Clear Headlight Covers...PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

[mixxamike]

I know many of you love the look of the clear Euro-spec s14 zenki lights, but hate the pricetag. I am your savior! As of next fall, I will have access to numerous vacume forming machines large enough for making both acrylic corner light, and headlight covers. I wish I could get a head start on making some covers this year, but unfortunately my Industrial Design curriculum at the University of Illinois doesn't start working with this type of equipment until next year. While this is somewhat looked down upon in the ID department, (using school equipment for personal projects) I have connections in the Theater and Mechanical engineering depts. where I will have unlimited access to LARGE vacume forming machines.

Just thought some of you might like to know...(if you're planning on buying Euro headlights...DON'T...if you can wait until next fall that is )

[mike13]

i bet $100 this never happens

[old_s13]

well the european ones are glass...

and the US ones are polycarbonate....

so... regardless of wether or not this will ever happen, the important thing is.. if it DOES happen.. do it right. It will have to have a good quality lighting pattern and the material should be durable enough to withstand impact from rocks. Of course, also be able to take heat, weathering, oils, etc...

Good luck.. keep us posted if you are able to play god.

[SilviaDriver]

isnt this a lil too early of a headsup?? its a YEAR away!! people are gonna forget bout this 3 months down the line

so no need to tell us now..tell us a week before everything happens

[silviasichigo]

Well for thoes that have the Zenki plastic lights and they have that yellow grime on them go to the HOLTS web site or google "Plastic polish" and that will make them clear again

[TangyXTC]

My Car

[WilloW]

Originally Posted by TangyXTC

My Car

How's your beam pattern?

[mixxamike]

Yeah, i know, it's a little pre-mature to post this now...but I was just so excited after finding out my Theater and Engineering friends had vacume formers. Bet all you want you non believer. I'm going to school to learn how to do this kinda stuff...why wouldn't this happen??? And SilviaDriver, it's only 4 months away. Say what you want but I know that in 4 months, i will no longer have to put up with my ugly fluted stock headlights.



Oh, TangyXTC, are those the Euro headlights?


-Mike

[DRFT]

if you were gonna ask bout those headlights, you might wanna ask TangyXTC. thats his car. i believe those are the clear covers

[TangyXTC]

The beam is more defined and there is sort of a dead spot in the middle of the two lights. Takes a little adjusting but its not too bad. My headlights are actually ALOT brighter than the stock yelloed ones.

[mixxamike]

nice...where did you get your covers...or did you make them?

[TangyXTC]

Buddy of mine got it from japan. Don't get your hopes up cause they are very hard to find and not to mention... EXPENSIVE! but well worth it.
more pics here: http://www.zilvia.net/f/showpost.php...postcount=1840

[old_s13]

Fact:
1) The design of the OEM 95-96 S14 headlamp *lens* plays a HUGE role in creating a useable lighting pattern. Removing the OEM lens and replacing it with a fully clear lens will result in a flawed (or nonexistant) lighting pattern.

2) A headlamp that has been weathered (turned yellow), or is just dirty and has road debri on it.. will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce light output.

3) Assuming your lamps ARE yellowed, sure you will get more light out of a brand new clear lens.. but what TYPE of light.

The concept is the same.. power. Take a car with 5,000000 HP... if you have 165/60/14 all-season radials.. all that horsepower is USELESS.

The concept is the same.. power. Take a headlamp designed for halogen, put an HID capsule in there that emits 3x more light. HID capsules dont work well in halogen headlamp assemblies, so while you'll get more light.. you wont get more USEABLE light.. it will be a big mess. Take a headlamp and remove lens responsible for the lighting pattern.. BIG MESS.

Engineers spend a lot of time developing a chassis, drivetrain, etc etc.. to support a certain amount of HP. Those same engineers develop headlamps to work with halogen, to work with HID, to work with LED.. whatever it may be. Those SAME engineers are the ones who spend countless hours worrying about safety and lighting patterns, all of which typically get overlooked by the majority of modders who THINK aftermarket is better than OEM.. but thats rarely the case with the majority of low-buck crap. This is why in almost all cases, things that are better than stock cost MORE than stock. (Most of the time, but not always).

- Mike

[TangyXTC]

To me the brighter lights are very useable. Yes the pattern is off, but like I said with a little adjusting its not bad. Actually I like it better than my stock lights as far as useability.

[silviasichigo]

Well Like I was saying Get the holts Plastic polish. it will take all the yellow grime off of the lense. It will make it clear again. I have been using it for quiet sometime now and it works great. Like I said before google "holts Plastic Polish"

[zenki03]

Originally Posted by silviasichigo

Well Like I was saying Get the holts Plastic polish. it will take all the yellow grime off of the lense. It will make it clear again. I have been using it for quiet sometime now and it works great. Like I said before google "holts Plastic Polish"

Damn you must own stock in this company, but i think i will look into it.

