Easiest Projector Retro Kit!!!!

SigEp4Runner · 07-08-2009, 02:43 PM

Easiest projector retro-fit ever.

I just thought I would share a new product that I tried out with you guys. I was pretty skeptical at first and it actually took me a couple months of looking into to finally grow a pair and buy these lights. After receiving the package and installing them I am completely impressed and glad that I am no longer blinding people on the road with my old HID set up.

This projector kit was bought on ebay, which is why I was so skeptical to begin with, but others leaving comments said they were happy with the product so I bought them.

This is what the actual projector looks like

The kit doesn’t come with the HID ballast, but I had my ballasts from my previous HID kit that I spent way too much money on compared to the projector kit. Besides the ballasts, the kit came with everything needed to install; including wires, sealing glue, bulbs, screws, etc.

The best part about the kit was that it came with a fitting ring that places the projector completely straight in you headlight. The ring fits what ever bulb fitting you tell them you have and it holds the entire set up in very tight. The kit, along with any other projector, requires you to heat up and take apart the headlight but that is it, no other tinkering required!

Here is what my headlights look like.

I’m not so sure about the Halo, but it works as a driving light which lights up signs for me. I am waiting on some Audi style led lights that I am going to install along the bottom as driving lights (some of you may hate me for it, but you’re entitled to your own opinion). When I receive those I am going to take the lights apart and paint the housing black, at which point I will take more pictures to show how the projectors install and how easy the set up was.

I will wait until tonight to get some pictures of the cutoff line to show, but while I drove around last night I was very impressed, the cutoff is great!

I paid $114 total including shipping and ballasts from the same seller were $35 a piece which I already had. So for around $200 you can have pretty good and easy to install projectors. I paid around $200 just for the dang HID kit that I had previously!!!! You have the choice of Halo color and bulb fitting (H4, H7, etc.) when you buy. The kit is bi-xenon meaning it has High and low beams, the beam pattern is changed by the shield moving up and down by a motor like most stock projectors in newer cars.

Let me know what you guys think or if you have questions. If you want to look at the product on ebay search "projector len kit" spelled exactly like that with lens spelled "len", dumb overseas sellers!

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SigEp4Runner · 07-09-2009, 06:48 PM

So I got the LED lights in the mail and decided not to use them, they made it look like crap, but I did paint the housing and took some pics along the way.

Here is how the light sits in the housing, it fits right into the existing hole.

Here is the H4 connector, washer and the nut to hold the light in.

This is the back of the housing showing how all components go together to hold the projector in. You can see how the H4 ring holds the light in place with the top of the light facing the top of the housing. There is also a tooth on the H4 ring so it can only fit on the projector one way to avoid hassling with aiming it.

This is the end result with the housing painted and the projector installed. I used Rust-Oleum High Heat just incase the projector puts out too much heat for regular spray paint.

I tried taking some pics of the cutoff last night, but my phones camera doesn't work for sh** in the dark. It just made the light look like one big ball so ill find a camera to use and post the pics later. I am also waiting for the sealer to dry before I put the lights back in my rig, but I'll throw up some pics of them in.

theizzardking · 08-26-2009, 02:32 PM

got a pic of them back in and painted? first pic looks cheesy.... i'm hoping the black may be better

kiyobrown · 08-26-2009, 04:47 PM

Well, they are a retro, so they won't look "factory" but if the pattern they throw off is good, then its worth a try.

Did you have the cheesy "projector" housings they have on ebay? Is that what you used to put the new projectors in? I got the autopal e-codes in mine, so if I thought about that kit I would have to order a set of those housings or the diamond cut ones as well, right?

I am not a huge fan of the halo, but show us some pics of those things shining down the road! I am all about better visibility. I think the black will look better. Nice Job.

Oh yeah, so you didn't have to use a hole saw, huh? the backside of the projector was made to be an h4 size? Very nice!

woz943 · 09-07-2009, 03:42 AM

From what seller did you buy them from,. How much in total and do you have an pictures at night with the cut off. Ive been looking to get some but don't want to spend money if they aren't good. did you buy them from <hiking1978>

Thanks

elblako91 · 09-29-2009, 10:41 AM

Wow this is great. The black will def look better. Did you use helle e-codes or are they cheap ebay housings? I might think about doing this!

kiyobrown · 09-29-2009, 04:12 PM

Those have the clear glass fronts, look like the ebay "diamond cut" headlights, or the chintzy "projectors" that aren't real projectors.

evanB · 09-30-2009, 12:32 PM

Which ballasts do I need? They sell 50/55w and also 35w.

