Motorized "Mean Eyes" for headlights

[BoostedDrummer]

Has anyone ever tried to make some mean looking headlights? I've seen them on SRT-4's and on one Omni GLH with the wheels sticking out a little more than usual. I can't recall his name but its a red/black omni that was then transformed into an olive drab green. I loved the way it makes an Omni look like it means business.

So here's my idea: make motorized "eyelids" that activate via button or by pressure switch for an L-body.

The idea came to me today when I was out on the flightline at work. My Omni, when I rotate back to 'Merica, is going to be really powerful(tell by the mods in sig) but I want it really quiet. I want to retain the sleeper aspect of it which is why I want a quiet exhaust that doesn't restrict the motor too much for day to day driving. What it also has, or will have however, is a Y-dump exhaust with an electric cutout so I can have full power when I'm running down the strip or have the friendly street encounter. The Omni, by all aesthetic aspects, looks docile to those who aren't in the know with only a few 'Turbo" monikers that give it away. What I want to do with my GLH is change from docile to hostile at the flip of a switch. So here's the meat and potatoes of this read. Press a button and go from quiet exhaust to low rumble with a turbo whistling on standby and at the same time have some "mean eyes" to match the sudden change.

For those who would like a visual and get the jist of the idea, here's a fancy GIF image of the front of an Omni GLH I made up.


Now in order to make this happen, you of course need some electric motors, which one's however I'm still unsure of. The other thing is that I would have to make sure the "eyelids" don't interfere or hit anything while retracting up and down of the bezel. If it all comes together the way I am thinking, I believe it would be one of those rare occurences that leaves a memorable impression to those who see it. Just picture this, you're at the strip ready to pull up to the waterbox. Flip the lights and the "eyelids" switch before you do a burnout, and people who see it know that your car means business.

Lemme know what you guys think

[Opticon]

Make them pneumatic with a small tension spring and tie them to the intake signal. vacuum retracts them and boost drops them.

And since you're already being corny, Use an H4 conversion housing with red DRL bulbs on a boost switch... so the headlights glow red under boost. You could always use the boost switch to trigger the electric motor idea too.

[glhs727]

Make them pneumatic with a small tension spring and tie them to the intake signal. vacuum retracts them and boost drops them.

And since you're already being corny, Use an H4 conversion housing with red DRL bulbs on a boost switch... so the headlights glow red under boost. You could always use the boost switch to trigger the electric motor idea too.

yea, that's some creative thinking!!!

[BadAssPerformance]

LOL, I like the boost powered idea!

[CoolV300C]

not sure about that idea. Omnis break often enough with their stock parts. but i LOVE that gold GLH!

[RoadWarrior222]

Potential donor...



C body new yorker '88 -'93

[Opticon]

yea, that's some creative thinking!!!

Thanks, Cindy!



Rotomation A032 pneumatic rotary actuators (for pick & place robotics) should be small enough to fit in the corners of the bezels (2" x 1.5" x 1.5") and can be plumbed for both directions.

http://rotomation.com/a032.htm

If I can get the GLHT done in time I might do this for when I crash the H2O VW show. It would leave quite an impression on that crowd.

[vipernbox]

LOL, I like the boost powered idea!

Like an old charger with vac powered headlight covers.. Only they could work the other way... Vac would hold them up... boost would push them down.. That could work...


I like this idea..

[BoostedDrummer]

I like the boost activated idea, but if it came to that, I would rather actuate the eyelids through a solenoid of some sort thats hooked up to a vacuum line. Sort of like the wastegate canisters on our turbos. I don't know where or what they're actually called, and I've looked in sources such as Grainger's online catalog. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right area??

As for the electric motor route, I was thinking something simple, such as RC Plane servos. They have a limited range of movement and are readily available from almost any hobby store.


I was thinking of two of them connected together mounted behind the front frame by the radiator, almost behind the bumper and having a rod setup moving the lids up and down. The corners of the lids closest to the outside of the car are on a fixed, pivotal point. I drew something of my idea on paint as reference.


The top image is that of the servos in the up/open position and the bottom image is that of them being in the down/closed eye position. A red line represents the rod connecting the lids and servo motors.

Feasable??

[RoadWarrior222]

Hate to break it to you, but RC servos ain't alllll that simple. You'll need to make a controller that modulates them.

[OmniLuvr]

^ this is true...

[BoostedDrummer]

Depending on how much space is available or however you can get it set up, what if one went the route of window lock motors?

[22shelby]

i love the idea... ill search around and help with the hunt for an acctuator of some sort..... oh and boostedrummer, sweet artwork on the design, really does look like a GLH front end