Converting Hella 500FF's to 55W HID

[4x4mike]

So after some reading and spending I decided to convert my Hella's to HID. I followed Mastacox's lead and got the DDM 55w. Only difference is that he had the 700FF's. My order was backordered which was fine because I've been busy but they showed up today and I've stayed up past my bedtime.


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07680.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07681.jpg


Unbolted them from the bumper. They are full of bugs but oh well, the HID's will burn them off.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07692.jpg


Here is the back side with the H3 bulb.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07694.jpg


Here is my version. I removed the Hella clip and made my own spring clip with some wire.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07695.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07696.jpg


Walla.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07697.jpg

My plan is to make a mounting bracket for the 2 ballasts so they sit behind the bumper and not the grill. They will still get plenty of air but not be in the path of water from driving and rocks and other road debris. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow.

[strykersd]

Did you take any before pictures of how bright the the 500FFs were with halogen bulbs to compare with the HID bulbs?

Nice write up! I'm still debating whether to convert my 500s or upgrade them to 700s or 4000s then convert them to HIDs.

[4x4mike]

I don't have any good pictures of the beam at night. I have a few from the outside of the vehicle looking at them. I swapped the stock 55w bulbs for 100w so there was already a difference from stock.
I've used the light a bit the last few days so I know what the old beam looked like.

[mastacox]

Nice! I'm excited to see some night shots! :bowdown:

[4x4mike]

Question for you Brian. The red and black wires? They are ground and 12v power right? I took mine out of the harness/grommet like you did but the instructions don't say much. I'm thinking red to power and black to ground. The other ends go to the ballast and the 2 wires from the bulb plug into the harness that comes off the ballast. Am I correct? I was going to look around online at lunch but figured since you were here.

[mastacox]

Question for you Brian. The red and black wires? They are ground and 12v power right? I took mine out of the harness/grommet like you did but the instructions don't say much. I'm thinking red to power and black to ground. The other ends go to the ballast and the 2 wires from the bulb plug into the harness that comes off the ballast. Am I correct? I was going to look around online at lunch but figured since you were here.


Yup, they are power and ground.

[slosurfer]

:thumbup: Nice! I've got another HID project coming down the pipe too. Just have to save up to get a couple HID kits.

[4x4mike]

Yup, they are power and ground.

Cool. I re-read the link you posted in your thread and confirmed.



I've got another HID project coming down the pipe too. Just have to save up to get a couple HID kits.

Whatcha do'in?

[cplvc]

Nice write up! I also have this project in the waiting. Finally ordered the DDM (Raptor) H1 5K 35W to convert Hella 4000's. After seeing a good use for them at pismo I'll be doing this shortly (hopefully before the end of the year).

[slosurfer]

Whatcha do'in?


I picked up 3 Lightforce Driving Light Arms (basically the light minus the screw on reflector and filter). Actually one of them came with a 140 reflector and filter, but the reflector is FUBAR'd. Plan is to buy 2 55w HID kits and convert the 3 arms plus the one that is my center 240.

After that, I'm not sure. Might sell two of them and someone can just buy the reflector, or sell them to someone that has 170's or 240's already and they just have to put their reflectors on them (give them a price break if they send me their old set of arms) and then I'll buy a 240 reflector. That would give me 2 240 55w HID and 2 170 35w HID's, or just keep them all and figure out what combination I want. Maybe buy 3 240 reflectors and put them on top of the 4runner. :)

Anyways, either way, I need to wait and buy 2 55w HID kits. :)

[4x4mike]

With that much light you'll be bummed to drive on the road with just your regular lights.

JC, I think your Shrockworks bumper with HID 4000's will look pretty slick. I didn't really need Pismo as an excuse to go HID. I think I'm just scared of the dark.

[slosurfer]

With that much light you'll be bummed to drive on the road with just your regular lights.



