[wastedonanime]

Updated 4/26/08: Updated wire harness section: 3 prong plug for V-slot DRL signal source can be obtained from the SC foglight kit.

A full DIY on my progress of converting my front end to an SC model. This thread will cover every aspect including parts, optional modifications, wiring modifications, removal of old pieces, and installation of new pieces. Pictures are supplied to aid the text, but do not cover the conversion in full. The text will give you a full description of what you will need and other notes that relate to the section you are reading. I hope this helps anyone who is considering doing this modification in the future. Being a fully experienced Element-DIY'er, I can say this was not the hardest thing I have ever done, but with a year of experience ripping apart my E on numerous occasions it may just seem easier. Keep in mind as well that your local body shop or dealership can aid you with removal/installation of the pieces including assembly of the bumper pieces and fog lights if you would rather have a professional do it. This thread will assume that the reader is doing this completely DIY (except for a professional paint job for the bumper) and should answer any questions which you may have.

This conversion will work for:
All 03-08 DX/LX/EX/EX-P Element models

TO

Best of luck to those of you who decide to pull the trigger on this modification. For any questions that were not answered in the thread or just general help relating to anything involving the conversion, turn signal, OEM foglight bypass, wiring harness, feel free to PM me and I will get back to you a.s.a.p.

Special thanks to Accord Driver who pioneered the cleared SC headlight modification, BH241 who inspired and gave me the basis for my DRL idea, and most of all: to those who did the SC conversion before me. No thanks to you @#$%^& people I spent more money!! Lol, seriously though - I wouldn't have done it unless I could see that it was possible. You were braver than me going in blind and I respect that very much. Now, for the rest of you - here's a no-worry all-questions-answered guide to the SC front-end conversion.

• Please refer to the "OEM Foglight Bypass" thread for more information manipulating an 03-06 fog light harness to produce parking light activated fog lights.
  **If you live in NY state (and any other state that may have this law), you must have your headlights when your windshield wipers are engaged (when it's raining). If you have HID's, you may want to do this mod to prevent reducing the life of your $100+ bulbs and burn out your fog lights instead. They are theoritically a legal replacement for having your headlights on since it is legal to have daytime running lights through your fog lights. To date, I have not been pulled over or cited for the ~8 months I have had it done.
• Please refer to the "Turn Signal Mod" thread for a how-to manipulate the side marker lights to double function as a turn signal.
• Full details on removing the front bumper can be found here: http://www.red-tail.net/e/grill/ (cited later on)
• Details about headlight adjustment (cited later on) http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-aiming.htm and http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1: Preparing for the conversion
Section 2: Clearing the SC headlights
Section 3a: Bumper construction
Section 3b: Fog Light Assembly & Attachment
Section 4: Wiring Conversion Diagrams
Section 5a: Removing the old bumper and prepping the headlights
Section 5b: Physical mounting and headlight adjustment
Section 6: How to construct the wiring harness(es) - HID Low Beam & Daytime Running Light High Beam

Section 1: Preparing for the conversion.

Parts List:

Not obtainable from Majestic Honda Shipped:

• 07/08 Element SC Front Upper Bumper
• 07/08 Element SC Front Lower Bumper

----------------------417 dollars w/10% discount coupon & NY State Sales Tax

• H11 Bulb Connectors (Low beam, not required for HID's)
• 9005 Connectors (High Beam)
• T25/3156 Bulb Sockets (Turn signals, obtain from autolumination.com)
• 9006 Connectors (Fog Lights, optional since it comes with the kit)

• H11 bulbs (Low beam). Optionally use an HID kit with the projector for brighter more intense light output (see below).
• 9005 bulbs. I do not recommend at all that you use HID's for the high beams. Halogens are also required if you want daytime running lights.
• 194 bulbs (parking light) - if you are not clearing the headlights, clear or amber will do. If you are clearing the headlights, optionally get amber, white, or whatever color you desire. Mirrored lens is not necessary at all.
• 3457NA Bulbs - these have an amber lens. Optionally get a clear (white) bulb. Recommended that you get a mirrored bulb since it is naturally exposed in the housing.

Optional HID Low Beams:

• H11 HID Kit (I Recommend 5000k color intensity, 4100k being OEM & brightest light output, blue tint). Comes with H11 bulbs, two ballasts (power source/control).
• Good experience with McCulloch Kits.
• Wiring harness not required, but HIGHLY recommended for all HID products. For more information please sign up and read the forums at www.hidplanet.com. With out a wiring harness, you risk blowing a headlight fuse and causing permanent damage to your factory wiring.
• Wiring Harness Parts: (see below for information, consider wiring choices before placing part orders)

Do not get LED products for your turn signals unless you prepare your car for them. The turn signals require a new relay or a resistor integration in order to obtain normal function. Parking lights will work with LED's but they are pointless for these headlights.


