Steven89Iroc

Well, MS Painted anyway. I read about CrazyHawaiian's idea and had to do it on my car just to see what it would look like, considering that they're about the right size.
I'm still unsure if I would really like it or not, but this definitely doesn't look horrible IMHO (Of course it would look a bit different in real life). What do you think?



Here in a while my car will have a new "grill". I wanted to see these with that too.

zdc590

I think i like the stock lights better, but like you said, it isn't horrible. I really like the grill though, looks mean.

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

looks very importish, stock headlights to a thirdgen camaro is a distinct characteristic, making them function better is a great thing. to make them look like that is well just plain silly.

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

lights look OK, but to importish to me. its unique though, to each his own.....
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im sorry, the more i look at it, it looks like a house fly...dont ask...

Steven89Iroc

Brisk

iTrader: (25)

I like it.. are they a correct size/fit?? I'd seriously consider doing an install like that, then run HID's.

frankly looks are important, but I'd rather be able to see well then care how it looks. function over fashion does it for me.

CrazyHawaiian

They aren't the exact same size as the low/high sealed beam combo on our cars, but its close. Not bolt in by any means, requires extensive modification. One of the many things I'm working on for my custom front clip, even trying to leave in the ability to adjust up/down/left/right when modifying the OEM light beam. To each their own, but for me, I definately like them (and yes plan to run HID's with them).

Lazer

I think they look fine. The only thing importish about those photoshops was the front mount intercooler "grill". I like it though considering I got a DSM as well non turbo though :\ You plan to run a turbo?

JBert

Last time I checked, they were plain rectangles?

I think anything to change up the look of our cars is cool, whether or not others agree with it. If its different, do it.

MaNiAk86

iTrader: (2)

an intercooler is one of the best looking grills you can get in my opinion, but its even cooler if you can hide the intercooler, so the next time some yuppy in an sti pulls up u can smoke him and he wont no what hit him!

ling427ttvette

iTrader: (1)

I give it a no. There is a reason they are BMW headlights.

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

sounds like all the guys who spend thousands a dollars racing a 305 because they want to be different

MrDude_1

dont lie... thoes guys dont have thousands of dollars to spend, and most of them dont actually race.

purpleZ-28

why does everyone bash 305's? the stock 350's with an automatic can get beat by a stock 305 with a 5 speed. they both make decent power, and 350's only make 20 more horsepower stock that the 305.
and yeah, i dont really like the lights, but id need to see a car that had em on it to really be sure. i think the halo thing is cool however. and the new "grill" is awesome!

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

I'm liking the headlights but I'd have to see them in person.

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

We dont need to get into this the outcome always turns out the same. Besides I have a 5 speed 350 cant knock that and BTW thats an intercooler not a grill lol

purpleZ-28

i know its an intercooler, thats why i put grill in quotes.

MrDude_1

you're right.. stock for stock, they're both painfully slow.

nvebmxer

i think it looks good. kinda looks like its got a suprized look on its face or somthin

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

I'll give you that I couldn't imagine owning a stock 350

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

My stock 350 isn't too bad. Just wish it would have been friends with a T56.

Anyway, for the BMW headlights, maybe look into other cars that look similar. My nissan friend wanted to put in BMW headlights, but I can't remember if he just wanted the angel eyes or the whole headlight assembly.

AJ89Irocz

Id like to see the BMW headlight photoshop at night with the angel eyes, as far as the intercooloer, thats the best thing to do with the open grill of an Iroc IMO, id wanna show it off myself but if your hardcore, you could always paint it flat black

purpleZ-28

would there be a way to take the lens's out of the bmw casing and put them into the 3rd gen cases? so it would look stock but have the halo options and the fisheye deal goin on? i dont know if that made sense, but i tried.

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

you mean have "angel eyes"/"fisheyes" in the headlights? I think you can buy them, and if you can't then you can make them, sort of. Do a search on the net.

purpleZ-28

exactly what i meant. the angel eyes in the stock headlight casing. so like, when you have your parking lights on the halos are lit up.

Steven89Iroc

How the SUCK did this turn into a 305 vs. 350 debate? That's enough of that! Travis, stop fueling the fire.

