Projector Retrofit Write up

[brandonbeeb]

Ok since im not doing anymore projectors at the moment and probably wont be for the nissan altima unless i get an insane offer then just maybe lol.

anyways i wanted to give you guys a quick run through of everything needed.first off i just wanted to say thank you to the guys that took a chance with my company and made deposits before anything was really done

Tools Neededtorx screwdriver size 1510mm deep socket2.5 cars need an hid kit with d2s bulbs and converters if they get hid projectors, non hid projectors use h7 bulbs and what not but tend to not be as great of output as hid projectors10mm shallow socketsmall flathead screw driverside cutters for those clips that dont want to pop out (dont cut them use it to yank them out)socketheatgundremel with bitsmisc paint, leds projectors (your pref) and screws along with springsfew more things but ill add them along the wayaluminum foil tape

1. first take the bumper off which you can find instructions on here http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=293385

2. follow this link up to the part which tells you how to pop out the lights after that stop as this is one of the worst ways to open these type of headlights. it may have worked once but i can guarantee that it wont work again without damaging your lights or causing a problem down the road. your best bet with these lights is a heatgunhttp://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=335705

3. once you have your light removed, take out all the light bulbs in the back along with the rubber seal around the bulbs, use a flathead screwdriver and pop it underneath. its the easiest way to get these suckers out.

4. theres 1-2 screws on the back of the headlights depending on if you have the 3.5 or 2.5 also the covers on the low beam are different. the 2.5 has a rubber seal around it and the 3.5 has an actual cover that opens up. All of the screws in the headlights are torx size 15 so you need this or you cant do anything with these. remove the screw beside the turn signal bulb(holds the housing together) and then remove the screw that holds the space on the outside of the light and disgard this as its a waste

5. the best way to get at these lights is to use a heatgun which according to lightwerkz is stupid but this is also comming from the guy that said these where impossible to open ( really hate him lol and his insane pricing, guess you need to charge that much when you do it for a living, this isnt my full time thing, im an electrical mechanical engineer). pick a spot on the light that you want to open and put a pair of gloves on so you dont burn yourself. slowly heat up the one spot but dont put the gun to close or it will melt. you will notice the best time to open it up is when the plastic around the lens gets a little bit of a shine to it, means its heated up. a little secret for people just starting out is that the lens will melt very fast compared to the plastic, it will start to turn white and bubble then melt, so around the outside of the light where its visible and may melt use aluminum foil tape on it as it will repel the heat. when you get a certain spot heated up use a flat head screw driver and lift the plastic from the rubber buttyl inside (looks like hard silicone). when you get the plastic away from the rubber buttyl heat it up again in the exact same spot. then get your flat head on and get it underneath the buttyl and clean out that area. once thats done you can jimmy your screwdriver into the crease and get it between the lens and the housing until you hear it pop away. be gentle or you will break the lens. the hardest part is the one corner where you cant get your screwdriver in and the second part is on the opposite side of that where you can get anything in there. heat up the back and gently put your screw driver on its side and slide it in there and you should get it apart.

6. take off the trim on the bottom thats held in with 2-3 screws on the bottom as well as your ballast if you have a 3.5. people with a 2,5 skip step 7

7. unplug the ballast on the inside of the light once you have it seperated. theres a phillips screw holding the cord to the ballast undo that and unplug it. then where the low beam light is unscrew the connector and pull it out of the headlight.

8. once you get the light unsealed there is 3 pivot points inside the light. take a large flat screw driver and unwind the leveler all the way out believe its clockwise.pull the farthest part of the housing out (highbeam spot) this will make the housing pop off the first one then take a large skinny screw driver now and where the pivot point is on the leveler on the inside of the headlight behind the actual headlight housing. then when the outside one is left just bend the housing towards it and it will completely pop off.

9. now that the housing is apart your going to need to remove the lowbeam reflector that goes around the bulb. but before you do this get some tape. you will notice that the bottom where the screw is after you take this out start a piece of tape on there and go directly over the top then try and follow the lines and make a side to side one, its not going to be straight across but on an angel (this will help you aim your light)

10. depending on your projector and its size will determine the size of the hole to cutout for it to sit back in there. your best bet is to take the dremel with a cutting wheel, wear a mask and goggles as it will be everywhere. cut out the part where the light clips in then you can always open it up more to make sure the bowl of the projector sits as far back as it can so that the holes on the projector can be used for mounting to the housing. basically a projector has a bowl and a lens, the bowl is usually seperated and meets the part that holds the glass on. that meeting point is where you want your projectorto sit flush with the housing.

11. once you have that done get 2.5 inch long screws usually 32 thread with springs and washers. mark your holes after you have your projector lined up and drill them. the projector shouldnt go straight out but follow the highbeam projector. easiest way to see the path is put the headlight down get a long screwdriver well 2 of them and sit them in the bottom of where the light bulb sits and you can see the natural path for both, follow this.

12. once the holes are drilled, you can either paint this which will give you better output since there wont be glare everywhere. insert the screws into the projector then slide on the springs may need to be cut (springs arnt always needed) then fish them through the holes and put the nuts on them. use atleast 3-4 screws per projector. tightened it down to how you want it, now go test fit it on your car.

13. depending on your shrouds cut it to fit, check for clearance and mount them using silicone or jb weld or something else. mount angel eyes or leds or what ever you want.

14. put your headlight into the car and pull it up to a flat wall and a flat floor about 5 feet away, take a measurement of the ground to the middle of the projector then take the measurement on the wall from the cutoff to the floor, (method is a guide for straight cut projectors) different style cutoffs have different points. these numbers should be the same,

15. go back to 15 feet and make sure that the projectors are aimed right and that they go straight on. when they meet on the wall theres a spot in the middle of 1-2 feet that they overlap and then should stepup. passenger side should be a little bit higher to light up road signs.

16. reassamble your lights, get black silicone what ever type you prefer and a caulking gun and on the housing put it in the seem all the way around. light werkz says silicone isnt the way to go yet he uses it and if you reuse the nissan product what happens if you ever want to take it apart again, once is bad enough. put the glass on, put the one screw in beside the turn signal and take a heatgun and heat up each part piece by piece and close the seal backup. if you did the take apart right, once you heat up the plastic you wont even need to touch it as youll see it start molding back to where it originally was.

enjoy your new lights, if you have any questions or concerns send me an email. im not responsible for any damage that may happen.

-Retro Lite

[dangeris]

Thanks Brandon! That's an awesome write up. I tried to open up my lights in the summer but failed miserably as you already know Anyway, is this the same process for the tails? Will you also be doing a DIY kit for the tails?

[mikegtr06]

im interested in a diy kit, email me the price.

[missmedude]

I want projector headlights......