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I am a lighting enthusiast and enjoy the craft of improving both the aesthetics and performance of headlights. Personally I love aesthetics but not at the expense of function and often there are trade offs between the two and it can be challenging to strike the right balance.
The trend today in the truck world is for headlights to receive paint and some LEDs and be considered a "retrofitted" or "upgraded." Those modifications will make your truck look pretty on Instagram or in the parking lo but unfortunately they won't help you see better at night. When I think retrofitted, I think HID projector retrofit, call me old school.
Recently I got my hands on a set of Spec-D headlights to explore lighting upgrades, here is what I came up with. The build is "basic" in that the headlights only received paint and a projector upgrade but as you can see the results are still pretty dramatic in terms of performance and looks. Morimoto H1 7.0 projectors were used due to size constraints, to fit a larger projector would require some extensive modification or replacement of the factory gimbal. The H1 7.0s are a very common entry-level projector but they do offer solid performance, especially for their small size.
The bottom halogen high beam was deleted since the performance was so dismal and the deleting the chrome completed the Stromtrooper theme of the headlight. The H1 projectors also received a black "demon eye" and a "J step" modification, small subtle mods but both add to the overall look and performance of the headlight.
Specs
- Morimoto H1 7.0 Bi-Xenon Projectors
- J-Step Shield Modification
- Passive Black Demon Eye
- Morimoto xb 5,500k Bulbs
- Morimoto xb35 35w Ballasts
- Low Gloss Black Bezel Paint
- Reflector and High Beam Delete
Here are some pics of the process and results, feel free to ask any questions,
Evan
Stock Spec-D
Opened up
Stock halogen low beam projector
Stock halogen high beam reflector
Prepping the gimbal for the Morimoto projectors
Test fitting the Morimoto
Nice and tidy
After test fitting and checking clearances, lens orientation, and projector rotation it was time to disassemble the projectors for the J-step shield mod and black demon eye.
Shield Before:
The gimbal on the Spec-D headlights is pretty flimsy and there was slop between the plastic headlight adjusters and the gimbal itself. Since I was adding a heavier projector that was protruding further forward I wanted to make sure the gimbal was as solid as possible.
Here are some pics showing the play in the adjuster:
I made some C-shaped clips which snap into place and shim the adjuster, all 4 adjusters received these plastic clips.
Projector and High Beam bowl modded and reassembled.
Cool. So in a nutshell you are doing what Anzo did only you are using a MUCH better projector then they did (their light is nice but their projector isn't that terrific).
Shoot us a PM if you want to try our our XHP bulbs in your design, we think you'd get some pretty amazing results.
Cool. So in a nutshell you are doing what Anzo did only you are using a MUCH better projector then they did (their light is nice but their projector isn't that terrific).
Shoot us a PM if you want to try our our XHP bulbs in your design, we think you'd get some pretty amazing results.
The Anzo and Spec-D are pretty similar in design, both aftermarket housings, both have halogen projector low beams, both have DRLs. They differ in that the Anzo has a projector for the high beam where the Spec-D has a reflector bowl. Anzos have a stronger output from the factory and the Anzo low beam responds reasonably well to a PNP HID upgrade.
So technically what I am doing isn't what Anzo did since their housings are still stock and mine are modified and retrofitted. However I will be doing similar research and development with the Anzo headlights to hopefully produce a really high performing headlight that offers the looks people like with the light output to back it up.
As for the LED bulbs, HID are superior for functional light output since LEDs are flawed with their optical design and can't properly utilize projector optics. That being said, I have not had any first-hand experience with your XHP bulbs and I would be happy to test them and offer some unbiased data. Depending what projector you want me to test the bulb in I would need either a H7 or D2S base.
Evan - This is Bryan from Facebook (Anzo's w/Morimoto HID). Just wanted to let you know I'm still planning on getting you those adjuster measurements, it was just too cold here in Michigan when you first asked to stand outside long enough to get you proper data. Should be in the 50's this coming week, so I should have that for you soon. Keep up the amazing work.
Evan - This is Bryan from Facebook (Anzo's w/Morimoto HID). Just wanted to let you know I'm still planning on getting you those adjuster measurements, it was just too cold here in Michigan when you first asked to stand outside long enough to get you proper data. Should be in the 50's this coming week, so I should have that for you soon. Keep up the amazing work.
Bryan, don't sweat it. These headlights are going to the owner of the Aftermarket F150 Lighting FB group, he will be confirming some stuff and testing the lights for me.
Originally Posted by Summers22
You will find that even though you painted the high-beam bucket satin black, it will respond well to a nice LED bulb.
02-16-2017, 02:49 PM
High Performance Headlights
