When we tried to fit one of our H1 HID kits into the gf's Nissan silvia, we found that the S13 Triple projector headlights have a strange H1 adapter plug which means the installation of HIDs is NOT plug and play ordeal. It is quite involved and generally requires the removal of the headlight to secure the HID bulbs. Expect to take around 1 to 2 hours to complete this. No particular skill is required, so don't be too scared. If you follow this guide you will be fine :) This information is provided simply as a help guide to people with S13s, I make no claim that this is the best or only way to do this - it is simply how I chose to solve the problem.
Here is a picture of the H1 bulb sitting in its Silvia holder/connector:
Apparently some people hack apart the standard bulb holder and drill out its insides to mount the HID, but these parts are difficult to find if you ever want to return them to stock, so I didn't want to go down that path. Instead I decided to affix the light into the headlight housing using a securing screw.
At first I planned on using a self tapper to secure the HID bulb into the headlight, but I was concerned about the head of the screw damaging the base of the HID bulb, and the tip touching and shattering the glass if the screw went in on an angle. Instead I chose to use a nut/bolt combination. Since I found NO information relating to how to do this on the net anywhere despite a couple of days of research, and quite a bit of frustration (and a cute but cranky girlfriend, after it seemed it was going to be too much work to fit them once we discovered it wasn't plug and play), we ended up taking some pics and making notes on the installation to make it easier for others in similar situations.
Since you own a Silvia, while you are at it, you should buy some S13 stuff from our store at STREET FX ONLINE :D Go on!! Dooo it!
OK, lets get into the business end of this operation...
Firstly remove the parking lights - there is one screw holding them on top of the headlights. Also remove the centre grill to get at the retaining nuts and bolts. There are two nuts on the sides behind the parkers, and two bolts behind the grill for each headlight. Simply unplug the hi/low beams from the loom and slide the headlights forward.
Once the headlights are removed just unscrew the plastic locks off the back of the low beams. You will notice that the factory low beam connector looks like a H4 dual beam plug with 3 prongs, however it is just a weird H1 adapter - this is the ultimate cause of the problem that results in this operation not being plug and play.
Pic of back of headlight showing the 3 prong to H1 adapter:
Remove the standard H1 adapter from the housing by pressing the clips inwards and pulling the globe out.
Pic of H1 to three prong connector with bulb, removed from headlight assembly:
We need to make a hole for the bolt to go through. As it happens there is already a hole in the aluminium S13 headlight backing plate that is used as a locator, which we will use to put our bolt through, but we need to make a hole that lines up on the plastic HID base.
Now remove the aluminium headlight bulb backing plate from the headlight housing. This is fixed in with two phillips head screws. Unscrew them and be sure not to drop the screws into the headlight surrounds.
Get your new HID headlight bulb and prepare it for making a locating hole. I chose to use the protective packaging as a drill stand so I could hold the bulb steady and drill into the base. See pics.
Simply drill a hole opposite the correct locating nipple on the back side of the base. Make sure you test fit the H1 HID into the base plate so you know which nipple to drill out. Be very careful when drilling, use a sharp drill and dont apply much pressure, otherwise you might break through the other side straight into the glass of the HID bulb.
Pics of bulb being drilled:
Now depending on the brand of HIDs you may need to modify your washers to suit. I had to file off a side of mine so it didn't interfere with the HID wiring where it attaches to the base. I didn't have any tools so i just ground it against the concrete for 20 seconds.
Pic of Washers:
Once you have drilled your hole and prepared your washers, carefully insert the globe into the backing plate, ensuring you dont scratch the bulb or touch it with your fingers. Once it is located, put your screw through from the bulb side toward the back of the bulb base. Slip on your washer and then the nut. This is a bit fiddly but shouldn't take more than 5 mins. Tighten the nut but be sure to have the HID lined up completely correctly first and also be careful not to have the glass touching the aluminium base plate.
Pic of globe mounted in base plate:
Before you can fit the bulbs back into the headlight assembly, you will possibly need to cut a section out of the headlight backing so your bulb can clear the reflector inside the headlight. Since the locking mechanism only uses 4 tabs and no thread, its safe to cut a section out without any adverse effects. I suggest cutting a chunk out of one of the lower quarters. Once again I had no tools at my gfs house so I had to use a steak knife and a lighter :P The job was a little messy without proper tools, but didnt take more than a few minutes per side. While cutting you might want to stuff a rag or paper towel into the reflector to prevent shavings going into your lens.
Pics of the modified headlight backing:
Once the globes are mounted onto the base plate and your plastic headlight backing has been modified to allow clearance, carefully fit the base plate back into the housing and put the mounting screws back in. The base plate can only go in one way, just spin it around 180 degrees if it doesnt seat properly on the mounts.
Pic of reinserting the bulb into the housing:
It would be a good time now to test the headlights work and prove you haven't stuffed anything up. Your HID wiring will probably just have two spade terminals, connect these into the left and right terminals on the connector for the low beam from the factory vehicle loom. On Em's silvia the wiring was green for pos and black for neg. We had to use a flat blade screwdriver to slightly squash the female terminal on the factory plug so it wasn't so loose around the HID spade - your brand of HID kit may not require this. I also put a couple of layers of insulation tape around the positive terminal. Connect all the wires and turn on the low beam. They should be working now.
Here is a comparison of both sides (On the left of the pic is the HID, on the right is the H1 standard with a Super white blue coated bulb would you believe it?!):
Put the rubber weather seal/boot back over the wiring and then relock the headlight surrounds back on.
Pic of rubber boots, surrounds and locks:
Now you need to mount your ballasts. I had purchased digital slimline ballasts which not only give flicker free, waterproof and shock proof advantages over the older style ballasts, they are TINY and as such can be mounted anywhere. This is a major time saver and in most cases you don't even need to use brackets. I just use zip ties and attached them to the bumper reo brackets that go to the chassis rails.
Pics of the ballasts mounted:
Provided everything is working, simply bolt everything back in and you should be cruising around with your HID goodness. While you are at it, nows a good time to realign your headlights - there are adjuster bolts at the top of the low beam lamp. Just adjust using a 10mm spanner or ratchet with socket.
Below is a pic of Em's car with the HIDs in it on the left of the image, and on the right is Hayleys standard 'super white' headlight bulbs.
Below is another pic of these kits installed into my supra, compare the old non HID bulb on the right, which is actually a Philips Super White 'arctic blue' bulb, which cost around $150 for a pair.
Dont forget to check our STREET FX ONLINE EBAY STORE for nearly 1000 items! Who knows, you may even get to have your own HID installation crew visit you if you ask nicely :P
