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Introduction
The '99 Jspec HID headlights are a really nice cosmetic improvement over the stock North American headlights, not to mention the improved lighting of high intensity discharge (HID), also known as Xenon lights. Unfortunately, they are designed for the Japanese market, so the light pattern is designed for RHD vehicles. In cars designed for the North American market (left hand drive), the headlight pattern is designed to allow more light on the right hand side of the car, allowing for better illumination for signs, pedestrians, etc. While the cutoff for the light pattern is kept low on the left hand side so as to minimize glare for oncoming traffic. Because of the greater light output of HIDs, this is even more important. Of course, for the Japanese market, where the cars are right hand drive, the light pattern is the exact opposite. Using the Jspec lights unmodified on our LHD cars will cause increased glare for oncoming traffic, while decreasing the illumination on the curb side. Not good.The shape of the light pattern is determined primarily by the cut-off shield, which is a piece of metal that is located in front of the bulb. It blocks part of the light, and its shape along its top edge determines how the light pattern looks. The lens and reflector can also play a role in shaping the light beam, not to mention the position of the bulb relative to these parts. This is my attempt to modify the Jspec headlights so that the light pattern is appropriate for our cars. This does involve disassembling these lights, so if you want to do something similar, do so at your own risk. Remember, these lights are expensive! Tools and Materials
You will need:
Oven and oven mitts
Cookie sheet
Butter knife or table knife (don't use your wife's/mother's/girlfriend's best silverware)
Utility knife
Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers
10mm and 8mm hex sockets
Dremel with attachment for cutting and grinding metal, or any similar device. I used the #409 cutting wheel (lots of them, as they tend to break)
Metal file or sand paper
High temp flat black paint
High temp clear silicone
Goo Gone (just in case)Method
1. Remove the ballast using the Phillips screwdriver and 10mm hex socket. Then remove the light bulbs. For the low-beam, rotate the black plastic cover counter-clockwise (remove that little screw first), then pop off to expose the back of the bulb. Twist the connector off, then undo the wire clip and remove bulb. For the high-beam, simply peel the rubber cover off and undo the wire clip. Remove the rubber strip around the headlight glass by unscrewing the metal plates along the sides.2. Pop off the metal clips that hold the glass onto the headlight housing. Be careful, I chipped part of the glass getting one of them off. Use a flathead screwdriver and pry from the housing side. 3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, then TURN OVEN OFF. While you are waiting, you may also remove any other extraneous bits from the headlights. This is your call, as the more you take off, the more re-assembly you have to do. It may help to take a bunch of pictures before disassembly, so you have something to refer to during re-assembly. 4. Place on cookie sheet and stick in oven, making sure the headlight is not contacting the oven directly. Set timer for 10 minutes. 5. Remove from oven (careful, it is hot), then use butter knife to gently ease apart the glass from the housing, and use the utility knife to cut the strands of adhesive. It helps to have an extra set of hands here, but is doable with just one person. Work quickly so that the adhesive doesn't cool again. Once the glass is off, you will have something like this: 
If you get a bit of adhesive onto the plastic parts, you can use Goo Gone to remove it. 6. The chromed insert in the headlight is simply held in place by a couple of screws along the front. They may be covered in adhesive, so you may have a bit of difficulty getting them out. Once they are out, the chromed insert slides right off. 7. Next, you want to disassemble the low-beam unit to retrieve the cut-off shield. First, remove the 4 screws on the front (red circles): 
8. Use the 8mm socket to turn the white knobs on the back of the headlight housing, which are used to adjust position of the light beam, and the bolt (blue circles below). These will back out of the low-beam unit (blue circles above). It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you take photos of the threads, or measure the amount of thread sticking out of the white plastic clips before removing the low beam unit. This will help greatly during re-assembly, since you want to re-install them as close as possible to the original position. I did not unscrew each of them completely before moving onto the next. Instead, I would turn one bolt a few times, then turn the next one a few times, then the third, then back to the first, etc. That way, you are backing off all the bolts more or less simultaneously, and not putting undue strain on any of the parts. This may not be necessary, but I wasn't going to take any chances on a $1600 pair of headlights. 
