Bartman Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Thaks for all your help FricFrac. My Autopal MSR lights came with a little shield in the center that the lights sit behind. As you can see in the pic below the HID bulbs came with their own shielding. So it would be realtively easy to remove the shield that comes with the Autopal housings. Do you think I should remove them? I can't tell from your shot if I'm looking at the bulb's shielding or what came with your housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddjob Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Yikes! Don't touch that little shield, at least not yet. Take a close look at the one that came with the H4 envelope. Is the side that faces the bulb specular (mirror-like)? Does it look like a section of a perfect sphere? If yes to both, it is an axial reflector. It's designed to do two things: 1) work as a blinder, keeping light which would spread widely out the front lens from causing scatter, and 2) reflect the direct light output of the lamp back through the arc and onto the reflector, where it will contribute to your overall useful light output. It is located precisely for the focal point of the lamp, and can't be moved. On the other hand, the shield on the lamp is just a blinder, and any light output which hits it is just wasted as heat. It is put there because the lamp manufacturer doesn't know whether your envelope has a proper axial reflector. Your best bet is to use a lamp without the shield. Most of those lamp shields are a ceramic dip applied to the outside of the bulb. That is something I would say to remove, but I have no idea how you might do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 The one on my lens in the car is part of the reflector that directs and forms the beam - definately leave it as is. The one on the bulb is what forms your high and low beam. The solenoid moves the arc/sheild and produces a high/low beam. This is how the HID is different than your other bulbs as the light intensity doesn't really change much but the beam pattern does (eg your low beams are just as bright as your high beams. That's why it's so critical to have a proper beam envelope to prevent blinding oncoming traffic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Thanks guys I won't remove the axial reflector, nor mess with the bulb shielding. On another note I took my car out for a spin last night and WOW - what a difference. I think my beam pattern shot was taken with the car too close to the garage door as it really lights up the road completely across the front of the car...and I think that the high beams may affect low flying aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nismo280zEd Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) Just noticed something... The link you provided to your headlights... says "sealed beam housing" all over the page. These sealed beam housings are designed to not only give your vehicle an updated look but 30% more light output with their Multi-Surface Reflector Technology. No modifications are necessary, just plug-and-play. Add our superwhite series halogen insert bulbs and get over 60% additional light output over your factory housings. It sounds like you can change the bulb, but then how is it a sealed housing? Or does it Just have a rubber "seal" making it a sealed housing? Edited October 23, 2009 by Nismo280zEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 The reflector housing I'm using has rubber seals for the bulb and looks to be fairly water tight. Part of the reason I didn't feel any need to seal the back of the metal housing the bulb sits in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nismo280zEd Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 The reflector housing I'm using has rubber seals for the bulb and looks to be fairly water tight. Part of the reason I didn't feel any need to seal the back of the metal housing the bulb sits in. Sounds similar to my Hellas. Still not sure If I want to do HID this way or retro fit a projector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Just noticed something... The link you provided to your headlights... says "sealed beam housing" all over the page. It sounds like you can change the bulb, but then how is it a sealed housing? Or does it Just have a rubber "seal" making it a sealed housing? Wow, the edit made this nothing like the original post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Sounds similar to my Hellas. Still not sure If I want to do HID this way or retro fit a projector. I went to take a look at an '81 280ZX (turns out the rails are rusted, no rocker panels, etc - shocking It had possibly the most hideous HID conversion I've ever seen. It looked like the car had a major thyroid disease. It looked like the lens were going to come out past the bumper. I wished I had taken a picture.... anyhow if you do finde some nice retro fits post the one's you used on here.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
