Diy Angel Eye Tutorial For Gen 1 Es300

[kcpth]

Hey LOC. After many months of research and debating if i CAN or WANT TO do the Angel Eyes to my g/f's car... i have finally came with the conclusion... and have finished the project. I am writing this Tutorial for anyone who wants to do it on their first generation ES300. I have included many pictures of the process, some of my trial and errors stories, and tapping into the parking light wires... which I had problems figuring out.

Before we start... i definitely want to thank Toysrme... he has helped me greatly through this project... answering any questions i had via AIM . Also another thanks to my girlfriend who helped me apply goop and believe it or not... helped me E-tape some of the wires... so i can be free to do other parts of the job... and also Kyle0k for answering my questions... and lastly... i would like to thank my friend Joe who helped me figure out which wires i should tap into on the final stages of the parking lights.

Remember... doing any mods... u need to do it at YOUR OWN RISK. I dont know anyone's abilities... but to do this job, u need to have at least a basic understanding of how to splice wires among other things. I'm not the most educated person on wiring n car mechanics... but if i can do it... majority of u can do it too if u want to. Also, every state has different laws regarding the use of different color LED's. I did opt to use BLUE and WHITE LED's for my project... even though blue is illegal for New York... i put them in a way to negate it and have a certain desire effect when i want it (i'll explain later with the picture).

Also forgive me for any wrong terminology, i will correct them if u point it out.

Please read ALL of the information given to u before starting... and some of the websites that have been given as well.

This is the original post for the AE:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=10957

Most of my Info was based on this site:

http://www.geocities.com/jvxdriver/eagle_eyes.htm

Other useful AE DIY sites:

http://www.honda-acura.net/forums/showthread.php?t=45854

http://vamp.darkravers.net/DIYMakingAngelE...elEyesWiringLED

Materials I Bought:

1) 2x Acrylic Rods aka Window Blind Wands (Walmart has ones that are slightly bigger in diameter than Home Depot) (Generally speaking... each rod can make 2 HALOS)

2) 8x 5mm LED Bulbs (2 on each halo... making 4 halos... u may want to get more because u may burn a couple if u have no experience in doing these type of jobs like me)

3) 8-16 Resistors (Make sure u have the right resistors for ur LED)(I used 16 resistors... the reason will b later on... plus 5 resistors for $0.99 @ Radio Shack)

4) Electrical Tape (I used a lot)

5) Butt Connectors (I purchased the 14-16 gauge butt connectors BLUE w/ shrink tubbing)(Optional)

6) 18 gauge wires (i picked 2 different colors... not to tell the difference between pos/neg but to tell the difference between halo colors :chairshot: )

7) Goop (or any other glue adhesive... from what i read... stay away from crazy glue... but if ur putting reflective tape... then u wont have to worry about the crazy glue problem)

8) Reflective Tape (Optional)

9) Meguires #17 and #10 (Optional) only if u plan to remove HAZING.

Tools I Used:

1) Dremel

2) Drill

3) Gloves (For Bulb handling and reflective housing handling... i didn't want finger prints n e where)

4) Wire Strippers

5) Vise Grips (I didn't have crimpers so i opted to go with my trusty vise grips)

6) Safety Goggles

What you need:

1) A LOT OF PATIENCE

Now lets get to the part ur all waiting for:

Cutting the HALOS

1) What I did to start off with was i took my dremel and the acrylic rods and started making cuts into it. I would suggest u cut them before u bend them to make it easier and even. It's easier to distinguish the distance of each cut if it wasn't bent.

If u noticed my dremel and the collet basically ran parallel to the rod. Try to make the cutting disc perpendicular to the rod... (obviously <_< )... but believe it or not... when i first started... i was cutting all wrong... so they weren't perfectly straight

**NOTE: It is highly imperative that u wear a safety goggle for this part of the job. I used my shooting glasses at first... it was all fine and dandy at first... i had many particles bounce off the glasses... but one particular particle bounced off my face n richocet off the glasses n into my eyes. IT HURTS A LOT! After that i broke out my chemistry goggles, and let me tell u... if u can see at the end of this project... ur eyes will have u n me to thank. So play it safe**

2) Like what the site suggested... u should make the cuts about 2-3 mm apart. It's all about personal preference... but as for how deep... u should keep it around 1mm deep.

3)

Once ur done with ur project... cut the wand in 1/2 or u can do the math n measure how many inches u need to make 1 halo to be cost efficient i suppose.

4) PREHEAT the oven @ 275 degrees F on BAKE (NOT BROIL). When ur ready to put the crystals in, put them on a baking sheet n leave in there for 8-12 minutes, the crystals will get soft.

