When Alexey Korobov last appeared on SaabPlanet, the story centered on a Saab 9-3 OG Aero that had survived circumstances far harsher than a normal restoration project and returned with roughly 300 hp. His latest message moves away from engine output and into a part of the car that owners normally treat as a sealed component: the headlamp assembly.
The work itself is not new. Korobov says the headlight conversion was fully implemented in June 2023, but it remained largely private until a group of old development photos resurfaced in his Google Photos account. Those images are what make the project worth documenting now, because they show the intermediate stages that are usually missing when a finished custom lamp appears online.
His original description calls the units “3D printed headlights,” but the photographs reveal a more precise engineering story. The Saab lens and outer housing remain the packaging boundary. The optical functions come from separate Hella modules, while the new internal structure that positions those modules was developed in CAD and produced with FDM printing. In other words, Korobov did not attempt to print an optical lens or invent a reflector from scratch. He used additive manufacturing to create the geometry that lets proven lighting modules live inside a Saab housing.
The difficult part was the carrier, not the idea
Modular headlamp optics have existed for decades, so Korobov is careful not to claim that the basic concept is new. What required original work was fitting two independent round light functions and separate daytime running lamps into the confined shape of a first generation 9-3 headlight, then making the result repeatable enough to print.
He says development of the new internal reflector and carrier geometry took about two months. That timeline makes sense when the CAD images are compared with the finished part. A front view can be made convincing quite quickly. The problem is depth. The projector bodies extend far behind the visible face, the mounting studs need access, wiring needs a path, and the printed structure has to clear the original shell. Small dimensional errors that are invisible on a computer screen can become impossible interference once the insert is pushed into the housing.
“It seems simple, but the design was constantly being refined and improved.” – Alexey Korobov
FDM printing was well suited to that kind of iteration. A revised CAD model could be turned into another physical prototype without producing molds, machining a one off carrier, or permanently modifying a good headlamp before the geometry was proven. Korobov has not supplied the printer model or polymer used, so those details should not be guessed. What the photos do establish is the workflow: CAD, printed trial geometry, module installation, wiring and final fit inside the Saab shell.
Hella optics provided a known starting point
Korobov selected Hella modular optics for the low beam and high beam functions. The decision is important because the optical unit itself is the safety critical part of the conversion. Hella maintains a broad modular headlamp program for vehicle manufacturers, specialty vehicles and custom applications, with separate low beam, high beam and combined modules. That architecture allows a fabricator to design the surrounding carrier around a defined lamp instead of trying to create light distribution through trial and error.
The supplied photographs show round Hella modules and their three point mounting arrangement, but Alexey did not provide exact part numbers. For that reason, we are deliberately not assigning a specific Hella model to the build. Readers who want to understand the modular system itself can use Hella’s headlamp module finder, which covers several module sizes and lighting technologies.
This distinction also matters for the “3D printed headlight” description. The printed component is the integration structure. The beam forming optics remain manufactured lighting units. That is a much more credible approach for a road car, even though the legality of the finished modified assembly still depends on the rules of the country where it is used.
FRISTOM FT-300 DRLs solved the narrow outer section
The vertical elements at the outer edge arrived later in the process. Korobov says the daytime running lights were added only after he found a unit that matched the available space and the look he wanted. The solution came from Polish lighting manufacturer FRISTOM and its FT-300 LED daytime running lamp.
According to FRISTOM, each FT-300 system is designed for daytime running use, with 3 W rated power, peak current consumption of 0.25 A at 12 V, reverse polarity protection, surge protection and a standby function that switches the DRLs off when the main lights are activated. The set is supplied with a 3.5 meter cable. Those are manufacturer specifications for the FT-300 product, not measurements made on Alexey’s car.
The physical proportions are just as relevant as the electrical data. A long, narrow lamp can occupy the otherwise awkward outer strip of the custom insert without competing with the two main circular modules. In the finished headlight, that arrangement gives the daytime signature its own location rather than trying to imitate a modern LED ring around the projector.
The printed part turns an OEM shell into a modular lighting frame
The assembly photos show the most useful detail for other fabricators. The printed black insert is not merely a decorative bezel placed in front of the old reflector. It carries the new optical layout as a single internal structure. Once installed in the original shell, the round modules sit behind the factory clear cover and retain the external dimensions required by the hood, grille, bumper and fender.
That is why the finished car does not look like it has a universal lamp pod bolted to the front. Korobov changed the light architecture inside the component, not the body around it. The approach also makes the CAD model the central piece of the project. If the carrier geometry is correct, the same packaging concept can theoretically be reproduced without manually fabricating every bracket from the beginning.
SaabPlanet has covered 3D printed Saab trim and grille projects before, but this is a more demanding use of the technology. A grille insert can be judged mainly by fit, finish and durability. A headlamp carrier also determines where the optical modules sit, how they can be adjusted, how wiring is routed and whether the assembly can be closed without creating interference.
Why Alexey wanted an 80s restomod look on a 9-3 OG
Korobov’s design target was not a contemporary matrix LED appearance. He wanted the car to look as if an older modular lighting idea had been reinterpreted for the 9-3. That explains the paired round optics, the deep black inner surface and the decision to keep the visible lamp elements mechanically distinct.
“The car with this headlight tuning looks like a restomod from the 80s.” – Alexey Korobov
The reference is interesting because the 9-3 OG itself belongs to the late 1990s and early 2000s. The conversion therefore works backward stylistically. Instead of trying to make the front end resemble a newer 9-3, it introduces the compact, separate lamp geometry associated with older performance and competition lighting. On a black Aero, the dark carrier visually reduces the size of the original rectangular headlamp and leaves the two circles to define the face.
The vertical DRLs are the one clearly modern function, but their narrow rectangular shape avoids the common aftermarket formula of halos or continuous light bars. Whether an owner prefers this treatment is subjective, yet the reasoning behind it is coherent. Every visible light element corresponds to a specific functional module, and the styling follows from the packaging rather than being applied as a cosmetic mask.
A different use of 3D printing for an aging Saab
The strongest part of Korobov’s project is not the novelty claim. It is the way he used additive manufacturing to bridge two incompatible generations of hardware. The original Saab shell provides the exact body fit. Hella provides purpose built optical modules. FRISTOM provides a compact DRL solution. The printed carrier is the custom interface that makes those parts occupy one coherent package.
For older Saabs, that approach has practical significance. As complete original lighting assemblies become harder to find in good condition, owners will increasingly face a choice between used parts, variable quality aftermarket reproductions and repair of aging originals. CAD and FDM printing add another possibility, not by pretending that every component can be printed, but by reproducing the brackets, carriers and internal geometry that are often impossible to buy separately.
Korobov finished this headlight set in 2023 and then moved on. Three years later, a forgotten photo archive has finally documented how much work sat behind the result. For Saab enthusiasts interested in fabrication, the CAD screenshots may be more valuable than the glamour shot of the finished car, because they show exactly where modern small scale manufacturing can extend the life of a discontinued platform.
Is there any build files for purchase or download? I’d love to do this on mine