Lightforce HID conversion (Lots of Pics)

[slosurfer]

Most of this is copied directly from my thread over at ultimateyota, so some things are a few days old.


I really like my Lightforce 170's and may have gotten myself addicted to having some good light. They are great for night runs out at Oceano Dunes. I may be adding more lights and that got me thinking about my electrical system and if it could handle 400watts plus. I eventually plan on a dual battery setup, but with a 3 yr. old son and a daughter due any day now, I don't think I have the time or energy to figure out how to slam another battery into the crammed 3.0 engine bay anytime soon. Right now with 2 lights, I am at 200watts, while with 4 35watt HID's I would be at 140watts. BruceTS's recent thread about his HID upgrade into his Hella 4000's got me thinking and I started researching HID upgrades for the Lightforce's.

There are a couple kits out there for upgrading the lightforce lights to HID, but they are somewhat pricey although still really cheap compared to buying Lightforce HID lights. There are also a few fitment kits, that allow you to fit a H3 HID kit into the lights, as there are no HID kits that have bulbs that are a direct plug-n-play for the Lightforce family of lights. Some work is needed to make a H3 bulb fit into the base, not to mention drilling the hole in the back for the wires.

At this point I have ordered a HID kit off ebay, and should have it soon and can get started on this project. I ordered a H3 5000k kit from ebay seller: Autoluminate which I believe is the same seller Bruce bought from.

I started this thread before I actually started the conversion, so that I could receive feedback and tips, and to also condense all the info that I have found to make it easier for those who may want to try this also. The HID kit should be getting here any day and I hope to start on it right away, so stay tuned.

Here is what I have so far:

HID upgrade kits (these have everything you need to do the conversion):

Off-roadlights.com kit $490

Extremelimitsoffroad kit $570.25 AU

HID fitment kits (these have pieces that allow you to fit a certain size HID kit, these do not include the actual HID kit):

Oztion seller This Oztion (Aussie for auction, similar to ebay) sells modified 170 heatsinks that allow you to use a H3 HID kit. $100 AU

Another fitment kit This is another fitment kit that replaces your heatsink. $15 a pair AU Little simple things and lots of great info on the site. He also shows you the difference between the earlier models and the later models. The later models with the big aluminum heatsink can be modified to fit a H3Bulb, you can send them to him and have them done for $20 AU. I emailed him to find out how much it would be for him to send me a pair of his pieces to the states, but haven't heard from him.

Another fitment kit Looks to be that you can buy modified heatsinks that will allow H3 bulbs

Places on the internet that have useful info concerning the swap:

BruceTS's conversion of his Hellas-Not the same light but good info on the rest of the install.

Offroaders.com install- A step by step install into Lightforce 170's useing the off-roadlights.com conversion kit. Good pics and info, and should help to make sure mine is looking the way it should be.

Lightforce 140 HID conversion -Thread at candlepowerforums.com- User bushy555 is the maker of the above fitment pieces

Lightforce SL240 HID conversion- Thread at candlepowerforums.com- good info, even though the conversion was done on a hand held 240spotlight. Also, some amazing pics.

Detailed Instructions - Detailed instructions on how to do the conversion if you were to buy a already modified heatsink.

Photos - Photos from the above conversion

Contacts - Contact for the above conversion pieces

Instructions for older style -Bushy555 instructions on how to use his fitment piece on the older style heatsinks. He also has a downloadable set if instructions that shows both the new and old heatsinks together and the instructions.

That is what I have at the moment. You will notice that many of these are for the 240's but they all share the same base (except for the XGT's which is a completely different animal). I welcome any and all comments, tips, etc... and if you have found any other info out there, please share. I don't have anything to show right now as I have not received my HIDs at this time, but once I do, I plan on starting right away and takeing many pics.
Happy reading!

 

[slosurfer]

Just a note about my experience with the ebay dealer: I went with them because others had had decent experiences with the same dealer and he seemed to have the least percentage of negetive feedback. I had some problems with communication with the seller and it did take awhile, but so far everything seems to be working well. I am waiting to leave my feedback till the last day so I can make sure these are still working.

If I had the extra $$, I would have gone with one of the reputable online retailer, where you can get the kits for about $250.

Stay tuned for the writeup and before and after pics.

 

[slosurfer]

Overview:

I really like my Lightforce 170's, they work very well as many of you know. I have been thinking of adding more lights, but I was worried about the added strain on my charging system. I started looking at HID's after seeing BruceTS's writeup on adding them to his Hella 4000's. I started researching and found that it was not going to be a "plug and play" event to add them to my 170's, but there seemed to be enough info that I was willing to take a shot at it. The idea of more light while asking less of my charging system was too much for me to pass up. This writeup will cover what is needed to retrofit the lights, not the actual installation of the rest of the HID conversion kit.

