SSkull

iTrader: (3)

First off, I finished installing these DDM Tuning HID's earlier today on fogs and low beams.

Started off with my friend wanting to get them, and after realizing that my car came with aftermarket headlight housings a while back which had projectors I figured I would do it to.(I don't want to be blinding people so I wanted to do it right)

Here they are with the headlights on:


And with the headlights and fogs on


Now the pic of just the headlights is being very generous. You really can't see anything other than the projection on the back of the car in person.

Meanwhile the fogs easily surpass the headlights in terms of illumination.


Are these housings a piece of **** or something? I've got these:


With the other bulbs that were in it(halogen bulbs) they lit up everything clearly and cleanly on the road but had the bland look of regular bulbs. I didn't think there would be a problem using these housings with a brighter hid kit.

Along with all the paperwork for everything done to my car when I bought the car, I saw how much he paid for them and just assumed they were a decent quality set.

I know that yellow lights up more on the road, but I only got the fogs in because my friend wanted our cars to match, and I rarely use them so throwing them in for the sake of looks with our cars I added them in.

But the difference in light output between the two(lowbeam, and fogs) are just huge. We installed the same exact ballasts,bulbs,etc in my friends camaro yesterday and his lights up everything no problem.

The bulbs that were in these housings before starting this lit up the road way up ahead no problem, and had a nice cutoff. It's not the positioning because I already tried and have them lined up.

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted everything to be out in the initial post hoping I didn't forget anything here, and wanted to make sure I can get a definite answer before I resort to ordering another set of headlights that will work. I was thinking of just getting a set of 55W and swapping the ballasts real quick, but I'm almost positive it's the housing now.

HAZ-Matt

iTrader: (8)

What type of bulb for the low beams? What wattage? How did you wire it, where are the ballasts getting power from?

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

9006 low beams, 35W all around for all 4 lights(lows, and fogs) wired in to the factory harness, no buzzing sounds or anything like that, no flickering whatsoever through any of the instrument panel. The wiring between the lights and ballasts themselves were plug and play directly to eachother. Light connected to ballast, connected to factory harness.

It's just like the light isn't getting through in that projector housing. I'm wishing that wasn't it, but I'm just looking for any other possible reason to check for something else. They're getting the power they need, because they were as bright outside of the housings as the fogs were, but then just went dim as hell once they got in there and I powered them up for the first time. Meanwhile the stock foglight housing isn't obstructing the output and it's lighting brightly.

VIP1

Looks like the bulb is not positioned properly. Are you sure the bulb is fully seated and locked in the correct position? It looks almost like the lights are not even on.

Also, I'm surprised those aftermarket housings use 9006 bulbs (which would be a nice surprise). Usually those aftermarket housings use H3 (a fog bulb which is wrong for a head light) or H1.

TransAm619

VIP is correct. i Have these housings with HIDS. They DO NOT use a 9006 bulb like stock, its an H3. If your using the 9006 and just have them wedged in there and held in with the metal clip, the light output is gonna blow. pick up H3's and ull be all set. I love mine. not the best but better than stock by far

9WhiteCamaro9

Normally those headlights use an H1 in both high and low beam. But I would like to know about the 9006 bulb being seated in there. I mean I could be wrong but everyone of those I have ever seen used an H1 bulb for both the high and the low.

9WhiteCamaro9

Moderator's... I'm using the link as an example but to the OP these headlights I think take and H3 bulb for the lows and 9005 for the highs or atleast thats what it says in the link below from ebay where there the same headlights as yours...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1998-...Q5fAccessories

The Guz

iTrader: (8)

I had those lights at one pint. The light output was not good with both halogens and HIDs. They have no cut off and I felt blind at night when I had to drive the car. Those use H3 in the lows.

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

As far as I can tell it's in correctly. Popped into place without any troubles, and locked in as well.

I know for a fact that these same exact headlights come with one of the H bulbs you mentioned, but these ones seat the stock bulbs, no modifications. I don't know, maybe they're an older generation or something from before they switched over to a different standard for aftermarket.


EDIT: This post was for way before anyone posted earlier and it was just the post I quoted.

As for the cutoff, and lighting, they are far better than either my other z28, or ss which have stock housings, that's with the factory bulb that was in it. 9006, I still have the bulb that I pulled earlier sitting and know the difference.

Even though the lighting was great with these headlights before, I'm just pick up a set of H3 HID's from DDM, and order another set of lights since that's what they should be using, and not the 9006 that these ones seem to have been modified for.

9WhiteCamaro9

What temp bulb did you get? If it were me and since you have the 9006 bulbs, I'd just find a set of used factory headlights and use the HID's in them.

