2010 headligh modifications and it begins [Archive]

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McGuyver_3

11-16-2009, 02:02 AM

Hello my fellow members here are some steps of how to modify your lights I am not completely finished just yet i had just enough time to do the passenger side. Fortunatly I have a spare set of headlights haha.

As yuou all know the headlights have to be opened to be able to play around. Unfortunatly these headlights did NOT fit in my oven so i had to do the tedious job with a heat gun.

Seing how the cutoff on the preojectors are so poorly focused i decided to revert my attention to this first. after dissasembly of the headlamp i rigged up my own little test stand
The cutoff before any modifications
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled6.jpg
I removed the 2 screws that hold down the projector and compared them to the previous generation projectors unfortunatly there was no easy swap in swap out option as the previous generation had a larger projector. So i started adjusting how far the projector sits away from the housing and with a few adjustments i came up with the perfect distance
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled5.jpg
With that distance I saw what i wanted a sharp cutoff
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled8.jpg
Now i had to find something to make a spacer out of. Points to remember
Must withstand high heat
Must have similar round shape
I came up with aftermarket HID bulb holder
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled4.jpg
Cut the ring in half
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled3.jpg
Use heat source and bend plastic in to shape you need
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled2.jpg
I used just one peice and ran a test fire and didnt like what i saw as it was still to blurry so I added on the second peice that i had originally cut off
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled1-3.jpg
Once test fired again i saw whati liked
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled8.jpg

Next i moved on to painting the insides of the headlamps complete dissasembly and taped off the parts i wantred to stay original colour and installed the angey eye ring
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled7.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/bmw_racing/untitled-4.jpg

I appologize for the vagueness of my instructions and details but please feel free to ask questions. When i do the drivers headlamp I will be more descriptive and take more pictures

Fortunatly I have a spare set of headlights i am tampering with

Cardinal Fang

11-16-2009, 08:12 AM

Dan you are one sick puppy. :chuckle

Gizzmo_jr

11-16-2009, 08:58 AM

That didn't take long, looking great thou :)

McGuyver_3

11-16-2009, 09:17 AM

Dan you are one sick puppy. :chuckle

I told everyone I was not done yet :chuckle

Gizmi- thanks man

I am on my bb and it won't let me multi quote

cwp_sedan

11-16-2009, 10:38 AM

Looks great Dan! As always, can't wait to see more. :)

Mundek

11-17-2009, 11:55 PM

Bloody impressive!
Same sentiments. I had a Mazda5 for 3 yrs and noticed the 2010 m3 lights are not as well focused.
Now, when can you do mine? :)

McGuyver_3

11-18-2009, 02:20 AM

I have successfully finished my lights and the car will be viewable to anyone interested. I will not be offering any work on these headlights just yet until i find a more stable solution for opening and closing them as mine look like hell. I am also unsure of how sealed these units are at the moment I hope they dry well enough soi have no leaks otherwise its back to stock headlights and back to the drawing board. Pics and updates to follow

I am also contemplating taking the drivers side headlamp apart again as i am not to pleased with the focus of the projector. The passenger side turned out amazing and the drivers side is iffy to my liking

SonicBoy

11-18-2009, 05:27 AM

Ah, the perfectionis that you are always = good work.

Are the lens the same size as the old generation? Wasn't there someone posting clear lenses up here in the forum? Would that help you?

Looks great otherwise and as always the first guinea pig.

Iceman_F1

11-18-2009, 08:35 AM

Gotta say, that's pretty sick. Kinda liking that one angel eye look! :chuckle

Are the lens the same size as the old generation? Wasn't there someone posting clear lenses up here in the forum? Would that help you?

He stated the following...

unfortunatly there was no easy swap in swap out option as the previous generation had a larger projector.

So, just as a guess, I would assume that means it wouldn't work? I would assume that as lenses are usually specific to cars, they'd vary in size enough that while you probably could use it, it might take some modding but would be hard to get a direct fit...

but I could be completely off on all of this...

SonicBoy

11-18-2009, 01:20 PM

Ya sorry, it was too early and I didn't re-read the post. How about projectors from another car say like a TSX? I thought I remember reading somewhere that they were almost identical in size.

McGuyver_3

11-18-2009, 01:41 PM

The size difference is relatively minimal but if I modidy the glass I an concerned of damaging the precision glass that has been made for it. I did use the old rojector lense from the old generation 3 and found it made it even more distorted but I am not don't yet I am going to be further playing with these headlights but for now they will do until I get my hands on another spare set if I can I would rather keep myoriginals original just in case I have to revert back to stock

Iceman_F1

11-18-2009, 01:43 PM

FoXy

11-18-2009, 01:51 PM

Looks good Dan... You have wayyyy too much time on your hands... take your ridilin and take a breather :P

Im jealous tho!

plontoc

11-19-2009, 01:18 AM

OMG Dan. That's not cool. You know how I get with new mods...lol. I'm still waiting for you to do my hid fog install. Let me know if your schedule allows it.