I should also say that this writeup should also work for the 240 Blitz lights as they use the same housing.

Required Materials:

Parts:

* Lightforce 170 Strikers or 240 Blitz
* 35watt H3 HID conversion kit
* 4 #8 screws (32 thread count) 3/8" long
* 4 #8 lock washers

Tools/Supplies:

* Nitrile Gloves (or something similar)
* Dremel and bit for removing aluminum material
* Cordless Drill
* 1/8" drill bit
* #8 32NC Drill and Tap set
* Rivet Gun and rivets
* 3/4" grommet with membrane (or other means to seal the rear of the housings)
* Lubricant for drill and tap and dremel bit
* Wire cutters
* Screwdrivers (for prying rivets and depending on what #8 screws you have)
* Vice press (optional but very useful for holding the heatsink while you work on it)
* 3/4" hole saw
* Optional- some kind of sealer to seal up the rear of the housing. I used Lexel and a caulking gun

Obligatory Disclaimer:

I am providing this write up for illustrative purposes only. Perform at your own risk. Any mods (including this one) you perform on your lights is your responsibility. These lights are not cheap, so take that into consideration. You’ve been warned.

Procedure: *Do not touch the HID bulb during this process!*

Step 1. Remove filter, lense, and bulb.

Remove filter and lense by turning the lense counterclockwise till it comes off the housing, being careful to not break the bulb when it comes off the housing.

Remove bulb by grasping the base of the bulb and pulling straight out.

Step 2: Remove heatsink from housing.

Using wire cutters clip the connectors off the wires coming out the rear of the housing so that they can be pulled through when you pull the heatsink out.
Using the 1/8" drill bit, drill out the rivet on the side of the housing that holds the aluminum heatsink. Once the rivet is out, remove the heatsink from the housing.

Step 3: Remove the bulb housing from the heatsink.

Drill out the two rivets that hold the bulb housing in the heatsink and remove the bulb housing from the heatsink.

Step 4: Mark heatsink to fit H3 bulb

Place heatsink back into housing, making sure to line the rivet hole up with the hole in the housing. Now mark the center line top and bottom on the front of the heatsink.

Measure the rear of the H3 bulb assembly to see how much material you will have to remove from the heatsink for the bulb to be placed from the front of the heatsink. Now mark where you will have to remove material on the heatsink (remember, it is safer to be on the small side so that you do not remove too much material)

See the pic below in the "drill and tap" step to see what material I removed.

Step 5: Clearance heatsink to fit H3 bulb assembly.

Using the dremel remove material from the heatsink, till you are able to get the bulb assembly flat against the heatsink. Mine only needed a little off the middle top and then a little more on the bottom middle.

Step 6: Drill and tap holes for the set screws.

Once the bulb assembly is flat against the heatsink, mark where the two screws will go that will hold it to the heatsink. Make sure it is not too close to either of the edges, so you don't drill through a side.

Drill and tap the two holes.

Step 7: Drill hole in rear of housing.

Use 3/4" hole saw to drill a hole in the center of the rear of the housing.

Note: I used the 1" grommets that came with the HID kit so I drilled a 1" hole. Unfortunately, the inside of the housing is 1" in diameter so the grommet doesn't fit exactly right. This is why I suggest finding a 3/4" grommet.

Step 8: Reinstall heatsink in housing

Do not do this step with the bulb in the housing.

Place heatsink back into housing and line up the rivet holes.

Use the rivet gun to rivet the housing and heatsink together.

Step 9: Install Bulb

Feed the wires and connectors through the front of the heatsink and back out the rear of the housing.

Fit the bulb housing flat against the housing and use the screws to hold it in place. Remember that this is aluminum, so do not overtighten.

Make sure the grommet is in place in the rear of the housing, sealing it from water.

Step 10: Install lense and filter

Install the lense and filter by screwing it clockwise onto the housing, being careful to not damage the bulb.

Step 11: Hook up HID conversion kit and enjoy.

I suggest hooking everything up and testing to make sure everything works prior to actually permanently installing the ballasts, etc.... that way if something doesn't work, it is easier to figure out what is going on.

Step 12: Optional: Use Lexel to seal up the rear of the housing.

After making sure everything was working, I sealed up my grommets with Lexel and a caulking gun. Mainly because my grommets were not fitting correctly since the inside diameter of the housing was also 1".



Feel free to private message or email me with any comments, questions, or concerns.