SigEp4Runner · 09-30-2009, 12:48 PM

Here is a couple pics of the finished product. Sorry it took so long. The total cost was around $200 for the projectors, ballasts and headlight housing. I used the cheesy headlight housing from ebay and I hated them and I had ballasts for HIDs that I paid way too much for a while ago. The total cost should be cheeper now that the price for ballasts has dropped. I just searched Ebay again and the kit has dropped in price so the total should be way cheeper. Just search for "projector len" in that exact spelling and a bunch of the same kits will show up. Sorry it took so long to reply guys I didnt think anyone was looking at this post.
I have 35w ballasts and I dont think it makes a huge difference, but some of the kits that are up now come with ballasts for $125 which is a pretty good price.

I have been having trouble getting a pic of the cutoff because I dont have a very good camera for night pics but I will try again. I will say the cutoff is great, but remember these aren't projectors out of a TSX or newer car so the cutoff is what you pay for. I am very happy with the product and they work great, but they arent as good of a cutoff as projectors from new cars. The only difference is the cutoff line isnt as sharp, but it is still good. I havnt had one person flash their headlights at me since I got these because they dont blind anyone and I have had plenty of compliments from random yota drivers pulling up next to me.

SigEp4Runner · 09-30-2009, 01:05 PM

kiyobrown, i didnt have to cut anything, the projectors fit right in. All I had to do was heat up the lights, remove the lens, slide the projectors in, screw on the nuts that came with the H4 kit and glue the lens back on. No hard work involved! I would recommend using a differant glue to put the lens back on and then using the sealant that came with the kit on top after the lens is glued on. The sealant that came with the kit isnt great at holding the lens on.

kiyobrown · 10-01-2009, 12:43 AM

I meant cutoff of the light pattern down the road or against a wall, but those look good. Looks like less then 100 bucks if you have the right housings. Would you recommend em? I guess thats the $100 question.

SigEp4Runner · 10-02-2009, 04:51 PM

I would definatly recommend them if you arent looking to spend too much. I love them. Im just saying that the cutoff against a wall isnt as crisp as an expensive set up, but it is still great. I would recommend them to anyone who was looking for the light out put of HIDs because these are way safer because of the cutoff. The light output down the street is great as well, I would never go back to halogen or just HIDs ever again.

elblako91 · 10-02-2009, 06:11 PM

You should post some output pics. I really go HID but i do not want to blind people. This could be my answer.

joeynational · 10-02-2009, 07:17 PM

those look like they make the retro waaaaaaaaaay easier..I did a retro the hard way..Used some BMW E46 Bi xenon projectors, VW GTI shrouds and some ebay headlights

el-guapin · 10-03-2009, 07:52 AM

Lens + Ballast kit $127:
HID XENON LEN projector KIT Angel Eye E46 M3 TSX H4 D2S

SigEp4Runner · 10-03-2009, 10:20 AM

Here is an up close cutoff pic I found on another forum of people doing the same retro. You can see the cutoff is pretty good, but it isnt as high quality as an expensive set. I'll try getting some light output down the road shots one of these nights.

And another in a garage

evanB · 10-03-2009, 11:13 AM

Does anyone know how easy (or hard) it is to take a 3rd gen 4Runner headlight apart? That seems to be the only iffy part of this whole deal.

SigEp4Runner · 10-03-2009, 11:47 AM

I have seen a couple retros on the 3rd gen on this forum. If you search im sure you can find a how to or a thread from others that have done the 3rd gen headlights to give you an idea of the difficulty level. From what I remember it didnt seem too hard.

**aviator** · 10-03-2009, 12:15 PM

Cut off looks plenty sharp to me Sig. That uneven line at the top is a little weird though... is that feature of those APC ebay lenses? My Bosch e-codes aim the light a little higher on the right to illuminate street signs etc.

