Another HID Thread! This Time with LT Lenses.

[l008com]

First, the Lenses
I just don't understand how LT lenses cost $300+ per pair when regular lenses cost less than $100. How do people even know that LT lenses are different? I mean *WE* know, but people who are not Trailblazer aficionados would google 'Trailblazer Lenses', see the $50 for LS lenses and post theirs for that. I don't understand how sellers all across the internet, in sync, charge triple+ for LT lenses...

All that said, I was able to find a new set on eBay for $250, which was by far the cheapest price. I do need new lenses, mine are fogged up inside and out. The rest of my "headlight assembly" looks fine though. Is it possible to get just the true "lens" of the assembly, and replace just those? (while hopefully installing HIDs). If that's not an option, are there any other sources for LT lenses (new ones) that are reasonably priced? I know I had an old thread about this, but I really don't like any of the options where I use LS assemblies, and switch to an SS grill or mod custom inserts to fill the holes. I definitely want to stick to regular old LT lenses. Only not old, new!

Now on to the HID
I do not want HID bulbs in my regular lenses. I definitely want to go the projector retrofit route. So many threads on the topic are old, and the links are broken. I know "the retrofit source" has a kit that's $270! That's a big steep. I recently found what looked like a good kit for $140 somewhere.... but stupid me, I didn't save the link and can't find it again. Are there any other more affordable options for quality HID retrofit projectors? I do want bi-xenon, but if single-stage projectors were cheap enough, I would consider HID projector load beams and LED highs. But I'd prefer bi-xenon.

Also I was thinking, if the projector is both high and low, then does it matter which bulb spot I put it in? I could potentially mix it up and have the lights be on the inner and have whatever DRL solution I mix up be on the outter spots?

 

[aaronbtb]

I have some spare oem LT lenses laying around that I attempted to open awhile back. They are perma-sealed, its doable if you have time, use your oven and a heat gun. A mini h1 or d2s will fit in the low beam spot with the simple thread mount on the end of the projector. The high beam spot doesn't look like there is enough room to use the simple thread mount. You'll have to get creative, cut up the plastic and epoxy the projector in place. My last retro fit I used the Morimoto H1 Mini 7.0 in the high beam spot, but had to epoxy it in place.

As for cost, check out the retrofits closeout section every once and awhile, they usually have bstock projectors at less then half the price of new.

You could go on amazon and use the cheapo h1 projectors they are the same size as the morimoto h1 mini. I am not sure how the output it is, but I'm sure its better then putting HIDS in halogen housings.

 

[l008com]

Ok this might be more of a question for them than for you guys, but what is the difference between all of the different projectors on their site? They have a $135 H1 projector kit, in addition to all of the other $270 and up kits. Their website does a very poor job of giving you any real explanation of what the items are. Or any of the million pop-up menu item options. Very frustrating.

 

[Blckshdw]

I know I had an old thread about this,

Generally, you want to keep all your subject matter together in one thread, that way when you want to go back and look at something, you don't have to skip around. Also helps future members in their searches, if your thought process and eventual course of action are documented with some continuity.

I just don't understand how LT lenses cost $300+ per pair when regular lenses cost less than $100. How do people even know that LT lenses are different?

Pretty simple, the LT trim level was introduced 4 years after the LS trim level. Due to it being the next level up, and more rare, replacements come at a premium. Same goes for SS grilles, you can't even find those for sale anywhere anymore.

Is it possible to get just the true "lens" of the assembly, and replace just those?

No one sells individual brand new pieces of the assemblies, you gotta get them used, if you are lucky.

Are there any other more affordable options for quality HID retrofit projectors?

check out the retrofits closeout section

Best advice you could get here. Lots of good deals in there on cheaper projectors that you can use for a 1st time retrofit.

The high beam spot doesn't look like there is enough room to use the simple thread mount.

You can fit a projector in the high beam bucket, a number of us who have done quad retrofits have done this. I believe @Sparky and @NinjuhhNutz used mini H1s for their quad setups, I used mini D2S on mine. (they are listed as the ACME standard D2S projectors now) It was a tight fit with the D2S, but I got them in there and aligned eventually.

but what is the difference between all of the different projectors on their site?

