I just spent the last 6 hours (yes, from 11 pm till about 5 am) tearing down the front bumper to swap the headlights out and then putting it back together... mostly.

Apparently the headlights I bought don't have the correct upper mounts... so I had to Macgyver at least one of the points on each headlight so I don't rely on just the two bolts under the bumper.

After I put the bumper back on... aside from spending time finding the right push tabs to put where... I ended up losing one.

The one I'm missing is the very front one under the front left "under spoiler." I have no idea where it is.

While the bumper was off, I rushed the "DIY mesh grille"... I was tired, not feeling like spending much more time on the car. It ain't the best job in the world, or even the best I can do... but it'll do for now.

I forgot to vacuum off the bugs from the A/C condenser. oh well.

This whole time I was sweating like crazy and being eaten alive by mosquitoes!!!! I'm swelling up in places I don't care to mention.

edit: pics are at

post #16

and

post #21 which includes a close up of the mesh in the lower grille.

 

dam man

you deserve a good sleep now

 

Mosquitoes are horrible here right now too.... I was on my porch for no more than a minute and got swarmed.... Get a shop fan and keep it pointed at you when you are working on your car and you won't get bitten as much.... Be glad you don't live in the woods.

 

Goobs don't kill yourself man. You waited a long time to land that ride don't start rushing things now...

It really sucks when you're really into it and it all starts falling apart though.. been there, trust me we all have. You can tighten up the mesh and brush off the condenser from below, no?

We have the notorious black-fly as well as the moosequito. Tiny little suckers that get in your nose and ear holes. Good thing is they don't like the night.

 

I feel ya man. I am notorious for starting Fit projects like that in the middle of the night.

Two nights ago my HID ballast died so I ripped everything out, also decided to pull my PRM intake. All back to stock for now, took a couple hours.

That's a good suggestion to pick up a cheap box fan to not only keep you cool but deter the bugs.

 

All that took you 6 hours? Please tell me this wasn't working straight through...

 

My first time doing headlight removal/re-install took me a while too. Breaks or not. I know I didn't want to rush or break anything or lose plastic clips, etc.
It's old hat now, but cut him some slack!

Plus, maybe the GE8s have more then just a bunch of plastic push retainers and a couple screws?

 

What kind of lights did you do? I'm thinking about blacking my boxes soon. meshing the lower grill seems like a smart idea, as does vacuuming the bug crap out of the condenser. WTG.

 

I hate Honda clips - they never come out without tearing them up or losing them. Glad you go it all done and hope you enjoy the results.

Cat :x

 

Couldn't get it. Between my sister calling me again and again... and dreaming about that freaking missing push tab!!! I just couldn't get a good night's sleep. Maybe tonight will be better.

These suburbs of Chicago are pretty bad... I feel like I am in the woods.

Nope, can't get to it from below. But, you can get to it from above... vacuuming the bugs won't be too hard, but tightening up the grille would be a better task with the bumper off.

Man, if I had only known about that fan "trick"... I would've gone out to buy one from some 24 hour walgreen or something. Right now, I'm itchy and still swollen in places. GAH.

Yup, I glanced at the clock in the car at about 2 something then at 4 something. I rushed at the end, not because I was tired, but because of the bugs. I did wish I had my Bubba keg freshly filled with Pepsi and ice... so thirsty.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...halo-hids.html

or better yet...

07-09 Honda Fit Halo Projector Headlights - Pair (Chrome)

I think the chrome stands out less on the SSM. I like it.

Yeah, I was worried about breaking bits of the bumper too. But, now I think I know how to remove the bumper without having to take the headlights with it.

There was a DIY thread that showed how to remove the bumper, but I didn't have my laptop with me, so I couldn't remember everything.

However, after doing it... I think if you're going to attempt it... get 1" wide spatula, thin as possible, but still strong. Look under at the bumper along the buttom of the headlight and look for the clip areas... slide the spatula in there as you pull one side of the bumper, starting with the tab closest to where you are pulling. This will make taking off the headlight itself off easier.

Am I enjoying it? That's a HELL YEAH.

Though, I wish the thing had correct upper mounting points. The way it is, I'm gonna have to do something about it again later. maybe make an extension from the mounting point of the headlight to the point on the car.

Later, I also have to wire up the halo and LEDs... right now they aren't wired into anything. Still haven't decided how I want it set up. Sequential turning LEDs? non-sequential? parking halos? who knows.

OOPS, gotta go to work.

 

for some reason mosquitos in my area do not like JDM blood...

 

you deserve a cold one... having one for you now

 

Okay, the lights look pretty neat; how do they work? The standard Fit lights aren't too bad (not the xenons or the E-codes elsewhere in our garage), but better would be, well, better.
So what are the replacements like for brightness and BEAM PATTERN? Good cutoff? Possible to bump the wattage on the bulbs?
Not meaning to whizz on your cornflakes after a tough job, but I'm curious.
Thnx,
Moon
BTW, noticed that the replacements were for 07-09? Huh?
M

 

Pics?...

