Bringing my AE back
08-29-2011, 08:43 AM
#83
I like the way they look.
08-29-2011, 01:30 PM
#86
08-29-2011, 01:32 PM
#88
Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: TX
Posts: 129
90% of your light output will go to trash.
dont listen to him.
plus that much heat from the light reflecting at the paint will cause chipping later down the road.
08-29-2011, 02:24 PM
#89
No, that would be plain stupid. Sorry for the bad wording but I meant to say do the AE mod to the 5.5 gen headlights. Just like the picture that was posted here.
08-29-2011, 05:52 PM
#90
haahahahahah....I guess I should have said I could not see the pictures earlier, now I can see them. Yeah, that looks good. I think I will take that advice.
08-29-2011, 08:35 PM
#91
08-30-2011, 01:13 PM
#93
250 degrees for like 12 minutes is enough to get the sealant softened up pretty good, but I've heard of people even going as high as 350 without a problem. You just have to make sure you take all the bulbs out and don't have any of the remaining wires touching anything in the oven.
Preheat, put the headlight on a cookie sheet with a towel, bake, and open them with a screwdriver. Easy as pie.
08-30-2011, 08:12 PM
#95
I picked up some more 3M mounting tape and was able to put the front lip back on this evening.
Here is the bumper with the holes drilled to accept the lip.
Here it is all put together along with fog lights put back in.
I forgot to mention that I rewired the fogs as well.
I also had a JWT pop charger set up laying around that would fit a fifth gen, so that made it's way into the engine bay.
Here is the bumper with the holes drilled to accept the lip.
Here it is all put together along with fog lights put back in.
I forgot to mention that I rewired the fogs as well.
I also had a JWT pop charger set up laying around that would fit a fifth gen, so that made it's way into the engine bay.
08-31-2011, 06:24 AM
#101
yes
not doing that
I am sticking with the stock look
not for me. I have always lived in this area, so we have always had to have front plates, it does not bother me.
not doing that
not for me. I have always lived in this area, so we have always had to have front plates, it does not bother me.
09-06-2011, 08:44 AM
#103
I believe every item is supposed to be replaced that triggers the airbags to go off where the hit was. Honestly if I were you I would replace it either way. You do not want to put everything back together, turn the key, and have the airbags explode again.
09-06-2011, 11:54 AM
#105
Maby you can use one of these if you would like to hide the plate when not on the road.
http://www.swiftmotorsports.com/prod...oducts_id=3922
http://www.swiftmotorsports.com/prod...oducts_id=3922
09-06-2011, 06:49 PM
#107
I don't mean to thread hi-jack...but what is the fitment like for your 5.5 headlight setup? I previously did the 5.5 headlight swap a while back, but something just looked odd with the 2k2/2k3 headlights paired with the 2k/2k1 bumper on my AE. It was as if the lights seemed to be cramped along the bottom edge of the light where it meets the bumper. The bumper just didn't allow enough space for the lights to sit comfortably. For example, I couldn't even put the end of a flathead screwdriver between the bumper and headlight; it was that tight of a fitment. I had issues with the headlights "popping out" of the turn signal ball & socket support due to the lack of space for the headlight, thus creating a gap where the fender meets the turn signal portion of the headlight and throwing the aiming of the HID beam upward. It was so frustrating, so i ditched the lights and did a complete HID retro w/ FX-R projectors and my stock AE housings.
Now, when I took a look at the 2k2/2k3 Maxima bumper and lights on a buddies 2002 Maxima, i noticed that the bumper allowed clearance between the bottom edge of the headlight and the bumper for the lights to sit comfortably in place. I could easily place a small object between the bumper and bottom portion of the headlight.
This led me to believe that using a 2k/2k1 bumper with 2k2/2k3 headlights was only possible as long as you were willing to sacrifice proper fitment due to a possible headlight/bumper clearance issue. Take note: my car was never wrecked and the front bumper has never been adjusted/replace/or whacked out of place to cause an odd fitment.
Check the comparison pictures. The first one is a stock 2k2/2k3 bumper with 2k2/2k3 headlights. Clearly, there is plenty of room between the bumper and bottom edge of the headlight.
