blr33439

I have been working for the last year designing a fixed position projector headlight system for C4 Corvettes. I have my design patent pending and I am looking for some feedback from those intersted. I am looking for opinions on material options(I am leaning toward carbon fiber), HID opinions, Acrylic cover attachment design(glued on, gasket and screws, attached underneath), etc. I would also like to get an estimate of how many people are interested because that will determine how the system goes into production(i.e. steel/aluminum mold, cnc machining or casting, etc.). You can also give me feedback and see more pictures on the website I have on my profile.

darrylg

You've put a lot of work into these, and they look great! They'll likely appeal to a number of owners, but, for myself, the rotating headlights are one of the cool features of C4s.

Calderone

Cool !

Muffin

Why in the name of goodness didn't you post this a month ago? That looks better than the set I bought a month ago.

socalman

I like the flip ups, but if I were to do this, they would have to be painted to match.

c4cruiser

Give the size of the units, what is gained by using carbon fiber? As stated, there would be a lot of people that would paint them to match the car. Maybe SMC or fiberglass would be a better choice and it would be easier to make the molds.

A clear cover would be needed but wouldn't it have to be vented somehow?

blakngold4life

they look pretty sweet, would love to see how they look on the car. I personally am not a carbon fiber fan on these cars so if I bought them they would be painted, with that in mind the cost of carbon fiber over fiberglass would probably make them much more expensive. The biggest complaint with other non pop up light systems is the price, if you could get these out for less than $500 I would be interested.

jnealg

I have never liked the look of modified headlights on corvettes, not even the stock c6's.
Vettes should have flippy headlights.
I like your design but wish I could find something similar that worked on the flippy motors.

thats what the 10 year old in me wants

Bronze85

Loved the hidden lights since the '63, but if they were integrated where the sealed beams are and still rotate I'd like em. (given that they improved illumination)

pantera1683

ever since I was a kid I loved the C4 flip

ggrassmid

Also, there are some guys over at corvette-guru working on a Fiat Coupe headlight "conversion". I think that looks pretty neat as well. That may give you some ideas.

Also, something that would replace the current headlight bucket to make it more streamlined at night, while still maintaining the flip headlights may appeal to some more people as well.

Just things to consider.




**EDIT**
His website; http://www.riceperformanceproducts.com/index.html, lists a projected price of $1200
You'd have a hard time convincing me to spend $1200 on headlights... even $500 is alot, but for a complete replacement upgrade of the entire thing, I'd do $500 or so as long as it looked good. Keep the fiberglass idea burning, as most people are going to paint them to match the car, not have 2 big black 'squares' on the front of the car(assuming its not a black car)

Alan777

I'm not a huge fan of the C4 flip ups, I prefer the C5/f-body's.

I'm down for a set if they're reasonable (500-700 tops) and come with projector lights.

PLRX

I'm into carbon fiber but not into Non-Pop-up. Would love to see pictures of it already on the Vette and pictures of it at night.

Pwnage1337

Interested, Subscribed.

Screw flippy lights, my headlight motors sound like a dying giraffe every time i turn them on.

blr33439

Definitely some good feedback here. I'll start with what I see as the big question, price. The $1200 I am basing on carbon fiber and low demand. If I change to fiberglass, the price would definitely be lower. The big driver on price, however is demand. I need to know if this will be a 10, 100, 1000 units per year, because that will change the price significantly. Currently, I am having plastic prototypes made. The plan is to make molds from the prototypes which will prevent needing $12000 or more in molds. Another big item, is the acrylic covers. What design is preferred. Here is the basic design I have planned.

A major question is method of attachment. They can be glued down(preferrably silicone), bolted down(with countersunk holes) and a gasket or other method. I am open to suggestions, but I want to know what everyone thinks.

j-vette

Does it need the acylic cover? From your first pic I thought your part would follow the lines of the hood with a carved out area for the lights.

With the part painted body color the clear cover kind of disrupts the look. JMO

c4cruiser

The acrylic covers will probably see chips and scrapes from driving over time. It's possible that they could even crack. If they were removable, they could be re-polished or replaced as necessary. Even a screwed-down cover will need some form of gasket to seal the recesses. Maybe a small groove around the lamp recesses and use a formed rubber seal?

Making the covers a permanent part of the housing could require that an entire new unit would have to be purchased if (when) they get chipped or scratched. Sure, it helps your profit but if the initial cost is high, then having to replace one entire unit may cause buyers to return to the OEM assembly.

I'll agree that $1200 is pretty steep even if the system includes high quality HID light assemblies. IIRC, there is another headlamp conversion kit available from Breathless Performance and they're $1100.

Your retail price will clearly determine how well you will do in making this work. C4 OEM headlights aren't the best and the motors, gears, and relays will cause problems over time. The trick will be to make it reasonably priced and provide an improved light pattern.

BTW, any thoughts on doing a C5 conversion at some point??

blr33439

A C5 headlight product will depend on how well the C4 version sells. You definitely aligned with my concerns on the cover. The purpose of the cover is aerodynamics and easy to clean, vs cleaning the individual projectors. As far as glued down, I was considering something non permanent like silicone since it can be removed. Depending on testing, maybe use black paint or paint to match around cover edges to prevent seeing the silicone. I think that would work well for the looks and ease of replacement. If bolts are used, they can be countersunk. I don't know the final price for covers, but I am striving for under $50 per set to keep replacement cheap. Acrylic will eventually yellow and nothing lasts forever. Since someone mention breathless performance, I will point out that their replacement lenses are expensive(over $200). If enough people want without the acrylic cover, I can work on a separate design without spending a lot more money. Right now I am close to 5k in this project and I still need molds. That is in addition to over 500hrs of work.

slickfx3

someone photo shop them on the car will you?

Alan777

I'd like to see body painted fiberglass photo shopped on a C4.