How to replicate HELLA's smoked ellipsoid technique:

[attackeagle]

ok guys, the guy making them actually adapted the pattern to better fit his headlights... which means he ran off a set that properly fit DOT/9006 high beams. he didn't realize the the bowls are differently shaped because of different bulb type and regulations.

Hoping he still has the pattern for the ECEs to run off which I would need, but I thought I'd let y'all know that if you have DOT highs, you can now join the 'fun' and pick up the first crosshair set designed to properly fit them.

They are run off and ready to ship on BF.C

[884door]

Is it just me or does this crosshair template not fit U.S. hella high beams? I cut it out over and over and it just didn't fit in the high beam?? Ah well I spent about an hour and came up with my own template (admittedly not perfect..)

Oh and I'm 0 and 2 on boiling the high beams to get the lenses off, busted them both. And unfortunately our oven is broken. :( The low beams were much easier.

[tonytony]

someone in another thread suggested a heat gun, maybe you can try that next time

[884door]

someone in another thread suggested a heat gun, maybe you can try that next time

Well I went to the junkyard today and got a high beam off a 5 series and the lens just pulled right off. :) Now i just need 1 more, haha.

[tonytony]

^ i have a high beam for you that has the lens already off of it, but you'll have to buy the other one and two low beams with it:)

[achtunge30]

Anyone try these on <gulp> Depo smilies? <flamesuit on!>

[straight6pwr]

euro cross hairs DO NOT fit in u.s. high beams. NOT EVEN CLOSE. you'll have to make your own, and its fairly easy. not sure if depo's shape is based of the euros or the u.s.

[BrewCity11]

euro cross hairs DO NOT fit in u.s. high beams. NOT EVEN CLOSE. you'll have to make your own, and its fairly easy. not sure if depo's shape is based of the euros or the u.s.

Really? Check out post #17 and 18. http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52494

Not doubting you, but correct info would be nice, regardless who's right.

[straight6pwr]

Really? Check out post #17 and 18. http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52494

Not doubting you, but correct info would be nice, regardless who's right.

they didnt fit. i printed jordan's template to the correct size and the shape/depth was different. i even resized/reprinted it to see if that would help and it didnt. the side near the glass was at least 1/4" to tall so the glass wouldnt come close to fitting on. regardless, its not hard to adjust them after you have them cut out.

EDIT: i just tried again today and same thing happened, the reflector has a different depth, so the sides dont align. i wish i would have kept my busted up high beam housing, i could have just cut it in half and copied the profile.

[Lurker27]

My brother did mine this weekend using a space heater to open them up, then he froze the silicone sealant before taking it off. They look great. I used the machined xhairs from turk in the X pattern rather than the +

[ubernasty]

i practiced on a spare pair of us ellips a couple months ago and tried using the template in this thread to cut my own out on aluminum sheet, with shit results. i ended up just bullshitin on them and making cardboard ones to see how it'd go. it turned out decent, but i know they wouldn't last. they never leaked though or fogged up. (do not use cardboard btw, EVER)
you can see here the one i did


now i just started doing my real lights which are euro ellip bosch's. i bought the set of cross-hairs from a guy locally who picked them up on group buy a little bit ago. they are cnc machine cut out and AWESOME quality, highly recommend doing it that way.

i feel like i can answer some questions that come up with doing this diy mod now.

- baked in oven at 250 degrees F for about 5-10 mins
- the high beam came off super easy
- the lows were a bitch and a half. i baked them the same amount of time as the highs but was really careful not to leave in too long because i didn't want to melt anything
- lows i had to pry all around the edges using a tiny screwdriver and ended up bending a few plastic spots around the lip (they do come off but are really difficult- be patient)
- i used flat black paint on the crosshairs and lows (could probably use gloss but i figured they'd look better flat and "sit" in the housing better stealthy)
- i wouldn't worry about cracking the lens at the temp and time that i did they weren't too too hot, but warm enough to break loose ( i can't see them shattering or "blowing up"
- be careful on how much sealant you use. i used automotive goop contact sealant and adhesive. the first crappy ones i did i used too much and when i put the lens back on the high it dripped inside the housing and on the inside of the lens (looks like shit up close)
- the lows are a little different and have a lip so you don't have to worry so much about dripping inside the housing (***be careful with the highs or you'll have to re-do it and pop the lens back off making an awesome mess that you don't want to have to deal with)
- keep your pass/drive sides separate and together, mine came apart really nice (especially the highs) and putting them back together the seals match up nicely. this way you don't need tons off new sealant to get a air-tight seal (i marked "L" or "R" on the back of housing and lens-- small on the sealant) makes things easier


i'm going to buy a dremmel tomorrow to set my high beams in... and i still need a high lens since one of mine was broke before i took them apart.


