Barry'Z(NJ)

I've got more than 2

Pix from Philly on 10/14 by Phuong...

Barry'Z(NJ)

Sweets

pretty. What camera is used?

Barry'Z(NJ)

Canon EOS-1D MkII, and EOS-20D, with Canon "L" series glass.

snwbrderphat540

what about lighting though lol, looks like you had a mini sun for the one shot.

Barry'Z(NJ)

The last 3 shots were done after dark with multiple strobes (flash).

P. S. These pix, and the discussion of them, belong in the "General Z Car Discussion" forum

Darkmann

Nice pics Barry. Now to the lighting thing. The harness attached to the bulbs has a waterproof rubber fitting. I assume this fitting is completely useless for the Z32 application. Right?

snwbrderphat540

...... huh? lol. it should be, lights stuck into headlight, plug bulbs into ballasts, plug in original headlight sockets into ballasts and enjoy.

Sweets

You have to run 12v power to the ballasts before you can enjoy

Barry'Z(NJ)

Got a picture? I'm not sure what you're talking about, but maybe mine will be enough.

The plug that used to attach to the bulb now attaches to the ballast.
The wire that comes out of the ballast now attaches to the wires coming from the bulb.
I do believe I used the extensions provided in the kit though

Darkmann

In your pic, focus on the bulb assembly on the floor in the plastic protective tube (lower left of pic). Follow the cables coming from the bulb and you meet that round rubber piece where all the cables go through before they continue to the ballast. That's the piece I'm talking about.

Also, does the ballast control the color temperature? That is, does changing color temp require new ballast or just a different bulb?

I hope we have some better weather soon. I want to put these on to seeeeee!!!!!!

Barry'Z(NJ)

Yes, I left those in place.

The temp is controlled by the bulb not the ballast.

Darkmann

Thanks Barry. Are you folks also snowed in in NJ? Here in Salisbury, MD, schools are closed and a lot of work places are opening late. The Z is frozen staying outside. I hope to have this lighting thing done the next comfortably warm weather. Thanks.

Barry'Z(NJ)

Nah, no snow here, but temps are at or below freezing.

My Z is currently fascia-less in the garage.
I'm waiting for some warmer weather to complete a few things as well.

snwbrderphat540

dude, the Z is outside? i hope you at least have a car cover. not cool. we got about 6 inches of snow sitting and a new wave of snow starting a lil later today. temps for yester were a high of 3 degrees F and where -25 with wind chill on my way to school. today is the same but a high of 26 WOO!!!

Darkmann

Yeah, she's outside. There are some other high perfomance machines in my garage for now, so my beloved Z will be out for some time. I actually have been thinking about building very large toy house for my other mechanical toys, but my wife is balking!!! Besides, we rarely get snow here. Yesterday, for about a period of an hour, about 1/4inch fell and that's enough to shut down the entire city. Yep, that's the kind we get here. Today it's back up to 35 degrees and icy!!!! Snw, you should move down here, you'll love it,..., LOL.

Darkmann

Finally got the HIDs installed - we hit near 50F today and the snow is all gone. Unfortunately, one of my ballasts doesn't work. I emailed the seller and hopefully I'll get a replacement. Here are a couple of pics. Due to ambient lighting, the difference is not seen in these pics. But the HID is on the passenger's side and I could see a clear difference in light color. The entire package seems to be really well done. The connectors fit very well except for the one that connects to the OEM harness. On both ballasts, the connectors seem to be just a tad longer than the OEM, thus it doesn't engage the safety tab on the OEM female receptacle. Unlikely as it may seem, this could cause the system to disconnect or short in some situations.

snwbrderphat540

what do you mean it doesnt work? they are both lit up? and i actually had a similare problem, turned out to be the connecor, try moving the plug (OEM headlight plug to ballast connector) mine wouldnt work when shoved all the way in but pulled it a little and POOF would kick on. then i electrical taped itin place. never gave me trouble again.


i just read that the one is OEM lol. but stil ltry what i said. mine did hte same thing

Sweets

Show them at night shining on a garage door or some flat surface.

Darkmann

No HIDs for me - at least not now. I have gone through two ballasts and 4 bulbs and I still can't both sides to come on. The one ballast that works for the passenger side lights up all the bulbs on the driver's side also, so I still think it's a ballast issue. Smart-4-Cars has been willing to replace ballasts but I'm done. They've also agreed to refund my cost minus shipping, which I think is fair. Is there something about the 96 lighting circuitry that's different from all the others?

To add to my pain, I started researchinh HIDs and found out that this upgrade may actually not be legal anyway. I think the best way to go is to do the JSPEC system. More costly but better.

NismoPick

And along comes the good old saying: You get what you pay for. Buying cheap parts usually means they are cheaply made. When the real deal is twice as much... you know there is a reason behind it.

Darkmann

Well, that may be true but these were purchased based on useful input from this site and from forum members who have used the exact same system successfully. It just didn't work for me, period!!!!! They are inexpensive but who's to say the $3K+ OEM systems aren't 500% marked up? My problem here is not the quality - the system looks to be very well made. The reason I will return the package is because of the legality of the entire installation - it is possible that other drivers may be bothered with these systems. If I go by your reasoning, buying a MB or BMW product would have been better than a Nissan, afterall they're much more expensive and offer more for the money. Trust me, I know first, second, third and fourth hand that that's absolutely false. That's a primary reason I opted for a used Z32 instead of a M3 or M5 or some AMG product for my daily driver.

NismoPick

My reasoning is DON'T BUY CHEAP CRAP, not: only buy BMW! There are good aftermarket kits out there, but again... when they are cheaper: beware. That is all.

snwbrderphat540

legality only comes into effect with colored and non stock lighting as far as my research went. like i said, did you try playing with the plug? because mine would only work with the plug pulled partly out just ever so slightly. and taped it in place and never had a problem again. plus, whats gonna happen? the gustapo gonna come along and have you pop your hood and inspect your headlights cause they are Z experts? lol. legality shouldnt be a worry honestly. the functionability should though, try my idea. really sit and play with the plug. i thought mine were a bust till my dipshit friend started to just mess around with the plug (and he really doesnt know crap) and it kicked on.

entropy31

while technically not "legal" in most places, i highly doubt you will have any trouble with the police if you install HID bulbs in stock z32 low beams. they are after the people who put HIDs in non-projector style headlights, because the light is not focused and blinds other drivers. z32 low beams are projector style, just like all stock HID systems. JDM lights are more likely to get you a ticket, as the beams are focused for RHD. they shine higher on the side that street signs are on in Japan. over here, other cars are on that side, and you will be blinding them with the low beams. also, i don't think the JDM headlights are DOT approved.