Custom headlights?

[reklipz]

Hey all. My buddy just messaged me saying he wants to try and make custom headlights for my car. He said we'll make 'em together and that he'll pay for it, because he wants to have a test run before he does it for his own.

We plan on starting with some stock housings with good glass. He wants to play with CCFL and LED, and I suggest we try sticking HID in there somewhere if we can.

I said we'd probably want to make a custom mold for the housing, while retaining the factory glass. This will give us more freedom on design. But, this creates an issue as well.

If we design our own housing, we need to make sure it conforms with regulations, or is at least close enough to a regulated projection pattern. Does anyone have any experience in this area, or other information that might be helpful? How big of a deal is this, is the regulation enforced very strictly, and what are the repercussions if not? I imagine the worst that would happen if there is an issue is that I'll place the stock lights back in there.

[Quashish]

was he high when he brought this up? you seem coherent enough... now. but i mean was he blowing glass while he had this idea?

[reklipz]

was he high when he brought this up? you seem coherent enough... now. but i mean was he blowing glass while he had this idea?

Wow, now that's what I call coincidental... I have no reason to believe he was blowing glass in any sort of way, nope.

[Quashish]

well i mean how do you plan on forming glass or plastics? thats not really something you can just do in your garage

[reklipz]

I think we're going to stick with the stock glass. As for the plastic, I'm going to try making a mold by starting with a model by sabotaging a stock housing, casting a mold of the model with silicon or urethane most likely, and then finally cast the housing.

['93CB7Ex]

seriously doubt it matters. because when you retrofit headlights, you change the beam pattern from the oem light. people do it all the time and never have problems. only way i could see it, is if you live in a state that has inspections where they check your lights and shit.

[accordztech]

You can make a vacuum form mold with acrylic. That will work as a front lens, but whats the point.

Put a projector in there, do something unique...and call it a day

[reklipz]

Donor lenses and housings prep.


I'm thinking of either grinding/polishing the glass to a flat appearance, or cutting off the front and replacing it with crystal clear vacuum formed acrylic. I'm not sure which is easier, but since I'll already be making a vacuum form station, it might be worth the extra effort. I don't know; glass has the benefit of no fade, and it also means if it ever breaks I can easily replace it with another stock one (though the same goes for the custom one as well, it just won't have the same look anymore).

The stock housing is also a bit tight to do some of the styling we want to try out, so we might be vacuum forming, or maybe even injection molding new plastic backings for the housing. We'll definitely be vacuum forming shrouds and mounts for the new lighting elements though.

[crazymikey]

If you want plastic lenses, get JDM 1 pc headlights?

[reklipz]

If you want plastic lenses, get JDM 1 pc headlights?

It's not plastic lenses that I want, it's crystal clear lenses that I'm after. The OEM two piece lenses have ribs and "outcrops" on them that I want to get rid of.

This is the process I was referring to: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64133

[accordztech]

a few volvo guys has a few good tutorials on forming, as well as the s13 guys. The bends will be the hardest, you have to heat it up just right to do so.

acrylic lens will be super clear, but you also got to take into account the difference in thickness of the glass and the acrylic. If you mold acrylic the same as the glass, you may possibly be a few mm smaller, therefore the corner lens will come out more than the actual modified headlight.

acrylic also pits more than normal, especially thinner ones. Something to think about. And dont think about using poly carbonite...any heat and that stuff just burns.

[wildBill83]

He will fail inspection or a DOT officer can pull him over and ticket him if his lights are not DOT approved.

[Scolirk]

Any update on this? I'm curious to see what happens!

[deevergote]

Interesting concept.
Technically, as wildbill83 said, they WILL be illegal... but as long as they don't draw attention, chances are very slim that anyone will give you grief about them. Just be sure to aim all light safely. Don't blind other drivers, and be sure you can see at least as well as the OEM housings allow. The only thing that could be an issue is if your state has any sort of inspection requirement where they actually look that closely at things. I think only California could possibly be THAT strict, and they may not even be that bad... yet. You could always swap lights for such an inspection as well.

A few members have created LED strips (popular in Audis). Might want to look to them for some ideas.

[wildBill83]

Texas looks for DOT markings on lights, especially custom jobs.

I had ran into this probkem with my Kawasaki stunt bike. I failed inspection because my headlight was actually just an aimed fog light not DOT approved or original equipment... Streetfighter style with a stunt cage FTW! I only rode in parking lots on one wheel so the headlight was useless anyway, what good does it do when pointed at the sky...