Has anybody retrofitted HID lights?

[boostmaster]

I searched but couldn't find a thread on this. Maybe I'm blind.

Anyone seen this done?

[Pu241]

This might help:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14043

[boostmaster]

Good info thanks...

Looks like all of this was in 09. Any new stuff for 09/10??

[Hot_Wheels]

i bought chris rummels set up which is cool but it was never a true HID set up. he had a projector driving light and a halogen high beam but he did not have a lens for it. today i was at the hobby expo and there was a compony who sells stuff to make platic molds. i bought 2ilbs of mold making stuff and resin and plan on making a clear lens with out the reflectors so that a projector style hid set up can be used. im debating if i should take my perfectly good lights apart or see if i can find some leaking ones and steal the glass lens.

[muscle_Car1]

I'm working on it but my current problem is making the fluted glass flush/clear

[boostmaster]

I saw some stuff on ebay but, I'm not sure about which vendor to use. Preferable one in the US so I don't have to wait for shipping...

I was under the impression that our lights were sealed beam and not the kind where you can insert a bulb (ie: like newer cars) I guess I was mistaken.

Can someone provide the name of the ebay seller they used? All the ebay links were expired in the reference link posted above.

[GenevaDirt]

contact Packrat....he got a set that was very nicely priced and gave you high low beams , most are single beam for sale on e-bay.

[boostmaster]

Will do. Thanks.

[Festiva_tunner]

if you by off ebay make sure you get the Bi-Xenon that will give you the high and low

[sam.1956]

^^As I understand HID's (anyone feel free to correct this statement) they are indeed a single intensity output... no bright/dim function. Unless you buy a 2nd set of HID's/ballasts of a different output intensity, you get what you get... prodigious amounts of blinding light!

Some advertised advantages of HID's:
a) "the sun on your grill" prodigious light output
b) no filaments to rattle around & break (allegedly longer life)
c) lower current draw than conventional lights once the arc is stable

Some caveats:
Frequently check & make SURE all your electrical connections to the HIDs/components are tight & fully covered... the ballast/transformer produces some serious voltage. Moisture and/or close proximity metal + HID high voltage = UnGood.

[GenevaDirt]

^^As I understand HID's (anyone feel free to correct this statement) they are indeed a single intensity output... no bright/dim function. Unless you buy a 2nd set of HID's/ballasts of a different output intensity, you get what you get... prodigious amounts of blinding light!

Some advertised advantages of HID's:
a) "the sun on your grill" prodigious light output
b) no filaments to rattle around & break (allegedly longer life)
c) lower current draw than conventional lights once the arc is stable

Some caveats:
Frequently check & make SURE all your electrical connections to the HIDs/components are tight & fully covered... the ballast/transformer produces some serious voltage. Moisture and/or close proximity metal + HID high voltage = UnGood.

I know Doug has been running them for a while now and I do not think he has had any problems with them....Simon may still be running them too.
They are single filament but the ones Doug bought have a high/low function. The filament slides in and out producing more or less light as needed. He stated that it is only like 2.4 amp draw versus a 5+ amp draw on the regular lights.

[FestYboy]

i'm wondering if having a sizeable cap inline to the voltage input wire would help with current spikes when the lights are activated... (easier on the entire system)

[GenevaDirt]

i'm wondering if having a sizeable cap inline to the voltage input wire would help with current spikes when the lights are activated... (easier on the entire system)

Not sure if he has that issue at all. I believe in his posts he addresses that and says that there are no dimming issues or anything. Not sure how they would spike the system when they draw half the amps of the oem lights.

[FestYboy]

thinking of the initial draw to feed the ballasts durring startup. just like a TV, right when it's turned on, there's a current spike, and then it levels off (this happens within 1 second).

[sam.1956]

^^ Have to agree. The ballasts must pump the voltage up momentarily (a few seconds??), enough to ensure the arc can be self-sustained. Their work is then done until the next arc start event. Once the gas is ionized & a conduction channel is established, the "keep alive" current drops significantly from the "start up" magnitude.

Cool development about the mechanically controlled high/low beam function. So the arc is still a fixed intensity and the light output is modulated based solely on the position of the arc w/r/t the reflector assembly.