DIY: x70 Projector Retrofit

[Darkfleet]

Long time lurker first time posting. I really appreciate forums like this and could definitely not accomplish what I do without them. So here is my contribution on a headlight mod for x70 cars.

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to properly improve the lighting on x70 cars and IMO I think I have finally reached the best solution. I have tried a few different methods including LED bulbs, HID lights, modifying LED bulbs and even adding strategic plati-dip to the headlight lens all in order to reduce glare. From my research and experience, I tend to agree that if you are trying to improve your lighting, projectors (HID or Halogen) is the only option if your goal is not to blind others. Originally, I thought a projector retrofit was a complicated thing and with not a whole lot of Volvo specific projector threads - I kind of dismissed the idea. Anyways, long story short I installed projectors on my 99 V70 and here is the write-up. The light output has significantly increased and I get that beautiful straight cutoff with a little blue color flicker on the cutoff. There are also power savings going from 55w Halogens to the 35w HID’s.

Tools:
Dremel w/ grinding stone
Drill (Corded or Cordless)
Drill Press (not required)
1” Drillbit + Misc Screws
3” Hook and Loop Drill Backer
3” Hook and Loop Sanding Pads (Various Grit 40#-3000#)
3” Hook and Loop Sheep Wool Buffing Pad
Cerium Oxide – I used 3 micron

Lighting:
HID Projectors (H1 Mini - 2.5” w/ shrouds)
HID Bulbs (H1 - 35w)
HID Ballast (35w)

I ordered projectors off of aliexpress taking the one with the highest # of orders and feedback. These are projectors which use a H1 bulb and are meant to screw in to the existing bulb hole on the base of the reflector. Pretty simple! I was fortunate enough that through my previous attempts at lighting projects I had bought some H1 HID’s for the fog lights which I had changed to LED’s, so I had a set of DDM bulbs and ballasts kicking around to try out. Since doing this mod I have ordered higher end ballast and bulbs (Hylux ballast + CNLight Ball type bulbs) which are hopefully better quality.

What I Did:
Start by uninstalling the headlight with the 3 bolts on the back and it will slide out the front. Once removed the headlight lens held by multiple snap clips around the headlight needs to be removed. Remove all the clips and expose the reflector bowl. At this point you can either work on it in situ or remove the reflector. If you wish to remove the reflector just unclip the top corner open up the back and unhook the level adjuster then pull. Remove the bulb shield (metal bracket) and try to dry fit the projector. Grind away the bulb shield mounting spot and voila you’re ready to install the projector.

Put the projector in and install the H7 washer so that the projector will be oriented in the right way and level. Tighten the nut at the rear, install the bulb bracket and you can test it out. At this point I mounted my ballast on the outside of the high beam cover and had to drill a 1” hole in the Low beam cover to pass the require bulbs and power wires through the headlight to the ballast.

Ready for test:

Projector Cutoff Without Lens:

Once I had finished this part I put it all back together and put it on the car for some testing. I found that the flutes did not interfere with the projectors as much as I had expected although the cutoff was hazy and after a bit of driving I found that the fluted lenses were creating a bit of glare. So I decided to figure out how to sand and polish glass to remove the flutes and make them clear.
After a day or two of making sure that my aiming was good (stock headlight adjusters still work with this mod), I removed the headlight from the car but before removing the lens, I marked off a 3” circle using painters tape and a sharpie on the outside. This is what I used as my guide to start the cutting.

I researched typical glass sanding techniques and it seems the consensus is that if it does not get too hot, you’ll be fine. Water needs to be used at all times when sanding or polishing. I initially started on the drill press with a 40 grit pad although found it to be ridiculously slow. So I opted for a quicker method using the dremel and a grinding stone to just take out the high spots of the flutes. This worked great for me although if you are a patient individual I’m sure you can go the sanding route to get the initial flutes out. The dremel takes out the high spots on the flutes very quickly – always do this submerged and move quickly trying not to dig too deep and keep it to the higher spots.