The Morimoto ones are the house brand of TRS, so they designed those themselves. All of the other ones, Lexus RX330/350, FX, Acura TL, Evo-X, etc are OEM models that came standard on some models of vehicles. The ones with a "-R" behind them are TRS' attempts are duplicating the OEM projectors with any improvements they could come up with.

The threaded shaft projectors are always recommended for 1st timers and beginners, as they require the least amount of modification. The OEM and replica projectors require either building your own mounting brackets, or making significant cuts to your reflector bowl, and using epoxy to hold them in place.

The exception for beginners and OEM projectors, is if you have headlights with standard projectors already, then certain ones will be bolt on swaps using the same screw holes. This depends on the manufacturer of the vehicle and what kind of stock projectors they use.

As far as the kits go, they'll generally include a pair of projectors (plenty of choices there), a pair of ballasts (go with 35W, 55W really won't be necessary starting out), then you have your HID bulbs, so you have to choose your color temperature. And then whether or not you want a relay harness (highly recommended)

If you are committed to buying from TRS, and have specific questions, just ask them. They are very helpful and will explain all of the different options to you over email or phone. And of course, you'll get help here as well

 

[Sparky]

The mini H1 can fit in the high beam bucket, but you do have to open up the 9005 bulb hole a bit (slightly too small for the threaded shaft) and trim the backside of the bucket where the bowl of the projector sits to get it to seat. Not a bad job, just takes a little tinkering. I didn't want to mess with the alignment of them with the low beam bucket projectors, so I used them on the high beam only.

They were aimed up a bit from the low beam (which if you think about how the low and high beam reflectors work it makes sense), but just by looking at them you couldn't really tell. I had to notch the inner black plastic bezel of the headlight so the shrouds would clear. Since I painted my bezels, reflector bowls, and shrouds all black, you really couldn't tell that I had notched the bezels unless you really looked for it. If it were all kept chrome it would maybe be more noticeable.

 

[SnowBlazer]

This idea that I'm about to throw out here has been spoken of and executed may of times.

What you can do is buy the same headlights I've got and fill the holes in the headlights with pieces of an LS grille. There's a guy on ORTB who did it and it looks really clean.

 

[Blckshdw]

This idea that I'm about to throw out here has been spoken of and executed may of times.

What you can do is buy the same headlights I've got and fill the holes in the headlights with pieces of an LS grille. There's a guy on ORTB who did it and it looks really clean.

He's gone on record saying he doesn't want to do that, doesn't like the look. This is also a benefit of keeping topics together in 1 thread.

 

[SnowBlazer]

He's gone on record saying he doesn't want to do that, doesn't like the look. This is also a benefit of keeping topics together in 1 thread.

I didn't see it in this thread. I mean, at the end of the day, that's what I'd do instead of forking out over $600 on a retrofit. But to each his own

 

[l008com]

This is the cheapest set of LT lenses I've been able to find:
http://www.autolightsbulbs.com/2006-2009-Chevy-Trailblazer-Headlight-Assembly/K1114605.aspx
$251 with free shipping. That seems to be the best deal out there by far, but I still wanted to post the link here before I order, just in case there's some red flag somewhere I'm not seeing. All of these sites have fairly poor quality photos, so its impossible to tell if these are truly identical to factory LT lenses. But hopefully they are.



Also with these $250 lenses and the Acme H1 projectors, I should be in at around $400. Maybe a little more with misc extras I'll probably need. Not too shabby. If I manage to sell my Camaro's old snow tires tomorrow, the headlight project will be fully funded

Plus when I'm done, I can always sell my good LT lens for, I would imagine around $100 easily. And the bad one maybe $50. It's not great but its not smashed or anything.

 

[07TrailyLS]

I know this is a few days old. But I'll be the first to tell you to save your money on the acme projectors and spend the extra for the mini H1 or the D2s. You can mount either with the threaded shaft method or if your good, you may use machine bolts sized 8-32 and use the "nut and bolt method". I've been following a page on Facebook strictly related to retrofitting for months. The mini H1 is much higher prone to having to shim your bulbs over the D2s projectors. Whatever you do, take your time, and watch videos and do it right. Follow the "headlight junkies" Facebook page for help. There are professional retrofitters on there that will help you with bulb seating issues or moisture in your lenses etc... it's really worth a look before you dive head first into a 600 dollar retrofit

 

[l008com]

But I'll be the first to tell you to save your money on the acme projectors and spend the extra for the mini H1 or the D2s.

