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iPhone Repair Tech!
I originally posted this on FSC but I figured I'd copy and paste it here so maybe someone here can put it to use too..
Well this is a simple thing to do, but anytime I say hid off-road lights everyone thinks I'm speaking greek or something so if anyone finds this helpful then good, it was worth it.
Price list:
Off-road lights $26/ pair from Harbor Freight
These are the lights I used in this write-up:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...ry-lights.html
HID's: $35 plus $15 shipping from DDMTuning.com
I order my HID's from ddmtuning.com they are cheap, the only downside is they usually take 1-2 weeks for shipping since they're from china. I have used hidnation.com and had good results, they are a little more price wise, but their shipping is faster and they are in the U.S.
this is the page from ddmtuning used to choose the temp, and bulb size to order your hid kit:
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W
Wire conduit: $2 at walmart
Wire: varies depending on which gauge wire you use. Roughly $5 give or take.
Fuse (Optional): $5
Heat Shrink/Crimping wire connectors: $5 a pack
IF you want to black off-road lights instead of chrome, I have converted a set of these:
http://www.atomicmall.com/view.php?id=1043560
And they are disassembled, re-assembled, and wired the same way as mentioned in this write-up.
First. Get a set of off road lights. I went to the local harbor freight and got mine for $13 each.
Then, go to ddmtuning.com (or anywhere you want to get your HID's from) and buy the temperature of HID's you want, and get them to fit the off road lights. In my case, they were H3 bulbs. Then wait for them to come in the mail.
Now you're here:
First thing you want to do is just test to make sure the HID's work bc you will be cutting 2 wires which DOES void the warranty on the HID's if they have a warranty.
DISSASEMBLY:
On the off road light, remove the bolts that hold the Crome rings on to the light from the bottom:
Now Woth both rings removed, use a flat head screw driver to pry under the rubber ring, separating the glass from the outer housing:
Now there is one screw holding the bulb into the housing. Remove it:
Next, untie the loose knot holding the wires in the casing and unplug the light bulb.
Pull the wires out and you're left with this:
(EDIT: in this pic, it show the plastic piece removed, you do not have to remove this)
Now on the hid bulbs, there is a rubber plug that needs to be cut off from each
wire, but be careful not to cut any wires. Once this is done, you will have 2 separate pieces:
Now take the hid bulb and insert it into the light housing and screw it down to the housing:
Now, to put the light back together you have to cut the two wires that go to the bulb, if yours are not different colors, be sure to label them so you won't mix up the wires. Then feed the two wires through the hole in the casing:
If you do not want to cut the bulb wires, you can use a drill to enlarge the hole on the back of the light housing slightly, BUT it will be harder to seal up to keep water out and will not look as "clean" of an install, but it will save you from cutting the wires.
Next, get your wire conduit and insert it into the housing (make sure the plastic clip is removed so the conduit will go in) after it is in, put the clip back on to hold the conduit in place:
Now you're done with the conversion. Just install the lights wherever you want them, and hide the ballasts, run your wires to your battery, ground, and switch and you'll be done.
On the newer models that have factory fog wiring, but do not have the fogs you can buy a male connector to wire to the power and ground of the hid kit, which will then plug into the factory fog wiring harness, which will also save you time in the wiring process and will make the install cleaner.
A relay is suggested for this install because the lights can be to strong for some toggle switches, but on MY install I did not use a relay and the lights work fine. It's your call on whether or not you use a relay or not. If using this in the factory fog harness, I would deffinately suggest a relay just for caution.
This is the final product with hid high beams:
For under $100, you have a set of hid off road lights. KC sells these for over a grand a set, and this way you get to choose what temp you want.
Here: http://www.kchilites.com/lights/hid/6-hid-long-range-stainless
WIRING:
To wire the lights, simply re-connect the two wires that you previously cut (If you need the wire from the ballast to the bulbs to be longer, you can splice a length of wire where you have already cut, but I wouldn't add an extremely long lenth of wire because it will be more prone to fail) , and use the two left over connections "Power" and "Ground" to power the lights. The "ground" wire should be run to a bolt that connects to a metal section of the body, or of the frame to insure a good ground connection. The "power" wire should be run to your toggle switch. If you're wiring up a set of 2 lights, you can splice the two power wires into one to run to your toggle switch. Toggle switches usually have 3 places to connect wire for the switch to work. One, is a ground, should be grounded out on a bolt again on something metal. The second connection is for you to wire the lights power wire to. And the third connection is to run wire to your battery to give the system (switch and lights) power. I did put a fuse in the wire going from the switch to the battery just incase something should happen, my battery won't be drained. Not necessary, but it's cheap and a good "just in case" purchase.
On all wire connections, use a heat-shrink/crimping wire connector to insure the wiring is water-proof. Also, when choosing a wire, Use a low gauge wire (6,8, or 10 and if possible get insulated wire) because of the power that is going through the system. make sure to locate the ballasts somewhere where they will not be prone to being fully submerged in water. I mounted mine inside the frame rail with adhesive but my truck is rarely/never submerged that deep in water, if yours is, I would move them a little higher.
Here is a simple MS Word "diagram" of which wires do what:
If you later decide you want a different temp of hid, you only have to buy the bulb, not the entire kit. Just be sure to get the right bulb size for the light you're using. To replace the bulbs, simply follow these steps again, except your wiring will already be intact.
I do not currently have any light output shots, but if anyone is interested I will get them. The HID's are a lot brighter than the 55W halogen bulbs that were originally in the lights.
Hope this helps someone.
