TRS HID PROJECTOR RETROFIT: Installation thread
08-22-2011, 10:10 PM
#11
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On the plus side the projectors I received have already had the holes blocked with flashing material and the high beam shield is painted black. Not sure if this is common knowledge and I just didn't find this info, but I was happy to see it was one less thing I had to deal with.
08-23-2011, 02:56 PM
#13
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Headlight Style
When you separate your headlight housings could you post which style you have. My truck has the black Harley style. I'm beginning to think that I may not get them apart. I'm wondering if Ford my have used different suppliers with some impossible to get apart. I have the outside glue free, but the inside bead is not budging. Upped the temp to 240 will see how that does.
08-23-2011, 03:49 PM
#14
When you separate your headlight housings could you post which style you have. My truck has the black Harley style. I'm beginning to think that I may not get them apart. I'm wondering if Ford my have used different suppliers with some impossible to get apart. I have the outside glue free, but the inside bead is not budging. Upped the temp to 240 will see how that does.
08-23-2011, 08:59 PM
#15
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Hi 8MPG
It's a bitch isn't it. I got my first one apart. Did I mention it's a bitch... my damn hands are so wore out I can hardly type. This is what I did. I took a 90 degree hook pick and ground both sides down to a semi sharp edge.
I took a flat blade screwdriver bent it to about a 75 degree angle and sharpened both edges of it. What needs to happen after the outside seal is broken is the inside seal needs to be released. I used a heat gun and the two tools I made to work my way around the inside of the light housing.
She's not pretty after my surgery either, she will need some reconstructive surgery after I get the unit working. I hope to reform the black plastic with a heat gun and a flat metal bar. Heating the casing up and clamping the bar to it to straighten it up the best I can. Then I hope to hide the rest of this butcher job with a wide bead of black sealant. Most likely silicone type. Urethane is too hard to work with.
Be extremely careful using a heat gun the plastic melts very very easy. I would also start at the bottom, try to keep the exposed edges towards the fender as untouched as one can. If you get it cut about 3/4 of the way and stick it back in the oven for about 15 minutes at 235 you should be able to pull the rest apart.
If I had to do this over I would get a second set of lights. This is going to take much longer than I had planned. I would like to add I am no noob to this type of work. I was in the auto body industry for over 20 years. I thought I could do a much better job of separating the lens and housing than most of the pics I have seen on websites.....ah, I was wrong.
Not sure if the age of the truck has anything to do with it but mine is only a month old with about 600 miles. I feel pretty mickey mouse looking at this
housing out of a truck that cost this much.. I hate when something doesn't look factory or better than factory.
Don't forget to take the screw out of the back before starting there is only one. Ask me how I know S***!
Good luck to all.
It's a bitch isn't it. I got my first one apart. Did I mention it's a bitch... my damn hands are so wore out I can hardly type. This is what I did. I took a 90 degree hook pick and ground both sides down to a semi sharp edge.
I took a flat blade screwdriver bent it to about a 75 degree angle and sharpened both edges of it. What needs to happen after the outside seal is broken is the inside seal needs to be released. I used a heat gun and the two tools I made to work my way around the inside of the light housing.
She's not pretty after my surgery either, she will need some reconstructive surgery after I get the unit working. I hope to reform the black plastic with a heat gun and a flat metal bar. Heating the casing up and clamping the bar to it to straighten it up the best I can. Then I hope to hide the rest of this butcher job with a wide bead of black sealant. Most likely silicone type. Urethane is too hard to work with.
Be extremely careful using a heat gun the plastic melts very very easy. I would also start at the bottom, try to keep the exposed edges towards the fender as untouched as one can. If you get it cut about 3/4 of the way and stick it back in the oven for about 15 minutes at 235 you should be able to pull the rest apart.
If I had to do this over I would get a second set of lights. This is going to take much longer than I had planned. I would like to add I am no noob to this type of work. I was in the auto body industry for over 20 years. I thought I could do a much better job of separating the lens and housing than most of the pics I have seen on websites.....ah, I was wrong.
Not sure if the age of the truck has anything to do with it but mine is only a month old with about 600 miles. I feel pretty mickey mouse looking at this
housing out of a truck that cost this much.. I hate when something doesn't look factory or better than factory.Don't forget to take the screw out of the back before starting there is only one. Ask me how I know S***!
Good luck to all.
Last edited by filterking; 08-23-2011 at 09:09 PM.
08-23-2011, 09:21 PM
#16
Im thinking of just cutting off a lot of the outer lip keeping the tabs. From what I have read on HIDplanet... permaseal is just a bitch. It seems most lights are not set in a "U" channel. TRS recommended using a Fein tool (that cheap multitool that vibrates from Harbor Freight) to cut them open. I started to break the seal on one light but I figure if Im going to butcher the outside lip that bad...I might as well cut it off.
