Speedrye build

Can't wait to see how those HID's work out!

These are supposed to be a good bit better than the HIDs I had retrofit into the ARB and I was quite happy with those.  For now, I'm doing these with 3000k yellow HID bulbs since I'm not a fan of whitish/blue lights.

I don't like the blue lights at all, but I am a big fan of the 6000k color.  You never retrofit your actual headlights, did you?

Nope, I don't like HIDs as my primary headlights.  I love the light output, but I can't deal with a sharp cutoff and not being able to see much of anything above that cutoff, like road signs, deer, pedestrians, etc.  I've had OEM HIDs on several vehicles in the past and simply don't like them as my main headlights.  The only colors I'd use personally would be 3000k or 4300k since I see much better in those spectrums.

Hmmm good points there.  I have always assumed that it's an upgrade from the stock setup but I've never actually driven an FJ with HID's in the headlights to see for myself.  I sure do love the look of them though haha

It's certainly an upgrade in light output, but to do it right and not blind everyone, you need to retrofit a projector into the headlight so that you have that nice cutoff.  Of course my issue is only with the low beams on.  When the projector opens up the high beams, there's plenty of light to see stuff.  I love a nice retrofit for on-road driving lights because they're very bright and don't blind anyone at all, unlike my LEDs and standard offroad lights.

See that's what I am looking for too!  A good low-beam option that doesn't blind everyone on the road.  I just can't pull the trigger on one specific setup because it's either hella expensive or something I've never done before (i.e. DIY retrofit)

I had the same issue and that's why I opted to go this route.  The Retrofit Source sells some of their projectors and parts that aren't 100% perfect for a heck of a discount.  Combine that with the occasional group buy or holiday sale and you can all of your main retrofit parts for under $200 (projectors, bulbs, ballasts and wiring).  A little adjustment and they're good to go typically.  So long as you don't charge yourself much for labor, it's not bad work depending on what lights you're putting in.

These are what I was running in the last lights in the ARB and I was happy with them:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=42695

Dang those are nice, and not too much either... So those tiny little ARB's ran about the same as headlights after the conversion?!

Those little Mini H1 lights put out a lot more than the headlights and they're bi-xenon, so they have a high beam as well which is very nice.  (Well, the cutoff shield drops, letting the light shine higher and farther)

  Consider the fact that the pair of bulbs is rated for 6400 lumen at the 4300k color.  A standard pair of H4 headlights (stock in the FJ) only puts out 2200-3000 lumen.  Big difference at night and the lighting is so wide and even and generally pretty.

You end up driving lights that are much brighter than your headlights but don't blind anyone.  Combine that with those same driving lights having a high beam as well and you can't beat the combination.

Dang man, now I wish I had bought those from you when you sold the bumper!  

DamnItsAGlasgow wrote:

Dang man, now I wish I had bought those from you when you sold the bumper!  

 Nah, they were functional, but not too pretty since I was new to it and rushing a little.  You could still make some in your spare time.  I'll give pointers where I can if you choose to make some at some point.

I appreciate that man!  Even though I would love to do that, and they'd be functional, I would still rather figure out some sort of adjustment/conversion for my main headlights first, then do those fog retrofits a little later. 
Lemme ask you this though... I see a ton of FJ projector headlights (entire assembly with the cheesy halo rings) for around $200-250 on ebay.  Are those worth a thing in your opinion?  Similar to this link: Ebay link  or even this for $350 at PureFJCruiser: Link

Most of the reviews I've read aren't too happy with the light output.  Often I've heard they don't even light up as much of the road as stock.  That's some BS in my opinion considering how pricey those are.  To do it right, you need to contact this guy and get a price quote from him:

http://www.nestahedition.com/

He does it right and uses the good quality TRS stuff that I'm using.  He also does mostly FJs and a lot of the guys in the Blue Room have been very happy with his work.  I have no clue what his pricing is, but when you find out, let me know.  You could probably have him use some of the b-stock projectors and value shrouds to save some money.  There might be some tiny scratches in some of the chrome (assuming you don't paint them black), but otherwise they should be fully functional.

He's actually where I bought my AM/FM antenna adapter to run the CB antenna in it's place.

Ohhh I've already discussed this with Nestah... He does the best work by far, but his estimate for me was $605!  And I quote:

"Yes, I do offer my service to build the FJ headlights with HID PROJECTORS for $175.




 
You send your OEM FJ headlights and I will order the HID parts from TRS (theretrofitsource.com)


after we agreed on the build configuration and payment is received via Paypal (nda431j@yahoo.com).




 
HID parts selection ($355)  with XbaLED halo rings)




 
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=237


 
Customer pay the actual shipping/insurance cost (~ $75) when I returned their built HID headlights.




 
Turn around time/ship them back to you is within two weeks."

Oh wow, I though he was using the FX-R projectors.  If he's using the Mini projectors, you could easily do this yourself.  The process would go something like this:

Remove headlight
Put headlight in oven to remove lens
Screw in Mini projector to bulb base
Trim and attach shroud
Plug in wiring harness to truck
Temporarily mount headlights back in truck to check alignment and rotation
Remove lights once adjusted
Put back in oven and remount lenses
Mount headlights in truck for final time and plug back in
Enjoy your lights

If I were doing it, I'd try to find some spare headlights since my truck is my daily driver and then sell my extra headlights once the retrofit was complete.  Because I'm extraordinarily cheap, I'd probably get some b-stock projectors for $60:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=42695

some value shrouds without an LED ring for $20:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=4888

a bulb/ballast/harness package for $150:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3959

and be done with it.  Of course I'd wait on a group buy or holiday sale to get an extra 20-25% off.

That actually doesn't sound too difficult!  I might just have to get this thing going sometime!  I like the setup you picked too... no need for the halo ring (they look silly IMO).  So if I wait around for a GB or something, I could get this whole thing done for under $200.  Not too bad at all!

I'd still spend a little to get a spare pair of headlights so you can work on those and not have your truck out of service for any amount of time.  (That's assuming you don't have another car)  If you decide to paint the lights black, you'll need to allow some time for cleaning, painting and drying as well.  I found an interesting link for removing chrome as well:
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?52010-Found-A-Very-Effective-Way-To-Remove-Chrome-From-Lights
 
Check that website out for awhile and read lots of stuff in your free time and you'll learn a LOT.

Sweeet dude, I appreciate all the input with that!!!

Speedrye wrote:

Got the center section of the bumper done.  Also a big thanks to Brian for the good deal on the front A-arm skids!  I've been playing with some ideas on the wings, but so far, nothing I like:

 I would take a serious look at angling the bottom tube up towards the flare....(i know, i know...Demello-like) but damn-it it looks good lol. Or maybe a bent tube to give a little more substance to the frontal view....like when they angle a lower control arm for clearance.

The only reason I was considering parallel as shown was to have room to fit a pair of 109w LED spot lamps between them.  Here's the link to the flood beam versions, but a spot is currently being developed:  http://www.scorpion-led.com/#!product/prd1/331605411/5in-1%2F109w-high-power-single-led
I'm thinking something Metal Tech style might work as well.

Ah gotcha. If there is room, maybe kick it up after you are past the lights? Byt yeah metal-techs does give a lot of space and protect them a little as well.

I was thinking of using the lower tube to follow the radius of the light around and up.  Provide protection and a little accent/ style for the lights.

Speedrye wrote:

I was thinking of using the lower tube to follow the radius of the light around and up.  Provide protection and a little accent/ style for the lights.

 I likey...