So I got tired of the performance of factory headlights..... even with HID's. Even though they are quite a bit brighter, they don't compare to a good set of bi-xenon projectors. Being a little bored this weekend I went ahead and did a trial-version. Modified the factory housing by cutting the front reflector lens off and plasti-welding on a clear lexan replacement. Then I discovered the hi/low projector was a bit too long and wouldn't fit! So I had to modify the rear of the factory housing. I then used some black sign vinyl to cover the old hi-beam area of the lexan. Looked ok, but there was no need to have the pop-ups so high anymore so I modified the headlights to only pop up enough for the projectors to fully function. It's a first try, trial-version.... I've got a tiny bit of play / looseness in the headlights on bumps that I need to figure out this week. Considering mocking up a set and molding clear lexan lens that has an arc to it to clear the projector without modding the rear of the housing on another set. Also considering an Audi LED strip inside along the top edge or possibly yellow LEDs for turn signal (or maybe the ones that do both white and yellow).

If anyone's had any experience in modding the headlights to only come up partially (a little less than half) and had it work well please share how you did it?!?! Not sure where the play is coming from. I can figure it out, but if someone can save me some time that would be awesome.

These things are comparable to C6 performance lo-beams but the Hi-beams are HID also so they are much brighter in Hi-beam.

 

 

Nice mod!

 

 

I really like the look of that.. that's exactly what I've been wanting for a while.

 

Cool look, I thought about doing this with my modified ACAs and is still on my list for when I bang out a few other mods and get bored.

How did you mount them? Any closer pics of the actual headlight bucket?

 

Nice job so far - keep us posted on your progress as you go along.

 

Will do. The only difference so far to mounting the headlights in the buckets is you have to tilt them up quite a bit when the bucket is only open less than halfway. This was accomplished by spacing the outer lower headlight to bucket bolt with a thick washer and longer bolt. One thing that turned out to be an issue I didn't expect was that when the bucket is half open you can't access the side shroud screw or the lower headlight to bucket bolt! Going to work some more on them and revision this coming weekend. Plan to do a lens with vacuum formed lexan this month. Biggest issue right now is engineering a bracket or stop or arm that will keep the headlight from any vibration on rough roads. Once that's done I'll refine the housings and possibly try using different hi-end projectors. I'll try to post pics of the amazing amount of light these put out at night too.

 

When the headlight parts are adjusted right there isn't any slop because all the moving parts are tensioned against each other including the rubber stops, actuator arms and motor parts. The rubber insert to the large drive gear is important since it maintains pressure to all the parts after the motor turns off. The control module turns off power to the motor when the motor current increases due to the resistance of hitting a rubber stop. If the rubber stop is relocated then the motor current will rise at that place and the control module will turn off the power to the motor there instead. Here's a link with some pictures of how the up position of the headlight assembly was changed by relocating the motor and door stops.http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...-ups-done.html

 

Dang. This is definitely closer to the idea I've had for low opening pro's. I would then modify the inboard portions (next to the projectors) so it looked similar to the stock housing like this



and fit super bright smd led towers in there. If you have bi-xenon pros no reason to outfit the inboard area with another bi or regular pro. So why not change it up and have something different than the majority who want quad pro.

I'm hoping after I get her paid off I can start fiddling with my own setup and have something at least somewhat unique.

Do you think you could post any close ups of the assembly and what you've done so far? Thanks in advance

 

i'm curious... what projectors did you use?

 

I love this mod, however it makes the C5 look half-baked!

 

You did all that in one weekend? My hat is off to you Cowboy I can't wait to see how your mod progresses as I have always been a fan of the "sleepy eye" look and having bi-xenon projectors just makes the mod that much better!

 

Nice work and congrats!
you should stick a second set of Bi-Xenons in there just to fill up the space









did you modify the rear stabilizer? if not that could be where all your vibration is coming from. the beige tabs on the rear of the headlight bracket, when the lights open to the stock height they brace themselves againt those stops. so the rear of the headlight is braced there, the front is held in place by the adjuster arm. between the two the headlight door locks pretty solidly in place. if you didn't make adjustments then your rear ones are not making contact anymore. you either need to add a stabilizer bar or something like that across/above them to raise the height, or I understand its possible to bend them to the new position.
I thought I had a pic of my stabilizer mod, but I guess I don't have it up at the moment. I designed a bar that would span across the two of them. it raised the height a bit more than 1/4" and didn't make any permanent modification to the brackets.

 

Very nice work Mcgilles

 

Mcgilles that looks badass! You made the shrouds or just modded them? I noticed the outer side shroud screw is relocated as well (othewise you can't get to it without removing the fender). I modified the tab that had the white-ish plastic tab by extending the top one out about 1/4" so it makes contact with the arm coming out of the motor on the backside of the arm. Hard to explain but I have it stopped on there correctly.... where is the other point you're talking about that needs to have a stabilizer? I've got about maybe 1/4-1/2" play upward when I pull up on the bucket now. Not a big deal until I hit about 70mph+ or bumpy roads.... then it bounces and it looks like a strobe light show to the guy in front of me (like I'm flashing my brights at super fast speed from the vibration / bouncing). Will pull em apart tomorrow. Really liking your dual projectors and the exposed look is sweet. I assumed you couldn't run them outside a housing!

 

thanks!
somewhere around here is my thread with some pics of the install and what's under the shrouds. I sealed the projectors up really well so water can't get in. the lenses exposed are made out of pyrex and should stand up very well. it also helps of course that they're only exposed to the elements when the headlights are on, one advantage we have over other cars with fixed lights.

my lights are solid as a rock with the stabilizers. I think once you get a set of those built you'll be in good shape. if I grab onto my headlight doors and pull up and push down on them, I'll give the suspension a work out before the headlight doors move. I think 0 vibration is nearly impossible on a setup like this, I can still see it on bumps some. I don't think it vibrates any more than the stock lights did. but the stock lights didn't have a sharp cutoff so it was impossible tell a tiny vibration. with the cutoff on the FX-Rs you can see any little vibration. it doesn't bother me though, nothing to worry about.

 

Yeah, that's why I love this forum! I totally didn't even notice the rear stops with the same white-ish plastic tabs! I didn't have time last night to pull them apart but I was able to grab the outer one on each side with vice-grips and a little hammer-time to bend that one up enough to eliminate probably 99% of the movement with just that one!!! I'll pull em apart this weekend and get the other one set to get them 100%

I'm really liking the dual projector look..... I'm thinking of making a lexan shield to enclose them on the front side and scrap the factory housing all together now... Thanks again for the help! I was thinking it was going to require fabrication of entirely new mechanical arms up front!

 

One dumb question. How do you control the amount of rotation of the headlight-doors? I've got (4) FX projectors that I plan to retro into the Z but I've been curious how you guys are controlling the height the headlights pop-up?

 

all you have to do is relocate the stops one way or another. this usually requires a little bit of metal work. its possible to build an adapter plate that you can bolt on in front of the existing one to override the original stops. the headlight motors are adaptive, they monitor the current draw and know when to stop when they hit the stopping points, so there's no reprogramming, or electrical work involved. just stop the motor from turning at the proper location and it will stop there every time.