 

In terms of light on the ground, these seem slightly better.

My OE headlight had a step cutoff for low beam, similar to HIDs (but without the intensity). The new headlights have a more traditional cutoff. Roughly horizontal on the left and angled up on the right. It's a sharp cut off, but seems like both lights are slightly tilted.

It came with 55 watt H1 bulbs for low and high beam.

You can use higher wattage bulbs and probably get a more output.

Debating using HIDs in the low beam... I mean without modifying it, it's gonna blind anyone to my right. WHOA.

I spent a couple hours after work re-aiming it, since they came way too low. It was a total PITA too. The adjuster gear doesn't have the right plastic around it, so the screw driver doesn't seat probably with it, you end up turning the screw driver, but not the gear! After a while I ended up tearing the plastic (didn't realize on the driver side at first)... then I said screw it... got my pliers and use those the turn it.

There's 3 adjust screws, and I had to use ALL of them to change the aim up. If I used just one, the lens would move far off to one side and look weird.

As for that whole 07-09 thing... I don't get it either. I mean, I understand now that the second gen Fit started with model year 2008 in Japan... but I have no idea what the 07 is about. There's no way this thing would fit a first gen Fit... at least not USDM, that's for sure.

 

Thnx, goobers. They do look sharp, but since I try to be entirely practical about the Fit, probably won't pursue it for the aggravation involved and the minor benefit. Glad it worked out for ya'. The model year thing is a mystery.

I always disliked the traditional headlights that all cars came with in the past; thought the aero lights looked so much better. Now I give it mixed reviews. It was possible to swap in E-code lights and relays at little cost to get a major improvement in performance, and the aero lights often degrade over time, and it is difficult and expensive to upgrade them correctly...so it goes. I'd love to upgrade the lights in the Honda and the Dodge, but there seems to be no good way to do it.
Hijack ended, and thanks again.
Moon

 

Goobers - I like your style. Keep the sequence alive.

 

Looking over the guy on cardmain the did this, he says the parking light is basically com the 1st gen. So, it seems to me that the lights are for the first gen, while the glass and part of the housing is for 2nd gen. Which means this thing won't correctly fit either gen. That being said, I'm about to order the bulb and socket adapter for the 1st gen and hope it works. I messaged kenchan in his blog about if the adapter will plug into the 2nd gen wiring.

In terms of practicality, this really isn't. Sure there is a slight increase in output, but it would be easier just to pop on some silverstar bulbs than all this. But this car is a representation of it's driver... and this driver likes the style. sometimes a little form adds to it's function.

Thanks. But alas, I don't think I'll be able to add any more to the sequence, since there isn't anything I want to do to the front of the car. That is, unless you want to see a few more of my t-shirts. I've got a bunch with "interesting" things on them (though, I'd have to wear them backwards).

 

Exactly. Something sweet about you sitting on a curb in front of your ride back to camera - in the same spot! And who says it needs to be the front of the car, or if the car even needs to be there..... and putting t-shirts on backwards, well that speaks for itself. I don't know, but I think you're on to something here. You know, just slip it in every once and a while, maybe with your arm around a box fan.

 

Haha. Actually, the reason I sat there is because I was hiding my license plate.

I could do some side shots to show off the door visors. And if I can get my hands on the jdm tails I can "hide" my rear license plate. Just need to remember to have one of my "interesting" shirts on.

I have a mini tripod for my camera, and the shop has a shelf stand I was using. Since it doesn't move, its pretty easy to get roughly the same shot.

Edit: didn't feel like adding another post, so I'll just add to this one.




I've adjusted the aim some more since that picture was taken... but this is just to give an example of the output.

Oh, and here's the lower grille.


See the wire hanging off to the side? That's wrapped around the bottom part of the push pin that holds the grille in. There's another one on the driver side. Then on top, I used more wires to tie the mesh to the parts where the grille hooks onto the bumper. The way it's tied down a is pretty bad job, but I didn't realize it while I was putting it on (I was tired and just looking at whatever was convenient), if the mesh gets hit with anything big enough to rip it off... if anything gets damaged, it'll be the push pins first, THEN the grille. And hopefully, by then, whatever it is lost most of its impact force and won't do too much damage to the condenser. You'll also notice that it's curved a little. Well, that's because it came in a roll that I cut a part out of and was too lazy to take the time to flatten it out. Which, again, seems to work in my benefit... since I don't really care if it's flat, that being flat means it would be closer to the front and would probably show up more to people standing around looking at it. The way it is now, isn't too noticeable unless you bend down to look at it. It kinda blends in, right?

Not bad for a rushed job. Dang man, those bites are still driving me crazy (it's 5:45 am as of this edit, a full two days later).