But why? The mini h1 is twice the price of the acme h1.

 

[07TrailyLS]

Lots of guys on headlight junkies consider the acme projector "cheap to the touch" and doesn't have the quality cutoff a mh1 would have. Pricing always shows which product is more heavily in demand. You said it yourself "the mh1 is twice the price".Don't let me sway your opinion. I just don't want you to be another one of the disappointed who put a good chunk of money into a project to see minimal gains and a bad cutoff. Just trying to help you out
In this picture the top set of projectors is the acme H1. The bottom is morimotos mini H1. You can see a better cutoff and nearly double the usable light coming from the more expensive H1

 

[l008com]

What does cheap to the touch mean?

 

[07TrailyLS]

Build quality is lacking thereof compared to the H1 or D2s or any newer a stock projector morimoto makes is all. But from the picture I showed, you should be able to tell the huge difference in the two projectors.

 

[BRomanJr]

This is the cheapest set of LT lenses I've been able to find:
http://www.autolightsbulbs.com/2006-2009-Chevy-Trailblazer-Headlight-Assembly/K1114605.aspx
$251 with free shipping. That seems to be the best deal out there by far, but I still wanted to post the link here before I order, just in case there's some red flag somewhere I'm not seeing. All of these sites have fairly poor quality photos, so its impossible to tell if these are truly identical to factory LT lenses. But hopefully they are.

I bought these for my brothers 2006 LT, they fit properly and work well. I didn't closely inspect them but seemed like quality parts and were packaged well and delivered in one week by Fedex without damage. The brand on the box was "DEPO" Made in Taiwan.

 

[l008com]

I bought these for my brothers 2006 LT, they fit properly and work well. I didn't closely inspect them but seemed like quality parts and were packaged well and delivered in one week by Fedex without damage. The brand on the box was "DEPO" Made in Taiwan.

Thanks that's good to know. My current lenses are fogging up big time so no matter what I do, i'm going to need new ones. The fog is more on the inside than the outside, it's weird.

 

[l008com]

In this picture the top set of projectors is the acme H1. The bottom is morimotos mini H1. You can see a better cutoff and nearly double the usable light coming from the more expensive H1

Do you know of the Acme pictured is the "standard" or the "super"? They told me the super puts out about 15% more light than the standard. The super is still over $100 less than the morimoto h1.

I don't have to have the brightest lights in town. As long as they are significantly better than my factory lights, that will be sufficient. $100 or more will go a long way to one of the many other projects I'd like to do to this truck. I'm going to google around for info on the acme projectors some more but they still seem like the best option for me.

 

[07TrailyLS]

Any sort of projector retro you do to your truck will be leaps and bounds better than your stock halogen lighting fwiw. Acme or H1, it will be better over stock by far. just take your time aligning and getting your rotation correct. Cheers

 

[dna59]

Yea as mentioned I would stay away from the Acme stuff. They are older gen MH1s and aren't that great plus quality might be hit or miss. Well that's from my experience. Maybe if it was my first retro they would be adequate but having done numerous retros I would stick to the Morimoto stuff. The latest gen stuff are really heaps better than the older gen stuff or Acme. If you are dead set on Acme then atleats go with the super.

 

[l008com]

2 years later but I'm finally going for it. Money has been tight (and I still have yet to sell my old snow tires) but I have some funds, and it's gotten to the point where I can't see shit with my regular old headlights. I'm starting with the lenses. I'm going to order them, get em, and try to open them. Once they are open, then I'll decide on a projector.

It's probably going to be too late by the time anyone gets this, but the universal projector retrofits.... there are only space issues if you're putting them in the high beam bays right? Either the mini H1s or the Acme/Acme Supers should fit in the low beam bay just fine?

Also I was reading about a DRL killing hack you do with a relay. I commented on it but didn't get a response. My relays have both 87/87a pins. Meaning it's both a relay you can use to turn some things on and some things off. So is it right that the unused pin in that DRL hack will have power whenever the headlights are NOT on? So I can hook up any old 12v LED to it to give myself homemade DRLs?