:laugh: Or I guess vanna could always use a couple lights. :laugh: No problem with hood glare if I put them up top. :laugh:

[4x4mike]

My wife was out with some friends last night so when the baby went down I went to work. I had to make a bracket to mount the ballasts on and I'm pretty pleased. I didn't want something that would come loose, block the radiator, expose the ballasts to unnecessary weather, etc. This is what I made.

Metal cut out and drilled for the ballasts.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07698.jpg


Ballasts mounted.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/DSC07699.jpg

I don't have a picture of the bracket mounted but it is bolted to a factory support that is right in front of the radiator. The support goes up and down and the bracket is mounted in one of the supports factory holes. Everything is towards the bottom of the radiator so it's actually behind the bumper and below the grill. Nothing blocks the radiator and all is good. I didn't get any beam shots because I couldn't leave the house (baby sleeping and wife away) but I did get a fire up video. I was cleaning up the garage when my wife came home. She must think I'm a dumbass (other than the obvious) because it's taken me 2 days to "change the bulbs" in the lights.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/th_MOV07702.jpg (http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Light%20Tabs/?action=view&current=MOV07702.flv)

[mastacox]

LOL yeah my wife didn't quite understand what's so special about my new bulbs, until I fired up the lights. Then she decided I was crazy for needing something so bright :thumbup:

[slosurfer]

Looks nice Mike! :thumbup:

[4x4mike]

LOL yeah my wife didn't quite understand what's so special about my new bulbs, until I fired up the lights. Then she decided I was crazy for needing something so bright :thumbup:


My wife doesn't know about the HIDs or anything. She knows about the lights as they were already there but I told her I got some new brighter bulbs. I hope to get out for a drive tonight and whoa her.

[4x4mike]

Looks nice Mike! :thumbup:


Thanks. I just watched the video again. It's kind of cool the way the camera adjusts to the increasing light. The instructions said the light is like welding flash and not to look directly into them. I was a little blind last night after messing with them.

[93yotasr5]

How much did the hid kit cost? I really want to do this with my hella 500ff's

[bamachem]

Nice.

I just put the DDM 55W 4500K HIDs in my low beams. The OEM housings in the Hundy give a very crisp cutoff so glare isn't an issue. Light output is simply amazing.

I want to say it was about $50 or so for the HID Ballasts & Blubs, plus an upgraded wiring harness with relay.

I plan to drop in some 35W HIDs into the fog housings and into the projectors on my wife's Solara as well.

[4x4mike]

I use the DDM kits. I have a 35w kit in the factory fogs and a 55w kit in the Hellas. I also have a 35w kit in the factory fogs of our Subaru. DDM has the 35w kits as low as $35 plus shipping. Price goes up with bulb choice and wattage. So far all of the kits have been working great and I'm very happy with them.

[paddlenbike]

I'm running the same DDM kit as Mike in my factory Hella Micro DEs and the light output is considerably more than before. Lumen-wise I think it's 2.5 times more light and that's at only 35 watts. The Micro DE are a true projector, hence the name DE--"dipped elipsoid", so they have a really nice cutoff like a high-end automotive headlamp.

[Erich_870]

I use the DDM kits. I have a 35w kit in the factory fogs and a 55w kit in the Hellas. I also have a 35w kit in the factory fogs of our Subaru. DDM has the 35w kits as low as $35 plus shipping. Price goes up with bulb choice and wattage. So far all of the kits have been working great and I'm very happy with them.


Mike,

I need to replace one of my factory fog bulbs, so I might as well do the upgrade. What style of bulb is it?

When you say "DDM" you mean DDMtuning.com right?

Erich

[mastacox]

When you say "DDM" you mean DDMtuning.com right?


Yes, more specifically these: http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W

[Erich_870]

Yes, more specifically these: http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W

Great! The fog lights are H3's right? Did you have any problems with the new HID bulbs being too long for the fog light housing? I read somewhere that might be a concern. Also, did you get 6000K or something more yellow (4500 or 3000k)?

