akscooby

It is held in place by two large screws which just happened to fit perfectly in the TSX projector and also served to center things. Then, filled gaps with heavy-duty foil tape. On top of that, I bondo'd the whole thing together. After that dried, I applied a coat of JB Weld. Then primer and paint on that.

 

I am never going to get this apart again....lol. The bondo and JB Weld are incredibly strong...I tried to make it move, and couldn't without breaking something.

I know this isn't a subaru, but wanted to show off my retro in my truck...

 

TSX projector in a Denali housing after fabrication:

 

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/slmorsell/Denali%20headlight%20project/hidbracket.jpg

 

On the truck:

 

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/slmorsell/Denali%20headlight%20project/IMG_0021resize-1.jpg

 

Cutoff:

 

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/slmorsell/Denali%20headlight%20project/IMG_00471.jpg

 

From driver's seat:

 

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/slmorsell/Denali%20headlight%20project/IMG_00521-1.jpg

 

Came out pretty good, not perfect, for a first-time.

Once you see the output difference you'll love the aggravation....

 

I sold my car and got a Yukon Denali. I SOOO miss my HID's. The OEM lights in my truck suck. But, it has projector lows, so they will be upgraded as soon as I can afford it.

 

Get some HIR's for the high beams, by the way. They are very impressive.

If I recall correctly, there wasn't a sharp cutoff. I replaced mine with HID's, which are so bright and unfocused I only use them as driving lights when there's no on-coming traffic. I did adjust them as best I could, though, with the one adjustment screw accessible through the front if you pop out the fog light faring/housing piece.

Aiming the fog lights on these cars is sort of notoriously mediocre at best, anyway. What control you do have is very limited, plus the light is not super focused by the lens to begin with. It is more of a flood pattern then a focused spot.

See post #1 in this thread.

+1 to the HIR high-beams. They're pretty incredible.

 

I went HID with lows and fogs and run them all, and there is more then enough light...lol.

Not as much as I was thinking...thanks for the info.

Mini--

 

I haven't really done the research on this, so forgive my ignorance, but how much (roughly) does the retro you did cost? I like the look and results, so just wondering...

Subscribe. I want to see the comparo pics.

Ok, so I had forgotten about the flash to pass stuff...that can't work due to the HID nature of "warming" up first...and to keep on topic.. and having a combination of lights, are there any suggestions for a good halogen color-matching light or place to order said bulbs? I can keep my highs halogen, I'd just like them to match the rest of the show.

 

The HIR's really are a good bulb...I don't care what anyone says, and they've lasted me a lot longer then *ANY* set of h7's that I've owned. Yes, I know they get used less, but I almost guarantee I use high beams more then most, living in perpetual darkness for six months of the year....

Have you tried the HIR's for a high-beam replacement? They are pretty white and really freakin' bright for a halogen. I've still got those in my Subie, although I'm going to eventually change them out to the "other" lights as well since at the moment not all of my lights match color-wise which is just goofy looking. Not sure if they make them in 9005, but that sounds right...might help the wife-mobile. They are cost-intensive, though, so the GE's might be a better option...dunno. Just another option.

Maybe I should comment cause I created this damn thread. I switched to the Osram Hypers at the time when I created this thread: October 2006. They are still running strong. Yes I have disabled the DRLs long long long time ago in 2005 and performed a careful install as to not touch the bulb with bare hands. Beyond that I do not take any special precautions such as turning off the lights before starting the car at night etc.

 

While the first set of bulbs (Phillips OEM) was indeed a poor quality (or more likely a limited lifespan compared to the Osrams), I feel that anyone that is repeatedly burning bulbs has a short circuit of sorts or an otherwise electrical problem on the car - be that running excessive audio equipment which is overdrawing current and causing fluctuations in the current drawn by the light bulbs, defective wiring, alternator etc.

