01dirtydzl
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2012
- Posts
- 114
- Reaction score
- 27
- Ram Year
- 2001
- Engine
- Cummins 24v Turbo Diesel
Alright, ive been asked multiple times now on the forum, and in Pm's to do this..i already had the majority of this finished, but the pics will show everything needed to do, this isnt that hard, the time consuming part is the paint, and aligning the projector correctly.
Tools needed
Small and large phillips screwdriver
heatgun, or oven large enough to fit the headlight housings
Dremel multi tool with cutoff, and sanding drums
Butyl rubber sealant strips
black silicone sealant
1 1/8 socket for the projector nut(or 26mm)
10mm socket/ratchet to remove/reinstall the housings to the truck
If you are also painting, you will also need
rubbing alchohol
masking tape
paint
hobby knife(for clean sharp masking lines)
First off, start with these headlights, the quality of them, and ease of assembly/disasembly is damn good for the money! I got them off amazon for less then 100 bucks shipped.
Now we have to use a heatgun, or bake them to dismantle the housings, I chose to use a heatgun for more control...turn the heatgun to the low setting, and just slowly run the heatgun around the outer channel of the lens where it sits into the groove of the actual housing...do this for 3-5 minutes..do NOT keep the heatgun in one spot for more then a few seconds, it WILL warp and melt the plastic.
After using the gun for 3-5 minutes, try to pry the lens from the housing in the corner by the turn signal...if it starts to separate, work at it GENTLY...if it doesnt budge, go back to the heatgun and apply more heat for 2-3 minutes.
A tip i found to keep the lens from getting gooed up from the rubber sealant, Once you get the lens to start separating from the housing, a helper comes in handy for this...have your helper hold the lens in one hand, housing in the other...and gently try to pull them apart, while you use the heatgun and run it in along the channel, you will notice it literally melts the sealant...and keeps it from smudging on the lens, or on the housing...and the lens will quickly start to separate from the housing..just becareful with the heat, to not damage anything, or burn whoever is helping you. I did this myself, a helper would have made it easier, but its not needed.
If you do it right, you end up with this.
alright, now that the housings are apart, we can prep the housing's for the projectors..
first you need to use the dremel with a cutoff wheel, and later a sanding drum to remove the halogen bulb shield mounting pedestal, this interferes with the projector sitting flush in the housing, and must be removed.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/404643_3348775938435_591782289_n.jpg
You also need to drill a small hole, for the Bixenon solenoid wires to pass through, here is the location i chose for that.
Notice that the pedestal is cutoff, and hole drilled, this DOESNT have to be perfect, as the shroud from the projector will cover it, dont completely hack the area up, and becareful not to cut through the housing.
Next we need to trim the rear section of the bulb holder, for clearance of the nut/socket...you dont have to do this step, you could use pliers to tighten the nut, i chose to just use the socket to make things easier.
should look about like this when you're done, do not cut too deep, or the locating washer wont have anything to sit against to properly locate the projector into the housing.
here are the projectors i used, they are Morimoto Mini h1 projectors
Notice the protective sheathing on the bixenon solenoid wires, i snipped the wires plug off as it wont be used, and slid the sheathing off, this allowed for a much smaller hole to be drilled into the housing for the wires to slip through
Now is a good time to test fit the projector into the housing before you start to prep for paint(if you so choose)
This is how they need to be assembled ( at least for the housings that i have)
When you get them, they will have the bulb adapters installed, it needs to be removed in order to remove the mounting nut, and to be able to slide it into the housing...3 small phillips screws hold it on.
remove the bulb holder, and the mounting nut..
open the hardware baggy up...
We wont be using all of these, so dont worry when you have leftover pieces..
Find the smaller round silicone washer, and assemble it onto the projector as shown...
Find the FLAT metal washer with the locating tab
Now slip the entire projector into the headlight housing from the front, and place the flat metal washer with locating tab onto the shaft of the projector, make note that it is "keyed" in a way, and only goes on one way,while looking at the backside...it should look like this..keep in mind the orientation of the tabs indent...it should face UP in the housings, and away from the headlight adjusting screw.
next place the retaining nut on
front side should look like this...
