HID's that are pnp

OP - Do you have write up on how you retrofit projectors??

 

Are these the only options for 2001-2004???

Street Beat Customs $999.99

Star HID $648.00

the retrofit source $300.00

g1 or g3 via ebay G3


C'mon.......I know there's other options????

 

i used the morimoto d2s kit from theretrofitsource.com. i think those are the only real options for us. didn't want to spend that type of cash, so i built my own. i did take pics of this, but it was with my phone and i haven't had a chance to upload them and see what was good enough to use yet

 

the g1 & g3 options from ebay don't even include the ballasts. so if you get those, you still won't be able to use them until you get the missing piece. plus, only having a 6000k option blows as well. optimal light output is 4300k like any oem hid light has. 5000k would be the absolute highest you should go. anything higher than that is more for color and looking cool. despite what anyone says, a 6000k does not produce more usable light than the 4300k. they just look more blue

 

Not bashing or nothing and not saying I don't like whatcha did even but looks like truck is wearing some transition lense glasses. Light output looks great tho, which matters much more.

 

yeah, thats the only type of replacement lights i could find for cheap. they truck is 9 yr old now, her eyes were getting kinda old.

 

OP - What was your deciding factor for choosing morimoto? don't want to start debate........... however there are several threads going back and forward on which product is better? Morimoto vs G1/G3? IMHO...jury is still out

 

the pattern is more crisp than a g1&g3, it doesn't come with a shroud like those do, but that means i can make it look however i want. the d2s was my real selling point. i didn't want to use a rebased bulb. the quality standards will never be the same as an oem style bulb. yes, i use philip 85122+ bulbs

read as much as you can on this, its your truck, do what ever makes you happen in the end.

and no, i will not debate this topic on which one i think is better, its all opinion.

 

found out some useful information regarding retro'ing and the first gen headlights. i noticed that my driver side light would shift up or down every so often. turns out that it wasn't the projector, but the entire headlight assembly doing this. i don't recall if the stock light did it, due to the halogen light, it was doubtful i would notice anyways. but when a crisp cutoff is visible, you can tell that they are not aligned. you would need to find a suitable way to keep the headlight secured. for me, a zip did it


this may not apply to anyone who uses a oem headlight, i choose to use an aftermarket set for my retro

 

here is some additional information regarding the type of projector i used. this is taken from hidplanet.com and it was written from the company that sells both the mini-h1 and the mini-d2s

For the most part, the performance of the Mini D2S and Mini H1 projectors is even, but I will highlight some of the small differences below:

1) Beam uniformity: The Mini D2S is a bit better in this category, with slightly more even-ness in its output.
2) Beam Width: The Mini H1 is slightly wider here
3) High beam performance: The Mini D2S has a brighter, more defined high beam (bi-xenon) output
4) Cutoff color/sharpness: The projectors are even, since they use the same exact lens - giving them a sharp and colorful cutoff line.
5) Bulb type used: Obviously the H1 takes H1 and D2S takes D2S, and we feel that D2S bulbs offer a bit more precision, though no more light.
6) Size: The D2S version is about 1/2" shorter in overall depth, but is also barely wider and a little bit taller than the H1 version.
7) Modification to your OEM housing: the diameter of the mounting shaft on the H1 is 22mm, whereas it's 32mm on the D2S model, so you probably wont have to modify anything at all when using the MH1, whereas you will likely have to just widen the diameter of the existing bulb opening to use the D2S projector.

Therefore, if you value the categories more than the H1 wins, you should probably go that route - and vice versa for the D2S model.

Personally I just "like" the D2S model more since I favor the categories that it outshines the H1 model more in, but ultimately its up to you - since both should fit your vehicle with little to no modifications at all.

 

here is a few in progress pics of my retro

here is a quick view of the back of a standard oem headlight

brackets and bulb are now removed

after the oven step(250 for 10-12 minutes. after preheat is complete)

quick test fit


taped off the glue area and used some scotchbrite to scuff up the reflector and the borders

you can see the h4 retainer clip that helps to align the projector once mounted. its in the same shape as an h4 bulb


once the paint was dried, i repeated the oven step to heat up the glue and housing so i can put it back together. here is the finished product

 

did they screw into oem holes/theaded slots?

 

it slides into the hole for the bulb and they you put in the h4 retainer clip and a series of locking nuts and gaskets. worese case scenario you have a slight rotational mis alignment that you can just reach in and rotate with your hand. it really is the easiest retro ever. no cutting, alignment is easy. the hardest part of this was keeping the glue from sticking on shit when you removed the lense.

 

So you got this kit from the retro place? Do they have a kit that comes with a halo too? Also, what did you use for the shroud around the lense?

 

the shroud i used was included in the kit i bought from TRS.

you can add your own halo, but i'm guessing you are talking about the g3 kit that has a built in shroud and a small halo built in. then no, they do not sell those. the site i dealt with mainly deal with the more popular styles like the tsx, fx-r, mini h1, mini d2s, tl /zkw, e55, etc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HID-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

this is what i think you are asking about. keep in mind, other members have tried these and do not like them. good luck with that.

 

I was farting around on their site lat night and they do sell the halos foe 25 bucks, as well as the R8 style LED strips. Are the kind of projectors you got the only ones they have that will fit on our trucks?

 

there are 2 different ones from that website that will fit our truck with zero modification(no cutting). the mini h1 and the mini d2s. any other one will require some cutting. the g3's with the built in halo's are also just pnp i believe. but they do not allow for any customization in regards to the shroud. keep in mind, 9 out of 10 times, you get what you pay for

 

What's the difference between the H1 and D2S? I know you said something about it but I didn't understand. When you go to buy the complete kit from the retro guys, it gives you the option for the halos.

 

the bulb type is the mean one. the h1 is slightly shorter than the d2s one. as for the halo's, you will have to mount them yourself. they do not come attached, you will also have to wire them up. too much bs for me. shouldn't be too hard. just tap into your corner lights next to your headlights.

 

Main difference between the H1 and D2S kits is that the D2S can use any D2S bulb which is standard in many OEM applications. The H1 kit will use a aftermarket HID bulb rebased to fit the H1 housing. There is a comparison of the two on HIDplanet.com. The only area that the H1 wins in is having a slightly wider beam pattern.

I just ordered the D2S kit for my 05 from TRS. Got the entire kit with the Apollo shrouds and CCFL angel eyes. I'm not sure if I will install the angel eyes or not. If I do it will be wired so they come on with the projectors. My thought was that it would put more light in that huge housing and would fill it up better. I'm not interested in running just the angel eyes and trying to make everyone think I'm driving a BMW pickup.