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Old 05-27-2013, 01:21 AM   #71
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Energizer
Great build!! I really like the versatility and focus on efficiency for gas mileage. I am looking to do something similar on my 2002 Astro.

Those wheels turned out very nice. Can you share the make and model?

Thanks! As far as the wheels, they are OEM GM HD wheels. They are what came stock on most of the GM/Chevy HD 8-lug trucks from 99-11 I believe. Either way they are pretty cheap to find on craig's list which is funny because they are without a doubt the lightest and strongest wheels for 8-lug wheels and they look really good if a little effort is put into them.

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Old 05-27-2013, 01:23 AM   #72
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

Welcome to my current project/nightmare!!!




Write up to follow...as soon as I figure out how to make it all work!!
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Old 05-27-2013, 08:02 AM   #73
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

You should probably add the increase in aerodynamic drag from your new front bumper to the negative side of your fuel economy calculations.
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Old 05-27-2013, 11:50 AM   #74
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

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You should probably add the increase in aerodynamic drag from your new front bumper to the negative side of your fuel economy calculations.

You think so? I was actually thinking the opposite. It has a lower air damn than the stock one had, although more of the tires are exposed than before. I plan on rectifying that this week though as I plan on adding some steel to the bumper to help it wrap around better and be less of an offroad bumper.
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Old 05-27-2013, 01:07 PM   #75
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

Do you think you will ever do a penthouse or fixed top. I love my penthouse. More room below for stuff (I use mine fore music gear and boondock when gigging away from home) and nice bed at night.
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Old 05-27-2013, 11:24 PM   #76
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

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Do you think you will ever do a penthouse or fixed top. I love my penthouse. More room below for stuff (I use mine fore music gear and boondock when gigging away from home) and nice bed at night.

Yup!!
I plan on getting Ron's (aka BettyFord) extra pop-top that he has. We've spoken on the phone and if I'm around during the June meet in WY I plan on driving out there and buying/installing the extra one he's got. I really like that style that he's got, just hope it all works out and I can grab it from him!

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Old 05-28-2013, 02:35 AM   #77
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

Awesome.
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Old 05-31-2013, 12:40 AM   #78
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

Well...the Nightmare is over!!!

I'm waiting for the silicone to dry on them and then I can drop them in, but before that, here's all that I had to do to make them work. Have a seat ya'll and grab some opcorn2:

So here's what I started with, Projector conversion and a aftermarket set of new headlights:



First thing I had to do was do a little baking:



Then Pried them apart (man was that some nasty stuff, but thankfully once it's warm it comes apart pretty easy...considerably)





Then I taped off the Hi-Beam reflector and painted the Low-beam black with some Flame proof non-reflective paint.





So this is the hole that I started out with that I had hoped I didn't have to modify:





Seemed like it would fit in pretty well with no mods necessary!! :hmmm:







But unfortunately it was not meant to be. First there was not enough thread left in the back to be able to install the bulb retaining clips...



So after 1 hour of grinding to make that work, I put it all back together to find out that the top of the projector would hit the back side of the headlight lens when I put it back together. So I had to grind the living snot out of the reflector to get the projector to sit recessed inside the reflector enough so it wouldn't hit the back of the lens cover.

So started the grinding.... :rage:

Took me a full day of grinding, test fitting, grinding, test fitting and back again until I finally ground enough down so that the projector would fit. Problem was that I ground down so much that there was now nothing left to hold the projector in the reflector anymore. So I went to Home Depot and started buying random things that might work and finally found something to make a false back with:



I really have no idea what it is, looks like a piece for plumbing in a bathroom but I did a good job of hacking it up to make it work...

One on the left is modified, one on the right is normal...



For some reason I don't have a picture of all that I had to grind out of the reflector, but basically it's everything that's behind that plumbing plate:



And with the locking nut on there's enough thread left for the light bulb locking pin to go on.



Next up was making the Graphite shroud work,



I had to do quite a bit of modification for it to fit my application, primarily because the way they designed it to work added 3/8th of an inch to the height of it which did not allow it to clear the top lens of the headlight even with everything I had ground out of it.

So to make it fit more or less flush I had to modify the shroud centric rings down so they fit completely down into the shroud:









Next up, because of the type of head-light housing this universal kit was supposed to go in I ended up having issues with light leaking out the side of the shroud and blinding passing motorist because of how far out these projectors stick out of the reflector housing,

This is without the shroud but even with it on, this was the amount of light that would leak out the side of the shroud:



so I had to paint them, I painted the inside with the same VHT Flame proof paint:



And then painted the outside with VHT Night Shade (same stuff used to tint taillights):







So here's the Projector without the Shroud:



And then with the Graphite Shroud on:





Then it was time for complete disassembly for cleaning, then re-assembly and mock-up to adjust the angle and height of them.







Here's what the back looks like all mocked up with the lightbulb retaining clips in:



And then it was baking time again, had to put them back in the oven to melt that glue/gunk and then clamp the lights back together:



Also had to Silicone the back so that they were somewhat sealed from water getting in:



And then they are drying now and I'll probably be swapping them in here pretty soon as soon as the silicone dries.

Here's the final product:



And next to the stock headlights:









So that's it for now, all in all in probably took me over 20 hours over 3-4 days to get it done. Now that I know what it takes to make them work I could probably do a set in 2-3 hours but most of the time was just trial and error and grinding and some creative thinking to figure out how to make them work.

I'll post up an update later on what they look like installed and working!
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Old 05-31-2013, 01:41 AM   #79
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

All done!!
They work and they look great, will probably have to do a little adjusting when I get a chance to make sure they work and are pointed in the correct direction but overall I'm pretty happy.

Here's the comparo between an HID inside a halogen housing and then one inside a projector housing. (passenger side is a Projector and the Drivers side is a Halogen housing)



Projector (notice how focus'ed the light is):



Halogen (you can see how scattered the light is):



And with both the Projectors in...



And here's how well the shroud blocks any light from being scattered elsewhere, I do wish I did a better job of cleaning the inside of the headlight before glueing it back on! Dohh!



Anyways...all done!
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Old 05-31-2013, 06:55 AM   #80
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Re: 2006 Duramax Build thread

well freaking done! looks phenomial man!

out of curiosity, how long did the second one take you?

and np on the vht stuff tip those turned out real nice too btw...
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