The 03-05 HID headlamps are pathetic... we all know it. They are probably are about of equal overall sense of brightness compared to a decent stock halogen system in other cars. I was sick of it and decided to upgrade. Trying to obtain 2006+ year Z bixenon headlamps is not a financially viable option so I decided to to a retrofit upgrade.

Using 350z4realz's headlamp retro thread for reference, I bought some BMW M3 E46 bixenon projectors off ebay for $100 and replaced the stock projectors in my Z headlamps with the M3's. Using little learned knowledge from www.hidplanet.com forums and pure ambition I set forth in my goal of installing these puppies. Let me say it now... this was a HUGE pain in the *** and I spent a good 18 hours on it i'm sure. 350z4realz implied it wasn't too difficult, but that was not my experience at all. Either he has more skill/knowledge in this area than I or he is quite modest. Regardless once I started tearing up my headlamp I was dedicated and had to finish, and I did!

Now this was my first official 'retrofit', and with very little craftsman skills the visual results are frankly amateurish and of low quality, in my opinion. From a distance... it looks fine, but up close you can see my poor cutting skills (overcutting, jagged edges) and lack of attention to detail. The only savior that kept it looking decent overall was the huge shrouds that came with my ebay purchase that were big enough to cover up most of my cutting. The shrouds were rather tacky and looked like they belonged on a cheap Las Vegas hotel desk lamp, but it was chrome and looks ok, especially since it is covering up the area between the projector lens and bowl.

Overall though I am happy with the result, but was it worth 18 hours? I think so... The output I would say is a good 1.5x to 2x better, plus xenon highbeams KICK ***! Now if you read 350z4realz's thread, you'd see he
claims about a 3x to 4x better output. Granted this is all perception, but I didn't feel this way. I don't know if he got new HID bulbs or not for his retro, but if he did part of the better output he claims could be due to ridding of old bulbs which lose a lot of brightness after several years of use. Anyway, please feel free to give me feedback or ask me questions. This was kind of a fun project but a fatiguing one as well.

Below is a load of pictures which are not only interesting to look at if your into this kind of stuff, but may be helpful if anyone else decides to attempt this difficult task. I also have two videos to share to help you see the overall difference in performance between the two projectors.


Maybe not the best comparison shot, I forgot to specify camera ISO settings and such, so it compensated for different brightness... but you can see a better intensity in the main viewing area.

 

Comparison video between the BMW M3 E46 HID projector and the Nissan 350Z (years 03-05) HID projector. Perhaps not a completely fair comparison because the Z projector didn't have its reflector base, but to my eyes, I didn't really notice much of a difference.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N56zDanxFc[/youtube]

 

The bixenon projector bixenon functionality in action.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Y8sX62BaA[/youtube]

 

Stock headlamp system.



The M3's projector lowbeam on for first time, testing functionality.



My right-side headlamp with the protective lens removed. Was in oven initially at 400 deg F after turning it off, then sat inside while oven cooled for 10 minutes. Came apart using body panel pry tool with about 5 minutes of prying.



Close-up of the stock projector in the headlamp.



Protective lens, outside needs to be cleaned.



Another close-up of the stock projector.



Back-side of the stock projector, you can see the two screws that hold it in. I had to use a 10 inch screw driver to get the screw at the upper left.



Testing the e46 projector again. Roommate's cat decided to join in...



Another shot of the e46 projector output.



Headlamp dremeled down, starting to test fit the e46.

 

Another angle...



From above...



Messy.



Seems to fit... getting the shroud cut-up to fit. Glued the shroud on using silicone sealant bought at HomeDepot, stuff used to weather seal windows and stuff around the house, supposed to withstand up to 400 deg F.



Another angle...



Done for the night, 6.5 hours spent so far... Look at how much of a size difference there is.



e46 projector is a lot bigger, although I'm not sure its light output is proportionatly bigger as well as the physical size is.



Another angle, look at my crappy dremel skills!



A view of everything fit inside. I had to lengthen the power from the ballast to the igniter module. I know it is essentially mounted upside down, but this is the only way I could get it to stay in the projector base securely, the "bulb holders" don't really do it.

 

I probably should of soldered the wires nicely and used shrink plastic but I really didn't want to. They are working fine so far...



The weather seal cap still fits and locks fine.



Done... put back in the oven at 355 deg F for 5 minutes just after shutting off the oven, slowly pushed it back together and put the screws back in. Doesn't look great but seems to be sealed okay. We'll see after a few rainy days and carwashes.



Another shot... looks pretty decent I think.



Anoter angle... damn the outer lens is dirty. Really need to clean it up.



Comparison with the new one assymbled, pretty big difference!



Another angle...



Yup... mmm-hmm...



About ready to test it and see if it works!



Yay! Works! And the highbeam function works too!

 

Looks pretty nice I think.



Another angle.



Output pattern on garage door.


Highbeam on. Camera adjusted for brightness change, but the light going to the sides is not less even though it appears so in the picture.



Finished the left-side headlamp and installed, both work great! Looks cool... from a distance.


I'm afraid she's an HFFA, hot from far away.



Another angle...


Output in driveway, camera adjusted for more light, but it is a fair bit brighter than the stock ones.



HID highbeams baby! Picture really doesn't do it justice....

 

Nice! Good work.

 

pretty cool

 

wow.......
i rather get the 06+ headlight
but still very nice

 

Good work bro you should of painted your lights while you had them open.

 

My 2 cents worth.

I never heat the housings above 180 to 200.
If I forget it in the oven [I did!!] it was not damaged and I separated the lens just fine.

Decent job though.

 

Good work.. I need brighter lights like a **** seeing as most of the driving i do is late night!

 

Great job for a 1st-timer. I'm not sure if I'd be brave enough to upgrade projectors.

 

Thats pretty sick!!

 

Damn, I'll give you props for the work you put in....looks good too

 

Your cat is like WTF~!!!

Nice work, i was thinking of a similar project but just went with 06 bixenons

 

^ +1 .. lol at the cat.. nice!

 

thats a cool cat..but seriously nice job the big projectors look hot

 

i would have painted and gotten rid of the amber stripe while i was at it. great job none the less.