anyone have some good headlight mods? im looking at the C5r built in headlights around 500 bucks with lights or like JDMvettes headlights are pretty sweet looking too.. want that euro blueish color and just getting bulbs with the stock ballasts dont look even close

 

If you go to the general forum and search with the term "Frog" you'll see many threads on them. The best looking IMO were from a member "theradioflyer97" but it seems he's stopped producing them....

 

Check this thread out. A lot of reading, but it's worth it.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...hread-3-a.html

 

http://www.corvetteguys.com/c5-proje...hts-black.html

what about these
http://www.corvetteguys.com/c5-proje...hts-black.html

 

i just bought these projectors for when i do my HID upgrade. i'll let you know how they work out when i get them installed.

 

hahaha i just saw those on ebay....they look decent let me know PLEASE how the quality is and how hard to install....im sure i can do it just fine...but its funny the desp says no instructions professional install recommend

 

I have what the call the DEPO aka frog lights off ebay.. Painted them and got HIDs wouldnt have it any other way.. inexpensive, easy to install, and look great after you paint them.. pics

 

yeah, i emailed the seller about them & they seem to be legit, and he says they're the highest-selling corvette headlights they have. they also come with DEPO black corners

wow, that makes them look eleventybillion times better, but i still don't like the bubble shape they make, which is why i went with the pop-ups.

...but you'll be laughing later when i have to replace a headlight motor

 

so those are the ones with black housings from corvette guys? they look much different almost grey housings but the pics on their website make them seem much more black...also any ideas on painting them torch red? paintscratch.com is usually where i get stuff but i dont think i can get that torch red in a spray can...BTW when u painted them did you use a real paint gun with air compressor? the pattern looks like u used a paint gun

 

No paint gun.. Just good old spray paint. Make sure you keep up on the wax and they should be good to go. Ive seen them painted red on here somewhere and they look great. Basically whatever the color of the car paint them to match. So if you have to give them to a paint shop, and get them painted with a clear and youll really be good.

 

For the record, our headlights are DEPO brand as well.

Also, if you want the "blue-ish" look I'd go with Luminics brand bulbs which have a coating - or Silverstars. You *could* do an HID conversion, but I think that generally that's not recommended with projector style headlights b/c of the potential for electrical problems (and possible headlight failure), FYI.

You can get nearly the same look, downside is you will be spending more money on bulbs - but you don't have to do the conversion.

As for painting them - I'd pay a shop. I've done a lot of experimenting and I have always bought paint from a place online called "automotive touchup" - they sell acrylic lacquer in high-quality spray cans that's good for a tiny, tiny scratch but on a large area it's impossible to get a nice, even finish and the chemical resistance is absolutely zero, even clearcoated.

Shops have the equipment to do a 2-part catalyzed urethane basecoat/clearcoat that you DON'T want to do on your own - that stuff is incredibly toxic - but it will look amazing. If the headlights aren't installed, I can't see it costing you too much money.

Hopefully this info helps - enjoy your lights, whichever route you go!

 

the downside to that, however, is that the coated halogen bulbs typically produce less light than stock (even the over-wattage ones). of all the different wavelengths being emitted, that coating only lets the shorter ones through - just like putting a color filter over a flashlight. the ones that do actually put out the same or more light have a significantly shorter lifespan. on top of that, running over-wattage bulbs (which many of those are) draws more current through the wires, and i would rather not start melting the jackets of those little 18 gauge wires.

i personally have a 35W HID kit installed in my truck, and it's one of the best mods i've done. it uses less power, the bulbs run cooler, and the output is way better than any halogen i've tried. i'd like to know what electrical problems you've run into using HIDs in a projector housing because to be technically legal, HIDs are supposed to be used in a projector housing because they focus the increased light onto the road and cut it off at a certain height so as to not glare into oncoming traffic. a projector lens ain't an electrical contraption - it's simply a reflector with a focusing lens in front of it and a shield inside to cut off the top half of the beam. if you're referring to projector headlamp assemblies with extra halos/LEDs/etc that people wire up wrong, i understand what you mean.

i've been running my HIDs in factory Denali projector lenses designed for a 9005 halogen bulb without any problem. the only thing is that the cutoff line is slightly less crisp than with a HID projector. the only electrical problem i ran into was that the relay harness i used to draw ballast power directly from the battery had a faulty fuse holder. i replaced that section & have had zero issues since.

i really hate to potentially cut into your sales or anything, but i thought i should throw a point of view from my personal & professional experience out there.