Also I looked on the TRS closeout page, no half price projectors. I do have a working 10% coupon but I'm still liking the Acme Super price over the mini H1. Are there other projectors I can/should be looking at besides stuff from TRS.

To try to clarify the level of modder I am:
I'm pretty confident I can get these lenses open (although isn't there a link somewhere to a guide)
I'm pretty confident I can crimp all the wires together.
I wouldn't even try to custom epoxy plastic bits together to make my own mount, if a projector didn't thread right in. That said, shaving a hole a little larger diameter for a projector shaft is no big deal. So that's where my skill level is.

 

[Blckshdw]

but the universal projector retrofits.... there are only space issues if you're putting them in the high beam bays right? Either the mini H1s or the Acme/Acme Supers should fit in the low beam bay just fine?

I believe the mini H1 would fit in the high beam bucket without issue if you chose to do so. The Acme supers, are the old mini D2S 2.0 which I used in my first projector retrofit (quad projectors), those required modifications because the bottom 2 screws that attached the lens holder to the projector were low enough to make contact with the bottom of the reflector bowl. So I had to Dremel out a couple notches to allow clearance. But to give you a direct answer, either style would drop right into the low beam bucket easily. H1s will thread in as is, the supers will require you to open the bulb hole a touch.

Depending on the length of the threaded shafts, you may need to grind down the back side of the reflector bowl, where the plastic locking pieces for the OEM bulbs screw in. That's easy though. The reflector bowls are ceramic, so it creates a LOT of dust.

So is it right that the unused pin in that DRL hack will have power whenever the headlights are NOT on? So I can hook up any old 12v LED to it to give myself homemade DRLs?

Correct, one pin will be connected to power, and the other one will not. They'll swap energy states when the relay engages.

I'm pretty confident I can get these lenses open (although isn't there a link somewhere to a guide)

If you have permasealed headlights, you'll need to cut them open. There's a write up I made in the articles section that gives details and pics of this.

How to cut open your headlights and create clear corner lenses

If you have lights sealed with Butyl rubber (much easier to deal with) you can bake the headlights open.

Folks who've done the bake method will tell you different temperatures and times, since there is no single correct answer. In my case, I baked them for about 20 minutes at 220 degrees. The plastic housings were pretty warm, but not burning hot. Started at the lower inside corner of the housing and started to pry. The butyl had the consistency of chewing gum, left in the sun, that you mistakenly stepped in... The hardest part was getting the halves to start to separate, but once it starts to give a little, it gets easier until the whole thing opens up.

Sealing them was just a reverse of that process. Press them back together, bake again, when removed press some more.

 

[Sparky]

If you put mini h1s in thevhigh beam you'll need to open the bulb hold a little for the shaft to fit thru (9005 has a slightly smaller duameter than 9006) and also if you use the mini gatling shroud it will hit the trim bezel inside the headlight. I opted to trim that bezel instead of the shroud as that was essier and ended up looking better.

 

[l008com]

So far, not so good. Scoured the web to find a good deal on super expensive LT lenses. Found a place selling them for ~$225. One is perfect, the other has loose insides. They set up an RMA no problem, but they aren't paying for return shipping, which is surprisingly expensive on such a light package. I could have bought it locally for a lot less than what I'm now going to end up paying. Not a great start to this project.

 

[l008com]

Ok I'm going to try to open my lenses today. Or one of them at least. 20m@220°, easy enough... But how do I know if my lenses are butyl sealed or permasealed? I bought aftermarket lenses specifically because i read they were easier to open. Does that mean mine are butyl? Let's hope.

 

[Sparky]

Many are but not all. What brand were they?

Depo and Eagle Eyes are typically butyl.

 

[l008com]

Many are but not all. What brand were they?

Depo and Eagle Eyes are typically butyl.

Hmmm I dunno. This is the pair I got: http://autolightsbulbs.com/2006-2009-Chevy-Trailblazer-Headlight-Assembly/K1114605.aspx

I don't see any brand names though. All this kind of stuff is sold pretty genericly usually.

 

[Sparky]

Usually the boxes they're packed in have the brand name

 

[l008com]

Figures I don't have the boxes with me right now, just bare lenses. I'm just going to go for it and hope for the best.