Erich

[YotaFun]

Another good site for HID lights is here http://www.vvme.com/

[4x4mike]

Yes, more specifically these: http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W

Great! The fog lights are H3's right? Did you have any problems with the new HID bulbs being too long for the fog light housing? I read somewhere that might be a concern. Also, did you get 6000K or something more yellow (4500 or 3000k)?

Erich



I have the 4500 in my hella fogs, micro de's. They are a little blue but they were the warmest 35w option. This thread was for my Hella 500ff's and they too have 4500 but they are 55w so the output is way different. I run 3500, 35w on my wifes car and when you are driving they look a little yellow. When you get out and look at the light it's a sparkly bluish with almost no yellow.

[4x4mike]

Update:
So I think I'm going to be in the market for some new offroad lights.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_-Md2B1BZac/VpkSmWnIXDI/AAAAAAABIwk/ai7DI5O1Umg/s800-Ic42/20160114_194944.jpg

It's a crappy night time, in the rain, cell phone pic but as you can see the lights are gone. Stolen. Someone helped themselves to them yesterday at my park n ride, in broad day light. Actually it being light probably helped. The park n ride is quite hidden, has no security/cameras in the lot and no traffic during the day. I park head in to some bushes, not on purpose it's just the way the spots are, so I didn't notice they were gone until I got home. I drove back to the lot and found one washer on the ground so I'm pretty sure they were stolen there.

I'm sure they had a tool but it was probably a multi tool and not a socket wrench. One of the housings was broken off and the thin HID wires cut but the ballasts were still mounted to the radiator support. In short the lights are useless to whomever took them. I looked in all the bushes and trash cans but found nothing so I returned home and filed a report.

This is my second pair of Hella 500's that I've had stolen from a front bumper. The first pair were a completely stock pair of the original 500's (pre-FF) on my pickup. Whatever I replace them with will have a little more security.

[paddlenbike]

That's sh*tty. I was about to say if it isn't bolted down someone will take it, but in today's world, if it isn't welded in place someone will take it.

[YotaFun]

That's sh*tty. I was about to say if it isn't bolted down someone will take it, but in today's world, if it isn't welded in place someone will take it.

Exactly, even security bolts aren't stopping people, with the new LED light bars and pods, they have been flying off the trucks more then the shelves from people stealing them

[Seanz0rz]

Sad.

Might be worth tacking the nut to the bolt.

[YotaFun]

Sad.

Might be worth tacking the nut to the bolt.

Some guys that have lost there stuff more then once have resorted to that

[4x4mike]

I'll be taking the bolts for my Mirco DE's this weekend.

I'm not totally sure why anyone took these. There are several different trucks in the same parking lot. One has some large PIAA's and a small LED light bar. There is also a Tacoma DC with a larger led light bar and two 2x3 led lights. That guy has all his mounting hardware exposed. I looked today and theirs looks untouched.

I was thinking that maybe they saw that mine were HID, they would have to remove the covers, but they left the ballasts. Since I still have the 55w ballasts I can buy new bulbs ($25) and some more 500FF's ($65) and be on my way. If I double that I can get a Chinese light bar but I feel that would be taken quicker than the 6+ years these lasted. It's ironic, I saw no less than 5 vehicles on my 5 mile kid picking up drive today with led light bars.

I looked at a few today online and was thinking about a single row bar. One feature I like about some of the double row bars is a dual color option (switchable white and amber). I think I could get some use out of that but don't want the size of a double row. I liked Jose's (?) boxed in bar.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Thjw6xDzfTg/Vf-LADKlCfI/AAAAAAABHxo/okbVhM0Yz2o/s800-Ic42/DSC_8194.JPG

With a flat top TJM I'd want it lower profile so it doesn't stick up as much. In talking with the Sheriff he was surprised it wasn't a light bar that was stolen. He said at times he gets several of those reported each week.

[Seanz0rz]

Might actually want to just tack the male theads but leave the nut alone so you can loosen and tighten for aiming, but removing will be significantly more difficult.