To he who asked, yes I'm turbo'ing it, but it's been in storage for the last year and has three more months to go. Of course I meant "intercooler" by saying "grill", heh. I just picked that up on Ebay. That's definitely being installed as pictured. I like the look, and don't want to hide the fact that the car, though still slow, will make tire smoke anywhere under 80mph.

As for the lights, I don't plan on doing them as of now, it is GOING to be running decently and reliably on 15psi before I put any more work into appearance. The stock lights work well enough for me, though yes, the BMW lights would probably shine brighter and clearer. I think the Angel Eyes at night would look awesome.
The MS Paint I did doesn't look exactly as it would I'm sure, it was a quick picture size match, copy+paste and touch up. The lighting and reflection would be different, and they might not place exactly as pictured, so it's rough at best, which is why I'd have to see it in reality.
I do like it so far because it looks cleaner (a single lense) but still has 2 headlights each, which these cars need IMHO to properly fill the rectangular hole. Also, even though thirdgens are boxy, I think the later ones (85+) are rounded enough that square headlights aren't completely neccesary.
I don't like it so far because it's not what I'm used to, though that would change if I saw it every day. I'm not too sure that we wouldn't all like it just the same if they came that way originally. Also, as chopped it does look to me a tad bit "import-ish", but I think that may be from the dark housings from the unmatched lighting. Once again, that could change.

Of course I'm digging WAY to deep into it, but that's how I am.

Is interesting to hear all of your opinions.

MrDude_1

because im a topic derailing ******* who knows how to say just the right thing.

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

just something i found while browsing ebay. The VW Corrado headlights might be swappable. They come in HID kits also. You'd have to ask for dimensions or pick up a cheap used headlight from that car. Its one long headlight, instead of 2 smaller ones.

L.I.N.Y.92CAMARO

Go on vwvortex.com and ask on the corrado boards about that.
Used to be on there all the time, pretty good site.

Steven89Iroc

I know, you topic derailing *******. Once again...

A debate in this thread should go something like this:
The rectangle xenon conversion headlights on ebay are better than the BMW lights because they're easier to get light output from. To get BMW lights to output any light in a thirdgen, you have to do a lot more modification than you would with the stock fit lights. So, you might as well just install new super-bright stock fit lights because doing more work for the same output is stupid. I don't want to hear "I want to do the BMW lights because I want to be different and do what everybody said I couldn't, I'll show you when we pull up beside each other at night and I can see further than you" because you just wasted all that time and money on a useless light conversion, because with the same amount of work into my xenon lights I can install HID bulbs in them and view a mile past your BMW lights.

Steven89Iroc

Well I already stated my opinion about a long single headlight in our cars, so for me the Corrado lights are definitely OUT. That's only my opinion, others might like it. I won't do a MS Paint of it though.

Steven89Iroc

I just found this pic for reference...



Looks like the housings are black anyway, heh (I never looked that close at them I suppose). It would look great on a black car IMO, but for other colors I'm sure that housing could be chromed for a true bona-fide backhome Camaro look.

MrDude_1

thoes look alot better then your photoshop...

i donno if id put them on my car, but its better then i was thinking

CrazyHawaiian

The thing alot of people don't consider when it comes to lights is the enclosures themselves. Sure the bulbs are what make the light, but the enclosure is what determines the beam pattern and light reflection. Alot of the enclosures out there are cheaply made, even the best bulb setup can't shine to its full potential if the enclosure sucks. I've gone the E-bay route, be wary!! Some of them are even made of plastic! The highest quality enclosures I've found are made by Hella, they are 100% glass w/ H4 specific beam patterns, much better than some of the enclosures you'll find on E-bay. If you ask me, something like the BMW lights are a step above the rest if you go with the right enclosure/bulb setup. And I'm not talking about the cheap stuff on E-bay, those are not high quality. I'm talking the OEM BMW European Headlights w/ projectors (the projector itself is the good stuff). Tough thing to measure and compare, and honestly probably not everyone out there would even care. I would only consider something like this worthwhile to someone that really wants to maximize their HID lighting capability. If its not something thats really important to you, probably wouldn't be worth it (and same goes for HID's themselves).

rwdtech

it looks OK, but it doesnt seem worth the effort. it doesnt look worse than the stock headlights, but it doesnt look much better...just my opinion

vorgath

Not bad at all. However the only real way to make it look all good, would be a better version of the Corvette tail light conversion, oval driving lights, and round or oval fog lights.