**NOTE: I have noticed that when u put the crystals in the iron coil type of ovens, they r easier to deal with compared to an actual FIRE heating oven. For some reason, they seem to be more nimble n easier to bend. Don't ask me y... i don't realli know the physics behind it. Perhaps Toys can educate us on the topic too... he explained it to me once**

5) As they are baking... find a sock or a glove when handling the crystals.. they will b hot. The sock didn't work for me well, i didn't find it easy to work with. I work @ UPS as a loader... so i grabbed my glove that i use to handle boxes, and they work just fine.

A lil background information about ur reflective housing. Each hole is 3 1/4" in diameter.

So what you'll need to find is a can with a diameter of 3". It also kinda depends on the thickness of ur crystal too.

I used this can to work with it

6) Take one of the crystal out, and start conforming it along the can. Be sure to have the cut side of the crystal lying FLAT on the table. I kinda had to put my chin on the top of the can to prevent the can from moving... as i wrapped the crystal around.

**NOTE: The crystal will sometimes want to twist a bit which will in turn make the cut side of the crystal not be uniformly with how its suppose to be. Make sure to try to keep it flatly on the table and keep on shaping it or sculpting it.**

7) If the crystals harden before it is in the rightful shape don't fret... u can always reheat it in the oven n start the whole process of reshaping it over again. The crystals will harden within seconds to minutes.. pending how cold it is at ur home.

**NOTE: What i have noticed is.... when u reheat it A LOT of times... it may start to develop bubbles inside the crystal. Or so mine has started doing. I must have reheated that a dozen times before i noticed. But don't worrie... the bubbles might add some asthetics to the halos. For me... i didn't like it b/c i'm kinda anal... so i just started cutting a new wand**

8) If ur wand is longer... dont worrie... just over lap it... but keeping majority of the crystal cut side flat on the surface

9) When all ur halos r done... u can shut off the oven. When the shape is pefect... if by chance u have the headlight assembly with u... n u know how to take it apart (if u dont... don't worrie i will explain later too), take ur halos and check to see how it fits around the hole of ur reflective mirror. Check both holes... for the high beam is going to be tight... since the clearance is a bit smaller than the low beam

**NOTE: It is not important to take ur assembly apart now... just incase u dont have enough time to devote to this project... so u can still drive ur car**

10) Cut the ends of the halos and leave at least 1 1/2 inch of space between the halos. The reason u need to leave some space because ur LED's may need the room. It will all depend if ur going to drill a hole to sit the LED bulbs in.

11) Once that is done... drill a hole in ur halo at the ends of it... along the diameter. I used a smaller drill bit to drill a pilot hole... n changed to a bigger drill bit.

**NOTE: Drill slowly... no need to rush. If u start drilling at high speeds, the plastic will melt onto ur drill bit. The first time i used my dremel... n that was a bad idea... cause when i pulled the bit out of the plastic... it hardened onto the drill bit... n i had to break the plastic off my bit.**

12) As ur drilling a hole, check all sides of the hexagon. U can see the drilling through each of the flat side. What ur looking for is to see if the drill bit is coming close to the edge. When that happens... stop... n reangle it... so u don't break or crack the halo. Remember to examine each side every now n then... to ensure that ur drilling is staying on course... and not straying off to the side. If u feel like it is snagging... STOP... cause ur about to break through on one of the sides. Just re-angle n continue ur drilling. If u happen to break the tip... don't worrie... u can always tape it. I put reflective tape on the tips. The reason i used reflective is... since it can close the crack... it also acts as a mirror... n makes sure the light doesn't escape from the side of the LED... to keep it in there n bouncing it out towards the wanted direction.

**NOTE: U dont necessarily need to have the LED bulb to be inside the halo. It will make it more stable... but not necessary. U can always E-tape the heck out of the bulb n the halo... but make sure u angle it correctly. If u do this step... i would first cut a small piece of reflective tape and wrap around the sides of the LED bulb... so the black e-tape doesn't absorb the light. Then u can e-tape it afterwards onto the halo**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The Cut side is the BACK... where you will be applying the glue or reflective tape. Please take a NOTE of that**

Wiring the LED

Some basic knowledge:

-mcd is basically the output of light for ur LED... so when picking the LED... pick one with higher mcd.

-mA is milliAmp

-V is Volts

13) At this point... start doing the wiring and LED bulb assembly. When u go n purchase ur resistor... make sure it is the right resistor for ur LED V power. This is the formula taken off the Honda CRX guys site.

