DEPO light mod
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 949
Likes: 1
From: Tampa fl
St. Jude Donor '14
DEPO light mod
I have these depo lights that had the plastic lens cover crack. I never liked the frog look and dont want to pay 1400 for true flush lights, so does anyone know of anyone who has hacked up a DEPO to make them flush?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 177
From: Houston, Texas FEAR THE BONES
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I did, in fact, hack up my DEPO lights in an effort to get them to actually illuminate the road instead of the tops of trees. This effort required major disassembly and reengineering of the internal mounting surface to get the lights to come down much more than the little "adjustment screw" on the bottom of each light was capable of doing. Once the lights were lowered sufficiently to light up the road, I noticed that they actually sit lower than the hood line. So you probably could mount some flush lens covers if could find someone that make them. Using the lights as-is, the lights sit above the hood line, thus preventing the use of flush lens covers.
Once I got the lights to aim at the road, I noted that the output and beam pattern (using H4, 50-watt 6500 HID low beams) was quite poor, much less desirable that my old 35-watt 6500 HID bulbs mounted in the stock flip-up light housings. So in the end, I removed the DEPOs and went back to stock housings with HID bulbs until I can figure out what to do next.
In the process of modifying the lights, I cracked the driver's side lens cover. I would be happy to sell you my passenger side lens cover and any of the other components if you need some replacement parts. Not doing me a whole lot of good sitting in my garage in a box.
Once I got the lights to aim at the road, I noted that the output and beam pattern (using H4, 50-watt 6500 HID low beams) was quite poor, much less desirable that my old 35-watt 6500 HID bulbs mounted in the stock flip-up light housings. So in the end, I removed the DEPOs and went back to stock housings with HID bulbs until I can figure out what to do next.
In the process of modifying the lights, I cracked the driver's side lens cover. I would be happy to sell you my passenger side lens cover and any of the other components if you need some replacement parts. Not doing me a whole lot of good sitting in my garage in a box.
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,550
Likes: 902
From: Republic of Texas
The depo lights cannot me made to sit flush since the projectors sit above the body lines.
The closest you can get to flush are the Radioflyer Stealth Light Cannon V2 headlights:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...e-on-sale.html
The closest you can get to flush are the Radioflyer Stealth Light Cannon V2 headlights:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...e-on-sale.html
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 949
Likes: 1
From: Tampa fl
St. Jude Donor '14
ylo- Thanks for the offer I will let you know if they are of any use to me. I had to do the same to mine when I first got them. The housing for the projector was mounted cockeyed and had to re-engineer it.
DANZ- I had mine pained. Still looks funny with the frog eyes.....
Radio- I am aware of the kit and this was the $1400 kit I was refering to in my OP.
I went to the store picked up some materials and got to work yesterday. I am almost done with my backyard version of the flush mount DEPO mod
I will make a thread with instructions if everything turns out. Basicly I took it apart, removed the projector housing shifted it back and epoxy in place. There was still a small amound sticking up on one side but not enough to make me think it is frog like. I then used foam as a mold around it and shaped to fit. I used fiberglass to cover everything and after some sanding and bondo, i will be painting it today. I spent about $50 and bought the lights for $75 originaly. So with a few days and little $$ in it im pretty happy with it. I know there are a million ways to skin a cat, and if i did it again would change some things, but i had a free day and some broken headlights laying around so why not experiment.
DANZ- I had mine pained. Still looks funny with the frog eyes.....
Radio- I am aware of the kit and this was the $1400 kit I was refering to in my OP.
I went to the store picked up some materials and got to work yesterday. I am almost done with my backyard version of the flush mount DEPO mod
I will make a thread with instructions if everything turns out. Basicly I took it apart, removed the projector housing shifted it back and epoxy in place. There was still a small amound sticking up on one side but not enough to make me think it is frog like. I then used foam as a mold around it and shaped to fit. I used fiberglass to cover everything and after some sanding and bondo, i will be painting it today. I spent about $50 and bought the lights for $75 originaly. So with a few days and little $$ in it im pretty happy with it. I know there are a million ways to skin a cat, and if i did it again would change some things, but i had a free day and some broken headlights laying around so why not experiment.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 949
Likes: 1
From: Tampa fl
St. Jude Donor '14
So these are the depo lights reworked. I took them apart, and cut up a few pieces of the plastic to mold it into the final product. I think I may have been able to get it a little more flush if I took the cut the projector housing. 
next i used expandable foam to fill the voids. After it dried i cut away the excess.
once I cut everything away I used bondo glass over the foam.
I have some more sanding and engineering to do for the lens covers then I will be painting this week sometime. More pics to come.
next i used expandable foam to fill the voids. After it dried i cut away the excess.
once I cut everything away I used bondo glass over the foam.
I have some more sanding and engineering to do for the lens covers then I will be painting this week sometime. More pics to come.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 949
Likes: 1
From: Tampa fl
St. Jude Donor '14
Well I finished this project...to an extent... I am trying to figure out a lexan cover for it that will look good and cant seem to come up with anything. In the mean time I didnt create a way to adjust the headlights so they are not very effective. I will prob scrap them this weekend and start over with all of the should have dones that i thought of along the way.