Majestic Honda Parts order: (http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com) - discounted OEM parts, can't go wrong.

**The SC Foglight Kit is non-optional. The mounting brackets are not available for separate purchase (clever salespeople) so you will have to purchase the whole thing for the conversion.
**INSTALLATION NOTE for 03-06 Model Years** The SC lower right headlight bracket will not bolt right on due to the shape of the oil cooler line that runs below the headlight. It was changed in 07/08 to accommodate the SC light bracket. You can opt to leave it off if you wish. It was not included in the parts list above and are Majestic part numbers 2746979 and 2747013. The left side will not encounter any problems.

Things that will be recycled:

• Bunch of bolts & screws
• Bumper Clips
• Headlight brackets
• Old Fog Light wiring harness & switch (if you have one present).

Painting Notes:
If you are going to paint anything, I would advise you do the following:

• Leave yourself 2 days before your intended assembly day to paint and dry
• If you are going to paint the bumper pieces, be careful putting on the center grille afterwards
• If you are using a primer, let that dry for 24 hours before you begin painting with your desired color(s)
• Use a clear coat on everything
• DO NOT HANDLE ANYTHING FOR 24 HOURS AFTER PAINTING

Total parts and labor costs: (all approximate, rounded)

$415 Bumper Pieces
$700 Majestic Parts
$250 Complete HID Kit
$500 Professional Paint Job
$50 HID Low beam / DRL Wiring Harness (DIY)
$100 Random other things (paint, electrical components, bulbs, misc. parts)
Total General Approximate Mostly DIY Conversion Cost: $2000
Holy @#$%^& when the hell did it double in approximate cost?? >.<

Cut out the HID's and the paint job and you'll be down to a nice 1200 which seems more reasonable.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 2: Clearing the SC Headlights

Pioneered by Accord Driver

Ok boys and girls, you now have your parts scattered across the floor. What do you start with? Clearing the headlights. If you want to do this, be prepared for a lot of work. It was easy with the old model but in this case you have to cut up the amber piece to cover up what would otherwise be holes between your reflector pieces. You also have the option of painting your pieces as I have. I wanted a more blacked out effect while Accord Driver (who pioneered this) stayed with a solid chrome effect.

What you will need:

• T15 (Torx) Screwdriver
• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• Flat Head Screwdriver (to pry the headlights open)
• Dremel/Rotary tool with Heavy Duty Cutting Disks & Cone Sanding Attachment (or a hacksaw, but that will take HOURS)
• 1 Can Primer Paint
• 1 Can Colored Paint
• 1 Can Clear Coat Paint
• Safety Goggles
• Breathing Masks
• Sandpaper (optional)
• ---250 grit between coats
• ---400 grit Final on Clear Coat
• Oven
• Timer
• Heat-resistant gloves (easier to pry it apart) or oven mitts
• Clean Latex Gloves
• Large Towel (or other soft surface cover that won't scratch the lens
• Permanent Marker (black)
• Canned air
• Microfiber towel
• Plastic bag

Pre-baking:

• Rest the headlight on a flat sturdy surface that won't scratch the lens (use a towel or other clean cloth).
• Remove all bulbs and sockets that may already be attached. Do not touch the bulbs with your bare hands.
• Remove the three torx screws on the back perimeter of the headlight.
• Remove the three screws on the back of the 9005 (high beam) socket, then remove the ring.
• Remove the 2 rubber seals by using a flat head screwdriver (lift it up then pull it off).
• Remove the single screw on the back of the headlight between the low and high projector/reflective housing.

Oven-Baking:

• Turn on the oven and PREHEAT to 300 degrees (may want to try 350 for easier separation).
• Place the headlight FACE UP in the center of the oven (in all dimensions).
• Bake (soften the adhesive) for 10 minutes.
• Remove and place on a towel on a flat surface.
• Immediately begin to separate the lens from the back; if necessary use a flathead screwdriver to begin, try to keep all the adhesive with in the groove or on the lens itself (it will be much like gum, sticky and stretchable). You will have to bend the black tabs back surrounding the outside. Your target removal time is under 2 minutes at room temperature.

