Lets See Some Light: The Definitive Lighting Thread

[mcnaughty]

Originally Posted by kiriyama

How you do that? lol

2UP S13 Clear Headlight Covers - 2UP Japanese Styling it comes with instructions on how to strip the old lenses off it was easy as

[tapdeznutz]

are you LED mod guys running individual resistors to each of the led's? and what rating resistor you using.

[rat240]

its not good to run them like that
in my tail lights im using one resistor for every 4 leds

use this site LED series parallel array wizard

[Tempo]

Originally Posted by hellion240sx

Wow... have a frontal shot?

[ixfxi]

my wife looked at that photo and said, in her wonderfully broken english

"what is it inside that, some tube?"

yes indeed. some tube. this thread is so awesome.

[90240sx07]

Originally Posted by mikeyee

Photo by solo_8 • Instagram



installed a FD "style" 3rd brake light and front windshield light on a friends s13. also threw a switch on the front windshield brake light to keep off while driving around town, then on while at the track.

got a write up for the fd light or a wiring diagram i wanna throw one in front and back on my hatch for track days or extra lighting at night for safety

[driver11324]

Just Finished up my NSX projector retrofit in the stock kouki headlights



Forgot to snap a pic of the cutoff

[K_style]

Originally Posted by driver11324

Just Finished up my NSX projector retrofit in the stock kouki headlights



Forgot to snap a pic of the cutoff

Nice Blue color... what kind of blue is that?

[driver11324]

Originally Posted by K_style

Nice Blue color... what kind of blue is that?

BMW Lemans Blue

[rat240]

Originally Posted by 90240sx07

got a write up for the fd light or a wiring diagram i wanna throw one in front and back on my hatch for track days or extra lighting at night for safety

for the rear you can tap to the 3rd brake light or tail lights

for the front you tap the fuse box brake wire

[Matej]

What is the best way to make the low beams stay lit while the high beams are activated on an S13?
I know it has been discussed countless times, but I assume the light masters will know best.

One supposed method that sounds most simple and appealing is to use the pop-up headlight motor wiring as the power source for the low beams (the headlight motors would not be used). Apparently it sees constant power whenever the low/high beams are on, plus it already has its own relays and fuses. The high beams would remain wired normally. Can anyone confirm if this method works?

[Mister.E]

This is what i used to wire my headlights when i converted to bricks from pop-ups. it tells you which wires to splice together to keep both beams on. Unfortunately the pics arent up anymore.

Installing Silvia Non-Projector (Brick) Headlights : 240sx Articles

[silviaks2nr]

Originally Posted by Matej

What is the best way to make the low beams stay lit while the high beams are activated on an S13?
I know it has been discussed countless times, but I assume the light masters will know best.

One supposed method that sounds most simple and appealing is to use the pop-up headlight motor wiring as the power source for the low beams (the headlight motors would not be used). Apparently it sees constant power whenever the low/high beams are on, plus it already has its own relays and fuses. The high beams would remain wired normally. Can anyone confirm if this method works?

Use an H4 relay harness with a diode between the low and high beam +12v.

[tapdeznutz]

please elaborate...^^^

[silviaks2nr]

I know for a fact this harness works for h4 so your low and high will stay on at the same time. I use them for my s14 zenki retros

Bi-xenon: 'MotoControl 9003/H4/HB2 - Relay Harnesses from The Retrofit Source Inc

[silviaks2nr]

Originally Posted by driver11324

Just Finished up my NSX projector retrofit in the stock kouki headlights


Forgot to snap a pic of the cutoff

Looks real nice. What projectors do nsx's use? Is it a small d2s kioto with the black plastic lens holder? Get some clear headlight lenses on there if you can.

[driver11324]

Originally Posted by silviaks2nr

Looks real nice. What projectors do nsx's use? Is it a small d2s kioto with the black plastic lens holder? Get some clear headlight lenses on there if you can.

From what I've read, they use the same projector as the TSX but they are in a different housing. I had to trim the NSX housing to fitImageUploadedByTapatalk1358453960.856418.jpg

[silviaks2nr]

Interesting. That looks more like an sc430/s2000 projector, not a tsx.

[Matej]

Originally Posted by E Double

This is what i used to wire my headlights when i converted to bricks from pop-ups. it tells you which wires to splice together to keep both beams on. Unfortunately the pics arent up anymore.

Installing Silvia Non-Projector (Brick) Headlights : 240sx Articles

How does the 'two-wire' lamp stay on with the high beams? I thought the low beam wire (red/blue +) does not receive power when the 'ALT' (red/white +) is switched on. Though it looks like the S13 Silvia headlights still use a dual-beam H4 bulb.


