Update 1/26/06: I'm finally getting back to this project! For those of you that have waited, I appreciate sticking with me on this and the limited time I have to work on it (Not to mention all the events that have befallen my family the past year). It's been a tough time, and my wife losing her job has made it even tougher, but it's temporary, and she has been helping me with some things lately, so I can make time for finishing up these covers.
In the interim, I have poked and prodded the possibility of learning to work with Carbon and Kevlar. Well, The past month has seen a lot of reading for me on this topic. The good news is that I'll be using the same mold for all materials, so no slow-up of the final stage I'm about to embark upon. The even better news is that CF will probably cost less than fiberglass since it does not need paint (and since I'm not doing this to rip people when I stamp "CF" on a product). The bad news is that I'm no CF layup master, and this will show in the product. I don't think it'll make the product too ugly for use, though. Remember, the show-piece is going to be the hella headlamps, not my covers!
Fiberglass covers will still be available.
Alternative turn-signal options page here.
Original write-up:
I'm working on fiberglass headlamp "covers" that will fit both the Gen2 SHO and Sable. The covers will be pieces that assume the basic shape of the oem headlamp housing. They will have recessed openings for 90mm Hellas headlamp modules, which will sit behind them in the header panel.
I'd be glad to make the housing and brackets for anyone that would like them, and I've been told I can get a deal on the Hella modules, but I don't think I'll want to stock them due to not being a formal business, so a group buy would probably be better for that. Here's a breakdown of the expected costs:
Updapted January, 2006:
The Hellas are $260 for all four lamps, bulbs and connectors.
Two decent relays, and wiring, another $25-50.
My Covers and brackets, around $200 for Fiberglass, $300 for Carbon Fiber. I don't know exactly what my costs will be yet, so I can't really narrow the final figure.
Another $50-$100 for paint at your local shop for Fiberglass covers.
At nearly $600-700 this will not be a cheap modification, but if you want A+ lighting instead of C-, it's definately going to be a worthwhile modification. And you can't beat the price. Hella conversions are going for $600/side for Fiberglass, $1000 for Carbon Fiber. $600-800 for both sides is extremely reasonable, I think. For their quality, the Hellas are a really good deal. I paid nearly $300 for my first set of race quality projector lamps over six years ago (2 lamps), and the Hella's perform as well (use same technologies), cost less and include high lamps.
(Sorry, but driving lamps bought at Walmart/K-Mart/PepBoys/Ricers-R-Us do not qualify as decent in any book ;).
Installing the lamps will require some easy modifications to the header panel (black structure behind the headlamps that hold them in place). A drill and hacksaw blade are required (blade will be used bare). A Dremel kit, or a small sanding drum and drill will also be needed.
The low-beam modules can be cheaply converted to accept DS2 HID if desired, but from what I've read, the lumens output of the DS2 is not much more than the H9 bulbs. The new H9 bulbs are a definate improvement, and the Hellas are serious lighting assemblies.
*Update 10/20/03*
After spending a week prepping the plugs, my worst fears came true when I found it too difficult to release the molds due to the recesses you see in the second image. Due to this, I will have to redesign the parts and go at it again. Due to limitations on my time, progress will be slow for awhile. On a positive note, the redesign will have a little style added to the functionality. No, we won't be cooking rice here. No wings or spinners allowed. I'll update as I go along.
Update to the previous update: The re-design has been worked out, it's just a matter of re-tooling the plugs now.
The next image is the plug and mold for one side, and the unfinished plug for the other. You can see where I had to cut into the recesses to get the mold to release. Although the molds did not work out, you can get an idea of what I'm doing. The covers will be made of automotive grade fiberglass, and will mount using the oem adjustors for the headlamps.
*Update 12/30/03*
New Images! I found the disk with these images a few days back. The images are of the plug I was working on, shortly before I attempted to make a mold with it. This is what could be done with a set of oem lamp housings, molding in some plastic tubing, and painting to match the car. The covers I will get back to working on in January or February will be similar but different.