hope this helps :)


here's my bosch euro's done (shitty cell phone pics)

[Simon S]

Disclaimer: I’m not happy about having depos. They’re junk, crap, cheaply-made, etc. Years ago, when I first got the e30, I was like “wow. They sure have a lot of affordable parts on ebay!” Over the years of reading and learning about e30s – I realized the mistake of purchasing them. Believe me, I’d much rather be rockin a set of $500 smoked Hellas from Abrabams Motorsport.

Due to budget constraints, it was either the depos I regretted buying or the beat up sealed beams that the car came with. Positive points for the depos included them being new, glass lenses, able to house H1 bulbs, and .. yeah, I guess they’re new.. They also adjust for left and right-hand cut off pattern with the low beam units. In the end - i figured that smoking the depos would.. well - make up for the fact that they were depos.

High beam buckets are made of thin metal and the low beam buckets are fragile plastic. The adjusters concerned me enough to simply leave the buckets attached to the main support housing during this project’s work. Couldn’t bring myself to bake them in the oven. I boiled them in water for 30 minuets to get the low beam lenses off. I cut the high beam lenses off using a dremel tool cut-off wheel and razor blades only. Most of the adhesive on the low beams could be cut away – but then boiling was needed to soften the remaining adhesive enough to enable pulling the lens away from the housing.

I worked on this project for over a month’s time. (on and off during weekends) It was tedious and stressful. If too much pressure was applied or if just one part broke – then it would scrap the whole project and become an even bigger waste of time/money. I can relate to vlad when he said time and again that the front alpina valence was just too much work to go through. Yeah – it can be done – but it’s just so much work with such a cheaply made product. The biggest pain was that you couldn’t pry the lenses off without breaking the glass lens or the fragile housings. It took about an hour of cutting with razor blades to cut the adhesive per bucket.

In the end – I pulled it off and applied Lamin-x for protection. My bigger regrets include masking off the ‘city light’ area of low beam ‘smiley’ plate (should’ve painted it black also) and the cross-hair on one of the high beam lights is like 2 degrees off.. but yeah, I’m obsessive since I did the work..


Before shots:




A pic of the CNC'd cross hair pieces that I purchased from “compression” around February of ’08. They fit the depo buckets just fine.


Process pics of high beam lens removal. No heat used.






Yay! First lens off!






Starting in on a low beam. I was able to cut the majority of the adhesive away - then boiling weakened the remaining bond enough to allow pulling the lens off by hand without damaging pry-action from screwdrivers or putty knives.


Boiling set-up used to get low beam lenses off:


Parts of the low beam bucket lip broke away when trying to pry lens off on first attempt. Repairs to housing lip were made using a two-part epoxy.


Prep and paint. These are the vital parts to be painted black which 'smoke' the headlights.


Initial 'dry' assembly:


Initial mock-up


Putting the lenses back on


yeah - i'm kickin myself for not painting the city light area black too..


2 1/2 lb weights were used to keep light pressure on the lenses while the RTV sealant cured


Sealing the cross-hair 'tangs' from the back side. Used dabs of RTV silicone sealant applied with tooth pick. Double-checked the work by using a flashlight to see if light shown through. Two of them needed touch up.


Shot taken prior to complete assembly


It's wierd how excited I was about installing the Lamin-x..




Trimming excess coating away


Final assembly

[jasonslackisrad]

mother fucker. just cracked a high beam.

[straight6pwr]

what i have found: you need to bake these on low heat for a long time. the heat softens everything up, but nothing melts. if you've done it long enough the lenses pop right off with very little effort. id heat my oven to about 175 then leave them for 15min or so.

the first couple sets i did i definitely broke lenses, it takes practice, that's for sure. after 3 sets, i could do one in my sleep.

[jasonslackisrad]

does anyone have an extra high beam ?