Kyle
Well this is a simple thing to do, but anytime I say hid off-road lights everyone thinks I'm speaking greek or something so if anyone finds this helpful then good, it was worth it.
Price list:
Off-road lights $26/ pair from Harbor Freight
These are the lights I used in this write-up:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...ry-lights.html
HID's: $35 plus $15 shipping from DDMTuning.com
I order my HID's from ddmtuning.com they are cheap, the only downside is they usually take 1-2 weeks for shipping since they're from china. I have used hidnation.com and had good results, they are a little more price wise, but their shipping is faster and they are in the U.S.
this is the page from ddmtuning used to choose the temp, and bulb size to order your hid kit:
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W
Wire conduit: $2 at walmart
Wire: varies depending on which gauge wire you use. Roughly $5 give or take.
Fuse (Optional): $5
Heat Shrink/Crimping wire connectors: $5 a pack
IF you want to black off-road lights instead of chrome, I have converted a set of these:
http://www.atomicmall.com/view.php?id=1043560
And they are disassembled, re-assembled, and wired the same way as mentioned in this write-up.
First. Get a set of off road lights. I went to the local harbor freight and got mine for $13 each.
Then, go to ddmtuning.com (or anywhere you want to get your HID's from) and buy the temperature of HID's you want, and get them to fit the off road lights. In my case, they were H3 bulbs. Then wait for them to come in the mail.
Now you're here:
You must be registered for see images attach
First thing you want to do is just test to make sure the HID's work bc you will be cutting 2 wires which DOES void the warranty on the HID's if they have a warranty.
DISSASEMBLY:
On the off road light, remove the bolts that hold the Crome rings on to the light from the bottom:
You must be registered for see images attach
Now Woth both rings removed, use a flat head screw driver to pry under the rubber ring, separating the glass from the outer housing:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Now there is one screw holding the bulb into the housing. Remove it:
You must be registered for see images attach
Next, untie the loose knot holding the wires in the casing and unplug the light bulb.
You must be registered for see images attach
Pull the wires out and you're left with this:
You must be registered for see images attach
(EDIT: in this pic, it show the plastic piece removed, you do not have to remove this)
Now on the hid bulbs, there is a rubber plug that needs to be cut off from each
wire, but be careful not to cut any wires. Once this is done, you will have 2 separate pieces:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Now take the hid bulb and insert it into the light housing and screw it down to the housing:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Now, to put the light back together you have to cut the two wires that go to the bulb, if yours are not different colors, be sure to label them so you won't mix up the wires. Then feed the two wires through the hole in the casing:
You must be registered for see images attach
If you do not want to cut the bulb wires, you can use a drill to enlarge the hole on the back of the light housing slightly, BUT it will be harder to seal up to keep water out and will not look as "clean" of an install, but it will save you from cutting the wires.
Next, get your wire conduit and insert it into the housing (make sure the plastic clip is removed so the conduit will go in) after it is in, put the clip back on to hold the conduit in place:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Now you're done with the conversion. Just install the lights wherever you want them, and hide the ballasts, run your wires to your battery, ground, and switch and you'll be done.
On the newer models that have factory fog wiring, but do not have the fogs you can buy a male connector to wire to the power and ground of the hid kit, which will then plug into the factory fog wiring harness, which will also save you time in the wiring process and will make the install cleaner.
A relay is suggested for this install because the lights can be to strong for some toggle switches, but on MY install I did not use a relay and the lights work fine. It's your call on whether or not you use a relay or not. If using this in the factory fog harness, I would deffinately suggest a relay just for caution.
This is the final product with hid high beams:
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
For under $100, you have a set of hid off road lights. KC sells these for over a grand a set, and this way you get to choose what temp you want.
Here: http://www.kchilites.com/lights/hid/6-hid-long-range-stainless
WIRING:
To wire the lights, simply re-connect the two wires that you previously cut (If you need the wire from the ballast to the bulbs to be longer, you can splice a length of wire where you have already cut, but I wouldn't add an extremely long lenth of wire because it will be more prone to fail) , and use the two left over connections "Power" and "Ground" to power the lights. The "ground" wire should be run to a bolt that connects to a metal section of the body, or of the frame to insure a good ground connection. The "power" wire should be run to your toggle switch. If you're wiring up a set of 2 lights, you can splice the two power wires into one to run to your toggle switch. Toggle switches usually have 3 places to connect wire for the switch to work. One, is a ground, should be grounded out on a bolt again on something metal. The second connection is for you to wire the lights power wire to. And the third connection is to run wire to your battery to give the system (switch and lights) power. I did put a fuse in the wire going from the switch to the battery just incase something should happen, my battery won't be drained. Not necessary, but it's cheap and a good "just in case" purchase.
On all wire connections, use a heat-shrink/crimping wire connector to insure the wiring is water-proof. Also, when choosing a wire, Use a low gauge wire (6,8, or 10 and if possible get insulated wire) because of the power that is going through the system. make sure to locate the ballasts somewhere where they will not be prone to being fully submerged in water. I mounted mine inside the frame rail with adhesive but my truck is rarely/never submerged that deep in water, if yours is, I would move them a little higher.
Here is a simple MS Word "diagram" of which wires do what:
You must be registered for see images attach
If you later decide you want a different temp of hid, you only have to buy the bulb, not the entire kit. Just be sure to get the right bulb size for the light you're using. To replace the bulbs, simply follow these steps again, except your wiring will already be intact.
I do not currently have any light output shots, but if anyone is interested I will get them. The HID's are a lot brighter than the 55W halogen bulbs that were originally in the lights.
Hope this helps someone.
Kyle
