2013 Ford F-150 HID Raptor Headlight Conversion - Retrofit Refresh
Completely transforming our project F-150, the Raptor Retrofit black headlights perfectly complemented the new black grille and black wheels. We also got the added benefit of genuine HID lighting.
Each year, manufacturers tweak a truck model here and there to give enough of a refresh to keep new buyers making the trip to their local dealerships. Such a tweak happened in 2013 when Ford added optional HID lighting on the F-150 Lariat, Platinum, and SVT Raptor. HID stands for high-intensity discharge, which is a type of electrical gas-discharge lamp instead of the typical tungsten filament found on traditional halogen lights. Without sounding like a chemistry class, HID lights provide a whiter white, broader light spectrum, and last considerably longer than cheaper halogen lights, which is why you’ll find them on high-end luxury and European cars. Ford made these lights available for three reasons: no one else offered real HIDs on a pickup, they’re safer, and it gave the 2013 an edge over the previous F-150 models from the same design era (2009-2012).
Just like the manufacturers do their best to make the next model year look a little different, we also look for ways to make our trucks stand out and, if we’re being honest, look as new as possible. After all, if you just bought a 2014 F-150, but it didn’t come with the HID lights, don’t you want it to look like the best F-150 out there? Thankfully there is a way to add better looks and safer lighting to your Ford -- and it only takes an hour. We ordered a full plug-and-play HID kit from the lighting pros at RaptorRetrofit.com to convert our 2013 F-150’s H13 halogen harness to a ballast-ready HID harness ($150). All of the parts came ready to install and many even came in the OE Ford packaging. Although we love the look of aftermarket lights with CCFL halos and LED lighting, we think Ford designers did a great job with the factory HID lights, so we also ordered a pair of 2013 HID headlamps from Raptorretrofit.com ($1,250). The install couldn’t have been easier and now our F-150 looks higher-end and we only spent an hour doing all of the work.
Source: Raptorretrofit.com
| 1. The first step in removing the factory headlights was to use a Philips screwdriver to remove the trim flap and then remove the two 10mm bolts on top of the radiator core support that secured the light. A firm tug was then all it took to pop the light free. Next the factory harness was unplugged and the old turn signal bulbs were removed.
| 5. If you’re wondering why your cheap Chinese HIDs keep going out or flickering, one reason is lack of power. The RaptorRetrofit.com guys figured this out and require you to supply the ballast with its own stand-alone power and ground. This guarantees the lights will come on every time with no flickering. Here we removed some paint on the lower support brace under the headlights and used a self-tapper for a ground.
| 9. Power was supplied by connecting an eyelet terminal directly to the postivie-side of the battery. Now we have true HID lighting without any of the cheap Chinese flickering or malfunctions.