Post-Baking/cutting & painting preparation:

• Put on the latex gloves to prevent getting finger prints on the inside of the lens.
• Remove the six screws holding the three pieces of the shroud and amber lens on the main lens.
• Remove the amber lens and other pieces if you wish to paint them as well. If not, leave them in place. The order is low beam, amber lens, high beam.
• **All the pieces have an imprint of which side they belong to in order to prevent confusion.**

Cutting:

• Make an outline of the area you will be cutting for reference with a black permanent marker.
• With your safety goggles and mask on, use a heavy-duty cutting disk attachment on your dremel and cut the piece off.
• **The plastic easily melts. I recommend that you do not stay in one place for more than 1-2 seconds to avoid melt-build up. In addition, cut from right to left if your dremel rotates counter-clockwise when looking from the bottom.**
• After cutting, attach your sanding attachment and smooth out the area you cut. The plastic may melt still but it won't happen as often and you will accumulate more dust instead.

Painting: (optionally do at the same time as the center grille piece if a new color is desired)

• Remove any dust by cleaning the amber pieces and others. Canned air and a clean microfiber towel works well.
• Paint a solid single coat of primer onto the pieces. Let dry for at least 12 hours in a low humidity room temperature area.
• Optionally smooth the surface with 250 grit sandpaper and remove all dust.
• Paint a coat of the desired color, wait for the specified time before applying another coat..
• Optionally, wait 12 hours and smooth with 250 grit sandpaper, remove dust, apply the next coat.
• Repeat until enough coats are applied. 2-3 should be sufficient.
• Apply a clear coat and let dry for 24 hours.
• Optionally smooth with 400 grit sandpaper.

Reassembly:

• CAREFULLY place all pieces back in order. Paint will be easily damaged during this step so take caution.
• Reassemble by reversing the order in which you disassembled the lights.
• When the lens is back together, blast both with canned air to remove any accumulated dust, then place the lens on top of the base but do not force it down.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and place the headlight as is back into the oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove the whole assembly and press down to seal the headlight and bend the black tabs back into place. In one case, my left headlight did this on its own. Let stand and cool for 1 hour.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 3a: Bumper construction

If you're going to have this professionally painted, send it off immediately and expect to see it again in at least 2 days. If you have the fog lights, cut the openings before putting them together with a dremel tool or have it done by the body shop painting the pieces. You may want to assemble the pieces then have it painted. I'm not sure which would be better. I had them done in separate pieces... You may even want to consider assembling the upper, lower, and front grille pieces before having it painted to get it all in one shot. It's up to you.

What you will need:

• Phillips head screwdrivers (big and small head)
• Permanent adhesive (that does not corrode plastic)
• Cutting device (scissors, wire cutters, something of that nature)

Putting the two sections together:

• It's a little weird but self-explanatory. The pieces clip together in some spots while held together in others.
• Three bumper clips go on each side which snap in. Slide them in then push the heads down to lock them in.
• One major bolt goes in the center right below the lower grille opening.
• Two screws go on either side where the pieces meet. You will need to slide in a clip then insert the screws.

Putting the upper grille on:

• First off, you'll have to assemble it.
• If desired, paint the main piece and/or logo bracket (area behind the "H") prior to assembly. Do this at the same time as your headlight pieces if you opted to do so.
• Place the logo holder onto the main piece - it snaps right in
• Place the logo in its place and use the two disk-nuts to hold it into place. Slide them on and press them down to hold the logo on. I used some adhesive to ensure it will not come off.
• On the bumper, cut off the two pieces that cover the front hole. They are there for stability purposes and will get in the way when installing the grille piece.
• Line up the grille piece and push it into place 1/2 way. There is a lip on all sides which need to catch on the bumper. If you don't catch this, you will see an unwanted gap between pieces. DO THIS CAREFULLY. You could scratch the paint very easily during this process.
• When it is set into place, use the screws on the opposite side to hold it into place. Tighten 1/2 way and ensure the piece is properly aligned, then tighten into place.

Putting the license plate holder on: (optional)

• Take the piece and slide it between the center post of the lower grille. There is a lip on the end, have it catch on the backside of the lower bumper and set it down.
• Take 4 of your black flat phillips head screws (the same ones you used to hold the bumper pieces together on the sides) and proceed to drive them into the bumper at the two screw holes on the holder.
• Once secured, put your license plate frame on the holder and either recycle your old bolts or use the new shiny ones you ordered to hold the plate frame on.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 3b: Fog Light Assembly & Attachment

What you need:

• Phillips Head Screwdriver

Fog Light Assembly: (Follow the pictures to make sense of the text directions).