You can really see the tight fitment on this picture with my 2k1 bumper and 2k2/2k3 headlights:
Now, with the stock AE lights, you can clearly see that they have plenty of room between the headlight and bumper.
I am not saying you will have problems, and even if you do, the lights still look awesome. There are plenty of members here who have previously completed the 2k2/2k3 headlight swap into their 2k/2k1 Maxima without any complaints. I just couldn't stand the odd fitment and I am just curious if anyone else experienced the same issue as I did.
Now, when I took a look at the 2k2/2k3 Maxima bumper and lights on a buddies 2002 Maxima, i noticed that the bumper allowed clearance between the bottom edge of the headlight and the bumper for the lights to sit comfortably in place. I could easily place a small object between the bumper and bottom portion of the headlight.
This led me to believe that using a 2k/2k1 bumper with 2k2/2k3 headlights was only possible as long as you were willing to sacrifice proper fitment due to a possible headlight/bumper clearance issue. Take note: my car was never wrecked and the front bumper has never been adjusted/replace/or whacked out of place to cause an odd fitment.
Check the comparison pictures. The first one is a stock 2k2/2k3 bumper with 2k2/2k3 headlights. Clearly, there is plenty of room between the bumper and bottom edge of the headlight.
You can really see the tight fitment on this picture with my 2k1 bumper and 2k2/2k3 headlights:
Now, with the stock AE lights, you can clearly see that they have plenty of room between the headlight and bumper.
I am not saying you will have problems, and even if you do, the lights still look awesome. There are plenty of members here who have previously completed the 2k2/2k3 headlight swap into their 2k/2k1 Maxima without any complaints. I just couldn't stand the odd fitment and I am just curious if anyone else experienced the same issue as I did.
Last edited by tcaughey; 09-06-2011 at 07:32 PM.
09-07-2011, 05:54 AM
#110
*I made progress on the car over the weekend, but I am now waiting on an air bag sensor before I complete the project. I'll post some more pics of what I have been doing in the next few days.*
09-07-2011, 05:58 AM
#111
09-07-2011, 10:15 AM
#112
Not sure. I have not tried to fit them yet, I plan to work on that some tonight. Did you get the 5.5 clips that go on the bumper support? Where the headlight clips in at the bottom? I know you are not supposed use the stock 5th gen clips when you do the swap.
*I made progress on the car over the weekend, but I am now waiting on an air bag sensor before I complete the project. I'll post some more pics of what I have been doing in the next few days.*
*I made progress on the car over the weekend, but I am now waiting on an air bag sensor before I complete the project. I'll post some more pics of what I have been doing in the next few days.*
Obviously, you'll let us know how they fit for you, but I am curious to see if someone experiences a similar problem that I had. I could also be a picky SOB, but I hate when things don't fit on my car properly, thus causing gaps and ghetto fitment issues. But man, I was so unhappy because the lights were so sexy!
Last edited by tcaughey; 09-07-2011 at 10:20 AM.
09-13-2011, 06:29 PM
#113
You guys won
Orion angel eyes are for sale if anyone wants them. I decided not to use them, they are brand new never mounted. PM me if you are interested, I'll start a F/S thread for them soon if no one gets intouch with me.
Orion angel eyes are for sale if anyone wants them. I decided not to use them, they are brand new never mounted. PM me if you are interested, I'll start a F/S thread for them soon if no one gets intouch with me.
09-13-2011, 06:34 PM
#114
the lights are not mounted on the car at this point, I just have them sitting on the bumper to test my wiring.
Thanks to TunerMax for the good write up on doing the 5.5 headlight conversion. Thanks to DaveB for the wiring harnesses, and clips that I needed.
Lights are mounted and the bumper is on the car....now I am only waiting on an air bag sensor before I drive the car.
Thanks to TunerMax for the good write up on doing the 5.5 headlight conversion. Thanks to DaveB for the wiring harnesses, and clips that I needed.
Lights are mounted and the bumper is on the car....now I am only waiting on an air bag sensor before I drive the car.