Resistor has different resistance which is measured in ohms. The get the correct resistor with the right resistance for your LED, use this modified version of Ohm's Law:

Ohms = ( V.bat - V.led ) / Amp.led. where V.bat = voltage of battery, V.led = voltage of LED, Amp.led = Amp of LED

When you buy the LED bulb, it will tell you the voltage and amp used. Just plug them into the equation to get the Ohms value. In my case, I have a 12V car battery and a 3.6V LED with 20mA (or .02A). So, I used a resistor of 420 ohms [(12V - 3.6V)/.02A]

You can use a lower ohms resistor, eg 220 ohms, to light up your LED. In fact, it will make your LED brighter because a low resistance allows more current to go through the bulb.

**NOTE: Again i mentioned to buy the right resistor for it. The reason i mentioned this because i was actually silly when i bought the resistor. I knew i was looking for a 220ohm resistor... but when i went to radio shack... i saw the 220 ohm. When i got home i hooked it up... n it wasn't producing any light. I fried 2 bulbs b/c i got fraustrated on how little light it produced by just taking the resistor off and connecting the LED directly onto the 9V battery. It wasn't after a while did i look at the package of the resistor did i c a "K" after the 220. So in reality i bought a 220 k ohm resistor :chairshot: . So i fried 2 bulbs out of fraustration before i realize what was wrong. I purchased the right ones... n they work just fine.

14) What u really want to do is... take the two LED bulb. The Longer leg is the postive. Twist positive to positive leg n the neg to neg leg (I can post a pic of the LED bulbs later on if n e one has n e problems understanding what i mean). Then cut about a 2' in length of the 18 gauge wire for each leg. Strip about an inch off both ends of the wires... n connect the wire to the POSITIVE leg. Twist it together tightly. Solder the legs n E-tape it (Soldering is better... but its optional. I dont really know how to solder so i only soldered 1/2 of my LED's n opted out on the others). On the other end of the wire.... u want to mark it with a sharpie so u know it is positive. U will be connecting the resistor on a much later step. I have found it easier to put the resistor on later cause when u drill a hole in the housing... the resistors didn't fit through the hole nicely especially since i ran 2 resistors parallel on one wire

15) Connect 2' in length 18 g wire to the negative leg. So on 2 bulbs... u have only 2 wires. The two bulbs will share the wire n solder if u want.

16) Repeat step 14 n 15 for 8 LED bulbs so u'll have 4 pairs of LED. Don't forget to E-tape n e exposed wires. The hardest part was to make sure the opposite legs of the LED bulbs did not touch each other. So try to get as much E-tape in between to make sure there is no contact.

17) Test ur LED lights to see if they light up. Just as a test… put a resistor on the positive leg… n lightly twist them…no need to get serious… cause u’ll take it off. Get a 9V battery and connect the leg with the resistor on the positive while the other leg goes to the negative.

**NOTE** when u connect the leg with the resistor... be sure not to touch where the wire and resistor legs connect... or u will fry ur bulb... b/c if u do that... u aren’t' resisting n e power. Just wanted to point that out**

18) (Optional) Once u have the bulb n wire all setup... u can move to putting some reflective tape on the edge of the halo covering all 6 sides by where the bulbs will sit. I cut about 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the ends of the reflective tape n peeled it apart n used the sticky side (which is also reflective) n taped it on the edge.

19) In my opinion the way the bulb will sit n the direction the wires r going to be pointed afterwards is important. Some people will drill a hole in the reflective mirror housing... i didn't do that... if i remember correctly, bdonkersgoed put the wires inbetween the GLOBE projectors n the mirror housing... thats wut i did.

I dont know how to explain this part... but i will try my best:

So what u should do is... seat the LED bulbs in the hole on ur halo n have the wires point nearly downwards towards the bottom of the halo to the middle of it. Cause u will need to have the wire go in between the globe projectors n housing. It may take a lil planning on ur part. Here is a picture to give u a better understanding how the headlights look like

What will happen is... u will be glueing ur halo on the mirror part. If u want... u can drill a hole in ur mirror... but be warned... i dont know how it will come out... but maybe better than my way.

20) When u have it positioned to the angle u want... E-tape the LED bulbs to the halo.

**If ur wiring goes wrong... don't lose hope. It's a set back that no one likes. I know i screwed up on the wiring. Slowly pull the E-tape off and patiently remove all the wiring**

Reflective Tape

I used the reflective tape from 3M

21) (Optional) Once u have it taped together... u can put the reflective tape on ur halo. I can tell u honestly... the reflective tape helps A LOT! Just place ur halo on the tape... n outline it... cut it... peel it... n stick it on.

