retrofit project/discussion thread
12-05-2014, 08:33 AM
#11
Senior Member
Patience. Yes...much patience.
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.
Stick with it and try to make it a fun learning experience for yourself. Then when you're done you'll have amazing light output and can proudly say you did it yourself!
12-06-2014, 09:37 PM
#12
Agreed - patience is definitely a must for this project! Someone like 'Bilinvinc' has done enough he can do them in his sleep, but my retrofit is taking forever!
I ended up buying eBay housings so I could keep my OEM lights as a backup while doing the retrofit. The eBay housings came apart really easy.
Wish I had known this when I did mine - I ended up muscling them out and broke one of the black brackets.
Oh, it's definitely going to be worth it! Mine is going very slowly only because I've been very indecisive about what I want. I can finally see the finish line though - just have to mount the shrouds and they're ready to seal up.
Stick with it and try to make it a fun learning experience for yourself. Then when you're done you'll have amazing light output and can proudly say you did it yourself!
I ended up buying eBay housings so I could keep my OEM lights as a backup while doing the retrofit. The eBay housings came apart really easy.
Wish I had known this when I did mine - I ended up muscling them out and broke one of the black brackets.
Oh, it's definitely going to be worth it! Mine is going very slowly only because I've been very indecisive about what I want. I can finally see the finish line though - just have to mount the shrouds and they're ready to seal up.
Stick with it and try to make it a fun learning experience for yourself. Then when you're done you'll have amazing light output and can proudly say you did it yourself!
12-06-2014, 10:14 PM
#13
Senior Member
12-09-2014, 01:11 PM
#14
God is good
Thread Starter
Write up coming soon. Delay was caused by a broken reflector. Had to repair that with some fiberglass and bondo. Since I'm bolting the projectors in, I got the holes drilled last night. I drilled 2 holes in the reflector correlating to the top projector holes. Going to paint today then tomorrow I'm going to cut the shrouds before sealing everything. If everything goes to plan then I should have the write-up on Thursday with pics and detailed descriptions of everything.
The most challenging part of this is not knowing what the heck you are doing. It took a full day (mainly because of the broken reflector) to get one headlight taken apart and cut. Once I got that one done it took about 4 hours to get the next one taken apart and cut. Huge difference. The biggest thing is the learning curve. Hopefully with this write-up and other links posted on here, everyone wI'll feel more comfortable with what they are doing. Still happy to answer any questions if anyone has any. I'm getting super excited! I spent about 10min last night just shining the projector down my driveway (about 40-50 yards) and EVERYTHING was extremely visible and bright. I was like a little kid on Christmas who got the toy he has been wanting all year!
The most challenging part of this is not knowing what the heck you are doing. It took a full day (mainly because of the broken reflector) to get one headlight taken apart and cut. Once I got that one done it took about 4 hours to get the next one taken apart and cut. Huge difference. The biggest thing is the learning curve. Hopefully with this write-up and other links posted on here, everyone wI'll feel more comfortable with what they are doing. Still happy to answer any questions if anyone has any. I'm getting super excited! I spent about 10min last night just shining the projector down my driveway (about 40-50 yards) and EVERYTHING was extremely visible and bright. I was like a little kid on Christmas who got the toy he has been wanting all year!
12-09-2014, 08:08 PM
#15
Senior Member
Write up coming soon. Delay was caused by a broken reflector. Had to repair that with some fiberglass and bondo. Since I'm bolting the projectors in, I got the holes drilled last night. I drilled 2 holes in the reflector correlating to the top projector holes. Going to paint today then tomorrow I'm going to cut the shrouds before sealing everything. If everything goes to plan then I should have the write-up on Thursday with pics and detailed descriptions of everything.
The most challenging part of this is not knowing what the heck you are doing. It took a full day (mainly because of the broken reflector) to get one headlight taken apart and cut. Once I got that one done it took about 4 hours to get the next one taken apart and cut. Huge difference. The biggest thing is the learning curve. Hopefully with this write-up and other links posted on here, everyone wI'll feel more comfortable with what they are doing. Still happy to answer any questions if anyone has any. I'm getting super excited! I spent about 10min last night just shining the projector down my driveway (about 40-50 yards) and EVERYTHING was extremely visible and bright. I was like a little kid on Christmas who got the toy he has been wanting all year!
The most challenging part of this is not knowing what the heck you are doing. It took a full day (mainly because of the broken reflector) to get one headlight taken apart and cut. Once I got that one done it took about 4 hours to get the next one taken apart and cut. Huge difference. The biggest thing is the learning curve. Hopefully with this write-up and other links posted on here, everyone wI'll feel more comfortable with what they are doing. Still happy to answer any questions if anyone has any. I'm getting super excited! I spent about 10min last night just shining the projector down my driveway (about 40-50 yards) and EVERYTHING was extremely visible and bright. I was like a little kid on Christmas who got the toy he has been wanting all year!
12-09-2014, 11:49 PM
#16
God is good
Thread Starter
Are you certain you want to seal your lights up after only waiting for one day after painting?! Bil waits three weeks for the paint to cure before sealing them back up. No need to hurry if you want to get it right the first time. I would hold off sealing them up unless the paint is not inside the light.
12-09-2014, 11:52 PM
#17
Senior Member
I think Bil uses a different paint. And probably clear coats it.
