sealer... Pop the cap off... And the other one... Houston, we have a problem. That projector sticks out about 1/4" too far, and that's without the shroud... These aren't exactly plug n play. Looks like it's time to bust out the dremel, but first, a test fit on the old housings. Just in case I screw something up. The verdict? Tight fit, but I can make this work... This last picture shows the extent of how tight this fit is. The lens just barely fit, and it's touching the shroud. Granted, the shroud wasn't screwed in place, but still. Damn... Let's go over what it took to make those actually fit. Bust out a dremel with a grinding stone. Grind out a circle as wide as the circle in the back of the housing. Start grinding an angle, from the back. Be careful. Grind the bottom deeper. The hole is actually not centered vertically, and is a tad bit high. Drill a hole right below to run the high beam switch wires. Assuming you're using the Gatling shroud, you'll need to grind down the columns so you can fit the projector housing deeper inside the shroud. Pay attention to the lens end to make sure it's flush, and grind down as far as you can possibly go. The biggest clearance issue is at the shroud. Grind off the top of the shroud because it rubs up against the top of the headlight housing. Trust me, it's a really tight fit, and this is after I already did some grinding... Much better... Let's hook up a 6A battery charger and give it a try... One half down! Time to get the other side done, then take it all apart and paint it black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I cant wait!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Current light output Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 video wont play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 neat. i kinda want to do this to some 1.5 headlights(since i have a spare set), so this is certainly going in the knowledge bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2k2cse Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Sweet. I've been thinking about doing a retro in mine for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runt Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 What do you plan on sealing them back up with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Oh man, that is sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted April 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 What do you plan on sealing them back up with? The kit was purchased from theretrofitsource.com, and I opted for the additional re-sealing glue when placing the order for the kit: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=227 I haven't opened that box yet containing the re-sealing glue, but I would only assume that it would be suitable for this application given that it was an option for a retrofit kit. I can let you guys know what actually came in the packaging when I open that box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runt Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Nice kit. I'm interested in seeing the final product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Nice! I've wanted to do that to my 89 for over a decade now, but never could figure out a way to smooth a fluted lens. Is the depth of the projector as deep as you were able to mount it, or is that only as deep as you wanted it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 I've started this on a spare lumina headlight, removing the fluting is so far the worst part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Are you doing it by hand? I had an idea to remove it with a drill bit on a drill press and lock the drill depth to where the tip of the bit just reaches the fluting, moving headlight back forth to grind it out, then sand and polish, but I don't have a drill press to try that idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted April 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 Nice! I've wanted to do that to my 89 for over a decade now, but never could figure out a way to smooth a fluted lens.Is the depth of the projector as deep as you were able to mount it, or is that only as deep as you wanted it? The projector is as deep as I can make it without removing more material from the housing and resorting to using JB Weld Steel Stick to hold it in place. That's additional work that I simply don't want to get into, and the shroud is already a very tight fit as it is so I won't be able to move it much farther back. I think with the way it is now, it should clear the headlight lens by about 1/8", which should be fine. The only real concern is the heat off the projector lens causing the housing lens to oxidize, but time will tell how big of an issue that is or isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RareGMFan Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Wow, retro projectors look MUCH better on the Regals than they do on the GPs. First thing I thought of though when I saw the lack of clearance is the plastic lens melting? I remember Spyder warning buyers against using HID kits in their projector headlights on account of it getting to hot. It voided the warranty on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runt Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I would have to think that with a 35w HID the heat should be about the same to that of a regular bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euro Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Wow, retro projectors look MUCH better on the Regals than they do on the GPs. First thing I thought of though when I saw the lack of clearance is the plastic lens melting? I remember Spyder warning buyers against using HID kits in their projector headlights on account of it getting to hot. It voided the warranty on them. That's what I was wondering too. My high and low beams now started to fade/discolor my clear lenses, and they're just factory replacement bulbs. I still can't get over the goofy look of them in factory housings though(GP or Regal). It looks like the #5 robot from Short Circuit to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Are you doing it by hand? I had an idea to remove it with a drill bit on a drill press and lock the drill depth to where the tip of the bit just reaches the fluting, moving headlight back forth to grind it out, then sand and polish, but I don't have a drill press to try that idea. yes and no. I started to get the highest stuff down with a dremel, but that plastic is really, really hard. then i've moved to 60 grit, which the the plastic laughs at. very time consuming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 That's what I was wondering too. My high and low beams now started to fade/discolor my clear lenses, and they're just factory replacement bulbs. I still can't get over the goofy look of them in factory housings though(GP or Regal). It looks like the #5 robot from Short Circuit to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Any update? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2k2cse Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 How did you get that part of the housing out of the back? Do the up/down left/right adjustors screw out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted June 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Any update? No updates. May was a bad month for any free time and this month has been tough as well. I'll post pictures as soon as I get more progress made. How did you get that part of the housing out of the back? Do the up/down left/right adjustors screw out? They actually pop out. It's a plastic ball joint. Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 Hows this coming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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