 

I'd be curious to know the R² (Pearson correlation coefficient) between the rates of headlight failure and the following:

- aftermarket audio/video/security equipment

- overly corroded OEM battery

- blown fuses

 

as well as whether the headlights burning is biased (left first or right first or both at once)

 

Just a quick response, and this is just my experience with my car:

 

-I have NO aftermarket anything, other then an autostart, which was installed after several lights had already gone out

 

-While not exact, both sides burn out at a remarkably close rate to each other. Usually +/- 2 weeks.

 

-My battery is checked every 6 months (I'm a little OCD about routine maint.) and it's never had an issue.

 

-I've never blown a fuse on any system in the car.

I wonder if your average year round temperature has an effect? Maybe the colder climate cars experience this more? Who knows?

 

That could be an issue, as well. Those bulbs get hot fast, but if it starts at -20 it might be a lot more stress on the filament then the average car in a not-so-extreme climate.

Just to clarify a little bit about my case, I changed the bulbs out on my own, wore surgical gloves, and was very, very careful not to even tap the bulb surface on any other surface. I don't think it was a grease or fingerprint problem. The bulbs did not break or bubble, it was purely filament issues. And it happened with multiple manufacturers all at about the same interval. Osrams lasted slightly longer and were generally much better and brighter in my opinion, but they still "burned out."

Wow...maybe there's an electrical problem somewhere. I know I'm not the only one to go through bulbs like mad on the '05's, anyway. I wonder if it was a bug they later fixed so others don't get the same results with the same bulbs?

Disabled DRL's a long time ago. Still have to have lights on the majority of the time here, either because of darkness or legal reasons on the highways, so the difference is probably insignificant.

 

Anyway, point being that you were sounding like Osrams were 100% legal, which they aren't. I've been using them for 2 years and really like them, but I just spent nearly $100 replacing them (with shipping to Alaska) and I just can't do that every six months or so. So I'm trying 5000k HID's. I may or may not like the result, but they should last for years.

Partly, yes. They have to put a chipped and clipped key under the steering column to over-ride the built-in security in order to start the car. If someone gets that far in breaking in and somehow starting the car though, they've already done some significant damage, and that's why I have full-coverage insurance. However, the second part of the immobilizer is having the ignition on, which still takes a key to do. So, part of the immobilizer still works...you can't just jump in an auto-started car and drive off. It'll still die without a key in the ignition and the ignition on. Trust me, mines died numerous times backing down the driveway when I've forgotten to put the key in....

It's a Scosche. I don't think they do autostarts anymore, but they were identical to Compustar. Check here:

 

http://www.compustar.com/main.htm

Auto start with the 5mt? Does it (teh auto start module) have a clutch interlock, or are you just really careful?

 

Not sure what it's called, but it's got little magnetic sensors that automatically check to see if the tranny is in neutral or it won't even try to start. Works really well, actually, but it's a bit more expensive to install then on an auto.

My wife does tend to leave everything on when she turns the car off. Always been a little pet peeve of mine, but never said much about it. I turn everything off...even the radio. On those cold Alaska mornings, I figure the battery needs all the extra power it can get to crank. Ok, I leave the heat on, but it's on auto so it doesn't turn up until the engine temp goes up. Auto-start is a beautiful thing when it's -25 out......

I'm having it done by one of our local Subie guys. He knows what he's doing from what I've heard. I'll make sure to remind him to align them so as not to blind on-coming traffic.

I've tried a few different bulbs, and six months seems to be about the average life. Course, where I'm at it's either dark all the time or you have to have them on anyway by law on the highway, so they are basically always on, which might have something to do with it.

Says right on the Osram box: "Off-Road. Not approved for public roads. Not approved for use in Europe/USA."

 

Don't get all preachy about how "legal" they are, when they are self-admittedly not. They are great bulbs, though. I just wish they, and all H7's...would last longer, which is why I'm giving up on the endless bulb-changes and trying HID.

HID's are here...yay! Gotta wait until Monday for the install, though...that sucks.