rodd1s' ex-turbo Lanos [1349 sleeper in the making]

[Big Jeff]

did you sort your HIDs out..

my left one has an angle on it, but i think i know how to sort it.

i will post it later if i do

[Rodd1s]

did you sort your HIDs out..

my left one has an angle on it, but i think i know how to sort it.

i will post it later if i do

kind of, but not perfect. what i had to do was make the semi-circle shield around the bulb cover the bottom half of the bulb (as it does in a normal H4 bulb) so the easiest way i could think of doing this was using alu foil as a little experiment. they shielded the unwanted light, but ideally i'd want it to be a little more sturdy. so until i can find a better way to improve the little light shield im still on plain light bulbs. was thinking of soldering pieces of metal at each end of the shield, but didnt know how well that would cope with the high temperatures. welding is out of the question as its too small n delicate. might give it a go again sometime this week and will let u know how i get on.

[daewoomofo]

i saw some guy that made hid shields from soda cans

[Big Jeff]

i saw some guy that made hid shields from soda cans

i give that a go.. i have some empty beer cans:D

[Rodd1s]

i saw some guy that made hid shields from soda cans

i give that a go.. i have some empty beer cans:D

+1, that sounds like a good-ish idea. once a pattern is drawn up they can more easily be cut n bent into shape. got an empty can and hid bulb at hand, so im gona see what i can come up with.

[Big Jeff]

i will have a go later tonight.

[Rodd1s]

so, here's what i have... hid bulb shields to comply with uk-spec light projection made from a carlsberg can.

original shields (note how they dont realy cover much of the bulb at all)



flattening the old shield to make a template:


cutting the beer can:


finished product after half hour of fiddling:




i had to put the new shield inside the the wire that runs up the side of the bulb to keep it in place cos the alu is much weaker then the steel shield and it flexes under movement. it now covers approx. 180 degrees of the bulb's bottom half (and a lil extra for good measure)

i'll put these bulbs back in tomorow when its light - unless i can find somewhere thats light enough later tonite.

i just hope these bulbs work properly and dont explode when i turn them on cos i touched them a few times with my fingers... i havnt got the smallest hands in the world so working with delicate things isnt my best quality.

[daewoomofo]

clean the finger prints off with rubbing alcohal or acetone. just make sure they are dry befor you plug them in

[Big Jeff]

clean the finger prints off with rubbing alcohal or acetone. just make sure they are dry befor you plug them in

.

when you say alcohal.. would vodka do?

[Rodd1s]

really really strong vodka might do the trick.

test results: the bulbs were alright, they didnt explode from touching them (its a myth i tell ye).

HOWEVER... and its a big however... the beer cans started burning/melting or something from the temperature of the bulbs. they turned black, smoked up the headlights in 2 minutes and stained the inside of my headlights.

here are a few pics after having the lights turned on for less than 5 minutes:




i have to add one thing though... the beer cans as a "light shield" worked perfectly, the light pattern was, say, 99% spot on.

[daewoomofo]

no i do not mean alcohol as in what you drink to get drunk. i mean the kind of alcohol that is used to clean wounds and such. its also known as isopropyl alcohol

[Big Jeff]

i got some steel for homebase, it heavy duty.

so i will hopefully go to my grands and use the workshop

[Rodd1s]

oh ive got plenty of heavy duty steel laying around... just incapable of cutting and shaping (or maybe welding) it that small.

[Rodd1s]

dont question whether this will actually work, i'll find out once its finished.

step 1: measure backseat and cut plywood to almost good enough shape/size


step 2: test fit the plywood backing


step 3: obliterate old parcel shelf to get 2 12" rings


step 4: build frame


step 5, 6 & 7: cover in stretchy material, cover material with one coat of resin & hardner mixture then start fibreglassing.


more to come over the next 2 days. the idea is that the build doesnt touch the boot floor so that the spare wheel and toolkit is still accessible. and this box will be easily removable.

and i think its safe to say that after one day of playing with fibreglass resin and hardener my lifespan has been severely shortened.

[Rodd1s]

im becoming very used to the smell of the activated resin...







i was gonna put an 8" sub in between the 2 12"ers... but then decided against it - got other plans for that one

should have the fibreglass stage finished tomorow, maybe even have it fillered, smoothed and painted if the resin sets hard enough. a big problem is how could it is outside, i keep having to drag the build in and out of the house between sessions to give it some heat. at least ouside ive got more time to apply the resin cos it takes a lot longer to set than normal.