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New project :)

4K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  uuf6969 
#1 ·
Just wanted to share with everyone my new project. I'm in process of doing a 08 front-end conversion and didnt want the standard OEM HID's. I looked all over and wasnt able to find anybody doing this with the 08-10 headlights. I did pick up lots of information on the process, mainly what company to buy the headlights from to make this easy. So wish me luck.


Planning on starting this week with the headlight opening. I checked the edges of the headlights and it's sealed with the black glue, so a1auto all the way.:D Anyways this is my 1st time trying this, so any info you guys have will be greatly appreciated. Ill take lots of picture in the process.
 

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#2 ·
great news on the black sealant!

just start prying away, dont worry if the edges get chewed up..the sealant will cover that and not visible once installed.

A member did a retrofit on his 06 i believe/ user name 2for3...def search his thread for it, lots of good info
 
#3 · (Edited)
Just alittle update on how the conversions going. Got the headlights open, which was very easy. Painted the bezel gloss black PX8 to match the car. Messed up the turning signel by using medical tape instead of painting tape. My wife is like I can get it off and decides to put alcohol on it, then brings it back to me "just paint it black" the chrome came off of course. lol so I decided just to paint it black. Will post pictures soon.

I got almost everything Bumper, grill, lights, lower valence, but unsure if I need any brackets/rivets?
 
#4 ·
I'm making some for a few members. Put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 225*F. Don't go any hotter because they will melt!

Making sure when you take them out of the oven to wear gloves and pry open the lense.

Once you do that wait for the lense to cool down and wrap it in siram wrap so no dust gets on the lense.
 
#8 ·
Ah ok cool thats not to bad then. Next I'm gonna pre install the HID harness. I know how to install it, but wish I could see how you guys did it ie. Relay/ballast placement. I ordered a set of switch back LED's, but OMG I'm never ordering from china again that shit takes forever.
 
#9 ·
Funny story about the orange side markers, I took them to be tinted to go along with the theme. The auto tint guy told me they spray them now with a paint, So i said ok. Long story short he messed them up and had to buy me another set of headlights. So I think im gonna just leave them stock.
 
#10 · (Edited)
LOL. Well that can be a good thing sometimes ;) Headlight projects always seem to be a pain. I love how they look, just hate the process involved. Seems like something always gives me trouble.

Why not just take piece of tape the same shape as the side marker indent and paint the rest of the marker black like the headlights? Just remove the tape pieces before the paint dries. Thats what I did with my retrofit, came out great! The side markers blend right in.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Alright made acouple updates, but can decide which way to go. I'm currently leaning toward just using the standard chrome gatlin shroud to match the highbeams and has a classy look. I figuar the chrome jeep logo the chrome in the projector and chrome accent on the lower bumper valence should clean up the front-end, but all black looks tempting. I posted some pictures of the extended e46 shroud in chrome, but i can't figuar out what I needed to shave to make them fit. The black ones are the normal one.

This kinda sucks, because I still have my 07 bumper on and i really want to adjust the lights and seal them up from upstairs without having to installing them. Do you guy have any ideas about rigging up a leveling device/station to adjust them?

Oh and quick question? RetroFS sent me a testing 9006 cable. Can I just hook it up to my bike battery 12v +pos an -neg to test it?
 

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#12 · (Edited)
I like the blacked out reflector and the chrome gatling gun shrouds the best. IMO the others don't look natural in our wk housings. But then again I'm biased because that's exactly how I did my retrofit :D

And I would suggest going ahead and just testing them out on the jeep. I had trouble trying to get the projectors level outside of the jeep. Never could get the headlights at the right angle as they sit on the jeep. I ended up breaking a mounting tab in the process too. I had to go ahead and mount them on the jeep to test them out. Luckily, I had everything else done so I went ahead and sealed the headlights up afterwards and installed them the next day.
 
#14 ·
IIRC the rivets are only for the wheelwells? ou can actualy just tuck them behind the metal end of the bumper. You can reuse your grille rivets.
 
#17 ·
Aight finished the install yesterday. I would say this was definitely a fun project. Out of everything the hardest part IMO was putting the headlights back together. You really want to get a good seal. I didn’t clear out the old glue, left it and added more. You can just pull off the excess. I'm very, very happy with the outcome. The difference is night and day with these things. I was always the one with the aftermarket HID thinking it was cool looking, but once you install projector HID the truth can be seen. I find myself driving around looking at other HID beam patterns now lol.

Bumper was very easy to remove the hardest part are those stupid rivets, I have no idea way they would use that type. I just cut it off and bought a rivet gun for new ones. Harness installation was easy sauce too. Ground on both side of the fender walls, I didn’t have to drill any holes. Passenger side ballest attached to the coolant reservoir and driver side zip tided to inner fender. Relays I folded the metal tab and hook it to the fender with double-sided tape. Anyway if you have any questions ask away. Let me know what you think.
I got the new bumper and grille in my garage. Even tried removing the 07 bracket to test the bumper, but it was a no go. So I'm waiting on it from eBay.

Ill post something official, but I'm selling my e46 non-extended and e46 extended shrouds. Maybe someone with more experience can use them.
The non-extended are painted satin black and one of the chrome once has a little of it shaved where I tried but gave up. see pics.
 

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#19 ·
Just wanted to share some updated pictures. Semi finished my 08-09 conversion, just need to get the airdam and debating chrome insert. Today I stopped at 7-11 on the way to work and saw my 1st SRT8. Ive never seen one in person. Had a good walk around it, it was all black looked really nice. I never realized how big the exhaust is. Definetly want to get those sideskirts now. If anyone's intrested in buying any parts. I have a 07 grille, bumper, 2 support brackets, and headlights. I will post pictures.
 

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