 

[slosurfer]

Now for some pics:

Finally I was able to get some pics tonight. There are a bunch so that you can have some comparison with my stock lights.

This wall was about 40 ft. away, and the camera was on the same setting and shot through the windshield. The last comparison shot was taken from outside the vehicle due to the hood being up to hook up the other 170. I have since adjusted the beams so they are farther apart.

Low Beams:

High Beams:

170 HID's Spot: (I have adjusted these away from each other since I took these pics)

High Beams and 170's:

170's with "clear combo" filters:

170 35watt HID on left vs. 170 100watt halogen on right:

 

[slosurfer]

Here are some comparison shots, same camera setting taken through the windshield, and I tried to replicate my recent shots with those taken about a month ago when I had the original bulbs. The HID shots I noticed have the lights aimed a little lower, and the pics don't do it justice, just how much more light there really is.

Two 170's spot with 100watt halogens:

Two 170's spot with 35watt HIDs:

Two 170's with "yellow combo" filters and 100watt halogens:

Two 170's with "yellow combo" filters and 35watt HIDs:

 

[absolute]

Excellent Write-Up!! Thanks for the great information and links! I've been looking for some more info on HID's for my CJ!


Mods-- Sticky this??

 

[slosurfer]

Excellent Write-Up!! Thanks for the great information and links! I've been looking for some more info on HID's for my CJ!

Thanks, hopefully I was able to condense the info into one spot. I need to find some better spots to get pics, I also need it to stop raining as all this was done in between rain storms/showers. The pics don't do it justice on the one road where I was taking the pics.

 

[Willman]

Thanks for the great infor!

Nice writeup!

:26_7_2:

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

I've been a big fan of Lightforce lights since 02. I didn't know these kits were available. Pretty cool and nice job on the write up.

 

[slosurfer]

Here are a couple more pics. I need to find a better spot to take pics where I can get them aimed better and take the pics from outside.

50yds away

100yds away

I wish I had some a single 240 to do this to, so that I could run a 240 cyclops style with the 170s on the sides.

Who wants to give up a 240?

I believe you could do the same thing with the XGT's as well, I think it would entail modifying the heatsink and drilling a hole in the back.

Thanks for the props.:wings: If anyone finds any other info they should add it here as well.

 

[hrjaw]

This was a great write up! how long did the whole process take you? I thought my 170's were pretty good before but your after pic's made me realize what I was missing.

 

[slosurfer]

This was a great write up! how long did the whole process take you? I thought my 170's were pretty good before but your after pic's made me realize what I was missing.

Thanks. It is hard to tell how long the whole process took. I really took my time with the first one, (I took a ton of notes and pics), not to mention I have a 3.5year old son and a 3 week old daughter, and the first one I worked on through breaks in the rain. It was also my first time messing with rivets, and doing the drill and tap.

The first one probably took me 2hrs. because of the rain forcing me to take down and set up tools. I flew through the second light and had the bulb in and lense on in 45mins. Now that I know what I'm doing, I would do the pair at the same time which would cut down on the changing of tools, etc...

 

[FlyingWen]

I had no idea there was an upgrade kit for the LightForce Lights... and we sell them!
That was a great write up! I love the pictures of the lights in action. Thanks!
:26_7_2:

 

[hrjaw]

SloSurfer,
would you recommend going with the ebayer you bought your kit from?

 

[slosurfer]

I had no idea there was an upgrade kit for the LightForce Lights... and we sell them!
That was a great write up! I love the pictures of the lights in action. Thanks!
:26_7_2:

Thanks, I plan on getting better pics, with a variety of filters, and with the clear but with them adjusted to "flood". I'm really glad my wife got me all those filters from SE for christmas. It will be interesting to see what the dispersion filters do.

SloSurfer,
would you recommend going with the ebayer you bought your kit from?

I guess I would say "yes" but be prepared for them to not get there right away. My guess is that he gets shipments from time to time, so if he has your kit in stock, it looks like people are getting fast shipping. Then all of a sudden you see people who it took 3-4weeks (this is what I gathered from reading many of the pages of his feedback). All my emails were answered, but on a few there was a day and a half delay before a reply.

He does have a 2yr. warranty and so far they work and the ballasts are waterproof as I did some watercrossings yesterday where they got submerged and they still work.

Here is a thread at ttora where many have used him to upgrade their hellas
http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82281

I would have preferred to go with a kit from a more reputable company so that I would at least have better customer service, but I didn't have the funds. Here is the kit I would have liked to kit if I had a little bit more dough:
Xenon Depot H3 4300K

If I were doing this upgrade in my stock headlights, I would not go with an ebay dealer as it would be much more important to have good customer service on lights I needed everyday.