[mixxamike]

Eh, i'm not thinking aftermarket is better than OEM in this case...I just think the OEM covers are dog ugly. I'm willing to put up with a little less light for a nicer looking car. UH OH! Form over function!!!--->Rice+Flame=Riced Crispies (me) oh well...

I like the look whether or not its as functional as OEM.

-Mike

[silviasichigo]

Damn you must own stock in this company, but i think i will look into it.

Nah just love the product and It really gets that yellow shit out of the lenses surface.

[old_s13]

There is a difference between the ALIGNMENT of your headlight and LIGHTING PATTERN.

Understand that when your headlight emits light, those little designs in the lens aim and diffract light onto different parts of the road.

Let me give you a scenerio, for the simple minded:

Imagine you have a hard drive, 200 gigabytes. In that hard drive, is a LOT of good porno.. some Sylvia Saint, some Jenna Jameson, and even some Katsumi porn. Lets also say there is about 10,000 files of just MP3s, all of which are organized into their own directories based on the genre, Jazz, Classical, R&B, Rap, you get the picture..

THEN.. you let your ASSHOLE little brother use the computer. What does he do? He basically decides to move EVERYTHING into the main root of the hard drive, he put everything into the C:\.... the ROOT.

Now.. you have a bunch of bullshit.. all in one directory. GREAAAAAAT.

Another example.. even easier to understand:

You have a painting, painted by the GREAT Michael Angelo. Rather than framing it, you decide to tape it onto the wall of your bathroom. Its a small bathroom, too small to even see the entire painting. When you walk in the bathroom.. you can only stare at a SMALL portion of the painting, not the entire thing.

This is what happens when you remove what is solely responsible for creating your lighting pattern. You change your HEADLAMP into what is known as a "DRIVING LAMP" -- a spot light. Why isnt this good? Because its crucial that light shines into certain parts of the road. Not only for glare reasons, but the eye actually gets tired if there is too much light directly in front of the car.. or too much on the sides, or too much far down the road -- engineers spend a LOT of time into creating lighting patterns not only for our own enjoyment, but also for our own safety.. and for the safety of others.

So. Rather than cleaning up your stock headlamp, you just ditched that and went with something less "useable." If you are happy, great. All I am doing is sharing with you, what I have learned through my experiences in the lighting industry.

If you were a badass, you would have taken the time to do something smart like mount some DOT-compliant HID projectors BEHIND the clear lens, then mounted those nice crystal clear lenses. Instead, you cheaped out and from a lighting standpoint did nothing worthwhile other than turn your car into a domestic show-car that never gets driven and is fixed up improperly.

[Gladman]

If you can see the road, then who cares....

If the light isnt good enough, add some fogs. Id rather have a nice looking housing than 10% more light on the road anyways..

[kandyflip445]

Originally Posted by Gladman

If you can see the road, then who cares....

If the light isnt good enough, add some fogs. Id rather have a nice looking housing than 10% more light on the road anyways..

I'm gonna laugh when you post a thread stating you wrecked your car cause some ricer blinded you with his HID's.

[S_14.5]

Originally Posted by TangyXTC

My Car

Hey nice headlamps...I think I've seen your car around my area before?

S_14.5
http://www.H2Fparts.com

[TangyXTC]

Nah you've never seen my car before. Its always in the garage, I never drive it!

[S_14.5]

Originally Posted by TangyXTC

Nah you've never seen my car before. Its always in the garage, I never drive it!

Ohh I must have you confused w/ another red 240sx. Kind of looks like my headlamps.

S_14.5
http://www.H2Fparts.com

[Brolewigi]

My work prototypes headlights, we have dozens of machines for vacume molding, silicon molding and injection molding. I build headlights, taillight assemblys. I design the molds. It takes a lot more than you think to make the lenses. there are reflector patterns on the inside of the housing and the inside of the lense that correctly disribute the beam of the light outward. If you do not do this correctly, the light will go everywhere. Its like shining a laser into a prism, Its a single beam of light, then shining the laser into a cut diamond, light goes everywhere. you will blind everyone around you, hehe. Its just theres a lot more into this than what your thinking. You also have to factor in shrink rates so the lense and the housing fit correctly. We also have a plastic welder and a vibration welder.
WEll good luck.

[SR240DET]

1 year later... where are those damn head light covers mang....

[!Zar!]

Yeah, I want some; for offroad use....seriously... Looks like a nice thing for mountain driving.

[m0rex]

No shiot!.. Were? I want it. Well maybe.

[SR240DET]

we are waiting...................

[Gnnr]

mike13 wins a $100 dollars. lol.