New Projector headlight for the B16 Sentras

[Faja]

[quote="alperazzoli"]UPDATE!

So, let me warn you: I had never cracked any headlights open before but, given what I read in many forums by googling around about headlight opening methods, to me the B16 headlights seemed to be waaaay harder than average to break open. Maybe it is their size, maybe the shape, maybe just the bloody excessive amount of extremely hard and damn well stuck glue. I don't know but I cannot explain in words how frustrating it was at first.
quote]

I haven't personally tried to crack open the assembly yet but from what I've read the Sentras are a PITA to get off and obviously using a heat gun in not the best of solutions. Possibly for the driver's side try to get a friend with an electric oven that you can use, I think this will make it easier to crack open.

Keep us posted, thanks

[alperazzoli]

Hey there

This weekend, I tackled the task of pulling the driver's side HL apart. After talking to many friends, I have come to a conclusion: electric ovens are pretty unpopular here. Everyone has a gas oven! I spent some time reasoning with myself whether it would be safe to use a gas oven, for example by putting the headlight inside a tray with 1/2 inch of water to compensate for the uneven intense heat from the gas burner. But I was still freaked out by the possibility of it going wrong.

So, back to the heat gun method. This time around I managed to do a lot less damage to the housing, even if it meant denting the lens' edges a little, but I can say I prefer doing it this way. A few hours of work, one big screwdriver scratch in my left hand palm (why the %#$&¨ did I take the gloves off??) and a lot of swearing later, I had the driver's light open in front of me.

I can't stand having the car grounded anymore and depend on rides/borrowed cars. This evening I intend to take as many pictures as I can in order to do a writeup later on. Since the passenger side projector is already mounted, I will document the process of mounting it when I do the driver's one.

After that, the whole thing is up for the finish line. Still to do:
1) using the heat gun again, heat up the housings and undent the lens grooves as much as possible
2) Remove the old sealant from them & clean everything up inside the HL
3) Do the last bit of wiring (mainly mods to headlights' own harnesses)
4) Exhaustively test everything before sealing the lights up.

I figure I will have this all done by Wednesday. Am still unsure if I should paint the chrome headlight masks black, or leave them as is. Any suggestions? What kind of paint should I use? (please indicate paint by type instead of brand because many US brands don't exist here)
I have heard that if painted wrong, the paint might peel off because of the light's heat, so need to make sure the paint shop uses the right method and paint. These guys will also make the finish caps for the telescopic headlight nozzles (I've already drilled the bumper cover).

Enough rambling, I will get my hands dirty this evening, let's see how far I can go. I'll keep you updated.

[Faja]

I would leave the reflector as is and not paint it as it should have no effect on the projector light itself. Also when you're resealing it, make sure you do a really good job so no air/moisture can get in thru' the seals as that will definitely mess up all the hard work and effort that you are putting out. Good luck and thanks again for the update.

[alperazzoli]

Tks for the tip. It isn't really the reflector that I'm considering to paint. It's just the chrome bezel which sits just behind the lens. The one with the 2 holes (for the turn signal & parking light) and the big squareish opening on the bottom (for the reflector). It seems the SE-R's come with this already painted black.

EDIT: As for the sealing, I ordered some Nissan sealer caulk (Part #B6553-89915) since I've seen a bunch of people recommend it in other forums (google was my friend). A local lights repair shop also recommended gray roof/roof gutter sealant as this stuff is sunlight resistant, sticks very firmly yet is quite elastic, seeming to be fitting for the purpose. I will experiment with both this evening or tomorrow evening at the latest.

[alperazzoli]

Hey y'all

I've FINALLY finished the project!

There are a few things to tidy up etc., but I'm already enjoying HID projector goodness in my ride. It is incredibly sharp focused and non glaring at all, cutoff line is incredibly sharp and presents a nice colour flicker. Superb!
Sorry for lack of time to post the writeup, it will come sometime soon. I'll travel this weekend and will be able to tell you my comments on the results especially as I'll be driving at night, and weather forecast says there might be rain. Let me tell you I've already driven it at nighT on local roads, it is another world compared to the halogen. Not to say the B16's halogens aren't good, they're pretty much the best dual-beam halogen lamps out there today (H13), but since I have a tinted windshield, they weren't enough.

Keep an eye, I might give you some pics this evening!

Cheers

Anderson

[Faja]

Keep an eye, I might give you some pics this evening!

Cheers

Anderson

[alperazzoli]

A promise is a bond. Though later than forecasted, 'tis fulfilled. hehe

Low beam:
From inside car


Outside


High Beam (note that in my setup I added some halogens where the turn signals used to be, they light up on high beam along with the projectors - thus some yellow light is present)




Front shot


LED Strips




Alas, I only had my so-so cellphone camera at hand(Motorola Milestone)! So please forgive the crap quality.

That's all for now, hope you like it.

After some final adjustments, writeup will come. Please be patient!

Cheers mates

[alperazzoli]

Forgot to mention:
1. I still didn't put back the side parking bulbs. The ones that are covered with the orange reflective strip.
2. Also, I didn't like the look of the angel eyes, so left them out.
3. I'm waiting for some strong amber LED lamps to arrive, they will (hopefully LOL) fit inside the former white parking lamp slot (the smaller round opening on the headlights), this is where I wired up the turn signal, since the LED strips now act as parking lights and I used the original turn signal spot for the halogen highs. Once they arrive I will take a shot of the turn signals.

Later on I will treat you to a pic or a small video of the headlight washing system. Although probably not many people fancy them because they fill our hood with soapy water. But I still think watching them work is nice, plus they help when you're behind some darn muddy truck on a backroad at night with a drizzle/light rain. Try driving behind one with halogens on... you will get a nice 'pottery cover' on your headlights soon enough since the heat dries up the mud over the headlight lens.

Enough rambling. Will try to serve you with said pics and vid ASAP.

bye

[Faja]

thanks for the pics Alperazzoli. I like the look of the projector and the cutoff. Not too keen on the LED strip on the side but everything else looks very nice indeed.

[alperazzoli]

Thanks.

I myself have mixed feelings about the LEDs. They've already lost their glue, so they're just loose in there, although the fit is tight so they shouldn't move around much. But I'm really disappointed they didn't stick well to the reflector mask. Oh well, if anything, seems that I'd be able to remove them from inside the headlights with a bit of patience and the right tools, through the ex-turn signal (now halogen high beam) bulb opening.

[Dominicusx]

I plan on purchasing these from wired ridez.any thoughts?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... 6RB_xlxRvA