Once the high spots on the flutes were gone I went back to the 40 grit until I had a nice smooth flat circle. Once I had reached this stage it was time to start going through to higher grits while trying to remove the scratches from the previous grit. I found it quite difficult my first time around trying to figure out how long you should spend at each stage but after doing it twice on the lens I was able to get the hang of it. I would probably spend about 5 minutes max on each grit after 400 grit and verify the surface for the depth of scratches.

I went to the handheld drill at this point so it wouldn’t give me circle scratches and I was able to move around and take our spots I thought were rougher. The glass will be hazy at this point and will require polishing.

After the 3000 grit pad it was time for the Cerium Oxide polishing. I had not had any experience with this stuff in the past although I must say after using it, it is really impressive! Trick is to have a new buffing pad/wheel on hand. I originally tried with a felt round on the dremel and it did not work so I moved to a sheep’s wool buffing pad I found at the local hardware store. It really made all the difference. Mix the CO and water 1:1 add to the buffing pad and buff away! Just make sure when the paste starts to dry keep a spray bottle nearby to keep it wet, otherwise the glass will get really hot and possibly crack. Do this for 10 minutes or so and you’ll end up with a beautiful see through piece of glass. MAGIC!

At this point dry fit the lens on top of the projector looking at the difference between the projectors cutoff and the lens + projector cutoff. No change = You are done. Still fuzzy ? = Keep buffing or repeat sanding procedure starting at a grit you believe will take out the deepest scratches. This is a lengthy process and the whole project took me about 1 night after work for each lens 4+ hours each but in my opinion the results are 100% worth it.

Nice cutoff

Hard to take a picture but no glare!

Projector

[EstVolvo]

Wow!
Lots of work.
How is the outcome compared to new C70 clear lens lights?
How much was it?
I'm itching to do something to my candle headlights.

[Darkfleet]

Surprisingly cheap.
40$ on the projectors
40 or so on bulbs and ballast
40 on sandpaper and cerium oxide

120 all in I would say.

Can't comment on clear lens lights as I have no experience with them but the output is great! I can finally see! I'll post a pic later

[FlyingVolvo]

Fantastic! Now that is HID done right! Very nice job. I get tired of people not understanding why dropping HIDs into stock housings is a terrible idea.

[tryingbe]

Nice!

[EstVolvo]

After hitting a pothole last night thanks to bad lights, I'm getting more serious about the HID project.
What is your experience so far? Still very happy?
Why did you use Aliexpress? I haven't tried them. Do they have better selection/products/prices than Amazon?
Could you make a shopping list with the items you would be using if you would be doing this job again?

[EstVolvo]

I'm thinking of buying the following. Has anybody any experience with that kind of setup?

[FlyingVolvo]

I just bought a full Morimoto Mini H1 retrofit kit with 4500K HIDs that I intend on using on some new TYC aftermarket headlamps from IPD. After doing more research and seeing proper retrofits, I've become suddenly very unsatisfied with my halogen ABM style projectors.

[EstVolvo]

To: ecbsykes - Where did you buy the Morimoto Mini H1 kit from? Is it 35w or 55w? What else were you considering and how did you end up with Morimoto?

[FlyingVolvo]

I bought the whole kit off The Retrofit Source. Based on many reviews, their customer service and warranty policies seems to be top notch. I'm not super savvy with these things, so for me it's nice to get an all-in-one kit that has projectors, shrouds, bulbs, wiring harnesses, and a company to back me up. I picked the Morimotos as they have a reputation for being very high quality projectors. That being said, I've seen quite a few nice retrofits done with far cheaper components from Amazon or on aliexpress like OP did. I got the 35W ballasts to try achieve a pure to slightly warm white with the 4500K bulbs.

I'll let you know how it works out. This thread has inspired me to get my lights in order!