t2d2

iTrader: (8)

If it were me, and my inclinations leaned toward trying to improve on the stock lighting design, I would try going a more retro direction. I think the SC's front end is better suited to dual rounds in the stock housing than LED strips. Not quite as puckered as the third (?) generation Integra's pencil eraser lights, but sort of a blend of that, the Mercedes dual rounds, and the Supra tails.

Of course, once you do all that, then you need to figure out access for changing bulbs...

NickTee

If you're going to do it, you need to consider the shape of the car. It needs to flow with the rest of the vehicle, otherwise it just looks out of place.

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

One thing you need to consider is how much room is actually available inside the light. If you go for an LED line across the top of the headlight you're going to run out of space and possibly have your LED's over the front of the projector. There's not really any flat space above the projctor before the top of the chrome housing, and then the lens face sits right there. So I don't even think there is any room for an LED line over the top to even be plausible.

Another thing to consider is you'll need either highly directional LED's, or you'll need to line all but the very front of the LED strip with something to block the light from diffusing. The chrome inside of our headlights is very reflective. A single bulb in the parking light socket is enough to light up the whole housing with reflections off the chrome. You're going to have the same problem unless the light from the LED's is prevented from diffusing. If it does diffuse in the headlight assembly you're whole assembly is just going to light up and it won't really have the same look that more modern cars with an LED strip built in around the headlight looks.

If you do it, I'd suggest blacking out the headlight housing and doing the L design that goes across the bottom, there is more space, and blacking out the housing will end the reflection issue so you won't have to fully stop the light from diffusing inside the housing. I considered it briefly when I took apart my headlights, but I ended up deciding against it. Reason being is there are 3 seperate assemblies, and modernizing one without doing at least the high-beams makes the car look goofy.

However, even doing a strip across the bottom may end up introducing some weird shadows into your headlight projection pattern on the ground. Most modern LED strips aren't in the same housing as the projector, so the strips have no chance of messing with the optics, but with ours you're going to have to place them in the same housing, these are all going to be problems that will make it difficult to do this properly.

I personally wouldn't, but if you do decide to do it, make sure you take reflections inside the housing, and spacing into consideration. If you can get your hands on a second set of headlights so that you have time to leave yours apart while you work on them it will be all the better as you can play around, and buy more parts without having any down-time for your car.