The neo914-6 Concept, the details... Options

[neo914-6]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Got the lenses Friday, thanks TonyAKAVW! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif)

[neo914-6]

another

[neo914-6]

I'll light them up tonight, anyone have extra screws and a U clamp?

[neo914-6]

Finally won a targa pad and these refurbished latches from 914parts.com on eBay. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[TonyAKAVW]

COOL!!

The defect in the middle of the lenses will be gone in the next batch. I'll get you some of those when they get here..

-Tony

[Aaron Cox]

tight!

[Crazyhippy]

Casting mark? Can it be wet sanded and polished out now?

BJH

[TonyAKAVW]

Apparently the die does not yet have cooling channels in it and defects like that occur. Once the die has some large holes put in it, cool water will be pumped through, and somehow that makes the lenses form better. I'm not sure why, but thats the explanation I was given.

The plastic is squeezed into the die under extremely high pressure and at high temp. A large chrome plated screw (maybe 3 feet long) pushes the molten plastc through a progrssively heated, chrome plated tube to a nozzle that injects the plastic at two points, (at the ends, at each of the screw holes). It seems that the small divot in the middle (its a divot on the inside) is where the two flows of plastic meet. Somehow cooling the die and running a bunch of lenses through it will remove that.

-Tony

[GTeener]

Looking nice Felix! Thanks for sharing your progress.

[byndbad914]

Felix - you know, I forgot to ask, but with your setup do you have both hi- and lo-beam in one light? Most of those lights I have seen require you to have an individual light (or 2 per side) to have hi and lo. Technically to be street legal requires both tho' in NorCal or any mega-opolis, you really never need hi-beams (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[neo914-6]

Felix - you know, I forgot to ask, but with your setup do you have both hi- and lo-beam in one light? Most of those lights I have seen require you to have an individual light (or 2 per side) to have hi and lo. Technically to be street legal requires both tho' in NorCal or any mega-opolis, you really never need hi-beams (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Tim I may have missed it but didn't see that in the CA code

I couldn't package two in a single pod and still get the right angle

How was PRI?

[byndbad914]

Tim I may have missed it but didn't see that in the CA code

I couldn't package two in a single pod and still get the right angle

How was PRI?

I think that may be some sort of federal DOT standard, but I am almost positive hi and lo is a requirement - question for my buddy that is a Long Beach police officer next time we talk (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I see your link where you tried two and I agree, won't fit if trying to fit a turn signal too. However, my thought was to try to make two fit and put a turn lens in the bumper area. AFAIK there isn't a strict height standard on turn signal placement, so maybe even in my front valence area (my Sheridan kit has a flat spot below the bumper/above the dam).

PRI is pretty amazing really. I had a crappy time working the booth with my buddy because there were two full grown men hanging from his nipples the whole goddamn show if you know what I mean. F'ing irritating to hear the same old questions and conversation over and over and over.... and over.... but the show itself is really amazing if you are into racing stuff. SEMA is cool from a show car and bolt-on standpoint, whereas PRI is the serious racing show. Hard to get into tho' unless you know somebody of course.

Bad side of the PRI show is I see all the stuff I "shoulda done" when building my tube car v. what I did already. That never ends tho' as there is always something cool/innovative coming out. Like your light idea (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif) When this all gets sorted and Tony has lenses for sale, I am all over it. Even with the dimple I think it looks good and is a great idea.

[TonyAKAVW]

I was doing some looking and found that there are a lot of people doing HID retrofits to non-HID cars. So you can get projector housings, just the bare housings on ebay for $50-$150 depending on which model. AND, they have housings made for bi-xenon bulbs so you get hi and low beams from a single projector. I'm going to start looking into this more, as it may be a cheap way to put headlights in the turn signal buckets. A set of bulbs and ballasts are going to be in the $200 range. This compares nicely with the $700 to $800 for the prepackaged Hella units that aren't bi-xenon.

Here's a website of one place that sells the projectors.

The Retrofit Source

Interestingly, the bi-xenon headlights use a small solenoid to shift either the bulb or the lens (not sure yet) from the hi-beam arc to the low-beam arc.

-Tony

[byndbad914]

very cool Tony! That would solve all the issues!

[TonyAKAVW]

I did some more reading/browsing on that HID stuff last night and it looks like unfortunately, the smallest diameter commonly available projector housing is 2.9 inches in diameter. The turn signal bucket lens is only about 2.5 inches across, so that would present a problem.

It might work out okay, but I'm looking into LED headlights. Basically stuff a whole bunch of white LEDs with individual lenses in there. There are a few issues to overcome... First, while there are nice lenses available for the LEDs I'm looking at, I'm not sure they have quite the vertical cutoff necessary. I'll be looking into this.

Second, LEDs require careful thermal management. The LEDs I'm thinking of using dissipate 3-5 watts in a pretty small area, and I will probably use 10-20 of them. So a decent heatsink will be needed.

Lastly, and maybe the most difficult is the legal issue. As far as I know right now the laws are not written to allow LEDs for headlights. The major problem is the limit on the number of filaments. While LEDs have no filaments per se, there would be the equivalent of 20-40 bulbs to comprise the pair of headlights. This exceeds a limitation on the number of bulbs on the front of a car. And unlike the HID/projector headlights, there is no vehicle currently sold with LED headlights. I'm certain though that within 5 years there will be, and the laws will need re-writing.

-Tony

[degreeoff]

Hands down my man, THAT is the hottest 914 ever.....

[Rand]

...I'm looking into LED headlights.
...there is no vehicle currently sold with LED headlights. I'm certain though that within 5 years there will be, and the laws will need re-writing.

-Tony

I've been watching this too. A few manufacturers have been toying with it:
LED Headlights Find Their Way to High-End Automobiles

I figure it's just a matter of time. They are plenty bright, it just seems to be tough to get them to project. Easy to be seen by others, not so easy to light up what needs to be seen by the driver.

[Bigbohr]

the smallest diameter commonly available projector housing is 2.9 inches in diameter. The turn signal bucket lens is only about 2.5 inches across, so that would present a problem.

You could check out Hella 50mm modules. They have a 2" lens. The module body gets wider to something like 3" but that could fit inside the fender. Expensive though.

[neo914-6]

I am beginning to work on neo914 again after ~5 month hiatus, thanks to a tough early half of '07

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-87-1179739373.jpg)

Mueller installed the rear Eric Shea v-caliper and his needle bearings. The arms were refinished and rebuilt by Jim (roadster fan). These were equipped with 944 hubs, stubs, 911 CV's and will replace the Rich Johnson 5-lug conversion currently on the car which were sold with my V8.

I'm employing Rich Johnson to rebuild my Koni struts, powdercoat welded A-arms donated by Mueller, install Shine needle bearings, and his Boxster calipers mounted with machined adapters. Rich will do something "special" to the calipers. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I'm contemplating getting some stock doors and windows until I can finish my single piece windows. They may be on the backburner until I get the car running.

Still buying lots of miscl parts and selling unecessary parts.

Many other things brewing as soon as I get my garage cleared and remember where I left off. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

In my tendency to do too many things at once, I am planning on a house addition which may include a real garage! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/boldblue.gif)

[alpha434]

My girlfriend says; "that's a nice Mazda"

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)