**UPDATED 2/11/05 - previously missing a whole chunk of info between the shroud section and final cleaning section**
Since no one has posted an official write up (I think) for how to do a projector retrofit on a 5th gen, I decided to document my work which hopefully you find useful. By no means is this the definitive write up since there are tons of different ways and techniques you can use other than the methods I’ve used below. But if you follow the guidelines step by step it should at least get you started and get you through a basic retrofit. So let’s get started.
PARTS
Projectors (what type to use or what will fit has been covered countless times. I personally used Valeos but others that I know have been used are BMW E46, Audi A6, and BMW E55 Bixenons.)
Ballasts and D2S bulbs
Shroud
Phillips and flat head screwdrivers
10mm wrench
Dremel or equivalent tool with cutting bit or ceramic cutting disk
8 x #8-32 3� machine screws
16 x #8-32 nuts
JB Weld (I personally like the JB stick version)
Level
Eye guard
Breathing mask
Electric tape
Plastic knife
Rubbing alcohol
OPTIONAL PARTS
Bezel
Upgraded wiring harness (highly recommended)
Portable power supply to test projector and alignment
Paint if needed
Springs/spacers
High temperature silicone sealant (or ideally OEM sealer available from Nissan – part no. B6553-89915)
PROCEDURES
The first step is to of course remove your headlights (sorry no pictures of these first few steps but I think you can manage). Most if not all the bolts in this step are 10mm so get your wrench ready. First you need to remove the grill. There is one phillips screw in the middle of the grill followed by several clips which you can just pry up with a flathead screwdriver. Next remove the bumper cover. There is one screw in each fender well, several bolts under the car, and finally clips on top that again can be popped up and removed. Next, disconnect and remove your front turn signals (foglights if you have them) and your sidemarkers, then unhook the bumper cover near the fender well and gently pull it forward to take it off (be careful not to scrape the bottom).
Once you have all that off, you can finally get to work on removing the headlights. There are three screws/bolts that hold the headlight. One is on the side of the car, just below the fender (it’s the top bolt of the two), second bolt is on top the cross beam, and the third is on the inside edge close to where the grill used to be. NOTE: This inside bolt is a pain to get off on the passenger light due to the limited amount of space.
Once you get all three off, unplug the wiring harness to the low and high beam as well as undo the city light and then gently remove the headlight.
The next step is to open up your headlights. There are several different ways to do this; I personally use the oven method. Arrange the oven racks so you can fit your headlight and preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Once it reaches 250, turn the oven OFF and place your headlight in for about 7 minutes (don’t forget to remove your bulbs first!). Get a flat head screw driver ready and a plastic or crappy knife. After 7 minutes, remove the headlight and the seals should be soft and easy to pry apart. You don’t have to rush, but try to work as quickly as you can while the rubber seals are still soft. Start by lifting all the tabs and then begin at a corner and pry with the screwdriver. Be very careful not to get any of the gooey rubber onto the lens (this is where the knife comes in). As you pry the lens apart from the back cover, use the knife to cut the stringy rubber in between so it doesn’t make a mess. And finally a picture.
Now you can get started on the actual retrofitting work. First, remove the reflector unit from the headlight housing. The reflector is connected by the two alignment screws as well as a ball/socket joint. Using a phillips screwdriver, keep turning the adjusting screws while gently pulling forward on the reflector. Once the reflector is far enough forward, give it a sharp tug near the ball/socket joint and it should pop right out. Remove the alignment screw grommets from the reflector. It’ll save you from stripping the threads and going through the hassle of constantly screwing the reflector in when you want to test fit.
Next, remove that little reflector piece in the middle of the low beam reflector bowl. It’s held by one screw in the back. Once you take this off you can toss this piece since you’ll never need it again.
The next step involves cutting out a hole to fit your projector as well as drilling your projector mounting holes. Again, there are many creative ways to do the actual mounting. I’m too much of an idiot to do something complicated so I stuck to the basic method of mounting directly to the reflector. Begin by making a cutting template of your projector. Place the projector, bulb end down, on a piece of cardboard and trace an outline. Try and keep the lines straight while tracing the outline as it will help you line up the hole on the actual reflector. Cut this template out and place it on the reflector (don’t toss the outside portion of the cardboard which you just cut your template from, you’ll need it again for your mounting holes template).
Use the lines on the reflector (highlighted red) to help you center the template as much as possible. Once you have it centered, trace an outline and this will be your cutting line.
The reflector is pretty sturdy even though it’s just plastic. But needless to say, don’t go man handling it while you do your work. Using a Dremel with a cutting bit or cutting disk, cut the hole you just traced. Tada!
This is just your starting hole to help drill your mounting holes and test mount your projectors. You will eventually enlarge this hole to mount your projector deeper. NOTE: If you plan to keep the reflectors chrome careful not to scratch it up during the cutting and drilling processes. I painted mine black so didn’t care much, as you’ll notice from all the drill slip scratches.
Remember the piece of cardboard I told you to save? Now it’s perfect to use for the mounting holes. Fit the four 3� machine screws into your projector and tighten them down snuggly with a nut.
With the hole in the cardboard, your projector should fit straight through and come to rest on the end of each screw. Mark the location of each screw and this will be your mounting hole template. My four screws corners did not form a perfect square so don’t worry if one or more of your screws seem crooked. As long as you tightened them down firmly, they should be fine.
. His idea was ingenious and he made his own mounting bracket with slits rather than holes. That way the projector could simply be rotated and locked down once they were straight. But what I lacked in creativity, I made up for with an obnoxious level of attention to detail which should be evidenced above.
Linear Mode