SigEp4Runner · 10-03-2009, 12:35 PM

The uneven line is like that because its so close to the wall, when you back up further it makes one large raise line. Most projectors are like this, when you pull close it looks like that. These do hit the signs some times, but Ive noticed the output of the halos is bright enough to light up the signs. Projectors arent supposed to aim high enough to hit signs because the HID would blind drivers in front of you, that is usually why cars come with some sort of driving light to hit signs. I dont mean to be a stickler about the cutoff, but I just dont want to have anyone mad at me if it isnt as perfect as other retros when they buy them.

**aviator** · 10-04-2009, 01:03 PM

Sort of my point the cut off on my ecodes is nice and flat with a little raised focus effect on the right corner away from on coming traffic... I don't want to cause hassles for other driver's either.

annoyingrob · 10-05-2009, 07:56 AM

That's cool. I only wish they came in colors other than 6000k.

FutureSEAL16 · 10-23-2009, 10:10 PM

Has anyone else tried these? I'm interested but I don't want to spend the money on these if a retro-fit using different parts is going to be substantially better. Also I want to get the DDMTuning HID kit and just use these projectors. Would that work?

elblako91 · 10-23-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureSEAL16

Has anyone else tried these? I'm interested but I don't want to spend the money on these if a retro-fit using different parts is going to be substantially better. Also I want to get the DDMTuning HID kit and just use these projectors. Would that work?

Don't know if it would work or not but i don't see why not. On the other hand the I have the DDM tuning HID's. I ordered there slim ballast 55 watt 8000K HID. You can see it in my avatar. I can give you good feedback with them. I haven't had problems with the kit...

FutureSEAL16 · 10-23-2009, 11:49 PM

Alright, thanks for the quick response. That good to hear that you like the DDM Tuning HID's. It's looking like I'll be making the switch to HID's next month.

07-09-2009, 06:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	So I got the LED lights in the mail and decided not to use them, they made it look like crap, but I did paint the housing and took some pics along the way. Here is how the light sits in the housing, it fits right into the existing hole. Here is the H4 connector, washer and the nut to hold the light in. This is the back of the housing showing how all components go together to hold the projector in. You can see how the H4 ring holds the light in place with the top of the light facing the top of the housing. There is also a tooth on the H4 ring so it can only fit on the projector one way to avoid hassling with aiming it. This is the end result with the housing painted and the projector installed. I used Rust-Oleum High Heat just incase the projector puts out too much heat for regular spray paint. I tried taking some pics of the cutoff last night, but my phones camera doesn't work for sh** in the dark. It just made the light look like one big ball so ill find a camera to use and post the pics later. I am also waiting for the sealer to dry before I put the lights back in my rig, but I'll throw up some pics of them in. __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298 Last edited by SigEp4Runner; 07-09-2009 at 06:51 PM.

08-26-2009, 04:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
kiyobrown Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 269	Well, they are a retro, so they won't look "factory" but if the pattern they throw off is good, then its worth a try. Did you have the cheesy "projector" housings they have on ebay? Is that what you used to put the new projectors in? I got the autopal e-codes in mine, so if I thought about that kit I would have to order a set of those housings or the diamond cut ones as well, right? I am not a huge fan of the halo, but show us some pics of those things shining down the road! I am all about better visibility. I think the black will look better. Nice Job. Oh yeah, so you didn't have to use a hole saw, huh? the backside of the projector was made to be an h4 size? Very nice! __________________ Jason. 87 4runner 22re SR5 5 speed 189k, supra MAF mod, battery/intake swap, Black Magic 165, Zuk mod, BJ spacers. 3rd gen rims with 265/70/16s. Pioneer/Boston Acoustics/Kenwood/Fosgate sound system, softopper. Craigslist and rattle cans have done wonders.

09-29-2009, 10:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
elblako91 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 296	Wow this is great. The black will def look better. Did you use helle e-codes or are they cheap ebay housings? I might think about doing this! __________________ '92 Yota 5 Speed V6 4X4 5,000 ORIGINAL MILES New 32X11.50 all terrains and some Bright ass lights. :)

09-29-2009, 04:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
kiyobrown Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 269	Those have the clear glass fronts, look like the ebay "diamond cut" headlights, or the chintzy "projectors" that aren't real projectors. __________________ Jason. 87 4runner 22re SR5 5 speed 189k, supra MAF mod, battery/intake swap, Black Magic 165, Zuk mod, BJ spacers. 3rd gen rims with 265/70/16s. Pioneer/Boston Acoustics/Kenwood/Fosgate sound system, softopper. Craigslist and rattle cans have done wonders.

