Retros

Long story short, I wrecked my truck awhile back and unbeknownst to me they used aftermarket headlights as replacements. Now they are hazy, full of moisture, and the lens over the DRL fell off inside one.
I want to have some better lights but don’t want to spend a fortune. Has anyone built some budget retros using something like the Depot black housing? I know of one but wanted to see/hear of some other options.

Thanks to anyone who has done a budget build and can lend some info as to what was used and a general cost. Thanks

 

The cheaper the parts, the shorter the lifespan. I've used the cheapest HID projector,bulbs and ballast/ignitors that TRS carried. They were ACME and was probably less than $100 for everything but the housing. Couple that with cheap headlights of your choice and you have a pretty cheap setup if you open the headlights yourself and install. They won't last as long as a retro with OEM housings, OEM ballast/ignitors and Philips HID bulbs. I would recommend housings without projectors already in them. Makes the retro 10x easier.
The cheapest setup from ACME still performs well though.

 

Thanks. I don’t know a ton about lighting mainly because I haven’t messed with them, but I am quite capable so I plan on building these myself. Just need to figure out what parts I need to have aside from the housings.

 

HID - Bulbs, Projectors, Ballast/ignitors, Relay Harness, projector shrouds, spare butyl tape.
LED - LED Projectors, projector shrouds, Spare butyl tape. I'm not sure on the draw from the new LED projectors so you may or may not need a relay harness.
As far as other lighting to add that is up to you. LED strips and/or switchbacks for DRL, demon eyes.