it's going to be in a scientific format..sorry...only format i know how to write well now adays....

Introduction: HID's are a very popular item, I am no means an expert at what I am doing, and I am just a weekend hobbyist, which means anyone can do this with the proper amount of research. There are many reasons people may wanna do retrofits, but basically the reason why is to increase light output. Just to clarify, there are two different types of output systems for HID's. Reflector base and projector base. Reflectors use a reflector housing to reflect light out towards an object. Projector's use a lens to concentrate light. There has been alot of debate whether or not one is mroe superior then the other but I find that you can have both. Reflector housing has it's positive sides and it's negative sides, while projectors also has their positives and negative sides. I am not going to debate here whether or not one is better then the other so please dont try to debate it here. You will first need alot of tools, I will list them first and explain them later.

1. Pair of Xenon Bulbs aka HID Bulbs
2. Pair of Ballasts ( I am using TSX projectors)
3. Pair of Ignitors if it didn't come with it.
4. Pair of pigtail power cords if it didn't come with it.
5. Pair of headlights if you dont want to drive around without one for a couple weeks or so.
6. L- Brackets, 4 to be exact (I will get the exact size of it by the end of the DIY)
7. Machine screws plus nuts
8. #8 washers
9. #8 Locking washers
10. Soldering Kit (still working on if this will work or not)
11. Pair of 2 inch inner diameter flanges
12. Pair of chrome electric range catch pans
13. A dremel with the sanding tool, and the carbonite tool
14. Masking Tape
15. JB Weld
16. Phillips and Flathead Screwdrivers
17. Wire strippers, wire crimpers, and electrical tape.
18. Zip ties
19. A heatgun or a oven (I used a heatgun)
20. Metal Shears

OK, So the list is pretty big, I am currently halfway through the project but these things are the things I have used and will use.

So the first thing I actually bought was the projectors, I bought them for $117 shipped on ebay, just be patient and find and you'll find a good deal eventually. I chose the TSX projectors, and most people do too, because they have a nice wide output range, and also is easy to work with. They have four convenient holes that you can use to mount the projectors as you can see. (image yet to come, i realized i havent' taken a picture of that =p).

The second thing I actually bought was the ballast, ignitors, and the bulb. I actually bought them in a set for $150 shipped.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ekwlee/diy/ballastignitor.jpg
You have the freedom to buy any type of HID kit that you want to, most aftermarket HID kits come with the bulbs ballasts ignitors all together. You can mix and match any ballast and bulb, OEM or aftermarket. BUT you have to remember, OEM ballasts are always teh best choice and most preferable choice. I learned alot from hidplanet, which you should all have a registered account if you are going to do the retrofit. I found out the most important part of the HID setup is the ballast, because it regulates teh amount of current that flows through, and it has to do it at a certain consistent level for the bulb to get that 2000 hour usage. This is why I personally went with an OEM ballast. There are two different main types of oem bulbs which are D2R and D2S bulbs. The set I got came with the D2R's. The difference between D2r's are that they are made for a reflector housing (such as those you see in priuses, older acura's and lexuses, and infiniti's) while the D2s's bulbs are made for projectors. In addition to that the D2r has a special ceramic coating to prevent glare. I circled it in the picture. The difference in lumens is about 200-300 lumens difference. Which isn't too noticable because you are going from a halogen output of 1200 or so, to 3300 of an HID. The ignitor is the metallic looking wire that leads to the metal cap thingamajigger...lol. If you want a quick understanding of what an ignitor does, you can watch thi sidiot on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nrZWlNF7uk . oh yea, and the other different thing about D2r's and D2s's is the notches at the base of the bulb. To make them fit you just have to file the nothces so that they fit into the projectors, isn't that hard, if you buy a kit that comes with d2r's, might as well use them, so all you have to do is file away the base a little bit.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ekwlee/diy/d2r.jpg
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ekwlee/diy/alltogether.jpg


Pigtails, this is the common name it's called, or otherwise known as the powercord. Make sure that when you buy OEM parts, there is a POWER cord with it. Mines didn't have it and luckily enough I bought them on ebay for just 10 dollars total for the pair. So basically there are two holes on the ballast. One for output to the bulb, and one input from the batteries/power. The pigtails, what most OEM ballast sellers sometimes fail to include is the pigtails. Here is what mines looked like

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ekwlee/diy/pigtail.jpg


So after I got the pigtail I put basically crimped them to my positive and negative wires on my harness. I bought my harness online for 20 dollars shipped. I'll post up the link if anyone wants it, but people have done HID retrofits without harnesses, but *shrug*, I only decided to do it just because the car is 20,000 dollars, and you might as well protect your 20,0000 with a 20 dollar harness that could possibly save you from frying your electrical systems in your car. After putting the pigtail on it this is what the harness looked like
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ekwlee/diy/harness.jpg


alright, im getting tired..so toooo be continued...currently in the process of aiming the beams right now...