My headlights will have separate low and high beam projectors, so it will be more similar to wiring S15 headlights on an S13. I have been searching for ways to keep the low beams on when the high beams are activated, and stumbled across this:

If all you need is the High and low beams to come on at the same time you can modifty the headlight switch so that both the high and low are on at the same time with the high beams selected. Just take off the back plastic piece of the switch and there is a square plate in the switch that has dips in it. This piece slides along the plastic piece pushing up on the contacts. There is a spot on the plate where it is just a indentation. this is the high beam spot. Notch it out to the edge of the plastic piece and put back together. Viola!, no extra wiring.

So far that sounds like my favorite method, though I have not been able to find any more details, or if it really works.

Is this the plastic piece it talks about? I am not quite sure what to notch.

[kouki-gymkhana]

Originally Posted by Matej

How does the 'two-wire' lamp stay on with the high beams? I thought the low beam wire (red/blue +) does not receive power when the 'ALT' (red/white +) is switched on. Though it looks like the S13 Silvia headlights still use a dual-beam H4 bulb.


My headlights will have separate low and high beam projectors, so it will be more similar to wiring S15 headlights on an S13. I have been searching for ways to keep the low beams on when the high beams are activated, and stumbled across this:
So far that sounds like my favorite method, though I have not been able to find any more details, or if it really works.

Is this the plastic piece it talks about? I am not quite sure what to notch.

If you will be running HIDs, then you MUST use a relay-based harness. I made a custom one when I retrofitted D2S H9 projectors and separate H9 high beam modules into pop-ups on my s13. I made a separate trigger switch on the dash to activate the HIDs and the harness design allows them to stay on once the high beams are triggered. I will be revising this setup so that the OEM headlight stalk will trigger the HIDs with information from the following link:
Xenon (HID) retrofit

Granted, this applies to the s14 switch but the principle should be the same for the s13. Hope that helps...

[240sxDavid]

So I fitted these projector foglights I took off of a lexus at the junkyard and installed them on my car and surprisingly its a direct bolt on for the s13 pignose besides wiring and buying longer bolts for bracket to work. I don't know if all pignose bumpers come pre drilled but mine was and the install was fairly easy I'm loving them
Onto what you guys wanna see PICTURES:

[rat240]

not finished yet

[Matej]

Originally Posted by kouki-gymkhana

If you will be running HIDs, then you MUST use a relay-based harness.

This would most likely be with using one of these terrible LED bulbs for the high-beam:


The output of them is supposed to be terrible, which is exactly why. I never really use the high-beam anyway, so I would mainly just like to figure out a good way to make it look lit along with the low-beam, without blinding people. I have also considered hiding small LED's as 'running lights' inside the projector housing, but at the same time I do not really want to cut up and ruin the headlights.

My other idea is to use two low-beam projectors.
Would it be alright to use a low-beam projector in place of the high-beam one in a headlight housing, or does the shape of the outer glass play a role as well?

[tapdeznutz]

Originally Posted by 240sxDavid

So I fitted these projector foglights I took off of a lexus at the junkyard and installed them on my car and surprisingly its a direct bolt on for the s13 pignose besides wiring and buying longer bolts for bracket to work. I don't know if all pignose bumpers come pre drilled but mine was and the install was fairly easy I'm loving them
Onto what you guys wanna see PICTURES:

did you get those off an early model Lexus ES300?

[Nategreat923]

Originally Posted by mikeyee

Photo by solo_8 • Instagram



installed a FD "style" 3rd brake light and front windshield light on a friends s13. also threw a switch on the front windshield brake light to keep off while driving around town, then on while at the track.

Man, that's a good idea for the switch. Here's mine:

[240sxDavid]

Originally Posted by tapdeznutz

did you get those off an early model Lexus ES300?

Yeah this is what they look like with bracket

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk 2

[silviaks2nr]

they are kioto yellow fog projectors, same as found in zenki s14, is300, etc.

[bejota180sx]

just out of curiosity... would any of you recommend some decent priced LEDs to PRACTICE with... something cheaper than the high quality stuff im finding so i can practice and then if i get the hang of making decent stuff...

[tapdeznutz]

Originally Posted by bejota180sx

just out of curiosity... would any of you recommend some decent priced LEDs to PRACTICE with... something cheaper than the high quality stuff im finding so i can practice and then if i get the hang of making decent stuff...

get ebay led's

[t_rempel]

Originally Posted by bejota180sx

just out of curiosity... would any of you recommend some decent priced LEDs to PRACTICE with... something cheaper than the high quality stuff im finding so i can practice and then if i get the hang of making decent stuff...

If you're wanting to practice for a retro on your car, superflux leds like Phillips Lumileds are a quality product and are cheap enough to experiment with. Good quality, affordable and binned... dont know what else you'd want.
Superflux LEDs will also look 1000x times better than 5mm leds when finished... Unless you like the lite-brite look with terrible viewing angles.