• Attach the black bracket to the fog lamp (fits into place) with a brass screw
• Snap the black clip into place.
• Slide the entire thing into the SC fog light mounting bracket. Line up the hole with the black bracket you mounted earlier. This holds the light in place.
• Screw it down with the wide head screw.
• Fit the entire thing onto the lower bumper and secure it with the silver screws provided.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 4: Wiring Conversion Diagrams

Action shots can be found later on in the thread on two posts
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=589265&postcount=42
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=589266&postcount=43

Wiring Harness Parts List
Part numbers taken from www.partsexpress.com

• 070-675 -- In-line ATO/ATC Fuseholder 10 AWG (1 needed) (inline fuse holder, 1 needed)
• 071-380 -- Littelfuse 30A ATO Fuse 5 Pcs. (optional, extra fuses are good to have readily available)
• 095-665 -- Gold Ring 10 AWG 5/16" 2 Pair (1 pair needed, battery (+) and (-)/chassis ground connections)

• 080-525 -- 1/2" Split Loom Tubing 1 ft. (charged by the foot, can be obtained anywhere)
• 095-914 -- Express Seal (12-10) Butt Connector 10 Pcs. (heatshrinking)
• 095-912 -- Express Seal (16-14) Butt Connector 10 Pcs. (heatshrinking)
• 330-070 -- 12 VDC Tyco Relay SPDT 30A (Formerly Bosch)
• 330-075 -- 12 VDC 5-Pin Relay Socket (wire leads for the relay, 1 needed for each relay)

Other parts: (obtain from local shop)

• 10 gauge wiring (two color, red & black preferred)
• 16 gauge wiring (two color, red & black preferred)
• Electrical tape
• Heatshrink tubing (optional, must be large enough to fit 10-16 gauge wiring)

Tools needed

• Wire cutters
• Wire crimpers
• Scissors (for wire loom)
• "Medium" Tie-wraps
• Butane Microtorch (or something similar, heat gun may be used)

**It is not necessary, but recommended that you use heatshrinking butt connectors and tubing to construct the harness.**

The numbers needed vary depending on which harness you are building. Approximate measurements will be included for sections of wire. Parts order list will be included with approximate quantities below each option

Non-option #0 Converting the turn signal/parking light bulbs
What you have: 7443 Front Turn Signal/Parking light combo bulb
How it works now: one bulb has two filaments which are independently controlled sharing a common ground wire. One controls the parking light (position one on the headlight controls) and the other controls the turn signal.
What you want: Simply, rewire it so it was like the two filaments were in separate bulbs since what you now have is in fact two separate bulbs.

Option #1 Standard Non-SC to SC Conversion Wiring Guide
Standard Halogen Bulbs, No wiring harness required.

What you have: H4 Ground-switched to dual-bulb ground switched: 1 plug, 3 wires for the headlights.
How it works now: 12v power line is activated by turning on the main headlight switch giving the entire circuit power. The wand determines which circuit is activated: either the low beam or high. Only one is activated at a given time.
What you want: To have the low beam on at all times and the high beam to be toggled on/off.

Wiring Harnesses: (To be updated by 4/6/08 )
Completely plug-and-play, does not alter any of the original headlight wiring and can be removed at anytime. Based on the non-SC's H4 ground-switched headlight wiring scheme.

If you plan on making a wiring harness, do so before installation day. You can test it out with a volt meter to ensure everything is working properly.

Bosch 12v Automotive Relay Wiring Guide
Each Relay has 5 numbered pins.
30 - blue - 12v Power Source
85 - white - Signal Source (determines which output is active)
86 - black - Relay Ground Wire
87 - yellow - Switched Output 1 (optional on/off, turned on with signal source)
87a - red - Switched Output 2 (standard on, turned off with signal source active)

Having a single wire on 87 simulates an on/off switch. 87a is the default open connection when there is no power coming in on the signal source (85) to make the relay switch lines. 30 is the input wire. This can be used as an additional power source (from a battery) for extra current or used as the input power source which travels through to either 87 or 87 a depending on which one is active.

Option #2: Low Beam HID's
Major change: Low beam wiring requires one relay, ballasts control the function of the HID bulbs for a more intense light output.
Changes will only affect the low beam wiring compared to #1. Taken from a diagram constructed at www.hidplanet.com for an H4 Ground-switched system (which is present in the Element). The new harness will only use one relay for the low beams while the high beams use the stock wiring. Although this diagram only shows one ballast and one hid bulb, I would double the connection so you will use one relay for the ENTIRE HID system. Double the output wires so they goto two ballasts which support two HID bulbs. This means you will only be using the LEFT H4 plug for the low beams.

TO BE EDITED: Adding another relay to 3 and 4 to disengage the DRL's with the parking brake engaged.


