Duke your headlights are freaking awsome!

This is one mod I have been thinking about after seeing the Prefix truck at the SEMA show. I am also going for a nice luxury look as well as performance.

In one of your earlier post you metioned that you would post the contact information of the person that did most of the labor (I think it was Matt you metioned). I did not seem to find it in any of the post, do you mind posting it again, or if you already did could you send me a link to where I could find it.

 

He might have 2nd thoughts about referring the work to him after all the crap he went thru and having to get them re-done by someone else. I do noth think it would be a good idea to refer people to someone who cant do it right the first time.

 

Good point

I will continue the search for a reputable place to perform such a mod.

 

Theres plenty of capable retrofitters.
Im sure DUke can refer jwhite or any of the others.

 

HIDPlanet is right, I don't want to refer Matt as the job was not to the standards that I was hoping for. While they were done in a sufficient manner, they seriously lacked in the details and ended up having fogging issues. JWhite on HIDPlanet.com/forums took apart my retrofit resealed it. He has done good job on his previous retrofits and is a VERY nice and reasonable person to work with. Very trustworthy and level headed guy.

I'd join the forum I referenced above and search through there. You have a lot of reading and learning to do in order to find the person, parts, type of HID projectors, and budget that fit you best. You most likely won't be able to get your hands on a pair of bi-xeon LS430 projectors, but another projector I highly recommend is the Acura TL projectors. They're bixeon and have great output.

My project started in March of 05 and took a year to complete, with final touches happening at this point. However, a simpler retrofit like acura tls wouldn't take more then a couple months based on how busy the retrofitter is.

I've learned so much about this that I'm going to do the next retrofit on my own. My moms 2001 Town and country van is in need of better headlights and I'm looking on ebay for an extra set that I can retrofit projectors into.

Best of luck in your project! Be prepared to spend money.

Duke

 

Thank you Duke on your input. I will go check out that other forum you mentioned. I will have to look a little closer at the tl's as an option. Right now I have been looking at the Audi and BMW projectors. I will of course have to do some more research.

 

Hey duke, its been a while since you updated any.
I was wondering how your tails were coming along.

I think im finally going to do HIDs but i dont have the budget nor really the need for such a high end HID retrofit. Im looking at some basic reflector type hids.

Anything you would recommend? Also i have been looking into the navi headlights as an alternative, i know you looked into those. (perhaps breifly) Did you see if the mounting points were the same? from the pics i have gotten and dug up it seems like it would be a bolt on item.

 

Wow...amazing.

 

Hey Fabian,

The LED taillights are installed but I'm working on creating a diagram to rewire them and make the top part work with brake/turn/running lights. Right now they're just brake and turn.

Any way you go you're going to end up spending some cash. I don't remember if the navigator reflector is the same 7 inches as the F150. You'd have to be able to get ahold of 2 navigator headlights, open them up, buy a set of aftermarket F150 headlights (OEM can't be opened unless cut), open the aftermarket F150 headlights, remove the reflectors in each, and (god willing and having each reflector be the same size) which I don't think they are, you'll be able to switch the reflectors.

However, you'll still need HID bulbs and ballasts.

If you're up to doing projectors (better performing), then I'd look into TL projectors and if they're too expensive then look at RS6 projectors. That way you'll retain bi-xeon.

Duke

 

Take some pics of those tails!

And the navigator lights i was refering to were the HID lights as complete units.

they have two seperate reflectors, one for the HIDs and one for the highs i believe. i was thinking of installing the whole headlamp assembly they have the ballasts bolted on the underside. What i dont know is if the mounting points for the headlights are the same as the F150.

I know the projecters work extrememly well and maybe im silly, but i dont like the look of the projectors in the housing, thats the main reason i want to perhaps get a D2R hid system.
I did see some LS430 complete projectors on ebay yesterday though for $500

I have looked into aftermarket but im not sure how good of a quality kit they make. I may scavenge parts from OEM D2R hid systems.

One last question though, do your hids come on when you unlock the vehicle?
You know with the keyless it turns the lights on, i heard the lighting system doesnt carry full voltage during that time they light.

 

$500 for LS430s is a little steep these days. Just make sure if you were to get them, that you get a left and right as they're directional.

Navigator headlights won't fit in our trucks, it's already been tried.

Do a search on New LEDs installed or something like that and you'll see plenty of pictures of the tails.

If you want to do D2R, you're going to lose your highbeams unless you get the D2R set that saleen is selling. I believe if you search you'll find D2R bi-xeon reflectors but they're really expensive. Then you get a set of aftermarket headlights, open them up, and install the new reflector.

I have a Viper 791xv alarm and the fogs and running lights blink when I arm/disarm. I have HID fogs too, so I just keep the fog light pushed in to avoid having the fogs flash.

Also, if you do HID, I suggest you run a new wiring harness. It's cheap protection and safety for your stock wiring harness. I go into depth in plenty of the other HID threads as to why.

Just do a search on that.

Sorry to keep suggesting a search, it's just I don't feel like retyping all that information right now. It's been a rough day.

Duke

 

dont worry bout the search thing, i am relatively new here, but im an avid poster and donator on another site so i know the deal.

thanks for the suggestions, and ill do the searches.

Whatever i do its definantly gonna have beefed up wiring with my current wiring only used to activate the relays.

im curious to see those tails!

thanks for the info, i think im going to have to go register over at HIDPlanet and lurk for a few months.

 

Hopefully I'll have the tails done this weekend or next week. As soon as their done I'll post a "How-To" on the re-wiring for guys to apply to these taillights or others.

Duke

 

Hey duke, I've been reading info on retrofits. Can we see some more lighting pics like the typical ones in threads on HID planet. Yours looks brighter than most if not all I've seen on there (at least the intensity on the garage shows that). Do you have a thread on HID Planet? What about the guy HID planet does he have any pics of his light output?

Very nice and I'm well aware I'm bringing this thread back. This was a lot of $ and work without too many pics so hopefully this will change that. Great job!

Btw, someone posted an amazing picture of what I can't remember, but might have been an acura TL in the back alley of a Savemart of similar shopping mark, with amazing light output. Maybe you know what I'm talking about.

 

Hey Josiah,

I can take more pics but it'll take some time. I haven't been home in over a month and I get home tomorrow. But I'll have so much "stuff" to do this weekend I'm not sure I can get to take output pictures and posting them. I will try to do it next week though.

If you search HIDPlanet.com/forums for "F150" or "F150 Q45" or F150 "LS430" then you should find more pictures of his and mine. You can also look at any Q45 pictures to see what his output will look like. Mine, you can't just look at LS430s. Thing is, I had mods done to the projectors to make the light output more entense. There should be an old bodystyle Tundra on there with the LS430 projectors that are similar to mine.

The TLs are another projector that are great. If I didn't have my projectors those would be the exact ones I'd use.

Like I said, I'll do my best but it might be Wednesday of next week.

Thanks,

Duke