Headlight Retrofit Project
12-13-2011, 01:51 AM
#1
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Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 I6
Headlight Retrofit Project
I have came to the decision that my headlights suck and need more clear light so i decided to do a retrofit project with my headlights. also im not sure if anyone else has done this but i couldnt find anything so i hope this helps people.
It took about 2-3 days to do it and 3-4 hours each day. I dont recommend this project for anyone that doesnt have patience and that actually really wants to do it because a lot of work goes into it.
These are all the places that i ordered everything from
Housing
link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/7X6-HEADLIGH...ht_5423wt_1396
cheapest ones i could find since all i needed was the housing
The projector, shroud, and CCFL
link: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...roducts_id=236
Shroud and CCFL
link: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...oducts_id=1355
HID (i dont recommend the brand i got)
http://www.thirdgp.com/
(you just need a d2s bulb, ballasts and wire kit)
the housings i ordered
just about everything
i tried heating up the housing to take it apart but it didnt work so i used a dremel to cut it open
then i had to shave some holes for the projector to sit further back so it wouldnt hit the lense
put it in and adjust the light to be straight, up and down doesnt matter since there is a adjustment for that
(low beam)
high beam
i used JB quick weld to keep it in place (make sure to hold it properly so it wont fall out of adjustment
you have to cut the shroud a lot to make it fit properly and i mean a lot of cutting is required
i sand blasted the shroud to paint it
i just sat the lens on to see how it looked
most of the back jb welded together
it is a little longer then the OEM one so you have to cut open a 2 inch hole in the back to make it fit all the way through, this picture only shows the small hole i made but after i made it bigger
old and new light
the light on the right, the power supply didnt work properly so i contacted the retrofit source to replace it since they said it is under warranty but this is the only picture i have of it now
a picture of it installed
this was the lighting i had before
Also some jeeps came with a "headlight delay module" that needs to be removed, i didnt know that before installing the lights and i burned out 2 ballasts for my headlight since the module basically dims the lights slowly when turning the key off and closing the doors. By lowering the voltage it burned out 2 of my ballasts so good thing i had 2 spare ones. this is the headlight delay module and its behind the steering wheel
I havent had a chance to take a picture of it while driving but its a 1000 times better, and i also forgot to mention that i had to add a relay for the high beam since it requires on for the high beam. once you try hitting on the high beam the low beam goes off which in this case you need both low and high beam to work since when you high beam there is a solenoid that opens up the housing to be brighter if that makes any sense. ill post one up soon and post up a diagram for the high beam relay that i had to add.
hopefully this helps people out
It took about 2-3 days to do it and 3-4 hours each day. I dont recommend this project for anyone that doesnt have patience and that actually really wants to do it because a lot of work goes into it.
These are all the places that i ordered everything from
Housing
link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/7X6-HEADLIGH...ht_5423wt_1396
cheapest ones i could find since all i needed was the housing
The projector, shroud, and CCFL
link: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...roducts_id=236
Shroud and CCFL
link: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...oducts_id=1355
HID (i dont recommend the brand i got)
http://www.thirdgp.com/
(you just need a d2s bulb, ballasts and wire kit)
the housings i ordered
just about everything
i tried heating up the housing to take it apart but it didnt work so i used a dremel to cut it open
then i had to shave some holes for the projector to sit further back so it wouldnt hit the lense
put it in and adjust the light to be straight, up and down doesnt matter since there is a adjustment for that
(low beam)
high beam
i used JB quick weld to keep it in place (make sure to hold it properly so it wont fall out of adjustment
you have to cut the shroud a lot to make it fit properly and i mean a lot of cutting is required
i sand blasted the shroud to paint it
i just sat the lens on to see how it looked
most of the back jb welded together
it is a little longer then the OEM one so you have to cut open a 2 inch hole in the back to make it fit all the way through, this picture only shows the small hole i made but after i made it bigger
old and new light
the light on the right, the power supply didnt work properly so i contacted the retrofit source to replace it since they said it is under warranty but this is the only picture i have of it now
a picture of it installed
this was the lighting i had before
Also some jeeps came with a "headlight delay module" that needs to be removed, i didnt know that before installing the lights and i burned out 2 ballasts for my headlight since the module basically dims the lights slowly when turning the key off and closing the doors. By lowering the voltage it burned out 2 of my ballasts so good thing i had 2 spare ones. this is the headlight delay module and its behind the steering wheel
I havent had a chance to take a picture of it while driving but its a 1000 times better, and i also forgot to mention that i had to add a relay for the high beam since it requires on for the high beam. once you try hitting on the high beam the low beam goes off which in this case you need both low and high beam to work since when you high beam there is a solenoid that opens up the housing to be brighter if that makes any sense. ill post one up soon and post up a diagram for the high beam relay that i had to add.
hopefully this helps people out
Last edited by Gee oh Dee; 01-06-2012 at 12:34 PM.
12-13-2011, 02:13 AM
#5
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but it helps out so much better
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12-13-2011, 01:29 PM
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Originally Posted by AeroSynch
Looks awesome! Unrelated, but what do you think of the Kumhos?
12-15-2011, 03:37 PM
#11
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Originally Posted by beepjeep575
awsome mod, wonder if i could do the same to my 91 the light are a bit dif than urs but im gonna try it anyways. great job!
beepjeep!
beepjeep!
12-18-2011, 02:38 PM
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Good work man. I love the morimoto D2S minis, so much better than the stock lighting. It's good to see more and more people doing the HID upgrade the proper way, rather than just throwing some HIDs into regular housings!