09-30-2009, 12:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
evanB Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Saskatoon, SK Posts: 19	Which ballasts do I need? They sell 50/55w and also 35w. __________________ -Evan B.

09-07-2009, 03:42 AM	#5 (permalink)
woz943 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1	From what seller did you buy them from,. How much in total and do you have an pictures at night with the cut off. Ive been looking to get some but don't want to spend money if they aren't good. did you buy them from <hiking1978> Thanks

09-30-2009, 12:48 PM	#9 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	Here is a couple pics of the finished product. Sorry it took so long. The total cost was around $200 for the projectors, ballasts and headlight housing. I used the cheesy headlight housing from ebay and I hated them and I had ballasts for HIDs that I paid way too much for a while ago. The total cost should be cheeper now that the price for ballasts has dropped. I just searched Ebay again and the kit has dropped in price so the total should be way cheeper. Just search for "projector len" in that exact spelling and a bunch of the same kits will show up. Sorry it took so long to reply guys I didnt think anyone was looking at this post. I have 35w ballasts and I dont think it makes a huge difference, but some of the kits that are up now come with ballasts for $125 which is a pretty good price. I have been having trouble getting a pic of the cutoff because I dont have a very good camera for night pics but I will try again. I will say the cutoff is great, but remember these aren't projectors out of a TSX or newer car so the cutoff is what you pay for. I am very happy with the product and they work great, but they arent as good of a cutoff as projectors from new cars. The only difference is the cutoff line isnt as sharp, but it is still good. I havnt had one person flash their headlights at me since I got these because they dont blind anyone and I have had plenty of compliments from random yota drivers pulling up next to me. __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298 Last edited by SigEp4Runner; 09-30-2009 at 12:58 PM.

09-30-2009, 01:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	kiyobrown, i didnt have to cut anything, the projectors fit right in. All I had to do was heat up the lights, remove the lens, slide the projectors in, screw on the nuts that came with the H4 kit and glue the lens back on. No hard work involved! I would recommend using a differant glue to put the lens back on and then using the sealant that came with the kit on top after the lens is glued on. The sealant that came with the kit isnt great at holding the lens on. __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298

10-01-2009, 12:43 AM	#11 (permalink)
kiyobrown Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 269	I meant cutoff of the light pattern down the road or against a wall, but those look good. Looks like less then 100 bucks if you have the right housings. Would you recommend em? I guess thats the $100 question. __________________ Jason. 87 4runner 22re SR5 5 speed 189k, supra MAF mod, battery/intake swap, Black Magic 165, Zuk mod, BJ spacers. 3rd gen rims with 265/70/16s. Pioneer/Boston Acoustics/Kenwood/Fosgate sound system, softopper. Craigslist and rattle cans have done wonders.

10-02-2009, 04:51 PM	#12 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	I would definatly recommend them if you arent looking to spend too much. I love them. Im just saying that the cutoff against a wall isnt as crisp as an expensive set up, but it is still great. I would recommend them to anyone who was looking for the light out put of HIDs because these are way safer because of the cutoff. The light output down the street is great as well, I would never go back to halogen or just HIDs ever again. __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298

10-02-2009, 06:11 PM	#13 (permalink)
elblako91 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 296	You should post some output pics. I really go HID but i do not want to blind people. This could be my answer. __________________ '92 Yota 5 Speed V6 4X4 5,000 ORIGINAL MILES New 32X11.50 all terrains and some Bright ass lights. :)

10-02-2009, 07:17 PM	#14 (permalink)
joeynational Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Phoenix,AZ Posts: 74	those look like they make the retro waaaaaaaaaay easier..I did a retro the hard way..Used some BMW E46 Bi xenon projectors, VW GTI shrouds and some ebay headlights

10-03-2009, 07:52 AM	#15 (permalink)
el-guapin Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hom -O- Da Saints! Posts: 57	Lens + Ballast kit $127: HID XENON LEN projector KIT Angel Eye E46 M3 TSX H4 D2S __________________ 98 4Runner SR5 3.4L Auto Suspension: Front- OME 882, N91SC Rear - OME 891, N86 Wheels / Tires: 16x7 Cragar Soft 8 285/75/16 Sport King AT Last edited by el-guapin; 10-03-2009 at 07:53 AM.

