Deadpool Themed Headlights

So, due to a Deadpool craze I decided to work that theme into my projector project. Red car, black headlight bezels with the lights in the middle bears a slight resemblance to a deadpool face right?!

MAXIMUM EFFORT

my goal was to accomplish this project on a half decent budget, my first desires were a black headlight with upgraded lighting. i went to local shops for pricing and could not find a way to easily afford roughly $350 CAD for just the headlights then extra for bulbs! In my searching i came across this small auto shop who was selling projector kits, and got me priced out for ballasts bulbs relays wire fuses for $280. Now, i could have saved a little more if i had a credit card to be able to order online :P could have shaved around $50 off from what I found.

I got home with my kit and essentials and started to brainstorm.

The only thing that was halting me was the projector shroud he had did not fit in the headlight housing since the cobalt has a flat bottom. I had brought in a spare headlight that i removed the lens prior so I could check fitment etc. So the task was to MAKE a shroud! Well, if you know me you know i love to upcycle and recycle existing things into new forms. i gain great satisfaction from those types of projects.

Out comes my hording stash MWAHAHAHA #unhappy wife

Tin can? i gut a can that once held diced tomatoes in half to have 2 pieces, 1 per projector. Looked a little too cheap and i feared it would not hold paint very well with the heat that i had read HIDs put out.

Scrap metal? i basically tried to make a flat cover to poke the projector through that would block out seeing whats behind, it was seeming to be decent but i did not feel it was CUSTOM enough.

i ended up on youtube to get my mind off the project saw a deadpool trailer and decided to pop in the dvd. halfway through i remembered i had a metal bullet belt from my younger days of being "cool" :P

"Okay guys, I only have 12 bullets so you're all going to have to share!"

SOMETIMES old fashion choices DO pay off... 10 years later... *spongebob narrative*

That hurdle clear I went back to work, pulled out my tools;

multiple flat head screw drivers of all sizes

philips screw driver for the 3 screws holding the inner bezel of the headlight

needle nose pliers

wire cutters

soldering iron

heat shrink tubes

exacto knives

Gorilla glue

electrical tape

bullet belt

elastic bands

soldering wire

and of course use the right safety methods and gear to keep yourself safe :)

2 ballast 30 watt

2 hid bulbs

2 5 pin relays

roll of black wire and a roll of red

2 in line fuses with weather proof covers

2 projectors, mine are 3 inch wide lens 8.5 inch long front to back, with an electromagnetic shutter acting for high beam

1 can black spray paint

1 can primer

sand paper I used 300, 600, and 1400 grits

zip ties

and educate yourself as i spent many hours doing.

another helping link

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/appearance-48/hids...

The walk through i used to remove my headlights is in this link

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/how-guide-43/how-i...

Set your oven to 180 degrees

some people say higher for shorter times but i would rather go low and slow.

After removing the wiring harness and the bulbs, and the soft silicone dust shield CLEAN the headlight then place headlight in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending if its cold or hot outside vary your times. it was cold for me so 20 minutes.

Also used a silicone mat on a cookie sheet so the plastic did not risk melting on the wire oven rack.

Thou shalt not hold me responsible tor any errors on your part.

I researched for days, practiced on a spare headlight and worked slowly and CAREFULLY

once out of the oven, while wearing some mechanics gloves, its not terribly hot but please be smart and safe!

grab some smaller flat heads and look at the tabs that hold the lens to the housing. pick the side with the most distance to a tab and wiggle the small flat head into the glue.

have a second small flat head ready at the first tab to release the tab as you are prying the lens out.

Slowly

Work your way around the headlight releasing the tabs and prying with your fingers once there is enough room.

Try to avoid getting glue on the inner bezel, its a pain to clean off...

NEXT if you plan to paint your bezel. Skip if you just want to install projector.

with the Philips remove the 3 screws on the back side that hold the inner bezel.

It really does just come off with 3 screws :P super easy

NEXT

to fit the projector remove the metal "spoon" attached to the reflector. again Philips driver, one with a narrow shaft to reach in and provide the right angle

The socket that goes to the bulb of my base model sedan cobalt is a dual beam

Orange wire - Low beam

Red wire - High beam

When high beam is turned on, power cuts from low and transfers to high.

The projector kit has the shutter for the high beam so i need to wire it so the low beam stays on while the high the high flips the shutter open. This is where the 5 pin relay 30/40 amp comes in, one relay per headlight.

Pin 86 - Ground - Wired to the negative(-) pole of the ballast

Pin 85 - High beam in - Red stock cobalt wire

Pin 30 - Low beam out - Wired to the positive(+) pole of the ballast

Pin 87 - Constant 12 volt source aka battery for the cobalt is a post in the fuse box. Driver side needs about 3 feet of wire, cut long to leave space to trim and tuck it neatly. Passenger side needs much more I cut 10 feet.