After you are at this step, and everything fits together nicely...you can dismantle everything, and do your painting(if you choose)
Once paint work is done, and headlights are ready for final assembly, you need to put the bulb holder back on...remember those 3 little screws from before...toss those back in along with the bulb holder, grab the spring clip from the hardware baggy, and assemble as shown with the HID bulb in place..in the pic i have an H3 bulb just for pic reference, H1 bulb will be slightly different, but procedure is the same...should look like this when finished.
I strongly suggest leaving the lenses off of the housing's...and reinstall the housing with projectors into the truck...get your cutoff, and aligning set BEFORE you seal the lights back up..
Cutoff should look something like this, you will need to play with the adjustment screws, and the rotation of the projectors into the housings..its not difficult though, Rotation of the H1 bulb in the holder will also adjust where the "hotspot" on the cutoff is.
Low beam..
High beam..
Once you get the cutoff set, and alignment done...you can reseal the lights.
Before doing this, completely clean the inside and outside of the lens, the projector lens..make sure there is no dust/dirt/grime anywhere inside the housing.
I used a dab of silicone in the hole for the bixenon wiring, along with a bead of silicone on the rubber gasket that goes on the back of the light..
When reinstalling the lenses, place the butyl rubber strips in the channel where the lens will sit, and heat it up with the heatgun evenly....do not use alot of it...press the lens back into the housing pressing gently evenly around the housing/lens...use the heatgun to warm the sealant back up, you will notice the lens will sink farther and farther into the channel as you do this...i used small clamps to clamp the lens to the housing and keep tension on it, wihle heating the sealant up..once you get the lens to sit flush all around the housing...let it sit for 30 minutes or so...
I then run a small bead of black silicone around the edge to completely seal them up and eliminate the chance of fogging up.
I know this isnt a 100% thorough write up, but it should help the majority of you...any questions just ask...here is the final end result...housings in the truck just mocked up, for pictures...i am doing some other things before i bolt them in completely, but you get the idea..
Went from this...
to this...
Please excuse the panel gaps, and dirtiness, i had to lower the bumper to get the lights out, hoods not latched, light housing is just placed in kinda hanging to grab the pic...and it rained last night on my way home :confused013:
Big thanks to Jeremy at RetroShop.us - Custom Lighting for supplying the parts
Tools needed
Small and large phillips screwdriver
heatgun, or oven large enough to fit the headlight housings
Dremel multi tool with cutoff, and sanding drums
Butyl rubber sealant strips
black silicone sealant
1 1/8 socket for the projector nut(or 26mm)
10mm socket/ratchet to remove/reinstall the housings to the truck
If you are also painting, you will also need
rubbing alchohol
masking tape
paint
hobby knife(for clean sharp masking lines)
First off, start with these headlights, the quality of them, and ease of assembly/disasembly is damn good for the money! I got them off amazon for less then 100 bucks shipped.
Now we have to use a heatgun, or bake them to dismantle the housings, I chose to use a heatgun for more control...turn the heatgun to the low setting, and just slowly run the heatgun around the outer channel of the lens where it sits into the groove of the actual housing...do this for 3-5 minutes..do NOT keep the heatgun in one spot for more then a few seconds, it WILL warp and melt the plastic.
After using the gun for 3-5 minutes, try to pry the lens from the housing in the corner by the turn signal...if it starts to separate, work at it GENTLY...if it doesnt budge, go back to the heatgun and apply more heat for 2-3 minutes.
A tip i found to keep the lens from getting gooed up from the rubber sealant, Once you get the lens to start separating from the housing, a helper comes in handy for this...have your helper hold the lens in one hand, housing in the other...and gently try to pull them apart, while you use the heatgun and run it in along the channel, you will notice it literally melts the sealant...and keeps it from smudging on the lens, or on the housing...and the lens will quickly start to separate from the housing..just becareful with the heat, to not damage anything, or burn whoever is helping you. I did this myself, a helper would have made it easier, but its not needed.