MrDude_1

you know, the rectangle xenon conversion headlights on ebay are better than the BMW lights because they're easier to get light output from. To get BMW lights to output any light in a thirdgen, you have to do a lot more modification than you would with the stock fit lights. So, you might as well just install new super-bright stock fit lights because doing more work for the same output is stupid. steven is gay. I don't want to hear "I want to do the BMW lights because I want to be different and do what everybody said I couldn't, I'll show you when we pull up beside each other at night and I can see further than you" because you just wasted all that time and money on a useless light conversion, because with the same amount of work into my xenon lights I can install HID bulbs in them and view a mile past your BMW lights.

nelapse

iTrader: (17)

You have to give props for trying something new... but when inventors fail, they usually try again... so... try something new because those make your car more suitable for an aluminum wing. On the brightside at least you have enough skill to do something like this... so use it more wisely. I heard a rumor that you can swap silverado lights into the camaro... im not sure I drive a bird so its not something i really look into. Goodluck

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

a single headlight can be done: 87-88 monte carlos/cutlass headlights are swappable

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...9006+headlight

ES87iroc

Barf.

Round lights do NOT "fit" [look right] in a square hole.

evil_dave

hes the kid in preschool/kindergarden that tries to put the round blocks in the square hole..


Nah, I think if done right, it would look ok - not really my cup of tea though. The closer to stock the better (body/interior wise anyway)

Steven89Iroc

CrazyHawaiian

Have you guys even tried and/or truly compared the output between the different enclosures for our cars? I think its ridiculous to say E-bay enclosures are better quality than OEM Euro BMW projectors. Especially in a HID application. Most of the stuff you see on E-bay is a marketing hype. The terms "Xenon" and "HID" are all over the place, sometimes it could be considered false advertising. A true HID bulb like a D1S is very different from a Hologen bulb like H4, though both could be called Xenon (type of gas inside the bulb). Well the same could be said about the enclosures, a regular Halogen enclosure is very different from a HID projector.

A H4 setup is fairly simple, the light source/bulb, the enclosure/reflector, and the wiring harness. A HID setup is much more complex, the light source/bulb, ballast, igniter, enclosure/reflector, and the lens (which is the important part, the projector). Each system is designed to work together for both performance (as in beam pattern) and DOT regulation. Which brings up the legality aspect as well. In some situations you need to maintain DOT approved setup (depending on state and insurance provider). The enclosure and light source together are what qualify the headlight to be DOT legal. This is one reason the Sylvania Silverstar Halogen's are a good choice for our cars, they are 100% DOT legal. Take any enclosure on E-bay and any light source (be it H1/H4/9005/9006/etc), and even though both might be labeled as DOT legal, there's a good chance it won't be DOT legal (since they were not tested and approved together).

So in this instance, not only will a OEM Euro BMW projector perform better than the E-bay enclosures in a HID application (which should not be confused with a H4 setup), combined with the proper OEM HID retrofit parts it could also be considered 100% DOT legal (which is not the case for mix matching light sources and enclosures on E-bay).

Steven89Iroc

If you're referring to my "debate", I was completely joking. I was poking fun at the retarded 305 vs. 350 arguments. I think Mr Dude got the joke, even though he thought it wasn't funny.

I know you're right and I agree. Sorry for the confusion, hehe.

purpleZ-28

crazy's right. the enclsure is going to be a huge factor in your lighting quality. just as the enclosure is important with audio components. but the BMW OEM stuff will really drain your bank.

MrDude_1

you DID see where i called you gay in there, right?



seriously though, id stick with either a 100% OEM housing, or one that looks somewhat stock.. because if it looks like you stuck "driving lights" there, some jackass cop will probly pull you over and ticket you.... so wouldnt make it TOO obvious it wasnt stock.

Steven89Iroc

Yeah, that's why I said you thought it wasn't funny.

I don't know if the light pic I posted was of factory lights, but they were on a site listing factory BMW parts and were listed as factory replacements. *shrug*

purpleZ-28

factory replacement can mean a few different things. best bet is to go to the dealer and talk to them. OR go to a JY and hope they have newer higher end cars.