**NOTE: Both sides r reflective... sort of. My girlfriend insisted on using the sticky side since it would make it easier. So u may want to try both sides to test it out n see which one is more reflective. The sticky side has a different look... it's more silvery than reflective.**

U can notice in the picture... i only applied 1/4 of the reflective tape on the HALO.... n u can see that its more reflective than the other parts that hasn't been applied yet. The first picture is with the flash on the actual reflective side. The other i believe is without flash... but u can see it's silvery n that is the sticky tape... i'm sure if i took it with the flash... u can see it shine as well.

Removing the Headlight Assembly

Just to let u guys know... i forgot to take some pictures for this part. The ES is currently in Plattsburgh while i'm here in NYC.

22) First of all u have to take off the rain cover plastic before u can reach the 3 10mm bolts on the headlight assembly. U can see it on the picture. Get a flat head... n push each of those plastic caps in the center... before prying them off. If u just pry them off... u may break the caps. When u push in the center... it'll actually go inward.

23) Disconnect the high beam and low beam plugs from the light bulbs. I wouldn't take the bulbs out of the assembly... cause they may get dirty if u leave them outside.

24) There are 3 10mm bolts. One on the top by the corner lights and the 2 are more towards where the grill.

25) Pull the assembly slowly n 1/2 way out... cause there is one more plug u have to remove before u can take the whole assembly out. That last plug can't be removed unless u have the assembly slightly out... and that is the very plug we will be tapping the LED Wiring to... those are the parking lights.

26) Now that ur indoors... remove the light bulbs (3 on each assembly: High Beam, Low Beam, and Corner Lights). Place them in a safe place and if u have gloves remove them with gloves... if u get finger prints on them... dont worrie for now... cause later on... u can always swab alcohol on the light bulbs itself. U dont want to leave the finger prints on the bulbs because of the oily prints can ruin the bulbs when they are hot n producing a lot of HEAT. (Toys has interesting info on how hot ur headlight assembly can get at around 66*F temp)

Some Information other than mine on opening the headlight assembly

http://hometown.aol.com/seanmcelligott/

27) U can now start Preheating the Oven on BAKE @ 275*F. While the oven is preheating... there are 7 metallic clips u have to remove. Take ur flat head and pop each of them off.

28) Next remove the plastic that holds the high beam and low beam light bulbs in place. There are 3 for each. So a total of 6. Then do the same to the other headlight assembly. There is a screw on the side of the corner light. Don't forget to remove that screw as well.

29) Since ur oven is already preheated and u have removed all the screws, place ur headlights in the oven and bake it for 8-12 minutes

**NOTE: When removing the headlight assembly... IT WILL BE HOT! This is the time where ur sock, or work gloves, or motorcycle gloves come into play**

30) This is going to be messy. Have some newspaper spread all over the table. Now, slowly pry the two sections apart, the black housing and the plastic lens. U can always reheat the assembly if u didn't get it open. Most likely u will not get it open in the first shot if u have no experience in pulling them apart. It's easier to have 2 people doing it... where one pulls apart the assembly n the other person uses a knife or sissor cutting the glue. When u pull it apart... do it for the next headlight assembly.

**NOTE: Please reframe urself from pulling on any weak tabs in fear of breaking it off. Be persistant in pulling them apart... u will get it sooner or later.**

31) U can now shut off the oven since u won't b needing it anymore. Once u get the glue apart, u can now remove the mirror housing and the corner light housing by removing the screw that holds the two parts together.

32) Since u have the housing apart... u can check to see how all ur halos will fit in each. If all works out well... it should all fit fine and dandy. If some are slightly bigger than u'd wish... u can find the smaller of the halos and try to put it where the high beams are (the inner one). The bigger of the halos should be left for the low beams (the ones next to the corner lights). Check Step 9 for the picture.

**NOTE: I had that problem... as my halo did not fit as nicely as i would like especially after the wiring. Mine didn't sit all flushed with the mirror housing holes... but i didn't care... Goop held it in place regardless of some space**

**OPTIONAL: Now for those who chooses 2 different LED light setup like i did and want to keep it street legal without getting caught and keeping the desire outlook for friends and urself... this is what i did. The theory i had in mind before i started was to keep the WHITE LED on the high beam since most of us don't drive with the high beams on so it will always be noticeable. As for the blue LED... i put it on the low beam cause i believed (and was rightfully confirmed later on) that the low beam should wash the blue out when it is turned on. If you want to show u or ur friend the other color LED... just turn the parking lights on (one click on the light switch) and keeping it legal (2 clicks turning on the lights). This worked for me... it might not necessarily work for u pending on the type of LED's u used and how and where u put ur halos. But if u followed my instructions... it should wash out.**

33) Now i tested the LED's while it was in the mirror housing just to get a first look how it would look like. I didn't glue or apply any adhesive yet. This is the very first picture u guys will see of the nearly finished product. Hope it fits all of ur appetites. I didn't enhance the colors whatsoever with photoshop.

