Slowly starting on my own projectors

[b88dragon]

OK, spring/summer is finally here upon us, and now that the whether is nicer i can finally start working on my projectors ^_^.

So today was my last day of classes, and with nothing else to do i decided to take a crack at opening up the sedan headlights. Now being a complete newb at all of this, it took me nearly 20-40mins to pry open this sucker. (i brought an extra headlight to practice on).

after all the oven-baking and the prying and what not, i finally have it opened. Now i know what to do next time to help move the process along when i do actually get started on my car's headlights.

I'll keep this post updated as i move along with the whole process, might take me awhile since i now start working full time now since school over. wish me the best of luck guys.

here the open headlight take took me about an hr to open. lol. my method was 205 degrees in the oven, 10mins first, pried, back in oven for another 10, pry some more, back into oven one last time pry and yank haha and waala...open headlights.



can anyone tell me how to get the reflector bowl out? im seriously stuck. -_- There this nob on the back of the third pic but i have no clue on what to do. I've tried reading brandon's post on the DIY projector write up but got confused. so if anyone can help that would be great. Thanks guys. i'll be doing a through writeup as i move along if no one mines that is.

[rtcpenguin]

Sorry, but I have no idea about how to remove that reflector.

I am curious about the process though. I'm torn between wanting to try and retrofit my own headlights and waiting to see if any aftermarkets are released.

What projectors/shrouds are you going to put in? Have you already bought them?

[b88dragon]

i've gotten almost pretty much everything i need. I got the minigun shrouds. all i need to buy is just the sealant and some jb weld glue.

here's a list of what i got for my retrofit, hopefully the websites i've been too plus a few emails i'll send along the way helps, been reading alot about the whole process. i'll probably will do a write with plenty of pic on how to do it.

TSX projectors w/ TSX-R replica lensPlug & play Wiring harnessPhilips DS2+ light bulbsCCFL rings aka angel eyesMini gun shroudsMatsus***a G3 Ballast

so hopefully it all goes well and what not

does anyone know how to take it out? been pull in on the thing for awhile but scared i might break it -_-

[bina12834]

wow....it looks like you took the lens off differnetly than everyone else did. the way everyone else did it was so that just the lens comes off so you have access to the amber piece and what-not.

[rtcpenguin]

TSX projectors w/ TSX-R replica lensPlug & play Wiring harnessPhilips DS2+ light bulbsCCFL rings aka angel eyesMini gun shroudsMatsus***a G3 Ballast

How much did all that cost and where did you buy it?

[b88dragon]

all those parts were brought off ebay, but form on dealer, Retrofit-Source i believe http://store.theretrofitsource.com/index.php it a great place, got more of my parts there, and the CCFL rings off of ebay.

To bina: how is it different? i was just prying it open and all that came off...well im just glad this was my practice headlight and not my actual ones lol.

anyone care to shed some light on the situation?

[rtcpenguin]

I think what he's saying is that normally people just pull off the clear covering (lens), and not the turn signal and stuff like in your pics.

I believe there are some pics in that group buy thread, but I don't want to go through all 30 pages right now.

[LongBeachCoupe]

Its 3 pieces, and I think hes going to need to separate them all to be able to ensure its a snug fit without any issues.

If I had my druthers, Id have an entirely black enclosure with a q45 projector in it and a turn signal, thats all!

[b88dragon]

ohs, well i did pull everything out. so far here what it looks like, again im just experimenting with the spare headlight to see where things goes and what not.

LBC what are druthers?

i might do a dual setup now, a high beam and a low beam, not sure. but im still having trouble removing the dang reflector bowl. Here is everything taken apart, and the signal chrome piece is somewhere around myt room at the moment.

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

sweet cant wait to see it gl

[rtcpenguin]

How much did all the parts from ebay cost?

[b88dragon]

hmms....quite a bit lol. here the rough estimate because it has been awhile, brought all these back in feb so been a few months since then ahha.

