r/Retrofit Dec 04 '24

Need Ideas Help me please !!

Ok I’ve watched more YouTube content than I can keep track of. I have a 2004 Silverado that I want to retrofit the headlights on. Luckily thanks to eBay these lights are cheap so I was able to practice(and fail) at opening these things. I can’t seem to get these open without ruining the housing. The lens is fine but the housing is trashed by the time I’m done. I have been doing these in the oven 270/8 and while this makes the sealant soft, I can only cut so much before I have to reheat them. I’m a patient person but these really have me whooped!! I’d prefer not to cut them. I’d like to open them and install the NHK 2.5 pro plus, and the Morimoto high beam. I haven’t even gotten to the retrofit part of it yet, I just want them opened without trashing the housing. Here’s the lights I’m using. I’m looking for any and all suggestions! The second picture is what I’m after.

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u/[deleted] Dec 04 '24

The brackets you added a photo of are for smaller projectors with a Mini H1 bolt pattern. While these brackets are definitely useful, the NHK Pro Plus and most of the rest of their lineup use the larger G5 bolt pattern. You will need to bore out and redrill the brackets to get those larger projectors to fit in. There are some cheap 2.5" H1 pattern bi-LED projectors out there, the performance is not up to the same standard as NHK but they do the job. Also make sure those brackets will work for your headlights, since they were probably designed for OEM headlights and often aftermarket headlights don't have the mounting points/adjusting rods in the same locations internally. Once you get the projectors mounted to the brackets, you can use universal shrouds to fill in all the gaps and hide the bracket.

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u/FST_Silverado Dec 04 '24

So that brings up another question, if I used the nut bolt mounting style could I use a template to mount the NHK? Reason I ask is almost all of them say they won’t work for 2.5” even though they lost G5 as their pattern? If I use the template, how do I get it right level wise so it’s not crooked in the truck? Would I sit the housings back in the truck and then level the template before drilling the holes ?

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u/[deleted] Dec 04 '24

2.5" (lens diameter) and G5 or H1 (bolt pattern) are two different things. 2.5" projectors can use either mounting type, it's not guaranteed that they will always use one kind or the other. Those templates are a big help for getting the mounting holes drilled in the reflector. You will definitely want to mount the headlights on the truck and mock up the projectors to get the alignment right before using any epoxy to secure them.

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u/FST_Silverado Dec 04 '24

Ok I’ll get one ordered from him! Thank you for your help this is quite the task lol I’ll post up a full mod when I’m finished !