Blackbuster11

Hey all,
just purchased my complete kit from TRS and will begin my retrofit project whenever the shipment arrives! I have a 2012 black fx2. The parts I ordered (just the complete kit from TRS) are:

- 2x bi-xenon fx-r stage 3 kit projectors with 3" lens
- 2x morimoto xb35 (35w) ballasts
- 2x morimoto xb igniter
- 2x D2S: XB35 5500k bulbs
- 2x panamera shrouds
- motocontrol h13/9008 wire harness
- OCI butyl rubber glue

I ordered all of this during the TRS thanksgiving sale so I saved almost $100! I have never done a retrofit and don't have much mechanical experience so if you want to subscribe, I will try to post pictures and/or videos of every step. I will let you know (from an honest, non mechanic) standpoint on the difficulty of steps. This is meant to be a build/how-to/discussion thread. Feel free to post helpful tips, comments, pictures, experiences about your retrofit projects.

Not trying to step on anyone's toes either! I respect all the professional retrofitters out there for taking on these projects. I am just doing this for extra help for people trying to do it on their own, and hopefully it helps coming from someone who has no mechanical experience


Disclaimer: just because something worked for me doesn't mean it necessarily will for you (and vice versa). This is just a place to hopefully help people in the future who want to retrofit. I don't take responsibility for any damaged lights or whatever that you may do on your own while using this as help.

Manuellabour247

sub'd

2004lariatkindofguy

I am also looking forward to seeing how this project goes.

FX4EcoScrew

^^ ditto!

I'm working on a retrofit myself but I'm using the MH1 kit. It's taken me a long time to finally get around to it, and the retrofit itself is going slowly, so you may just finish before I do.

yanki01

any update? Sometime in the summer (after house hunting) I plan on swapping out the stock HID projectors in my 2013 FX4 headlights for better, D2S HID projectors. I also haven't mounted up the courage to cook my headlights just yet.

Blackbuster11

Within the next day or 2 I should have the lights (according to the tracking number). I can update and say I went out and bought some jb steel stick and jb kwik weld from autozone.TRS sells it each for $5 (which is on average with every other store) but I just forgot to put it in my cart when I placed my order.
Ya the oven is gonna get me lol

Blackbuster11

Lights just arrived! Very fast shipping (4 days). So when I pulled everything out of the box I realized just how little I know about electrical stuff. I have recruited my friend who is an engineer to help with the process and explain exactly how to do stuff. Hopefully this writeup with the pictures will help everyone out. I'm about to post some pictures of what came in the package. Hopefully going to start the retrofit tonight with the cutting and painting. I will keep everyone updated.

Blackbuster11

Update: if you don't have a buttload of patience then pay someone to do this. My dad and I (who both have no experience with ford's) spent an angry hour trying to pry the lense off the housing. We finally got it then ran into a bump when we couldn't get the reflector out. Turns out there are 3 things needing to be removed to get the reflector out of the housing (the reflector is the silver mirror looking thing). 2 easy screws and 1 stupid screw. The stupid screw sits on the bottom of the reflector and requires drilling to reach it. So here's a step by step so far:


Step 1: remove headlights from truck using a 10mm socket wrench and philips screwdriver. There is a picture in your manual that shows exactly which 3. There should be 2 on top and one behind the rubber wind screen. The wind screen is an easy couple turns with the philips and once the screw is out, just pull the rubber part out with the pin the screw came out of. Easy as pie. Then you can use your 10mm again to get the third screw behind the wind screen. Once you unscrew those 3 things you need to pull the headlight out of the truck. It takes some effort to yank it out. Behind your side marker are some pins that are locking the assembly into place so apply even pressure on the outside of the assembly and the inside closer to the middle of the truck. Once you pop it out you need to take out the bulbs with a counter clockwise turn on each one. Then that completes step one.

Step 2: this is the step I just completed (kinda) and the most nerve-racking/difficult. You need to bake your headlights to make the glue melt so you can remove the lense. Sadly I didn't take pictures of the prying process because it was such a PITA. Before you begin, remove the rubber cap, and screw that are on the back of the housing. Also, clean off any dirt you have on the assembly. I baked the headlight at 270 for 7min and started prying. Wasn't hot enough so I put it back in for 3-5min incrivals until, after and hour, I had finally pried the headlight loose. I used a flathead screwdriver to pry the lense off. You will need a torx screw bit to remove a couple of screws by the reflector once the lense is off. I will try to post pictures tomorrow of everything I have done so far. I can't clarify enough how much patience you will need for this step. As of this moment I still have another headlight to bake and the rest of the retrofit to go.

This link is to a guy who has a good amount of pictures and detail about the headlight baking and reflector removal. I recommend looking at this as well.

http://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/18-f150-ecoboost-appearance/3536-my-retrofit-build-morimoto-d2s.html

So that is my update as of now. Difficulty scale: removing headlights- not bad at all.... baking headlights- worst thing ever.


By the way: Hooked up the wiring so I could test out the lights (I'll post the details on how to do that whenever I get to that point in the retrofit) and the light output blows away the stock halogen. I was skeptical and looked up lumens and lux and whatever else there is, but pictures don't really show how it is in person. Compared to my halogen ,which are silverstar ultras, when I put the hid hot spot on the halogen hot spot I could only see a faint yellow blob in my blinding white light. The test was only from 10 feet away in a garage when it was still light outside but even still the projector was twice as wide as the halogen and overpowered the halogen completely. Thought I'd share some good news. It seems worth it.
I will be back at it tomorrow morning and hopefully I can get some update pictures as well

Blackbuster11

Halogen output on the road. Post pictures tomorrow about the actual retrofit

2011LIMITED#288

There's this thread too.

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/retrof...-about-202019/

Might be helpful.