TSX projectors = 200 - 275TSX-RX replica lens = 70 - 75CCFL rings size 109mm(i think these r the size) = 40-50Philips 85122+ d2s bulbs = 60 - 100H11 Wiring harness = 20 - 25Matsus***a G3 Ballast = 175-200Minigun Shrouds = 40 - 60

Overall spent about 400 - 600 i think, which i probably could have someone else done for me, but i'ma DIY kinda guy and if i f*ck up oh wells, no lost i knew what i was getting myself into. so once you weigh all the risk and cost, and both doesnt bother you then i say HELL GO FOR IT yourself and learn how to do it. because in the end, the feeling of accomplishing something on your own for your car is the best ever.

[Bmore-coupe]

LBC what are druthers?

Really?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/druthers



Hope that helps

Good luck on the build

[b88dragon]

haha, now i know what druther means, thanks bmore.

ok guys, i decided to take another tackle at removing the reflector bowl (drum roll please) and TA-DA i finally was about to get this lil sucker out. this thing was packed in there really tight and was hard to pull apart. now just worried whether or not i can put it back together hahah. well update more once i get my dremal drill and some jb weld. ^_^ this is exciting haha.



success is always a great feeling

[b88dragon]

Hey everyone thought i'll give an update, here what i've gotten done so far, now im taking my sweet, sweet time with theses because i only got one shot at getting it right. took me awhile to get the tsx projectors to sit nicely enough in the bowl. here are some pictures, if anyone care to shed some light on the situation be greatly appreciated.

Frontal View w/flash

Frontal View w/o flash

Angle View

Back view

Side View

So that's how far i am right now concerning the process, gonna be taking plenty of pics as i move along and writing it down as well with this little project of mines. Getting so excited cant wait for the final result, but only time will tell.

[LongBeachCoupe]

The light output is going to be something you will have to adjust several times I think... aiming it correctly etc, so dont secure anything permanently yet...

Also, try and figure out some way to disguise or cover the projector's mechanics, any way you can make it look smooth? Shroud of some sort?

Also, the projector's mounts look like they are beyond the shape of the AC's enclosure, you are gonna have to trim that!

Good luck and keep us posted!

[b88dragon]

Yea, i sorta figured that out after seeing how the coupe's and sedans lights different, and its by ALOT, lol. I already had remove one mounting hole from the projector to make it fit inside, and im gonna be using the minigun shrouds, but it seems the coupes housing is alot bigger than the sedan's, so i gotta trim the shrouds as well for a nice fit. I just hope everything comes out alright

Here's a comparison between the coupe's and sedan both with tsx projectors, got this off the giant projector thread.

Coupe(Brandon's picture hope you dont mind)

Sedan

Differences is huge to me, because now i gotta trim the shroud -_-, but comes with the learning process

edit: i also just noticed i had the projectors upside down -_- and the wrong side, dont know if that matters but i'll fit it anyways, glad im taking this slowly lol

Modified by b88dragon at 5:31 PM 5/20/2009
Modified by b88dragon at 5:32 PM 5/20/2009

[bravey_z12]

can i some to quincy and check out? lemme know when u donethat might turn out great.good luck

[b88dragon]

Sure not a problem but i wanna finish my retrofit first haha.

ok guys, here's another update, spent the day just trimming away the shroud for it to fit into the housing. Made a few mistakes here or two , so might have to order another set now i know what to do and what not to do concerning how to make the shroud fit into the housing.

Things are looking good i think as i'm moving along, so here's a few pics from what i've gotten done so far to date.

Anyone know where i can get some jb weld glue and which would be the best one to use in this situation ? Frontal View

Close Up

Angel Close Up

Side View

Side Angel

Back View

This is the shroud that i tore up lol, thinkin i might not need to buy another one if its cover by the chrome piece.

Cut out on bottom to fit around the projector

so yeah, seems like doing a retrofit isnt so bad in my opinion, the only difficult part i see is aiming it correctly and putting everything back together, but that might be jsut me, i like to learn the hard way

[legend_217]

I believe you should make a "HOW TO" thread for everyone. Look very nice

[b88dragon]

I hope to do make one one day if i ever get this done.