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

I would just get a set of factory headlights, but I really like the black housing of these aftermarket lights, goes along with the car really well. I like them better than the whistler mod on the factory headlights as well.

Although it is gonna annoy me to have to spend 150+ for another set of the same exact lights. But there's nothing I can do about it.

My one only other option other than that, is to buy another set of hid bulbs, H3, and when I seat them in to the housing, use some silicone adhesive to make sure it seals completely along with the tabs that it seems the previous owner grounded down to fit these 9006's.

Would that be a feasible idea? I can't see why he would've modified these lights when he got them to fit the factory 9006 bulbs instead of just picking up a set of the H3's that he should've used. He sealed those in the same way I mentioned above(with what looks like silicone) and to be honest, they lit up the road far better than any of the other fbodies I've got, and I would say they were right under my corvette in terms of lighting and how cleanly the cutoff was, and that was with them ghetto rigged.

9WhiteCamaro9

^ What temp bulb did you get though?

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

These are 10000k, I was going to get the 4500k they had because I wanted to get them as close as I could to factory looking hids(color wise) but when she powered them up to show my friend and I the color they were, she said that DDM's bulbs are more washed out than other brands. The 10000k I've got are white, have a small hint of blue(I didn't want anything near a deep or even lightly thick blue because of possible tickets from having blue lights on the car) and has near exactly the same hue as the c6's lights.


At first I was thinking maybe their temps were just miscategorized/named but after seeing them lit up, they were exactly what I wanted(a clear white with a small hint of a very light blue)

From everything I had read, 6000k was supposed to be already pretty blue, and 8k a deep blue, with 10k going even deeper than that. But these 10000k's seem to be about as deep as the other brand 6000k's I've seen in person. I just chalked it up to her saying that their bulbs are brighter and a little more washed out than most other brands.

VIP1

Oh, so the previous owner modified these housings to use a 9006 bulb instead of the H3 they were designed to use? Those two bulbs are completely different in shape and size. They aren't even close.

Sounds like square pen, round hole..... except the previous owner decided to get cutting instead of getting a round peg.

Then the new bulb you put in is not seated at the correct focal point for proper light output. The 9006 bulbs that were stuck in there most likely weren't in the right place either considering the filament in a 9006 is parallel with the glass capsule and the filament in a H3 bulb is perpendicular to the glass capsule and the distance of the filament to the base of the bulb is different and the bulbs are different sizes which means that no matter how you position it you won't get optimal output for that bulb type you'd have to get creative to even get that larger bulb in there and sit secured let alone aimed properly in the housing.

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

Yea, I never noticed till this install came up. The lights were perfect though before this. Perfect cutoff on the road up ahead, no light shining onto other people and everything around, and a bright strong light clearly displaying everything coming up as I'm driving. Far better than the stock camaro headlights from my experience.

Edit: So any chance you think that buying another set of H3 bulbs for these headlights, and seating them the same way the previous owner did with the 9006's(in place, and with silicone) would work properly?

The only reason I'm even giving it thought is because 1, I don't want to pay 200 for another set if I don't have to, and 2, the light output was always perfect and bright, even with how he did it this dumbass way, so I'm figuring maybe it will work again, but this time with the correct bulb..

VIP1

Can you post pics of the modified bulb holes and how the bulbs are mounted?

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

Right now there's nothing in them, I left everything out till I can get this done. It's just the regular housing, with a few small bits of clear silicone that he used(I've picked most of it off) and the opening is just a little shaved down(I'm guessing obviously to fit the 9006's)

Right now I'm unable to take any pictures of it, but it's really nothing special other than how it was sealed with silicone(which is now gone)

VIP1

Since the housing was modified for a larger bulb with a completely different mounting method, I doubt you'll be able to secure an H3 bulb in there again unless you modify them back to being able to fit. The housings were probably cut to fit those 9006 bulbs so you'll have to add some material back including a metal mounting place since that's how an H3 bulb is grounded. To secure a H3 bulb, a mounting screw holds the base against a metal base at the back of the housing which also serves as the ground. The sire that sticks out of the back of a H3 bulb is the positive wire.

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

I just checked and it's only 12 dollars for another set of the proper size HID's from them. I'm gonna try out sealing them in the same way the previous owner did. If anything, it's a 12 dollar loss before having to shell out 200 for another set of lights.

SSkull

iTrader: (3)

It's still got all that. It's a small circular metal plate right? two small separate slots for small screws as well. Those were there, but he covered them with the silicone. They are now exposed after picking that stuff off.

Alright, thanks for the answers, I appreciate it. I'll go down and pick some up tomorrow.

Just to be 100% positive, these are H3 bulbs I need right? Just like that ebay auction said?