Option #3: Daytime Running Lights
Major change: Two relays will give a 50% light output reduction to the high beams when the car is running and the headlight switch is set to off set on an external wiring harness which can be removed at any time.
Changes will only affect the high beam wiring compared to #1.

The way it works: The left relay controls power to the high beams. The "V" connector is a slot on the interior fuse box which contains 3 pins. The middle pin is activated by the car's ignition switch (I = off, II/III = on). Basically, the power to the high beams are cut off when the car is off. The right relay will determine which high beam ground is active. By default, the ground selected contains two resistors running in parallel which will reduce the overall current in each device so in effect, it reduces the current through each of the bulbs and gives the dim lighting effect. When the headlight switch is turned on, it acts as a signal source to change ground wires which will then operate like normal. The high beams shut off under normal function and turn on at full brightness when the circuit is completed by the original wiring in the E.

**4/26/08 update: if you're retrofitting from an 03-06 model, you will receive a three prong plug with your SC foglight kit. A bundle of wires and plugs will be labeled with the code "08V31-SCV-3000". You can use that plug to connect to the V-slot in the internal fuse box for a 'proper' connection.


Option #4: HID Low Beams & Daytime Running Lights
Combines options 2 and 3
For this option, you will use both the wiring harnesses listed above since they are otherwise independent of each other aside from sharing a common 12v source and ground when constructed together. Both low and high beams will be manipulated to generate the full effect.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 5a: Removing the old bumper and prepping the headlights

If you've ever removed your front end before, then this will be cake-walk. For those of you who are new to the game, I would practice on your old bumper first before potentially destroying your new one. That, or convince your local dealership to throw it on for you. It's not hard, but it could be difficult.

Full details on removing the front bumper can be found here: http://www.red-tail.net/e/grill/

Phase 1: Removing the old bumper and headlights
There's a lot of clips that you'll have to remove. Honestly I can't remember exactly how many since I can do this procedure by heart.

What you need:

• Flathead Screwdriver (with a small head for prying purposes)
• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• 10mm Socket Wrench & 6"+ extension piece

Procedure

• Disconnect the 4 plugs on the headlights (2 on each side).
• Turn the car on and turn the steering wheel to the right then remove the wide head screw that connects the front quarter panel to the bumper.
• Turn the steering wheel to the left and remove the wide head screw on the other side. Straighten out the wheel and turn the car off.
• Remove the 4 10mm bolts on the bottom of the bumper (2 on each side, below the fog light area)
• Remove the bumper clips across the bottom. You have to pry the screwdriver into the head of the clip where there are openings and pop it out, then remove the whole thing. There are 2 near the front of the center bumper and 4 on extensions of the bumper that extend towards the back (there may be more).
• Remove the clips on the top of the bumper. There should be quite a few including the ones that hold on the radiator cover piece. Approximately 12+ clips.
• The screws that held the bumper in place at the connection point of the front quarter panel have to be pulled off the post. There is a tab that slides between the inner fender liner and the quarter panel on a post. Take note of how this is done since you will have to reverse the procedure later on.
• Once all the clips are removed, lift the bumper off of the front.
• If you have fog lights installed, you will have to disconnect them by first pressing in the tab on top of the clip which frees it from the bracket. Then, press in the lower tab to release the plug from the harness.
• With your 10mm socket wrench, identify and remove the 3 bolts that hold the light on. You will need your extension piece on the lower bolt of the right headlight since the oil cooler line will get in the way. Take note that there are two more 10mm bolts on top of the headlight. These will be removed later.
• Again, if you are new to this, try putting the bumper back into place at this point as if you were reinstalling it. The new bumper will be installed in the same fashion so get some experience now.

Phase 2: Preparing your headlights for the conversion
This step will vary depending on what you decide to do with your wiring. Refer to Section 4 for what to do exactly. If you constructed your harness, then the headlight(s) will be a simple plug-and-play set up aside from mounting the ballasts and/or resistors (if applicable) on to the chassis. For those who elected choice #1, all the prep can be done at this point.

