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How To: A tutorial on retrofitting your own Fiesta ST Headlights (Ongoing, updated periodically)

Trader history for NorthLightingConcepts (2)

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#1
Let's start at the beginning.....
You bought that sweet Fiesta ST and you rip it around the block, you know instantly that you got mad power and you are now the fastest lawn mower on the block.
You park it in the garage to keep it safe from all the haters.

Nighttime approaches.....
You get a text, and your friends ask you to go to local pizza place and show them how fast that Gallo24 engine is....
You turn the car on and pull out and drive into the night.....but you ask yourself, "why no light"? You quickly realize you made a mistake and that this car is for day time only.....or is it?

You find yourself reading this thread and say man, this what I need....how do I do that?

We will show you.

Lets first start with an advisory, that you are doing this of your own free will, and we will not be held liable for any damages done to you, your own vehicle or any property you own or reside in, while participating or completing, emulating or participating in any action depicted in this tutorial.

We urge you to ask questions before doing something you are unsure of, and we cannot stress this enough.....you MUST have patience to do this.
Once you start, you cannot go back.


This will likely take several weeks, so feel free to comment to request extra photos as we go along.

Whats the part list?

Stock headlights, or Depo replica (you want CAPA Certified version)
Morimoto Mini H1 8.0 (2)
Shrouds (2) [ Apollo is what we have typically used, though others are fine, they just don't cover as much and may look awkward.]
Shroud Centric Rings (2)
Morimoto or Hylux Ballast (we prefer Hylux, but the Morimoto are a solid choice)
H10 Relay (1)
Bulbs 4500K/5500k is recommended.(1 Set )
No splitter is needed for high beam, we will tap them, or splice them depending on your soldering skills.

We can provide all parts required for this build, and even help you with custom stuff. :)

The first step is to get the parts in:
(Photo Here soon)

Once you are sure you have all your parts in and are not missing anything, then lets move to the next step.

To be continued........
 


Last edited:
OP
NorthLightingConcepts
Messages
354
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Location
Maine
Thread Starter #2
We will be diving into this this weekend.

First up, you'll want at least a few tools to get started on this project. Some of these are by no means a must have, but certainly can make your job easier.

Dremel is a must, with a plastic cutting wheel and some sanding attachments. Cordless will run out too fast, you want a plugged dremel.
Youll need an assortment of Phillips screw drivers, and flat heads. You will be need to unscrew a few screws inside as you open them up. The flat heads should be flat, do not get the ones with the beveled or grooved edges along the flat head. You will just mar your housing up. Cheap Harbor freight will do the job, you'll probably toss them anyway as they will be covered in permaseal and butyl.
Getting a reverse plier can make things easy, or a panel removal tool. This helps you squeeze the housing open.
A small flat edged razor to help chop up the permaseal.
A large oven, if you have a small compact oven, or an apartment style oven then you will not be able to fit these in the oven.

Optional:
Soldering iron, as you will be splicing and joining connections depending on build.
Air compressor for cleaning the housing out.
Plastic wrap to cover the headlight lens covers after you remove them.
Heat gun to help reduce trips to the oven.

I will upload a photo when we begin to show you visually what we will be using.
 


OP
NorthLightingConcepts
Messages
354
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Location
Maine
Thread Starter #4
The next step will be to check over your headlamps to ensure they are in good condition. If you are retrofitting your OEM ones, then you’ll want to polish them at the end.
These are brand new, so we are just checking for damages from shipping. Typically one of the adjusters breaks in shipping so we almost always have to repair it. Let’s take a look. EAFABE1F-974E-4802-9AAC-5EB2F2A30153.jpeg
This is how they ship. A8B50982-5693-4431-934C-BA1681B67215.jpeg This one passed fine. No damages. They cover the lens with plastic wrap.
IMPORTANT!! remove the plastic wrap before you place into the over or you WILL melt it to the housing and ruin your lens cover.
4CE830FB-8931-4532-BAE7-0B880CEE30A2.jpeg
The second one arrived damaged. We will repair the broken adjuster and it will be good as new. This is where these headlamps break during shipping so check here when you receive them, by the white tab.
A2596ADB-E9A7-4ACA-A383-BA93CC032344.jpeg

The next step is to check your oven size, these are HUGE headlamps so if you have a small oven, they will not fit. You need a large oven for these. If they fit in the oven move to the next step
Go ahead and remove all the covers, bulbs and set the oven for 240F.
Wait for the preheat to complete. Quickly put the housing in the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes. Set time for 20 minutes.
I’ll say it again. Set. A. Timer. You don’t want to melt your housing by leaving it in any longer.
Stay tuned......
 


OP
NorthLightingConcepts
Messages
354
Likes
364
Location
Maine
Thread Starter #5
67D2B7DB-3DB7-4287-BE19-E65FA426C707.jpeg Set the oven to 240.
55E42B63-B135-4758-B20E-6423CAE837EA.jpeg Remove all the covers and bulb, ensuring full heating of the whole housing inside and out. E3228F76-FB2E-4AFD-B271-D3D92169016E.jpeg 5AFFB396-0BC7-49DD-9C29-6DA71A196334.jpeg Oven shows 240. Let’s put them in for 15-20 minutes.
2E8F4D3A-01B0-4FF2-849F-BD6D2847FF88.jpeg
The tools. Yours may vary, but these are my tried and true tools. 5392FFA3-EC1B-4152-96E3-A1D5CA289CC9.jpeg 9185AF1D-8D6B-4A76-9DA3-6164A529BF3E.jpeg
IMPORTANT!!! If you are using nee Depos, remove theses screws first, they pop right out. Failure to do so will result in a broken housing.
Okay! Let’s take a look at the headlight. We start prying on the bottom. As you open it up and look for these screws. Remove them as you go, the housing will catch if you don’t.
B45E65A1-7BCB-44E5-9CD3-A3EB7263D85B.jpeg C5658040-735F-4850-8C58-9DEC052A7442.jpeg 919EEC50-D8D6-42D9-A2D5-9A2B470DE85F.jpeg 159D97A9-AD48-4A43-9EE8-5E1FF7BBDD7B.jpeg 99257836-80A2-4247-84D5-F7869596E64C.jpeg
Now that we have worked our way around, let’s take a look at the results.
9D1C23CF-6C1F-46BC-A6BB-37FFD9F44D85.jpeg 5D2BC1D6-8917-49EE-B97D-D4946B91895A.jpeg A3DBC9CB-279A-468D-A5F8-36E050B7F40D.jpeg C0CE751D-F4E8-4403-81FF-4844B6E9E864.jpeg Don’t sit back now, you have another headlight in the oven to crack open. The next one should go way easier since you know what your doing now.
 


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OP
NorthLightingConcepts
Messages
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Location
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Thread Starter #7
We will have more updates next week. We are moving to our new location and will be spending the next several days moving and getting set up.
I know you guys can’t wait and neither can we!
 


OP
NorthLightingConcepts
Messages
354
Likes
364
Location
Maine
Thread Starter #8
Been some steady delays, but we are back on track and will be dremling on Tuesday! Need to make room for those projectors. :)
 




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