yet another HID install
05-18-2003, 03:09 AM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
yet another HID install
As probably the last guy to finally get around to dusting off and installing the Catz HID kit, I thought I'd post my experience before moving on with my life like the rest of you guys.
I used the modified, factory, lazy-guy, indecisive method. Modifed because I used tips from several other installs. Factory because the lights still slide in and out, and I didn't cut, drill, epoxy, slit or snip anything, other than a few wires. Lazy-guy because I snipped off the included fuse to make it easier to thread through the grommet, and indecisive because I mounted the igniters and ballast with the super-velcro stuff in case I want to back-out or change anything.
Everything slipped together nicely, color and aim is nice and even, no pops or anything through the stereo. The first light took about 2 hours, including laying out all the tools and triple checking a few web sites and being very paranoid about clipping factory wires. The second one took 30 minutes.
I want to publicly thank Brian (bet), who really came up with a good method that I followed 95% of.
If anyone in the bay area needs a hand with an install, feel free to contact me and I'll help if I can.
I used the modified, factory, lazy-guy, indecisive method. Modifed because I used tips from several other installs. Factory because the lights still slide in and out, and I didn't cut, drill, epoxy, slit or snip anything, other than a few wires. Lazy-guy because I snipped off the included fuse to make it easier to thread through the grommet, and indecisive because I mounted the igniters and ballast with the super-velcro stuff in case I want to back-out or change anything.
Everything slipped together nicely, color and aim is nice and even, no pops or anything through the stereo. The first light took about 2 hours, including laying out all the tools and triple checking a few web sites and being very paranoid about clipping factory wires. The second one took 30 minutes.
I want to publicly thank Brian (bet), who really came up with a good method that I followed 95% of.
If anyone in the bay area needs a hand with an install, feel free to contact me and I'll help if I can.
05-18-2003, 02:07 PM
#2
Addict & Guru
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Pete
Sounds like we did similar installs. I too cut off the inline fuses (they're not necessary) & fed the 4 ballast to connector wires through the Catz supplied wire tube making a very easy, clean route through the trunk grommet (when lubed w/windex). I used both bullet & spade connectors to prevent miswiring. The pre-connector bypasses & igniter wiring allows me to revert to stock H1 bulbs in just a few min. w/o any tools. I mounted the ballast w/the connectors facing the rear of the car allowing the kit wires to be used w/o splices. Took about an hour & looks oem.
Sounds like we did similar installs. I too cut off the inline fuses (they're not necessary) & fed the 4 ballast to connector wires through the Catz supplied wire tube making a very easy, clean route through the trunk grommet (when lubed w/windex). I used both bullet & spade connectors to prevent miswiring. The pre-connector bypasses & igniter wiring allows me to revert to stock H1 bulbs in just a few min. w/o any tools. I mounted the ballast w/the connectors facing the rear of the car allowing the kit wires to be used w/o splices. Took about an hour & looks oem.
05-18-2003, 10:26 PM
#3
Race Director
Thread Starter
Dan,
Yup, sounds the same. I used weatherproof terminals and alternated male and female to avoid miswiring. Ballasts are mounted right in front of the grommet with wires facing rearward where they just dump straight out of the ballast into the grommet. The ballasts fit just right and everything looks very clean and professional.
I took a very spririted drive over some bumpy roads this morning to the "Duel at DeAnza" auto-x and everything held firmly in place, I have a track day coming up this Friday so I'll check again but I expect it to work fine.
Thanks for helping pave the way with this upgrade, under $400 and under 2 hours work gets us a factory level multi-$K equivalent.
Yup, sounds the same. I used weatherproof terminals and alternated male and female to avoid miswiring. Ballasts are mounted right in front of the grommet with wires facing rearward where they just dump straight out of the ballast into the grommet. The ballasts fit just right and everything looks very clean and professional.
I took a very spririted drive over some bumpy roads this morning to the "Duel at DeAnza" auto-x and everything held firmly in place, I have a track day coming up this Friday so I'll check again but I expect it to work fine.
Thanks for helping pave the way with this upgrade, under $400 and under 2 hours work gets us a factory level multi-$K equivalent.
05-19-2003, 12:37 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
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Pete,
You're not the last one. I've still got mine in the box (very quality packaging).
I would appreciate it if you could post a more extensive write-up or point me towards the different sources you used for the hybrid solution.
TIA
You're not the last one. I've still got mine in the box (very quality packaging).
I would appreciate it if you could post a more extensive write-up or point me towards the different sources you used for the hybrid solution.
TIA
05-19-2003, 03:29 PM
#7
Race Director
Thread Starter
Rezal,
Do a seach on "HID" in "subject only" and find Brian's post (bet) called tips and tricks. Also, you should read through all of the threads to get a good feel for everyone's experiences.
The install doc I used the most was this one:
<a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~cinque/HIDInstall.htm" target="_blank">HID Install</a>
But most importantly, open the box and start connecting things together to understand how it works. Pull out your headlights and look how things are connected now both inside the light and inside the fender.
Once you feel you really understand how the existing lights are wired and how the HID's need to get wired, start visualizing how it should be installed. You are basically taking a simple power and ground from your car that goes to the existing lightbulb, and diverting them through the HID system. the only thing that complicates it is that you are using the quick disconnect function of the headlamp in between the ballast and igniter.
Are Ray would say, turn off your computer and go play with your car. Spend enough time looking at lights and wiring and play around with it and you'll suddenly "see" what you need to do. Once I did that, the instructions were unnecessary. It's actually a very simple task.
Good luck,
Do a seach on "HID" in "subject only" and find Brian's post (bet) called tips and tricks. Also, you should read through all of the threads to get a good feel for everyone's experiences.
The install doc I used the most was this one:
<a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~cinque/HIDInstall.htm" target="_blank">HID Install</a>
But most importantly, open the box and start connecting things together to understand how it works. Pull out your headlights and look how things are connected now both inside the light and inside the fender.
Once you feel you really understand how the existing lights are wired and how the HID's need to get wired, start visualizing how it should be installed. You are basically taking a simple power and ground from your car that goes to the existing lightbulb, and diverting them through the HID system. the only thing that complicates it is that you are using the quick disconnect function of the headlamp in between the ballast and igniter.
Are Ray would say, turn off your computer and go play with your car. Spend enough time looking at lights and wiring and play around with it and you'll suddenly "see" what you need to do. Once I did that, the instructions were unnecessary. It's actually a very simple task.
Good luck,