What you will need:

• Wire cutter
• Wire crimper
• 16 gauge Butt Splices
• 16 gauge female slide connectors
• 10 gauge ring connector
• 16-20 gauge copper braided & shielded wiring
• Electrical tape
• Wire Loom
• Heat Shrink tubing (optional)
• 10mm Socket Wrench
• Old Headlight bumper brackets
• H4 male connector or 2 16 gauge male unshielded slide connectors

Procedure 1: Prep work

• First off: remove the two 10mm bolts that hold on the headlight bumper brackets on the old headlights. Transfer to the new headlights.
  **If you notice any rust, you may want to give it a coat of rust-ready paint or rubber-coat paint to seal the area.**
• Depending on what sockets you ordered for the turn signals, you may or may not have to get slide connectors. If you followed my parts list exactly, then you will need them for the new parking light bulbs.
• First, insert all bulbs into their sockets and then into the headlights. DO NOT TOUCH ANY OF THE BULBS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. The H11 and 9005 bulbs have an 'integrated' socket that locks in quite easily compared to the H4 bulbs.
• You will now prepare all of your wiring for the conversion. You can refer to section 4 #1 on what goes where.
• You will combine your turn signal and parking light ground wires.
• You will combine your low beam and high beam (+) wires for option #1.
• You will create a new ground wire which will screw on to the chassis. You may elect to try using the ground wire from the turn signal/parking light but I can not personally say if it is suitable. In theory it should be perfectly ok and therefore easier to wire the connection.
• (read below before doing this step) Connect all open ends of wire with butt connectors and crimp one side. Seal with heat shrink tubing or electrical tape. The other ends will attach to your existing wiring.

If you are using an H4 male connector, then wire the headlights in the following fashion with enough slack on the wiring to provide an easy connection. If you are using male slide connectors, do the same and take note of which is which. You will be plugging this into your H4 female plug on the factory wiring harness.

• Hold the H4 plug so that the middle prong is facing down in this fashion |_|.
• When looking at the plug so that the pins are facing you, the right side is your 12v source. Combine both (+) wires and tie it into the wire that connects to that slot.
• The left side is your high beam ground wire. Tie in the high beam ground into the wire that connects to that slot.
• Crimp on a ring connector to your low beam wire.

Procedure 2: Wire fitment

• Disconnect all plugs and/or remove all turn signal/parking bulbs from their sockets. Place the bulbs in a bag while still connected to protect them from oils on your hand.
• Walk outside to your vehicle and proceed to cut off the 7443 plug.
• Your new turn signal/parking light combined wire set up should have three butt connectors and your old plug has three wires. Black to ground, green/red to turn signal (larger bulb), and red/yellow to the smaller bulb.
• Crimp, seal with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing, and test it out using the headlight switch position 1 and hazard flashers.
• Plug in your H4 adapted plug or insert the slide connectors into their proper places and connect the low ground to the chassis (unless you combined it with the turn signal/parking light ground).
• With a second person, examine the currents of your new sockets with a volt meter. You are measuring for 12 volts.
• Insert the black probe into your ground slot of the low beam socket (H11 plug) and the red into the (+) slot. Turn on the main headlight switch in the low position, then switch to the high. The power should remain on uninterrupted.
• Move the probes to the high beam socket. Power should only come on when the headlight switch is on and the high circuit is activated.
• If all is well, crimp, seal, and wire loom all bare wire as best as you can sealing it with electrical tape at each end and in the middle if necessary.
• If all is not well, troubleshooting will help you determine what went wrong. If assistance is needed, refer to the forums for help.
• If you are using a wiring harness, then you should have already tested to ensure it is functioning properly. Connect the other wires as specified above for the turn signal/parking lights.

Procedure 3: Fog Light Wiring
If you don't already have a harness installed or any aftermarket/homemade switch activated power source for the two fog lights, then refer to another DIY or contact your local Honda dealership for installation. This is assuming you already have something installed.

• Take the 9006 connectors from your SC wiring harness (or outside ordered part) and cut them off.
• Strip the wire ends and fit them with butt connectors. Seal with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
• Go outside to your old harness and cut off the plugs.
• If you have an OEM harness installed, then this will be easy. Strip the wire ends and match colors. Black to black, blue/red to blue/red.
• If you have an aftermarket/homemade harness, then attach black to ground and blue/red to (+).
• Crimp, seal, and hope you did it right. Check to see if they work before putting the bumper on.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 5b: Physical mounting and Headlight adjustment

You're almost done! This is the home stretch.

What you will need:

• 10mm socket wrench
• Phillips head screwdriver
• What's left of your will and/or sanity to get this forsaken modification done
• A celebration beer or drink of choice.

Procedure 1: Mounting the new headlights

• Reinsert all bulbs and connect all sockets.
• Remember those three bolts you removed? Toss two away since now you will only be using four total. The bolts are the top and side. They should line up exactly as the old ones did. The right headlight may be more difficult since you will have to force it a little bit due to the oil line.
• Do not overtighten the bolts since you may crack the plastic. Simply ensure a tight fit.
• Do one more test of the lights to ensure everything is working properly.
• If you have not done so already, attach the headlight bumper brackets to the top of the headlights.

