DIY: Converting your R34 Xenon Headlights to LHD

[GoHashiriya]

I searched everywhere for a DIY on this, including in other languages for other R34-importing countries: Finland, Netherlands, France, Germany etc. and all I could find was a decades-old thread on a UK-based Skyline forum with incomplete/non-existent pictures. I then spoke with another R34-driving friend in Japan, a Finnish chap - also a member here - and he explained to me that making the beam "flat", as is accepted in many LHD countries was easy, and guided me through the process.

Last weekend, as the mad rush to make my car EU-compliant continued, I took a few pictures as I modded the headlights for EU compliance. The car will be taken to the port in Japan in a few weeks. 

The idea is that the bulb housing needs to have a piece of material added to it where it projects the beam upwards to the left side - consequently dazzling left-side oncoming traffic. The guy in the other thread explaining this process welded a small piece of steel to the housing, which is practically irreversible and invites potential for damage. The way my friend did it, and subsequently I have done it, is to add aluminium tape instead. 

With the headlights removed, and in a well-lit workspace. Remove the security bit and then the cover for the Xenon bulb:

Once removed, you'll need to unclip the bulb retainer and remove the 3x phillips head screws:

Carefully twist and remove the bulb from the connector and set it aside in a clean, secure area:

With the bulb removed, you'll then be able to remove the bracket and retaining clip to access the bulb housing:

With the bulb housing out, you'll be able to see the right side is lower than the left side. This is the part that increases the beam output on the left side. Why does the right side increase output on the left side? The beam is flipped upside-down and right to left via the headlight reflector:   

This is the part where I had to have faith in that decades-old thread from the other forum. The previous poster claimed you had to add 4mm of material to the lower side of the housing, to block enough output to make the beam flat. As I don't have time to f*ck around, I'm just going by what he said. My friend told me he can't remember how much material he added. We'll find out later whether 4mm was sufficient.

Make sure you buy good-quality aluminium tape, as it gets hot in there. I added masking tape to the tape to mark it off in 4mm intervals across the width, then scored the tape - this will help in application - the length was 35mm: 25mm for the length across the light-exposed portion and 10mm as support on the bulb housing:

 Fold the tape evenly prior to application to ensure you get a straight edge:

Clean the bulb housing with degreaser and apply the aluminium tape. Having scored across the tape, you should be able to align it "perfectly" with the bulb housing.

 

Reintall everything in the reverse order, replicate the process on the other headlight, aaaand done.  Wish me luck in my next vehicle inspection.

Note: I had to remove the spade terminal on the bulb connector to get it sufficiently out the way. 

Note: You will be modifying the right-side of both bulb housings. Don't try to mirror this on the other side. 

Time taken: 30mins - 1 hour p/side. Plus whatever it takes to remove/install the headlights from the car.  

I will hopefully get a chance to check the beam this weekend at the shop when the windscreen gets replaced. I've got a before picture so will upload a before & after if I can get that image. 

[GTSBoy]

Cross your fingers and hope that the adhesive on the tape is happy at the operating temperatures involved.

[GoHashiriya]

27 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

Cross your fingers and hope that the adhesive on the tape is happy at the operating temperatures involved.

Yeah, I wondered this too. But the aforementioned Finnish friend ran this for some years (approx. eight years) in Finland and it was holding up fine when he sent the car back to Japan - fingers crossed. Either way, it's a damn sight easier than welding it up.   

[GoHashiriya]

Mother f*cker. Just got back from the shop, and will need to redo it most likely. I’ll try adding a 5/6mm (depending on how I feel) to the wall on the bulb housing this time. This is a note to all of you. 

[wardiz]

Worth to mention the other problem at the time was the use of xenon headlight without washer/auto leveling above a given limit (2000 lumens IIRC).
I don't know if things have changed or not regarding that point.
Very interesting in knowing the size added mask to achieve a flatten beam !

[GoHashiriya]

20 minutes ago, wardiz said:

Worth to mention the other problem at the time was the use of xenon headlight without washer/auto leveling above a given limit (2000 lumens IIRC).
I don't know if things have changed or not regarding that point.
Very interesting in knowing the size added mask to achieve a flatten beam !

Cheers. What country does the xenon w/o washer restriction apply to? 
 

From memory, the R34s in NL - where I’ll be going - don’t have headlight washers. I know this is usually a requirement in the U.K. on cars I’ve bought there. 

[wardiz]

It's applied to most EU countries (EEC countries) but I don't know if things have changed or not.

[iTzTMG]

There used to be a requirement in NL on cars from 2006 onwards equipped with xenon although I think this has also been scrapped by now, but as the R34 is pre 2006 headlight washers are not needed in NL if you have xenon headlights.

Also interested to know the final measurements that you end up with to get the correct beam as I have a new set of headlights that I will need to convert to LHD.
 

[GoHashiriya]

On 10/17/2023 at 8:18 PM, iTzTMG said:

There used to be a requirement in NL on cars from 2006 onwards equipped with xenon although I think this has also been scrapped by now, but as the R34 is pre 2006 headlight washers are not needed in NL if you have xenon headlights.

Also interested to know the final measurements that you end up with to get the correct beam as I have a new set of headlights that I will need to convert to LHD.
 

Cheers. I found something similar to this (2009? For the U.K.) and deemed that enough reasoning to justify why the R34s in NL don’t have this feature. 

[GoHashiriya]

I’ve added a 5mm wall and tried to match the curvature of the bulb housing. It looks a bit better now but there is still slight beam spillage which I’m starting to think comes from the shape of the reflector. 
 

I’ll leave it like this for now and see what they say in NL. 

[wardiz]

Thanks for the update.
It does look better from the picture.
Did you try to park at 10m from a wall ? It should give you a better idea of the shape of the pattern.
But yes the pattern is produced from the reflector.

[GoHashiriya]

Just to nip this one in the bud, the car passed Netherlands inspection with these headlights last week.

[funkymonkey]

Now you just need to make a kit out of this and flog it to the Americans for 10X the price.