As you can see... the blue is where the high beams will be. This was a test… but I will later change the blue onto the low beams. This pic is without the plastic lens. I had the black part where the E-Tape is on, i had it slightly angled on the top of the light kept it uniformly that way.

**NOTE: Before u glue... i would suggest to test how ur wiring will fit when everything is together. Place the mirror housing with the HALOS to the black housing and see how the wires will fit in between the globe and mirror.

34) When ur fully satisfied with how u want ur Halo's to sit... ur ready for glueing. I bought Automotive Goop, but u can use any glue u want. I chose goop b/c Toys suggested it as a good adhesive... and it is.... it's strong... and n e unwanted glue going on certain parts u dont want... can be easily rubbed off by hand kinda like rubber cement (when its nearly dry). It doesn't have the feeling of Krazy Glue.

35) What I did was, i used a small plastic knife, poured a lil of the goop onto the tip, and slightly smeared it over the cut side of the halo or the reflective side.

36) The instruction of Goop says u should let it cure for 2-10 min before sticking it onto something. Even after u let it cure... u should hold it securely in place after u have stuck it on. I held mine for at least 15 minutes before moving onto the next halo. At that point it was more dry... but it may not fully dry for 24 hrs... but it wouldn't b that bad after 15 min. If u have a small clamp... u can use that.

37) When u have glued all ur halos, u can now start drilling a hole on ur black housing. This is where the wires will come out. U can drill 2 holes... each hole closer to where the halo is. I chose to make one big hole and have the high beam travel the distance closer to the parking lights (this is y i asked u to make the wire nearly 2' long). The hole should b big enough for all 4 wires. Test the hole and see if u can put all 4 wires through. Good time to practice and plan for step 43. If u practice this step... practice it with the plastic lens so u know how the wires will b... n if u will have complications. This is actually important.

**NOTE: I drilled the hole in the middle of the screw and this patruding tab and where the low beam part sticks out. There should be some letters there if u need a hint where**

38) This is a perfect time to clean the globe. I think it will make a HUGE difference in how ur low beam and high beam will look when u place everything together. I'm sure u can take the globe off and clean both sides... but i only cleaned the outside... didn't feel like taking it apart.

39) This is also the time to clean the plastic lens... since i'm sure if its a 1st gen model... it will b hazing. Follow this link. This was my first tutorial i posted on cleaning the haze. If u feel like to do some clear cornering... this will be the time to do it too.

DIY Haze Removing

**NOTE: I did notice that the haze did come back from the last time i cleared it. It wasn't that bad... but still noticeable. Even though the Haze did return... i believe its worth doing it since it makes ur headlights appear brighter b/c it is clearer. I read also there is another bottle to maintain the clearing. I forgot the bottle number... but when i receive the information... i will be sure to post it back up.**

Before Cleaning:

Passenger Side with house Light on but no flash

Driver Side with house Light off and with flash.

After Cleaning:

Passenger Side with house Light on but no flash

Driver Side with house light off and with flash

40) Now is also the time to clean all the finger prints u left on ur mirror housing. while ur waiting for it to bake.

41) Place back the mirror housing along with the corner housing together in the plastic lens. Don't forget the screw that was holding them both in place.

42) You can start to preheat the oven to bake on 275*F. Ur ready to place all the housing back together. When the oven is done preheating place ONLY the black housing into the oven excluding the plastic lens and mirror housing and corner housing. Just only the black part that has the globe projectors n stuff. Bake it for 8-12 min.

43) When ur done... pull it out wit a glove of sort... and quickly shove the wires through the hole. B sure that the wires aren't interferring with anything. I ran the High Beam Halo wires on top of the low beam globe projector (hard to explain... but u'll c it when u have it apart). If u practiced around step 37... u'll have a good understanding. When all wires r cleared... put the housing back together. The first time i did it... i did it solo... n the glue cooled before i can completely sealed the projector. It would b easier to have 2 people doing this. For the 2nd projector... I had my girlfriend get ready to pull the wires through. When i put the wires in the hole... she would pull it through as i'm getting ready for the 2nd wire n so forth. As im ready to close the two projectors... she is slowly pulling the wires to get rid of the slack.