As you can see below, the plastic below the left headlight is the headlight bracket that I was talking about earlier. I left the one on the left on since it was already there but took off the right as you can see why above. This only applies to the 03-06 years as there was a modification in the 07/08 years that allow the bracket to fit as explained later in this thread here: http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=584051&postcount=27

Procedure 2: Installing your new bumper

• I hope you practiced. It will be done exactly as it was done before.
• Some bolts will not be used and there are less clips to attach.
• First, connect the fog lights and test them out to ensure they are working.
• Fit the bumper on, ensure everything is in it's place - especially the side tabs and extension pieces underneath. If it's not fitting on correctly, pull it off and try again (sections). You will need a second person to do this.
  **With the original fender liner pieces (03-06 years) you may experience some difficulty where it feels like you're forcing the bumper to fit on at the meeting point. I had an original on the driver's side and a new 07/08 one on the passenger's side and there was a noticeable difference in how easily it went on.**
• Once all is lined up, place the radiator cover back on and start pushing clips in.
  **The lower bumper will not use the 4 10mm bolts and at least two clips due to mismatching holes between the models. This will not affect the bumper's ability to stay on the car.**
• Turn on the car, turn the steering wheel to the left and right to get the old screws back on.
• Crack open a beer and curse at your vehicle if you are stressed.

Congratulations! You're done!

Haha just kidding. You're truly almost done. The last thing you need to do is adjust the headlights.


Procedure 3: Properly adjusting the headlights for public road use

Final vertical aiming

• once you have the headlight mounted back on the car, use the adjustment screw on the back of the black housing to do your final vertical aiming. Turning the screw clockwise will lower the beam, counterclockwise will raise it.
• Park on level ground in front of a wall (garage). Measure the distance from the ground to the middle of your headlight (mine was 31”). Back up 25 feet, and make sure the cutoff on the wall is your original height minus 2.1” (28.9” or lower). Read up more about it here and here
• FINALLY, take a drive around the neighborhood and use your own judgement as to how the cutoff looks. It really should never peak above the trunks of any cars. If so, readjust them accordingly. The most important thing is to use some common sense and courtesy…two things that will take you a long way in anything you do.

What you need:

• 25+ foot tape measure
• 2nd Person who can read a tape measure
• Nighttime

Procedure:

• Move the vehicle to a flat road.
• Measure the distance from the ground to the center of the low beam projector. You can approximate this to the nearest 1/2 inch.
• Measure out 25 feet in front of the car starting at the center of the bumper.
• Turn on the headlights.
• Set the tape measure up from the ground and have the other person block the light from one headlight.
• Read the height of the cut off line.
• Adjust the cut off line height so it is 2.1+ inches lower than the height of the center of the projector lens. I.e. you measure 29.5 inches from the ground to the center of the lens. You want the light at 25 feet out to be at 27.4 inches.
• Adjust by rotating a large silver knob on the headlight. It has a 6mm bolt head, but it can be manipulated by hand quite easily.
• Move to the other headlight and repeat.
• Move the car so that it is facing a wall and make sure that the cut off lines are at the same height. Fine adjust.
• Now, you're actually done.

Congratulations! You're actually done!
Crack open that beer and cry at the fact that you could have spent your money in what could have been 100's of better ways. Ah well, put your beer down and show it off to the neighborhood instead!

 

[wastedonanime]

The Finished Product

Pictures will be updated next week with the addition of the DRL wiring harness. In the meantime, here's a bunch of nighttime pics.

 

[wastedonanime]

Section 6: How to construct the wiring harness(es) - HID Low Beam & Daytime Running Light High Beam

To be updated sometime soon. Still working out the kinks. - 4/9/08

 

[JSm00thJaZ3]

Yes Wasted, You are the MAN!!!!!

Wasted, Thanks for the in-depth DYI instruction on a SC Front End Installation. I will have to print-out this thread and read it over the next few days. Congrats on your install!

 

[Drop_Box]

Wasted.....AWESOME job my man!! One of the best write ups.....glad you did it as this will be a great source for all those who have questions.

Post a few more pics of the new nose head on with the headlights mod'ed....I'd like to get a good look at the black surround you did. I'll request that this becomes either a sticky or it'll def. get put in the "how-to" section.

Keep up the good work!

 

[wastedonanime]

Well, I'm sure there will still be questions even after all of this. : ) I added the low beam circuit diagram for the wiring harness. The DRL is still theory but I've confirmed it with my dad (electrical engineer) and on paper it works great. Will it actually work? I hope so. I am looking forward to saving 50 dollars a year (lol) - go NY state... woohoo.