... and then i went to your website & saw that y'all sell HID kits, too


ps - when i bought my corvette, it had some of those blue bulbs in the high beams & i swapped them with the old high beams from my truck (since i have HID lows & rarely use the high beams anyway), and the stock 55W bulbs are brighter than the 60W blue ones.

 

zebra86 - in some cases, but not all, aftermarket projector lights are too shallow and won't allow for enough space for the HID bulbs .

As you said: "i've been running my HIDs in factory Denali projector lenses designed for a 9005 halogen bulb without any problem." Factory is the key word there - either made in the USA, or at least engineered here probably. Not all aftermarket is created equal ....

Don't think that's the case with the Depos (as well it shouldn't be) - they are German made, nice big lenses on those.

We just generally don't advise mixing aftermarket lights and HID conversion kits - but then again, lots of people do things that aren't "advisable" or even legal - powdercoating wheels, for instance. DPF deletes on trucks for another. Removing cats ... the list goes on.

But - as far as it being a conflict of interest - I would never recommend someone buy something that I don't think is going to suit their needs, whether we sell it or not. But - uh - the Depos DO take H7 bulbs, and we don't have HID kits for that. You'll have to go elsewhere.

No doubt about it - if you want both the light output and the look and don't mind the expense and possible hassle of doing an HID kit - do an HID kit. For sure! IMO though, if looks are the main concern, go with something easier - you can always go to HID later....?

Then again, color me cheap.

Anyone wants a discount code for the Depos, PM me.

 

well, as with any mod, adequate research should be done before purchasing anything. that definitely includes making sure HID bulbs will fit & work properly as well as the housings being of adequate quality. that was the main reason i took the challenge of modding factory Denali headlights (which are some of the hardest headlights to mod within the GM truck world) - they had no where near the quality issues experienced by aftermarket companies.
now with the corvettes, the C5s obviously never had factory projectors, so using a company known for making quality housings, such as DEPO, is a step in the right direction.

all i was saying about the lights is that the blue-coated halogens are dimmer than the standard ones, and many people already complain about the sub-adequate output of the factory lights. that's why i recommended the HID upgrade. it's actually a relatively easy install (as far as the kit goes) i found out installing my new projectors this weekend that it definitely takes a bit of work to get in there, but once you figure out the process, it's cake.

so i got them installed on saturday morning - took about 4hrs. that's starting from absolute scratch never knowing a thing about taking a corvette apart. it also included roughly aiming the headlights as well as the fog lights while i was in there (whoever aimed my fogs last did an absolutely atrocious job! they didn't go 4ft past the bumper & one of the bulbs was actually bent! ) the most time-consuming part was aiming and getting the headlight covers back on straight.

the kit came with the projector housing set, high & low beam bulbs, a pair of black DEPO corners, and a wiring harness to run the 65W H9 bulbs it uses for the lows. the harness also incorporates the 4-high mod so that your lows stay on when you switch to high beams. now the reason for the separate wiring harness is so that the extra current being pulled by the 65W bulbs (versus the stock 55W) won't melt the stock wiring. hooking it up was pretty straightforward & easy to figure out. just connect power & ground after running it to each side's light plugs & you're done. only kicker is that the power (+) ring terminals are slightly too small for the hot post on the side of the underhood fuse box, so you'll just need to cut them off & replace them with a couple bigger ones you can pick up at any parts/hardware store.

the output is pretty smooth & even with a sharp cutoff on the top & sides. light is a bit brighter than stock bulbs & the coverage is better, so i would say they're definitely a good upgrade from stock. don't have a HID kit yet, but that will follow in a few months when i'm done at Maxwell AFB. i looked down into the projector housing & there's plenty of room for the extra length of a HID bulb & it should be pretty easy to incorporate with the current wiring harness - simply adding a ballast between the bulb connector & bulb.

if there's anything else y'all want to know about them, feel free to ask.

 

HOT-F*CKING-DOG!!! I'm soooo gonna do this to my car^^, i wonder how black ones would look on a torch red car...pics anyone??