Gen 1 Headlight Project w/ HID install

This may be a dumb question but... do you really need an entire HID kit with ballasts?

The way I figure it is that the stock ballasts can supply more than enough wattage to the 6000k 9005 HID bulbs, so why bump down to aftermarket ballasts when they add $70 to the cost fo the kit. Do aftermarket bulbs require a different voltage or do they just not wire up to the stock units? I'd really love to drop some 6000k bulbs in to improve my night driving, but I don't really have the money to drop $85-100 on a kit that will take me a day to install (plus I think I'd need the shop manual to take all the plastic apart right).

Also, 9005 is the right number for the bulbs right? I'm sorry I'm asking all these newbie questions, I'm just trying to get my Mark in near-perfect condition before I post some pics of it here.
 
you cannot use the factory ballast on an aftermarket hid bulb, it is the wrong kind of current. ac/dc you know, you cant mix the two, thats why the bulbs for the mark VIII were so much money, because they are the only ones to run this way, the factory ballasts are garbage unless you have factory hid's, otherwise throw them away when going aftermarket bulbs.
 
CC440: You have me confused now! - Lol.

Let me get this straight, you have a 96 non LSC, right? With halogen housings and standard bulbs? If so, then just follow the instructions on the first page - job takes an hour at most. Not sure why you are asking about ballasts? Unless your car's headlights have been changed to the LSC HID housings and bulbs, then you don't currently have any ballasts. :confused:

And yeah, a 9005 based kit is what you want.
 
Yeah, it's a 96 non-LSC.

So I would need the full ebay kit then, not just bulbs. Thanks for the help.

I used the 3M kit on my headlights yesterday and they came out fantastic, night driving actually is good enough where I might not even bother with a kit now.
 
Yeah, a 4300 - 6000K temp 9005 based HID kit from a reputable seller will suffice.
 
I turned off 3 of the lights in the tunnell so that solid concrete could be seen all around and the light output. Again, these are the 10,000K HID's

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ive seen your write up its dawn good but talking about hid kits i got screw by a seller and now im stuck with one bad ballast any help will be appreciated lol with your project looks great thanks lol.....
 
Hi laserp viii.

I don't know anything about the internal workings of an HID ballast. Are you sure it's bad? Did you try switching the ballasts around? Is the connector going from the headlight harness connected to the ballast the correct way?

If it is actually bad, you should be able to get another ballast off Ebay.
 
i got a place to get H.I.Ds!

Hey guys go to vvme.com they sell hids for our marks. They start at 41.99 and the slim ballast kits are 59.99. I jave a kit from them for my CBR 1100XX and they look great. I just read this thread and thought i nwould chime in and let everyone know about vvme. They are out of delaware and they are prompt with their shipping. So give them a call or go to vvme.com:shifty: :)
 
slickemhoundd said:
How bigga rock you use :D ;) :p
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lol, I have a set of keys to that can get me into 2 doors down there. I can turn off the entire lower and upper deck parking. I just happened to have the tunnel switches marked. For one guy, I turned on a certain area of underground lights so that he could park all to himself and keep his car safe. Martin, you'll like his tag.

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That car screams and sounds so good. Mint condition inside and out.
 
Wow Terry! That Camaro looks flippin' awesome!!!

I want! :D
 
Makes you realize just how ugly modern cars have become. That car looks better than anything produced today, IMO - just don't have an accident in it! :)
 
hey there

93' Blue on blue said:
I've spent the last few weeks making and perfecting a chrome set for the gen 1 halogen DIY'er. This is the kit that's on it's way to you, Green. My apologies to others that have been waiting - I had no idea how much work was going to be involved in making this 72 piece set from scratch! More kits are in the pipeline!

Anyway, take a look at the fruits of my labour! :)

chromeforgreenmachine.jpg
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when are you going to have more available? Let me know. I want a set.
 
I basically 'canned' the idea due to general lack of interest and the amount of time it takes to make sets individually like that.

Unless you are hell bent on having a complete, nice set, then i would encourage you to just re-chrome the parts that are badly burned.
 
I waited to post 'cause I didn't want to cut off your idea or potential for some cash. Your kits look great. I took mine apart and re-chromed them with spray paint and they're holding up great over a year later. I can get the slim ballast HIDS if anybody needs them. I'll post in another section for details if theres interest.
 
No worries, Speed Demon - by all means post up info to your paint solution - a nice, chrome paint that lasts is the ultimate solution and something I'd be interested in doing myself.
 
I just got back from Sema and am setting my friend up with spectre chrome. Once he's up and running with their system I'm sure he'll hook us up. I didn't have that option when I did mine so I stripped the lens. Used a high temp ceramic primer and several coats of chrome. I tested about 8 types of chrome sprays for work to find the best but the Spectre product would be the best now I'd guess. When the time comes if we had a number of pairs to spray at once that would be ideal. I'll let you know when he gets his spray system from them.
 
In a normal Mark VIII that has it's low beam headlights on, the low beams turn off when the high beam is turned on and turn back on when high beam is turned back off. With normal lights this is fine, but with HID's, the turning on and off can drastically shorten their life.

So, you splice those wires together to keep the low beams on when the high beams are used.
 
Martin or Jamie, can the HID's be placed in the high beam hole? I wanna order some more 10,000K like I had on the 94 and put them in the low beam and have the 6,000K in the high beam. Not that I'll ever use them but if I do, it will be for long periods and not off and on. Jamie re-pinned my harness to keep the low beams on when bright has been switched on. I just need to know if those sockets will fit in the high beam side. I would go look but it's pouring down rain right now and lightning. I'm ready to make the order now for the 10,000K if they'll swap over.

Would I be the only one to have 4 ballasts and 4 HID's on a Gen1? :shifty:
 
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