10-03-2009, 10:20 AM	#16 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	Here is an up close cutoff pic I found on another forum of people doing the same retro. You can see the cutoff is pretty good, but it isnt as high quality as an expensive set. I'll try getting some light output down the road shots one of these nights. And another in a garage __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298 Last edited by SigEp4Runner; 10-03-2009 at 10:23 AM.

10-03-2009, 11:13 AM	#17 (permalink)
evanB Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Saskatoon, SK Posts: 19	Does anyone know how easy (or hard) it is to take a 3rd gen 4Runner headlight apart? That seems to be the only iffy part of this whole deal. __________________ -Evan B.

10-03-2009, 12:15 PM	#19 (permalink)
aviator Super Moderator Staff Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: COTKU,Ontario,Canada Posts: 7,467	Cut off looks plenty sharp to me Sig. That uneven line at the top is a little weird though... is that feature of those APC ebay lenses? My Bosch e-codes aim the light a little higher on the right to illuminate street signs etc. __________________ Silver 1994 Hilux Xtra cab 4x4 3.0 K&N cone filter, ported MAF, advanced timing, oversize exhaust, free flow cat, "rumble" muffler custom covered SR5 seats, map lights, factory AC tv4184 style black interior conversion started mods to come... header, custom centre console, stereo upgrade tinted windows Founding member 1972TLC fan club - Get well soon Mary Toyota Hilux... Get in or Get out of the way.

10-04-2009, 01:03 PM	#21 (permalink)
aviator Super Moderator Staff Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: COTKU,Ontario,Canada Posts: 7,467	Sort of my point the cut off on my ecodes is nice and flat with a little raised focus effect on the right corner away from on coming traffic... I don't want to cause hassles for other driver's either. __________________ Silver 1994 Hilux Xtra cab 4x4 3.0 K&N cone filter, ported MAF, advanced timing, oversize exhaust, free flow cat, "rumble" muffler custom covered SR5 seats, map lights, factory AC tv4184 style black interior conversion started mods to come... header, custom centre console, stereo upgrade tinted windows Founding member 1972TLC fan club - Get well soon Mary Toyota Hilux... Get in or Get out of the way.

10-05-2009, 07:56 AM	#22 (permalink)
annoyingrob Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Calgary, AB Posts: 649	That's cool. I only wish they came in colors other than 6000k. __________________ 86 SR5 Turbo pickup Fiberglass bed, Fiberglass Fenders. 91 1.5JZ GT40 Supra. 77 Celica Liftback. (WTB: 20R Carb!)

10-03-2009, 11:47 AM	#18 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	I have seen a couple retros on the 3rd gen on this forum. If you search im sure you can find a how to or a thread from others that have done the 3rd gen headlights to give you an idea of the difficulty level. From what I remember it didnt seem too hard. __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298

10-03-2009, 12:35 PM	#20 (permalink)
SigEp4Runner Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Corvallis Oregon Posts: 81	The uneven line is like that because its so close to the wall, when you back up further it makes one large raise line. Most projectors are like this, when you pull close it looks like that. These do hit the signs some times, but Ive noticed the output of the halos is bright enough to light up the signs. Projectors arent supposed to aim high enough to hit signs because the HID would blind drivers in front of you, that is usually why cars come with some sort of driving light to hit signs. I dont mean to be a stickler about the cutoff, but I just dont want to have anyone mad at me if it isnt as perfect as other retros when they buy them. __________________ Link to member profile http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=117298 Last edited by SigEp4Runner; 10-03-2009 at 12:43 PM.

10-23-2009, 10:10 PM	#23 (permalink)
FutureSEAL16 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 19	Has anyone else tried these? I'm interested but I don't want to spend the money on these if a retro-fit using different parts is going to be substantially better. Also I want to get the DDMTuning HID kit and just use these projectors. Would that work?

10-23-2009, 11:49 PM	#25 (permalink)
FutureSEAL16 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 19	Alright, thanks for the quick response. That good to hear that you like the DDM Tuning HID's. It's looking like I'll be making the switch to HID's next month.

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