[zms968]

After doing some reading and expermenting, I am once again bringing up the idea of hid/projector headlights in these cars. In the past, I had good luck removing the lens from a headlight unit, installing a projector lens, and installing a new outer lens to upgrade from a sealed beam style to projector beam light, mostly in BMW E30 cars. Would a modified 993 LENS fit on the stock light unit to provide a proper outer lens for a projector style light? In searching the forum, there seems to be no consensus about upgrading the lighting, other than it cant be reasonably done. I know the 993 lenses are still available, and cost around $125 ea, Any ideas?

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[flash]

nope - the angle of the lens is wrong. you would refract the light upward. many have tried.

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[zms968]

The top lip of the 993 lens is what controls the angle of the lens, if that lip were changed, the lens could be mounted at a more appropriate angle, no? I have a few extra 993 lenses, and am willing to try modifying them. I'm not talking about the housing, just the outer lens.

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[flash]

optics is really quite complicated. the flutes in the lens are what control the beam pattern and angle. light must hit them at just the right angle. the 993 lens must be tipped forward to project the beam properly.



do some reading here. there are a few threads about the various attempts to fit the 993 lights/lens into the 968 fender without modification. all have failed.

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[zms968]

Flash- I know you have looked into this stuff as much as anyone else. Do you have any diagrams??

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[flash]

diagrams of what?

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[zms968]

The 993 lens optics?

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[flash]

lol - uh - no. it's so far off that something like that would have been a complete waste of time.



it's pretty easy to see though, and if you do any reading about headlight lens design, you'll quickly find out how involved it is. in fact, our cars, like many, even came originally with a left and right lens. they don't make one of them anymore though, and we are forced to use the same one for both sides.



headlights are pretty amazing things, and i have to give a lot of credit to the lens designers of ours. i wish other manufacturers spent as much time on headlights. the lights that came in my denali suck. the pattern is washed out. the beam scatters. the color is horrible.



be very careful when considering something like this. it could quickly turn into a very expensive project that just doesn't work, no matter how it might look when they are off.

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[zms968]

Based on what I've seen in modern headlights, the outer lens is just there for protection/styling. The inner projector lens is the active light focusing part. If a proper lens was mounted on the exterior, and a good projector was mounted in the current fixture, the output could be properly aimed, couldn't it?

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[flash]

yup - that is the difference between today's lights and lights like ours and the 993 lights.



yes, if you got a lens made that fit in the hole, that did not obscure or refract the light, and then mounted a projector behind it, it would work. you'd have to find a hi/low projector, and then figure out the right spot so it shot the beam through the lens, and did not bounce it back and scatter it, but it could work.



there have been a couple of attempts, and mounting the projector is the easier part. getting the socket to look right (surrounding the projector) and getting the lens to look right is not so easy.



good luck.

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[craigawoodman]

THere could be a market for replacement fixed lens headlights for the 968. I just had to replace one of my headlight motors - second hand $600, new close enough to $2000 - just for the motor - no frame or labour to install/remove.



So, if you had two motor's fail - a fixed headlight replacment could be a good option. Also, much safer for pedestrians. I have been told (or read somewhere) that the pedestrian impact laws is what killed off "pop-up" headlamps - not sure if true or not.



Just bought a new motorbike and had HID lamps fitted to it. The Harley Davidson 7" HID lamp might fit (but if recessed too far back it might restrict the light angles). One of these is good - two would be great.



If not, lots of new bikes come with projector lamps - just not sure if High/Low beam or single low beam. Given how many people trash bikes - getting some of these second hand should be cheap.

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[zms968]

Having done the measuremnets, Flash, as usual, is right. I have removed the original lens from the bucket, and am going to vacum form new lexan lenses in a quest for non fluted lens. If this works, I am going to fit a bixenon projector in the housing and see what happens. Assuming it works, there could still be a solution.

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[flash]

lol - sorry



if you can figure out an attractive bucket surround for a dual beam headlight, and get the lens cover to fit in there, be serviceable and secure, i could be quite interested. i'm just not looking to get into development of another project



as for the lens itself, i tend to think that something that did not allow you to see inside very easily, similar to the occlusions in the OEM lens, would be the most attractive. i'm not particularly fond of what i have seen with projectors stuck behind clear lenses. as an alternative, a chromed bucket surround would work well too. the idea is to see 2 big "eyes" like the front end of every other porsche.



best of luck

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[zms968]

I agree- i am moaking the mold, and I have the ability to remove as much or as little of the fluting as nessicary. I am thinking that I will do something close the to 993 design with the fluting, since the "clear" portion only needs to be about the same size as the projector, which is only 3 inches. Luckily, the wife is out of town, so I have a bit of time to experement.

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[flash]

lol - watch that "wife out of town / experimenting" thing. that can get you into all sorts of trouble.



seriously though - i'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with

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[zms968]

Working on the mold now- For added motivation, my original lens cracked, so now I have to get this done!

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[pure&simple]

[quote name='craigawoodman' timestamp='1358040867' post='137362']

THere could be a market for replacement fixed lens headlights for the 968....

[/quote]



Absolutely - OEM parts are extremely expensive and I remember reading that not all of the headlight parts are still available.



Also, pretty much anyone who races their 968 competitively has done a headlight replacement to save weight/eliminate complexity. In addition, there is a small market for 993-style fenders with the lights in the correct 993 angle/position - the availability of a cost-effective and lightweight headlight could help this market grow.

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[zms968]

Molding came out nicely, but learning vaccum forming is taking some trial and error. Should have a positive update tonight.

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[DaveN]

Or a lot of interesting salad bowls <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[zms968]

That is also a possibility. They won't sit flat, but they would be a conversation starter.

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