Anyways, I will have it all updated by next week. I am placing the parts order for my new harness which will be the old one but updated for the DRL's. Also, have to find that V slot connector seeing as I will now have two things coming out of there. The wiring harness section will include measured lengths and a what-goes where plus another parts list from my source. The only thing is that I got the resistors from an outside source but I will post what they are and how well they work. I am sure anyone can find them but I don't know how much or where.

It is a "Power Resistor", 5 ohm resistance, 40W power rating. Got two of them... dad wasn't sure exactly how I was going to do this so he thought one for each side would work but instead we're gong to run them in parallel and combine everything as the theoretical diagram shows.

 

[wastedonanime]

Constantly updating. New easy-to-follow wiring schematic diagrams. The numbers on the bosch relay reflect the numbers on the diagram. I'll have the theoritical DRL wiring set up done soon. I would say this thread will be finished by next week. I'll revise it over the week for a good solid easy-to-follow read.

Edit: It's all done except for section 6 which will be a long reference guide to how long each wire should be and the physical layout which will involve a crap-ton of wire loom, electrical tape, tie wraps, heatshrinking butt connectors, ring connectors, etc etc. The theoretical wiring diagrams are up (needed them for my own reference anyway). I'll make some short connections and try out the DRL harness sample before I construct the large one just to make sure it will actually work.

...and to think: it's only the first thing I had planned for this year's mod-fest.

On that note: I hope to come up with a DRL wire harness for the others as well. It will be completely removable and is highly based on the theoretical one I came up for the SC converted E. The idea is the same but the wiring is a bit different. It's an alternative for those who do not want to hack up any of the original wiring. I would suggest that you use BH241's method if you plan on keeping it permanent, but it's always good to have options right?

I'll post that there it belongs in the DIY DRL sticky thread if it's possible. I have the schematic drawn up but its still theory like the other one...

 

[box-E]

WOW:-o What an incredable write up, thanks so much for doing it and giving of your time for the rest of us! Looking forward to the rest of it. Good luck, Drew

 

[bh241]

Impressive write up. It looks like somebody has been a very busy boy...

I like the look you have with the SC nose, the how-to you've written should make that option easier for those considering the mod.

 

[Brawsie]

Fantastic job Wasted. That's ahelluva lot of work. And to write it all up too.

This needs a sticky.

looks great btw.

 

[Drop_Box]

FYI....spdrcr put this in the how-to section!

Again great job on the write up! I know it takes extra time to stop and take pics but everyone here will appreciate it.

Let me know if you'll post a head-on pic of the front!

 

[kitkat123474]

this should definetly be posted as a sticky!

 

[Drop_Box]

Wasted...any reason you didn't use the existing EX headlight brackets? I used mine and they seemed to work just fine.

Also should be mentioned that the lower skirt from the EX/LX/DX does not match up the same so the bolt holes cannot be used unless you replace the entire skirt....but really isn't needed as there's plenty of clips to hold it on the front. Also makes it easier to remove this way in the future

 

[wastedonanime]

Oh, I used the upper headlight brackets. They are identical (i assume) to the SC model since they fit right on with out a problem. I meant the lower ones that fit on the lower part of the SC lights that allow you to use the third 10mm bolt on the bottom. The left one just won't fit b/c of the oil cooler line and I didn't really like the fact that it clips onto the front bumper. Just makes removing it that much more difficult but it probably wouldn't have been that difficult.

Indeed! I should take a picture of that. All 4 lower bolts were not used and I think maybe even two bumper clips were not used either. I am going to try accessing the fog light bulbs for fun just to see if it makes life easier. I thought about replacing the stock bulbs with yellow ones mostly for looks although some claim that they are better in fog while others say there is no difference. Either way, I would rather not remove the bumper so soon after installing it. : )~

Something I need to look into as well is the fender liner. A while back I had that freak accident with a chair on the local interstate and ended up replacing my passenger's side with an 07 front liner since the old one was completely ripped out (see picture). There were some very slight differences between the two that were very noticeable but there was no problem with installing it or fitting it onto the old bumper. When I was putting the SC bumper on, it seemed like (to my father and I) that the bumper slid on much easier on that side compared to the other which gave us some resistance. Nothing that prevented the installation, but it was a PITA for about a couple of minutes while we tried what seemed like forcing the bumper into place while pushing the liner in. We're not exactly sure what was causing it but that seems to be the reason. Could just have been that piece in particular and not necessarily all 03-06 fender liners.

Both noted on the write up.