08-23-2011, 09:24 PM
#17
A 1/2" chisel works great for cutting the sealant off the clear lens. I have the '09 lenses - put them in oven at 230 for 20 minutes, pry off sealant off clear lens. You need to re-heat every 5 minutes or so. It will take 2 - 4 times in the oven to remove the sealant from the outer clear lens. Reheat again and start prying apart the housings at a corner, the turn signal lamp corner worked best for me.
First housing looks like a hack job and took over 2 hours. I had the second housing apart in less than 45 minutes once I realized you only need to be concerned about the sealant around the clear lens. The sealant on the inside will release if heated properly. It will come off with steady pressure and again may take another pre-heat to get it completely apart.
Same goes for getting the permaseal out of the channel, reheat a couple times to scrape the stuff out. I have a nasty blister from doing the first one, I didn't think I could do the second one and was basically forced to tackle with a little more intelligence instead of going head strong and trying force.
You should have ordered some butyl tape to seal the housings back together. You can pick it up at auto stores as same stuff for sealing windshield screens. Don't use a silicone based sealant, use an silicone RTV or gasket maker type product.
I have my chrome trim pieces painted to match the HD look and also have all my projector parts painted white to hopefully give them some color while off. Gone rest of week so hopefully on Sunday will have time for the fitment of the headlamps first.
First housing looks like a hack job and took over 2 hours. I had the second housing apart in less than 45 minutes once I realized you only need to be concerned about the sealant around the clear lens. The sealant on the inside will release if heated properly. It will come off with steady pressure and again may take another pre-heat to get it completely apart.
Same goes for getting the permaseal out of the channel, reheat a couple times to scrape the stuff out. I have a nasty blister from doing the first one, I didn't think I could do the second one and was basically forced to tackle with a little more intelligence instead of going head strong and trying force.
You should have ordered some butyl tape to seal the housings back together. You can pick it up at auto stores as same stuff for sealing windshield screens. Don't use a silicone based sealant, use an silicone RTV or gasket maker type product.
I have my chrome trim pieces painted to match the HD look and also have all my projector parts painted white to hopefully give them some color while off. Gone rest of week so hopefully on Sunday will have time for the fitment of the headlamps first.
08-23-2011, 09:30 PM
#18
A 1/2" chisel works great for cutting the sealant off the clear lens. I have the '09 lenses - put them in oven at 230 for 20 minutes, pry off sealant off clear lens. You need to re-heat every 5 minutes or so. It will take 2 - 4 times in the oven to remove the sealant from the outer clear lens. Reheat again and start prying apart the housings at a corner, the turn signal lamp corner worked best for me.
First housing looks like a hack job and took over 2 hours. I had the second housing apart in less than 45 minutes once I realized you only need to be concerned about the sealant around the clear lens. The sealant on the inside will release if heated properly. It will come off with steady pressure and again may take another pre-heat to get it completely apart.
Same goes for getting the permaseal out of the channel, reheat a couple times to scrape the stuff out. I have a nasty blister from doing the first one, I didn't think I could do the second one and was basically forced to tackle with a little more intelligence instead of going head strong and trying force.
You should have ordered some butyl tape to seal the housings back together. You can pick it up at auto stores as same stuff for sealing windshield screens. Don't use a silicone based sealant, use an silicone RTV or gasket maker type product.
I have my chrome trim pieces painted to match the HD look and also have all my projector parts painted white to hopefully give them some color while off. Gone rest of week so hopefully on Sunday will have time for the fitment of the headlamps first.
First housing looks like a hack job and took over 2 hours. I had the second housing apart in less than 45 minutes once I realized you only need to be concerned about the sealant around the clear lens. The sealant on the inside will release if heated properly. It will come off with steady pressure and again may take another pre-heat to get it completely apart.
Same goes for getting the permaseal out of the channel, reheat a couple times to scrape the stuff out. I have a nasty blister from doing the first one, I didn't think I could do the second one and was basically forced to tackle with a little more intelligence instead of going head strong and trying force.
You should have ordered some butyl tape to seal the housings back together. You can pick it up at auto stores as same stuff for sealing windshield screens. Don't use a silicone based sealant, use an silicone RTV or gasket maker type product.
I have my chrome trim pieces painted to match the HD look and also have all my projector parts painted white to hopefully give them some color while off. Gone rest of week so hopefully on Sunday will have time for the fitment of the headlamps first.
08-23-2011, 10:21 PM
#20
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Definitively on the butyl tape to reseal the lights. I was only going to use the silicone to try to hide some of the hack job I did on my housing. If I can get the second one apart without hacking it up, I may get another headlamp to redo the first one I that I butchered, if it looks real bad after I get the projectors in.