Ok time for a long overdue update. Been busy with work, vacations and family that i barely had the time to work on my lights, but i got a few things done and hopefully a few of the members who have done projectors can give me a few insight on how to complete this project because i have a feeling i wont get the other headlight done until the spring lol. but here a few photos updates and what not.

Primed and ready for paint, went with two coats of primer after having sanding it down with 600grit paper. Dry sand it first, washed off all the dust, second sand wet, wash again then let it dried.

Applied about 2-3 coats of semi-gloss black engine enamel spray paint allowing about 30 mins inbetween coats.

Projectors installed and mounted using 32 thread count screws and a few bolts and washers

Attach the angel eyes to the shrouds and snaked it underneath the projectors.

Back view of the projector and wires of the angel eyes

Everything placed back together, only to see how it looks, nothing set in stone yet











Back view of the headlight assembly

Side view, Wondering if either brandon, dangries or whom ever can shed some light on if this is how it's suppose to look like? not to sure but again nothing is set.

Another angle of what I'm talking about. Is this how far is should still out?

All in all that how far i've came along on this little project of mines. Hoping to find a spare car battery to test out the wiring and whatnot to make sure everything is in working order.

But i do have a few questions that i hope someone can answer for me.

1. How far back should the projector stick out in the back?2. Does the projector need to protrude out further that it is near the angel eyes edge?3. How do I go about wiring this onto my car? Because I took off the bumper today, and didnt have a clue whatsoever on how to wire it at all?4. Where in the sedan are the parkign lights wires? how can i wire the angels eye to that?5. Where in the sedan is the main wire so i can hook up the projectors, i do have a plug and go harness? below is the picture of the set up.



Few questions regarding this.

1. Where does the things that looks like a plug, plug into?2. The box with the red wire near the things that looks like a plug, does that connect to the pos or neg terminal of the battery?3. With this wire set up is there a need to use the orignal plug of the H11 lightbulb or so i just use this harness and connect only to the battery directly and that this will power the projectors?

Thanks for anyone taking the time to read and answer my questions regarding this matter, once i know the answers to these questions i can finally move on and complete this long overdue project of mines.

THANKS A MILLION TO EVERYONE

[shortys408]

do a write up

[Mr.Coupe]

YEAH YEAH Do a write up . great looking work dude.

Ricky C.

[BLKmomba1]

this was awesome... did u keep the amber or take it out?

[LongBeachCoupe]

Looks pretty good to me!

[b88dragon]

thanks guys, i wish.hope to do a write up soon, well someday once my questions got answered. and once that done, i'll be able to do a proper write up on how to do this retro fit, but do keep in mind this is for the sedan, not so sure if the same can go with the coupe, but the same basic knowledge is applied. hopefully someone can answer my questions lol

[soxypoo]

u live in quincy ????/ hehehehhehi have the coupe see if we can come up with something for the coupe headlight ????? hit me up

[b88dragon]

yes i do. and sure see if we cant come up with something for the coupe, but let me warn you though, it will take awhile to complete if you want it nicely done, and plus i only know so much, because i've spent a lot of time doing research on these and emailing countless people inorder to understand how everything works.

What you see is the result of asking and trail and error and a lot of heart and soul you could say going into this project. but i'll be glad to give you a hand or even do a set for you, but at a price of course.

but that can be discussed at a later time, i would just like to first complete my own set first to make sure what i did is correct and that everything is in working order before venturing out and offering this service to anyone at all. then of course i'll have my write and you can always give that a go lol.

[bina12834]

in regards to your question on how to hook the projectors up to the car, theres a plug that allows you to hook up the D2S bulb to an aftermarket ballast, which would make it plug and play. heres a pic and link to what im talking about...



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...wItem

[maxentropy]

You need to put the angel eye behind the gatling shroud for best appearance IMHO.

Like this (on the left side);