well i finally did it. i came across a set of crossfire projectors (valeo) the other day and went yesterday to get some lights to butcher.
i thought that i would stuff both the high and low projectors in there. no go. i could do it but it would be an awfull fit. so i decided to go lowbeams only. once i'm done i will see how i like them and if so ill retrofit bi xenon projectors into my old lights. i haven't taken any pics yet but so far the process has been this.

to remove the the lense i didn't bake it. i found that you can use a hobby knife and cut the sealer against the lense and it will pop right off. i then cut off the mounting tabs on the bottom of the projector to make it fit hight wise. then i used a hole saw to cut out the socket the 9004 bulb sat in. the projector fits perfectly.


i haven't sealed it all up yet and i only did the left last night but i will try to get some pictures and post em. the worst is going to be sanding out the fluting (difusers) on the inside of the lense. i don't see that an issue.

anyone got any advise before i move on? sadly the shrouds won't fit so i will be filling the housing with something (heat resistant of course) but i don't know what. im going to paint inside around the projector black and im trying to figure out how to make it all look the way i want.

 

Ya post up pics. I want to see how this comes out.

 

Agreed, everyone is looking for brighter lights. A little bit of DIY is fine by me

 

yeah the 9004 bulbs suck!!! im doing this because with hids the sorry beam pattern was more obvius and i worry about the glare to oncoming traffic. not to mention the light output also sucks compared to modern lights. when i'm done i don't care if i keep the old halogen h7 bulbs in there i just want to be able to see. the worst of this will be getting the diffusers out and getting the aim right. i am considering adding a led rope or some other effect just for the cool factor. i doubt that i will though. im thinking more and more that what i'll do around the projectors for trim is the seal up the sides with aluminum so that there isn't stray light in the housing and just paint it all black. that would hide most of the little blemishes. and since the housing is so small there isn't a large gap on the top and bottom. it may be a bit before i get it done just due to not knowing the look i want or how to get it. i could just toss em in and have it functional this weekend but i want it to look good.
prior to this i've tried the silver stars (sucked as much as stock) hid's (big help but still suck and if i can't have the high beam i want good lows atleast) 55 watt driving lights in the valance and finally 100 watt lights in the grill. the output is awsome and truly lights up the neighborhood but unusable at any distance. there just is not a substitute for headlamps. if i like this and it works like hope the projectors i will fit in later are about 100 bucks with the bulbs and i'd use my ballasts.
the only reason to do that would be so that i could have highbeams again. i'll keep the others on there since they are there and it's not clutterd looking. i may need them off road some time where the light scattering all over the place is a good thing.

one other thing i considerd was projector driving lights but i don't think that they would be impressive either. im sure if the reflector bowls are large enough they could do well with some shield mods if one wanted them for high beams but to be big enough to form a good beam they would be atleast 5 inches long 3 to 4 inches around. not many places to put that!

 

got me some projectors. bi xenenon osram. i'll try to get the other one is i can. ifv not i may have a set to sell....
i suppose i could mount them on the cab.

 

just an update and i do plan to post pics in next day or so. i have em just haven't put em on the computer yet.
i finished the one lense. it's clear as glass and the diffusers are gone over where the projector is going to sit. i left them in around it though to help hide any imperfections in my little project. i am trying to get my hands on another bi xenon projector before i seal up the one i have 90% ready but i'll most likely just go ahead and get the lows in there so i can see how it does. so far i've cut the lense off (cut the glue around the edge) and ground off the lettters and the nipples from the outside of the lense and then restored it.
to restore it i used part of a 3m kit (free to me) wich was 500 grit pads 800 grit pads 3000 grit foam pad and a hard foam buffing wheel. i used 220 pads first to knock off the oxidation and get it smoothed out.
then the 500 and the 800.
after that then i used the 3000 pad to get it almost perfect then turtle wax rubbing compound with the foam pad. this left it almost perfect. crystal clear. i followed up with plastx to add a little more shine to it and mainly to protect it.

all of the sanding was done wet (makes it all come out nicer)
then i flipped the lense over and started on the diffusers. this took about 20 mins with 220 paper. it is not perfect but it looks incredible. i finished it off with the same routine as the outside to get it clear aswell. so far just in testing it out the aim is perfect and holy christ is it bright. these are 55wat h7 bulbs in the projectors and they are much brighter than the pnp 9004 hid bulbs. im holding off on gluing it all in because i really want my high beams..

for the time being the driving lights and my fog light supplememnt enough for me to feel safe driving. the stock lowbeams are pathetic. the highs are fine. it's the lows. after it's all done and i'm satisfied with the end result i'll sit down and make a full list of everything needed and write up just what i did to get it done. i was going to paint the inside of the housing black around the projector but im thinking now that i might just redo the chrome. it would look more stock and less like a ricer so im kinda compelled to do that. my wife thinks that it would look a bit odd if i did em up black.
as for halos that just isn't gonna happen. these lights are far to small. instead if someone wanted to they could etch the lens around the edges and put in leds for a little glow but i don't really think i want that. im going for function not form here. i almost prefer the stock look since i already get sick of hondas and mustangs wanting to race.
i don't want anymore attn from that crowd than i already have.

 

the first is a basic lense that i restored for the project.
i had cut it off and cleaned it up.


the second one is a rough fit. no shroud yet.
you can see where i removed the diffusers over the projector lense. it worked ok with them there but the cut off line was fuzzy. so out the came. that was alott of sanding. i took the lettering and the nipples off of the lense aswell. mostly because they get in the way of the foam pads and chew em up.

 

the first is a pic of the cut off 20 feet away.



and here is the finished product.


i hope to put them in tomarrow night. these are really more of a test and expierement to see how it works.
i have one bi xenon projector that i've tested for fit but i have only one.
if i don't come up with one in a few months i'll just buy a set and do this to the old lights. ill use my 100 watt driving lights for high beams. these are 55watt h7 bulbs. im not going to waste time going to hid for these unless i just happen across the bulbs because these won't be in there forever.
i used 100% silicone sealant (gutter caulking) and it seems to be secure enough seeing how tight this all fits. any questions?
ill try to get them in tomarrow and let you all know how they work.

also sorry for the length of time it took to get this together. life got in the way lol. also i would like to thank my step son for helping me so much with this project (9 years old and he did alott of the sanding and helped with the cutting) and my doughter (4) for doing the sanding on the other lense while i got the first one fitted into the housing.
i was gently reminded that they need some credit for this

 

well i did get them in tonight and holy crap it's a big improvement. they aren't hid's but still yet it's a huge difference. it's well worth doing. the cut off line is beutiful and crisp. you can see things you didn't know were even there. ill try to get a pic up in the next few days of the light beams and the way it looks installed.

 

The stock 9004 headlights on these do suck alot. i did the 9007 mod to my right side headlight and it definitely appears to be brighter, but doing this would be way better.
It just turns out i already have an extra set of headlamp enclosures that would work for this (the silvering on the inside is worn away)

Keep us posted