**NOTE: If u can't get it shut... dont' put it back in the oven... i dont know what will happen to the goop if it's not dried. Just get a realli strong hair dryer... n blow it on HOT n on High Power. Blow a section for a couple of minutes and close it... while u close it... put one of those metallic clamps on... as ur doing each section. The same clamps u removed on step 27.**

44) Now do it for the other housing and ur NEARLY DONE!

45) U will now need to cut 8 more 18 gauge wires about 1/2 to 1' in length. 4 of the wires will have the resistors connecting to it. I connected 2 resistor and ran them parallel. This is just incase 1 resistor burns out... u have another one backing it up. So what i did first was to twist the 2 resistors together (leg on leg)... then connect it to the wire. Reason u want to connect the resistor towards the end n not in the housing because if it burns out, then u can easily change them... rather than having to go back into the housing (which means removal of screws n baking it)... u can change it outside.

46) Connect the resistor end of the wire to the positively marked wire (I heard u can connect it to the negative... it works on both... but i connected it to the positive). Solder it and E-tape it off. Now don't forget to mark the other end of the wire since u will still need to know the positive wire to connect it to the parking ligts. Do the same step for the other positive wires wit the resistors.

47) Connect the extra length of the wire to all the rest of the neg. wire… solder and E-Tape.

48) Place back the screws that u took off on step 28. The circular plastic piece that holds the bulbs in place will not necessarily be in the right place of the screws... u'll need to be rotate it until u find it in sync with all 3 screws. Do it to all 4 of ur bulb screw.

49) I would highly suggest to do this... get rubbing alcohol and couple of cotton balls or swabs. Put some alcohol on the cotton and wipe the bulb wit the cotton. It would b better if u have latex gloves on so u dont get finger prints back on the bulb. Put the bulb back in the rightful place. Do the same step for the rest of ur bulbs (total bulbs: 6).

**REMEMBER: The low beam is going to b next to the corner lights.**

50) Apply some silicon to the hole where the wires are coming out. I didn’t use any… my g/f didn’t want me to buy the GE Silicon II. She wanted me to use the automotive goop as a sealant.

TEST N B PROUD! Last few steps to go! As for me... Last Few Steps to type!

Connecting Finished Projectors to Parking Light Wire

51) When u r holding onto ur parking light wire... there is this black plastic tubing that is protecting the wire. Cut about 6 inches of that tubing down the side of it... remembering not to cut the wires inside. Splitting the protective tubing to expose the 3 wires inside.

52) For my car... there r 3 wires. 1 thicker green wire with an orange stripe. 1 white wire (negative). 1 green thinner wire (positive). CURSE my &#33;Removed&#33; Memory... i'm going to have to reconfirm this part for you guys later on.

**NOTE: U can always use a multimeter and double check urself**

53) U can either T-Splice the wires or u can cut it n splice it with a butt connector. What i did was i cut the thinner green and white wire in the middle of the 6" clearance i got from the tubing. Leave the thick green wire with the orange stripe. I stripped 1" off of the ends carefully since the wires are older. I believe the wires r 20 gauge wiring. Be extremely careful on the wire that is connected to the terminal part where it connects to the housing. U dont want to rip that wire out of the terminal.

54) I then twisted one of the positive halo wire to the positive wire thats connected to the terminal. Then the other positive wire to the other positive wire on the other side of the harness.

55) Put the butt connector on each side and crimp it (I used my vise grip. Before using the vise grip... test it on an empty butt connector to find the right size). Then i used a lighter and shrinked the shrink tubing that was on the butt connectors.... being careful about the other wires since they were in close proximity. Then i E-taped it for extra protection.

This is my g/f helping me E-taping the connected wires together.

56) Do the same thing on the negative wires.

57) Repeat steps 53-56 for the other headlight projector.

58) Connect all the bulb plugs starting with the parking light wire. Then screw the 3 10mm bolts back on holding the projectors in place.

**OPTIONAL: I put anti-seizing compound on the bolt so i can remove it again easier next time.**

59) Repeat 58 for the other projector.

60) Put back ur rain cover... n turn on ur PROJECTOR and ADMIRE UR WORK... for a WORK WELL COMPLETED!

How Mine Looks

This is with the Flash on. Yes it was snowing when i was doing this

This is in the darkness. With only the parking lights on.

This is the Halos with the low beam on (2 clicks). See how u dont notice the blue. The blue was washed away from the low beams... hence making it street legal in my opinion. But if u want to definitely b street legal... don't put n e other lights except white.