germ818 Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 quick question are the Autopal MSR lights easy to install? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streeteg Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 awesome information in this thread. WIll be purchasing the vision lenses asap to correct my beam pattern. Thank you. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 quick question are the Autopal MSR lights easy to install? Yes, the installation is super easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerBjt Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 What do you guys think of these housings? http://store.everythingcarparts.com/Universal-Fit-Parts/Universal-Headlights-Kit/601460156024-7-Round-Glass-Projector-Headlights-p8248411.html They have a integrated projector lens along with reflectors, would the be like the best of both worlds? Its also darn cheap at $26 bucks a pair! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhunt571 Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 The pictures sold me.... Just bought a pair 5 mins ago. When I get them installed, I'll take some pics and post the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 What do you guys think of these housings? http://store.everythingcarparts.com/Universal-Fit-Parts/Universal-Headlights-Kit/601460156024-7-Round-Glass-Projector-Headlights-p8248411.html They have a integrated projector lens along with reflectors, would the be like the best of both worlds? Its also darn cheap at $26 bucks a pair! look similar to cheap ebay kits to me... //cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/75-76-77-78-DATSUN-S30-260Z-280Z-PROJECTOR-HEADLIGHTS-B_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4a9ce58475QQitemZ320459867253QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories You get what you pay for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerBjt Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Aw ok, was not sure if they were good or not, so which seem to be the best in terms of use with the xenon kits? Also one thing a lot of places don't make clear is if BiXenon means that its low and high beams.... could someone clear this up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 look similar to cheap ebay kits to me... You get what you pay for... These may be cheap kits, but I couldn't disagree more with your 'you get what you pay for' statement. So if he paid $200 for this same kit, would it be better? Paying more doesn't always mean your getting something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 These may be cheap kits, but I couldn't disagree more with your 'you get what you pay for' statement. So if he paid $200 for this same kit, would it be better? Paying more doesn't always mean your getting something better. I deal a lot of music instruments (especially violin bows). The difference in quality between a $5 bow and a $10 bow is extraordinary. I used to buy the cheapy bows that lasted a few months then tried out the $10 bows and for $5 more you get MUCH better quality wood, hair, and handle that makes a huge difference. So for paying a little more, I get a much better quality. This is all up for interpretation. But most of the time in a normal (a.k.a. you are not getting screwed) transaction, the more value you put in, the more you get in return. If you buy a new car, are they going to give you the sport, premium, luxury packages for free? No you have to pay for them and those are the things that make your car better. Off topic lol Aw ok, was not sure if they were good or not, so which seem to be the best in terms of use with the xenon kits? Also one thing a lot of places don't make clear is if BiXenon means that its low and high beams.... could someone clear this up? HID kits should only be used in housings that use true projectors. That housing you posted is just a H6024 housing with a fake projector lens that does not do anything. A projector magnifies the light straight onto the road while that housing uses a reflective system which is hard to control the light spread (and you can blind people). With REAL projectors you can control the focus of the light (light spread). Here is an interesting video on retrofit HIDs. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html Bi-xenon= high/low Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Another thing, I am against H4 kits which move the bulbs up and down when you flip high/low beams. The last thing you want to do is physically move the light bulb. This is the way to go (I put these on my kits) HIDs are powerful enough to be your high beam too (with proper focus). A flap controls the high and low beams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 Another thing, I am against H4 kits which move the bulbs up and down when you flip high/low beams. The last thing you want to do is physically move the light bulb. This is the way to go (I put these on my kits) HIDs are powerful enough to be your high beam too (with proper focus). A flap controls the high and low beams. I'm going to have to disagree. If the bulbs were a tungsten filament, etc then moving them around all the time isn't an optimal situation however you have to remember that flicking your high beams off and on is going to be a fraction of the mechanical stress that the filament will see compared to the vibrations and bumps from driving the vehicle. Vehicle headlights are designed to be more resiliant to vibrations than say your average home 100W light bulb. Regardless an HID is an arc not a filament so there is no concern in moving the bulb in and out other than normal mechanical wear and tear. Saying that moving it will cause problems is the same as saying moving the tip of your MIG or TIG welder is a bad idea and you should move the part instead of the welding tip..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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