Hi Gang!

Did you ever wonder why our HID beams have such a sharp cutoff? After taking apart a stock US housing with a heatgun (took only 25 minutes + NO melted plastic!)

Here's a picture of the inside of the projector lense:


Another picture with no flash:


Notice the notch in the second picture? That notch should be very familiar to you Everything viewed throught he lense is upside down (just like through your eyes) and the cutoff is on the bottom... I'll even bet that the lense on the other side of the car has a slightly different cutoff line (and the right and left projector lenses are reversed for RHD vehicles). I'll confirm that hypothesis when I open up the other housing.

Now for my solution to the mystery European aiming device that fits into this three notched opening (where US spec housings have a fixed screw):


My solution: open the stock and European housings and swap corner lenses! Now I will have spent $950 on two clear pieces of plastic... cool huh? At least the stock US housings (now with the clear corners) will go right back in like butter and aim easily...

Now for the heinous part: The high beam + projector section of the housings (minus the outer cover) will fit in the stock headlight housings of My Ford Focus ZX3 (as long as I cut off the turn/parking light ends). All I have to do is purchase two ballasts, HID bulbs, halogen high beams, and appropriate wires and sockets. I love our lights so much that now I never have to live without them (regardelss of my vehicle).

Just sharing my fun + habit for extreme modification...

 

Shaner -- you are an animal, the 'ultimate handyman.'

I would love to get my hands on a pair of clear turn signal diffusers but not at the cost you're paying for them (!!).

Can't wait to see pictures when you're done...

 

Thanks for a very informative write up.. but please, not too loud about the lights being plugged into another vehicle.. my wife complains about the lights on her car every time she sees mine and if she hears I

 

Hi Shaner,

This is the information I was waiting for!!!

What kind of material is the bit with the cut-off pattern? It look like some injection molded plastic, but maybe it is made of metal, because of the heat in the lamp...

I am intending to take apart the lamp as well and now I have finally seen the inside of the lamp, I'll try to take the cut-off piece out (can you take it out?) and modify it to create the european light pattern. This pattern is not staggered, but has a slope, so I think it must te able to cut it under a slight angle.

If you look into the lamp from your picture, I think I can make the slope of the lights go up on the richt side of the beaming pattern (sitting inside the car and viewing forward) by cutting the edge from the center 'notch' down towards the left. As you said, the pattern will project upside down, which means that the light will progressively go up to the right.

Now, if I can get my hands on the clear plastic bits, I would have 'real' European spec lights! But 950 bucks seems a little bit steep...

Your thoughts?

Thanks again!!

 

Siepel,

The Carnage Continues!! Autopsy reveals the following:

Full spread:


Here's the HID projector housing with the fitting that provides the "cutoff"... both heavy metal (because of the heat)


The focus lense for our HID is one heck of a solid piece of glass!!


That lense makes me feel kinda funny... I just had laser eye surgery yesterday!

What else do you guys/gals want me to take apart...? to see how it works...

 

Shaner,
Do you ever get a chance to actually drive your car, or is something always taken apart?
By the way, what do you do for a living?

 

LOL

Thanks for the additional info Shaner!!!

I guess I will be able to do what I want with a set of good files ...

Siepel

 

Did I miss something? If you bought the Euro spec housings, why are you taking your stock ones apart? Oh yeah, one more thing...YOU ROCK!

Andrew

 

Brave guy you...
These are things that I could never imagine myself doing.
Did you do the laser eye surgery yourself too?

 

S2Kguy,

When I went to install the European spec housings and found that there was no main aiming screw I...

-Tried to get European owners to buy me (at a MAJOR profit to them) the missing "aiming part" that goes in the three-notched hole
-Thought about fabricating an aiming screw myself
-Found that the housings open up with a heatgun in ~25 minutes which could allow a quick swap of corner lenses

Choice 3 is by far the fastest and easiest...

And 'yes' I do drive my car... it's winter here and the Stook is happy in pieces in the garage.

No, I didn't perform my own laser eye surgery

I was a synthetic organic chemist working on polycarbonate data technology for GE until I switched to computer network design/administration

Additional note: I had my 2001 ZX3 less than a day and <50 miles before I started taking IT apart...