This is a close up on the passenger side with the low beam on. When u put on the low beam... i do notice that the white Halo... will have a very slight bluish tinge. But when u take the low beams off... u don't see the bluish tinge.

bdonkersgoed has a picture of his halo on post 42-44 here:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...pic=10957&st=30

I think he did a great job on his halo. I believed if he put the reflective tape... it would be just as bright as mine. We used the same blue bulbs with the same mcd. My white was a bit different. It was rated at 35,000-40,000 mcd n needed 510 ohm resistors. I bought those LED's for cheap on ebay from HK for a pack of 50 LED’s n 50 Resistors (about $18 wit shipping&handling).

After Note: After u complete this... just enjoy n admire ur work. If u have n e response or questions... u can reply n i will try my very best to fix the post n correct n e mistakes... or answer n e questions u may have regarding this tutorial. Thank you ALL for ur help. Good Luck n have fun. Hope u guys like it.

Tom ;)

[Lexusfreak]

Now that's what I call a write up! :D Car looks awesome bud....very nice job. B)

[dcfish]

Now that's what I call a write up! :D Car looks awesome bud....very nice job. B)

Nice Job,

[steviej]

Awesome write up. I am going to pin this thread for a while so that it doesn't get lost.

Later I will move it to the Workshop tutorial section.

Thank you.

steviej

[kcpth]

Cool... thanks StevieJ. I'm glad i can contribute to the club. I hope people will see it on the top.

Tom ;)

[Toysrme]

Finally LoL! It took you a week to write it up! Good job! With much thanks to kcpth, I got some of his 43,000mcd LED's to do my own project.

I would like to make 2 recommendations, and leave some tips for re-designing the Angel Eyes, b/c I think over the last few weeks of working on & off, I have, what I feel, improved the original design.

1)

a)The "traditional" way to make these, is with a hexagon shaped rod. I am using the 6 sided star rods. While you can't drill them out to fit the ELD in, you can Drill enough to glue the tip on - which is the same thing. The 6 pointed sides allow you to score the ring at various opposit points, without the negative effects as shown, but having them (to a point) be accumulative. Because the light reflects so much more & in different patterns whirling around the star sides, you can get away with doing 2-3 points of scoring, without dropping the intensity much at all & adding brightness.

B)With the "star" ones, you can slit both back side points & create a good effect. Because there are more, smaller angle refractions in the stars, you can also slit the outside points as needed, to keep the light intense when not viewing them head on. This also helps *greatly* in the event you warp a rod & can't get it perfectly aligned again.

From left to right

1) scoring the two opposite points

2) scoring the single opposite point

3) scoring the opposite points until the scores connect

4) scoring the three opposite tips mostly at random

2) Do not use a dremel for scoring the rod. The cutting disks are far too thick, they cut far too fast & require extraordinary control that I feel, most people would not have. Just because kcpth did well, doesn't mean everyone else will.

Insead, use a pull saw, or a small hobby saw. This will allow much finer control, and the ability to score much closer together. (I found in many cases it didn't require extreme concentration to make scores roughly 1/16" apart, then go back & score between that half way. In some cases, being able to leave a score every third blade width on my particular hobby pull saw.)

It only takes a pair of half strokes, or a full stroke to fully score the rings close to the LED's, to connect points, it only takes 2-3 pulls.

Otherwise:

***I like Automotive Goop for this b/c is dries clear & can fairly easily be removed. Unlike a Cayno Acrylic (Superglue) It will dry perfectly clear, is easily remove & does not produce heat in the process of curing.

***Make yourself a stand to glue the LED's on the tips. This is *extremely* helpful & will save large amounts of time. Apply some goop to the tip of the LED using a finger (I used a cut off q-tip); put it on your dimple, roll your finger around it to build up a layer, align it so it shoots down the rod, and finally, set it up so it will free-stand.

I taped mine onto the tip of a 409 bottle in an orientation to hold the LED standing straight up. Come back 10 min later & do the other side. After about 5 min, if you bumped it & it falls over DO NOT try to re-orient it... Pull it off, rub the goop off & try again & do a better job of aligning it.

This way is superior because you only have to hold it for a few seconds - until you're sure it's stable.

On the kitchen table with light coming through the window:

***When you put the headlights in the oven. The most important thing is to put them on a large cookie sheet (Please cover with several layers of tin-foil if you plan on using it), and make very sure that it does not touch, or come within an inch of anything metal in the oven. It WILL melt/deform anything immediately close to metal.