Looks like your off to a good start.

Keep up the good work!!:thmsup::thmsup:

I'll be following this project closely. Looks like you're doing an excellent, OEM-quality job so far :thmsup: :)

I've always had a strange admiration for those that are willing to undertake a (fairly) high-stakes mod on their car since there's a chance of "frying your electrical system". I say 'strange' only because it's the same sort of admiration I have for, say, guys that get fired out of cannons. But even still, nice work and good luck. :thmsup:

I've always had a strange admiration for those that are willing to undertake a (fairly) high-stakes mod on their car since there's a chance of "frying your electrical system". I say 'strange' only because it's the same sort of admiration I have for, say, guys that get fired out of cannons. But even still, nice work and good luck. :thmsup:

that's why im using the harness..hahaha....since the harness is independent of the whole car's electrical system...

Good job!! I also got a wiring harness for the headlights too when I did the retro. Heh...I have the same ballasts too!! Out of a Nissan 350Z.

nice you are finally starting on it.:thmsup:

subscribing to this thread, as I wouldn't mind adding HID projectors as a mod if the light pattern turns out ok.

any update(s)?

honestly..i scrapped it...there was a minor hitch..well not so minor..but what happened was my headlights that i got as a spare....when i opened them up....the rotating bulb located underneath the chrome reflector broke...i jb welded it like 4 times..and it still didn't hold all the times i jb welded it..and so i decided to scrap it since i would basically have to put in another 200-300 for a new set of headlights.....so i figured that *sigh*..that's too much money on the project already if i had to put in another 200-300 so i just invested in inspires instead..got the headlights for about 350-400.... i know also that everyone is gonna say..well..the flare is on the wrong side..blah blah blah..but here is my experimental understanding..but i thought about it from a different perspective and thought about the US flares..they flare to the right side to hit the right signs.....sio i was driving down a 4 lane one way road and thought..well..theroretically if the flares should bother people..then it should bother me being at different distances and different widths from a car....but it didn't.....and i didn't notice one side being brighter then the other..and most of hte times its arbitrary....i dunno...i may be wrong....who knows.

but..to other people who are doing the retro..dont be afraid..it's actually fun and takes alot of work....but it's still funa nd completely doable...

http://www.vnforum.com/web/06accord/accord_2006.jpg
http://www.vnforum.com/web/06accord/retro/shroud02.jpg
http://www.vnforum.com/web/06accord/retro/shroud05.jpg

same tsx projector you're using, i love it, make sure you aim that thing correctly. :) you like my shroud? hahaha its a beer can!

Is it just me or can nobody else see the pics above?:dunno:

just you... they're there. looks like a cut-up Heineken beer can... <--- I dunno... guessing here.

company firewall...I fixed it.

that's totally a heineken can :)

For those who are still interested in seeing a DYI for retrofitting HIDs into 7th gen, see these threads (56k beware):
http://www.v6performance.net/forums/showthread.php?t=75247
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35064

First one is exhaustive, in fact, I've done mine largely using that thread even tho it wasn't finished at the time. Second is helpful for those who want to get a perfect cut-off orientation.

How did you do that chrome on the can? Did you polish it up :)

It's crazy how everybody's using these custom shrouds like beer cans. My cousing actually used the plastic piece from the solar garden lamps in his front yard and they look great! I'm just getting into the Hid retoro's and will actually be sending mine out to customlightz.com. I haven't asked them yet but can anybody explain to me how the color mod is done.

color-mod is basically changing slightly the way light travls through the lense in the HID projector: usually achieved with adding washers b/n the lense and bulb-holder portion of the projector. As a result, the cut-off line becomes wider and of different colors.

cutoff can be adjusted through washers or by modifying the shields. Another alternative is to swap lenses... It really depends on what projector you are using as they each have different characteristics.

How did you do that chrome on the can? Did you polish it up :)

:yes: i just buy some polish thing and buff that thing until it shine like chrome.

Damn it!! I guess there is a HUGE drawback when you do anything custom to your car...unexpected damages. In my case, I hit a f*%$& deer!! Thankfully not a lot of damage to my car. Not sure about the deer though. My car needs a new headlight (I guess I'll be doing another retro), fender, and pop out the dents on my passenger side door and surprisingly, my bumper was ok. Heh...I don't even know if the insurance adjuster will even believe me because you can barely see any damages at all.

color-mod is basically changing slightly the way light travls through the lense in the HID projector: usually achieved with adding washers b/n the lense and bulb-holder portion of the projector. As a result, the cut-off line becomes wider and of different colors.


Has anyone tried to mod the 8th gen for more color at cutoff line?