 

[Blckshdw]

Sometimes if you look along the seams, if you can see either a gray or black substance that looks like a cured form of liquid sealant, then it's butyl rubber. On my Depo tail lights (before I broke one) there were tiny sections where I could see the gray sealant on the black housing at the base of the lens where some squeezed out.

 

[l008com]

18 minutes at 220° in my very small oven, so small that each lens JUST barely fit in.... and they came right apart! What a mess though.

So now the question is, how do I clean off all the butyl so I can reassemble them once the time comes. Plus a little got on the insides. I'd like to clean them off without destroying them if possible

 

[Blckshdw]

Yeah that stuff gets everywhere if you're not really careful. I learned that the hard way when I did mine too

Get some stray bits of butyl, and roll it into a ball. Warm up the headlight housings, just a little bit to soften the butyl again. Dab at the warm butyl, with the cold butyl you already removed. It will want to stick to itself, and as a result, let go of your headlights. So no scraping to mar up the plastic or reflector bowls, or rub the chrome finish off.

 

[l008com]

I was trying to do that once they were fresh out of the oven but it didn't go well. i'll try again later.

New question: I'm going to need to add some wiring into this setup, what gauge should I get you think? I'm going to need to run new leads to the old high beam bays for the DRLs, and I thought of a few other things (that I now forget).

 

[Sparky]

It will depend on the load. A relatively low wattage LED strip or pod for example (say under 20W) you'd be perfectly fine with 18, but anything loaded down like the headlamps themselves you want thicker like 16 maybe even 14.

 

[l008com]

Any other tricks for removing this rubber that don't involve baking the lenses again? There is a LOT of this stuff on both halves of each lens. I'm trying to scrape it off with a plastic scraper right now, but it's not really working.

 

[Ilikemy3s]

Has anyone tried these assemblies from Rock Auto? Any thoughts on these based on the info and various pics ?

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8485588&cc=1431160&jsn=480

 

[l008com]

Personally, I think those all chrome aftermarket ones look awful. And from what I read on forums, those fake projectors don't work nearly as good as the real thing. I tried lenses like that in my S10 but never in a trailblazer.


Also, about that butyl rubber. Holy crap, it took about 4 hours just to get it off one half of one lens!!! I had to keep re-baking the thing in the oven about 6 times. This stuff is insanely sticky. It's goona take me a week to clean all this crap off. It's a shame you can't order these from a manufacturer snapped together but totally unglued.

 

[Blckshdw]

I had to keep re-baking the thing in the oven about 6 times. This stuff is insanely sticky.

Yeah that stuff is like chewing gum from hell. What worked for me, was having a heat gun, set on low, that way I could heat the assembly locally as I worked from section to section. If there's a blow dryer in your house, those can work too.

The all chrome look doesn't appeal to me either, but having a smooth bezel surface does... Since I would be painting the bezel to match, or gloss black, it would be much easier to scuff then paint, rather than to fill with primer, sand it back down flat, and THEN paint.

 

[l008com]

The problem with this stuff is once its heated, it doesn't stick together. So when it's hot, I always only get half of what's there. 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 . . . never gets to zero. Once it's more cooled off if you keep working the same tiny area over and over, it will start to get down to bare plastic eventually. What a nightmare, I am not looking forward to doing the other 3 parts. These light upgrade better be worth it.

 

[Blckshdw]

Really? That's strange. When I was doing it, whatever was in my hand (cold butyl) would pull whatever was on the headlight (warm/soft butyl) right off. I'd use a dabbing motion, and if any of the strings got to be longer than a couple of inches, just start rolling the ball so the warm butyl string would wrap around it.

 

[l008com]

Really? That's strange. When I was doing it, whatever was in my hand (cold butyl) would pull whatever was on the headlight (warm/soft butyl) right off. I'd use a dabbing motion, and if any of the strings got to be longer than a couple of inches, just start rolling the ball so the warm butyl string would wrap around it.

Yeah I dabbed and rolled for 4 hours. It is extremely difficult to remove it. I don't know what kind of extra sticky glue they used when they manufactured this, but I don't know how I'm going to remove it from the channel on the main lens body Mine is truly like bubble gum. It's either cemented in place to the lens or it's pure gooey slime, with no middle ground.