I take my headlights apart @ 275*F for 15 min

I bend my rods @ 300*F for 7 min.

While you have the headlights apart: Put the lenes in the dish washer!!! Take them out immediately & wipe them off with a paper towell & then set them on a pwper towell to dry. Make sure not to touch them ever again.

Side tip: If you plan an HID conversion, the cut-offs are near impossible to modify without cuttig them completely out. The other option to make them do really well with HID's is to shim the lens out. The best thing I have found is to heat you a curtain rod to shim the lens out while keeping it flat & Goop it in. Shiming them 3/8-1/4" is perfect for one large hex curtain rod.

The stock machine screws suck... They will not hold the lens shimmed out without stripping.

Tap them out to a larger size & use a longer machine screw. Without drilling, I just ran an 8-32 tap down it & it came out great! The trade offs for shimming a lens is a sharp cutoff, with more blue/purple light bending, at the expense of having a slightly smaller beam pattern. In a twist of irony - the beam pattern will still be above what a halogen will be from it's raised output.

This is THE only way I can personally agree with using a re-based HID kit without new projectors. I have personally done both cutting & replacing of the cut-off, and shimming the lens. Shimming the lens is really the only effective way to make it work.

[Toysrme]

Original Angel Eyes w/o reflective tape backing

kcpth's 43,000mcd angel eyes w' reflective backing

My star rod 43,000mcd angel eyes, w/o reflective backing, w/o tin foil under the black tape to get more light output.

Pre scoring laying on white tile:

Post scoring:

Those are close ups. The biggest difference comes once you move 2 feet from the star + many cut angel eyes. Both my new & old cameras refuse to do anything but white out at a distance of 2'+ EVEN w/o reflective backing!

By 3' my nekkid eye can no longer register the slits also. I'll take another picture tonight from slightly farther away to demonstrate how much of a difference it really makes.

I digress. Huge props to kcpth for getting the halos re-started & finished, and contributing a ton to the projects.

[Toysrme]

Something else I would like to address is LED choosing, and an my views about mounting them.

Obviously, these 5mm 43,000mcd LED's are a huge improvement over most current ones using 3,000-10,000mcd LEDs. But that is not the most important stat to look at when choosing your LED's! We are using 25* LED's, which is helpful because it gives a more even light distrobution into the rod than a 5, 10, or 20* LED would.

About mounting them.

I have found through two months of off/on testing, it makes 0 difference if the LED is placed at the end of the rod with no hole, you drill a dimple for the nose of the LED to sit in, or drill the entire rod out to fit the LED entirely inside it. What this means, is that someone should seriously give one of my previous thoughts a try. Instead of a 5mm LED, try a 10mm 100,000mcd+ LED. It will not matter that it can't fit inside the rod. Do as I did on my star pointed rods - simply drill a dimple into the rod to aid in glueing it on.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?c...+LED&category0=

My view, is that if our 43,000mcd LED's are that much brighter than a 3,000-10,000mcd LED, imagine what the current 125,000-130,000mcd LED's would do!

[Toysrme]

More random tips.

I did not need gloves to heat & bend mine b/c I can't work with small objects with gloves.

I wrapped the rod around my can, then used my fingernails to hold the ends in place so I wouldn't get burned. Blow on the rod & after about 20 seconds (You may need to quickly shuffle fingernails if you're weak! but DO NOT let go within say the first 15 seconds).

By about 20 seconds, they will mostly hold their shape. Gently get the can (whatever) out of the middle of the rod w/o bending it & quickly shuffle the rod to a sink full of water, or run some water on it. That will rapidly cool it & allow you to work with it sooner.

[kcpth]

Come on Toys... i still want to see urs done. I hope i'm not nudging u too much about getting it completed.

But for n e one who has Q's n want's A's... i'll gladly answer them. I wonder if this can b done with my sis's b/f's 93 SC4

Blah... i dont know if want to do it again. I wish my LS would have a different projector setting... i would definitely do it on mine... however... i dont think it would make my car look classy.

Tom

[00 WiNdOm]

wow really nice work i love how everything came out. but i need your guyz ideas. i was thinking to do that to a 00 lexus es 300. i know its not gonna look like angel eyes but i kinda wanted it to be like the lexus is300 demon eyes. u really dont need projects for it. and one more thing i wanted to use blue led blub. but all i seem to find is 13,000 mcd blub. is that good. or is that bad. is it really bright. plz help guyz and put any input needed.

P.s. new to the site. will send pics of my car soon!!!

[kyazh]

where did you get the 'star rods' from? I searched all over google and plastic sites, none to be found.