9. The front of the low beam unit is now separated from the rest of the headlight, exposing the cut-off shield. Turn the unit over and undo the 2 screws on the bottom holding the cut-off shield. 
Below is a picture of the stock North American cut-off shield on the right, and the '99 Jspec cut-off shield on the left. This is from the bulb's point of view. Note that the cutoff shield is a mirror image of the light pattern, as the lens flips the light pattern both vertically and horizontally. You will notice that our stock cutoff shield slopes down on the left, which will give a greater light pattern on the right hand side. The Jspec, on the other hand, slopes down on the right, giving a larger light pattern on the left. Unfortunately, the two parts are completely different in shape and size, so it is unlikely that the stock cutoff shield would work in the Jspecs. (Ignore the dog fur in the background) 
At this point you have a few options. You can try to find a similar cutoff shield from a HID headlight from a North American market car and use that as a replacement. You can fabricate (or find someone to fabricate) a new shield, only in the reverse image. Or you can cut the existing shield into the appropriate shape. I chose the last option. 10. Mark out where you want to cut, then use the Dremel or your tool of choice, and very carefully cut to the appropriate shape. The shields appear to be made of aluminum, so it is quite easy to cut. Use a file to smooth the edge, then paint with high-temp flat black paint. Take your time here, and don't be afraid to shave a little bit of material off at a time. It also helps to secure the shield in a vise while cutting. 
11. Re-assemble the headlight, reversing the steps above. When screwing the low beam unit back onto the housing, refer to the photos (or the measurements) you took in step 8. The low beam unit "floats" on the threads of the three bolts, allowing for adjustment of the low beams. Ideally, you will be able to get them in the same position as they were before you disassembled everything. Do not thread the unit all the way into the housing, as that will interfere with getting the HID bulb back in place. Once the chrome housing is re-attached, you can eyeball how well the low-beam unit is centred and adjust as necessary. The goal is to get the low beams pointing more-or-less straight ahead, which will make final adjustments easier once the lights are in your car. 12. Heat the oven again as in step 3. Place the headlight glass back on, then warm in oven for several minutes. Take out and squeeze the glass into place. The adhesive should be soft enough that it will seal the headlight again. Just to be extra sure of a good, waterproof seal, you can run a bead of silicone around the edge. Once everything is cured, continue the re-assembly. 13. You are finished the modification. Install in your car, aim the headlights, and enjoy. Overall, I would rate this as moderately difficult. If I can do it, then anyone who is handy with a Dremel should have no problem. If you are lucky enough to have access to a machine shop, it may be possible to cut the shields with a band saw or scroll saw with an appropriate blade. The toughest part is getting up the courage to tear apart brand new $1600 pair of headlights, knowing that if you break something, that is a lot of money to flush down the toilet. Overall, it took me about 4-6 hours for both, spread out over several days. Again, take your time. Miscellaneous Notes:
Make sure the lens and glass is clean before final re-assembly
Don't even think about using a Dremel without eye protection. Those cutting disks WILL break, sending pieces flying everywhere.
Instead of just cutting the mirror image of the cutoff shields, you may want to vary the design. One idea I had was to cut the driver's side shield flat, then cut the passenger side with a downward slope similar to the stock shield. One reason I didn't do this is that I don't know how much that would affect the light pattern. Remember that it is a combination of the reflector, the lens and the cutoff shield that determines the final shape of the light beam.
First practice disassembly on your stock headlights.
The cosmetic difference between the Jspecs and the stock headlights is all in the chrome plastic housing. If you can find someone to make a similar part for the stock headlights, you can then get the styling of the Jspecs without spending a fortune. Of course you won't get the benefits of HIDs.Good luck if you decide to do this modification!
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Charles
Carbon Black '95 TT Stg III
'02 Honda CR-V "Bustermobile"
My website (under construction) |
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Modifying the '99 Jspec HID for LHD - 