Pin 87a - Low beams in - Orange stock cobalt wire

I also have the shutter to power, its electromagnetic so either wire is (-) or (+) one goes to pin 86 for ground and the other to pin 85 for high beam.

For the passenger side 12 volt source wire I zip tied it to the existing wiring that runs along the top of the rad. again keep it tidy

Use heat shrink tubing on your soldered connections to make things as weather proof as possible.

Note: as seen in the pictures I tested the projector before installing because YES you can put it upside down!

To start,

I wrapped the bullet belt around the projector to get the number of bullets needed, released the section needed and then again for the second shroud. i secured them to the projector with elastic bands for fitment and to glue with no problems :) and the bullets below the turn signal I simply put glue on the bullet and pressed it on and held for the 10 seconds required.

Some may critique my method to affix the bullets to the projector.. but I swear I researched and had hard evidence that made me comfortable using this method. Gorilla Glue impact resistant; its got the right operating temperature parameters of -65 to 220 F. Our winters here so far do not get colder than -50 and research showed the HID projector max temp in the 160-190 range. Its impact resistant, which my brother in law raved about when he tested it to put the head of his hammer back on the handle for heavy construction use. So that fairly settled it for me :P (so far 2 months of driving highway AND gravel roads with no glue failure!)

Also, pieced it together minus the lens and placed it back on the car to check fitment and angles get it done right the first time!

* I thought a bulb burned out, it turned out to be a ballast failure which the shop warrantied no problem!

WHOA

Forgive me, I completely forgot pictures of during painting! Most of us have painted things right?

well, recall the first few pics of the bezel being chrome :P POOF its black nowwww! taaadaaa

there's a before and after for photos haha

Googled for pics of the paint and primer used

some may not want to paint, that's fine, I just noticed the front of the bezel was splashing reflected light upwards when I was testing and the painted bezel eliminated the random splashes of light tossed around. cleaner looking too when the lights on as you may note when comparing pictures.

step 1

tape off areas you don't want scuffed, sand with coarse grit to remove the chrome layer, getting all the small spots as you can for a better painted end result for long term results.

step 2

sand with a finer grit to smooth out the surface

step 3

sand with ultra fine grit to have a nice sleek base for painting. this could be interchanged with a filler primer if you do not want to sand and sand :P

step 4

clean the bezel to eliminate dust and grease

step 5

give it a decent prime then a light sanding once dry

step 6

multiple light coats from all angles with your color, i sprayed light distant coats to get a semi matte finish. spray closer mildly heavier coats for a glossy finish.

step 7

let it cure! i took a vacation for 10 days so i know the paint cured and i didn't risk adding fingerprints haha

Put the freshly painted bezel back into the headlight housing, screw it in securely.

Now, the projector has a threaded base that you must remove the washers spacers and nut. I also removed the bulb to avoid disaster :P

Slide the threaded end through the front of the reflector and when it comes through the headlight housing slide the spacers and washer on where you find they work the best to secure the light. and finally get the securing nut on there, I put the shutter wires through as you can see in the photo of the back, there are special grooves along the threaded section to allow this.

NOW, it takes some muscle to get the nut on to secure the projector to the reflector housing, I pushed the front of the projector with my right hand with the headlight housing held between my knees and right hand threaded it on. A very intimate affair ;)

TEST before you put the lens on! I put the headlight back in the car, wired it up checked its alignment MANY times to ensure it was LEVEL and aimed STRAIGHT out not tilted in any odd direction. I used other parked cars for reference to make sure it was aimed BELOW other cars mirrors. I want great visibility but I DO NOT want to be the guy who is blinding others because the proper care and adjustments were not taken.

Also changed side marker lights to LED for better visibility.

Wipe the lens inside and out clean!!!!!! you DO NOT want finger prints!!!!

also clean the rest of the inside of the headlight, do it right :)

house was warm and using huge zip ties to act as clamps got the lens back in place A-OK!

Now, you can simply use a heat gun to warm the glue and then press the lens back in much easier. Alas i have no heat gun :(

Connect the wiring connector, attach the in-line fuse (red 10 used) to the direct 12v line to battery power. Zip tie the cords neat and tidy. Checked the lights, all working correct so time to put the bolts in and finalize this!

Wiggled tilted tapped shoved cursed, 10mm socket to bolt them back in place, damn I dislike installing/removing these lights :P

DeadBalt a good name?

Balt Pool? Co-Pool ? lol anyone creative to help me for a name?

I'm hoping to save up for some DP stickers soon too!

I enjoy the projector cleaning up the light scatter, its focused and the running lights/ blinkers are way more visible now!

Note: the DRL (daytime running lights) are not affected, auto light function completely normal.

HUGE visibility increase from before! sorry my cell could not get the greatest shot in the dark.

The low beams now, have better light than my high beams before!

We tested daytime with my brother in law driving in front of me and he was only bothered when I went over bumps on the road that tilted my car enough to shine the lights higher.

So, from our family to yours, keep your pants dry, your dreams wet, and remember, hugs not drugs