If you do it right, you end up with this.
alright, now that the housings are apart, we can prep the housing's for the projectors..
first you need to use the dremel with a cutoff wheel, and later a sanding drum to remove the halogen bulb shield mounting pedestal, this interferes with the projector sitting flush in the housing, and must be removed.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/404643_3348775938435_591782289_n.jpg
You also need to drill a small hole, for the Bixenon solenoid wires to pass through, here is the location i chose for that.
Notice that the pedestal is cutoff, and hole drilled, this DOESNT have to be perfect, as the shroud from the projector will cover it, dont completely hack the area up, and becareful not to cut through the housing.
Next we need to trim the rear section of the bulb holder, for clearance of the nut/socket...you dont have to do this step, you could use pliers to tighten the nut, i chose to just use the socket to make things easier.
should look about like this when you're done, do not cut too deep, or the locating washer wont have anything to sit against to properly locate the projector into the housing.
here are the projectors i used, they are Morimoto Mini h1 projectors
Notice the protective sheathing on the bixenon solenoid wires, i snipped the wires plug off as it wont be used, and slid the sheathing off, this allowed for a much smaller hole to be drilled into the housing for the wires to slip through
Now is a good time to test fit the projector into the housing before you start to prep for paint(if you so choose)
This is how they need to be assembled ( at least for the housings that i have)
When you get them, they will have the bulb adapters installed, it needs to be removed in order to remove the mounting nut, and to be able to slide it into the housing...3 small phillips screws hold it on.
remove the bulb holder, and the mounting nut..
open the hardware baggy up...
We wont be using all of these, so dont worry when you have leftover pieces..
Find the smaller round silicone washer, and assemble it onto the projector as shown...
Find the FLAT metal washer with the locating tab
Now slip the entire projector into the headlight housing from the front, and place the flat metal washer with locating tab onto the shaft of the projector, make note that it is "keyed" in a way, and only goes on one way,while looking at the backside...it should look like this..keep in mind the orientation of the tabs indent...it should face UP in the housings, and away from the headlight adjusting screw.
next place the retaining nut on
front side should look like this...
After you are at this step, and everything fits together nicely...you can dismantle everything, and do your painting(if you choose)
Once paint work is done, and headlights are ready for final assembly, you need to put the bulb holder back on...remember those 3 little screws from before...toss those back in along with the bulb holder, grab the spring clip from the hardware baggy, and assemble as shown with the HID bulb in place..in the pic i have an H3 bulb just for pic reference, H1 bulb will be slightly different, but procedure is the same...should look like this when finished.
I strongly suggest leaving the lenses off of the housing's...and reinstall the housing with projectors into the truck...get your cutoff, and aligning set BEFORE you seal the lights back up..
Cutoff should look something like this, you will need to play with the adjustment screws, and the rotation of the projectors into the housings..its not difficult though, Rotation of the H1 bulb in the holder will also adjust where the "hotspot" on the cutoff is.
Low beam..
High beam..
Once you get the cutoff set, and alignment done...you can reseal the lights.
Before doing this, completely clean the inside and outside of the lens, the projector lens..make sure there is no dust/dirt/grime anywhere inside the housing.
I used a dab of silicone in the hole for the bixenon wiring, along with a bead of silicone on the rubber gasket that goes on the back of the light..
When reinstalling the lenses, place the butyl rubber strips in the channel where the lens will sit, and heat it up with the heatgun evenly....do not use alot of it...press the lens back into the housing pressing gently evenly around the housing/lens...use the heatgun to warm the sealant back up, you will notice the lens will sink farther and farther into the channel as you do this...i used small clamps to clamp the lens to the housing and keep tension on it, wihle heating the sealant up..once you get the lens to sit flush all around the housing...let it sit for 30 minutes or so...
I then run a small bead of black silicone around the edge to completely seal them up and eliminate the chance of fogging up.
I know this isnt a 100% thorough write up, but it should help the majority of you...any questions just ask...here is the final end result...housings in the truck just mocked up, for pictures...i am doing some other things before i bolt them in completely, but you get the idea..
Went from this...
to this...
Please excuse the panel gaps, and dirtiness, i had to lower the bumper to get the lights out, hoods not latched, light housing is just placed in kinda hanging to grab the pic...and it rained last night on my way home :confused013:
Big thanks to Jeremy at RetroShop.us - Custom Lighting for supplying the parts