retro virgin

[Evic]

Okay I finally decided to jump in and do my retro. I am going to attempt a DIY thread incase someone else needs a little encouragement to tackle their retro.

TSX projectors
Denso/Koito ballast
Crossfire shrouds

First I removed all the screws and the rubber rings from the back of the lights.



Then I baked the lights on 275* degrees for five minutes (turn oven off after it heats up then insert the light) after taking out I pulled apart the light.



I removed most of the amber. I plan to leave just the small reflector in, plus I think its required by law. this is easy to do once the light is apart.



Next it was pretty much just dive right in and start cutting the hole in the reflector. I taped off some of the chrome so it doesn't get scratched. I haven't decided if I want to leave the reflector chrome or paint it black yet.



I cut just a litte at a time until I had a good fit. This might not be nessacary as it won't be seen on the finished product, I just like to make things clean and nice.




I marked center lines to I could keep the projector basicaly in line with where the bulb was for the reflector. You can also see in this pic how I trimed some of the projector off around the bottom so I could get a better fit in the reflector bowl.




I mounted the projector from the bottom with two screws and a couple L shaped brackets I made so I can adjust the rotation of it to get a good flat cutoff. I plan to make all ajustments of the rotation prior to sealing the glass back on. If you look close you can see the brackets and screw attached to the bottom of the projector in this pic. I also mounted a threaded rod from the back into one of the top holes for some up and down adjustment. The brackets are tapped as well as the upper hole in the projector. The lights will also be fully adjustable from the stock locations. I have not put the nuts that will secure the screws to the reflector. I will also jb weld or locktight all threads once ready for final instal.



I decided to seal my ballast with thermal epoxy as many others have done. All went well although I haven't tested them to make sure they still work. Its a simple process, mix two parts of epoxy and pour into ballast then let cure.

[jrMartinez24]

looking good so far

[Evic]

My crossfire shrouds arrived today... I really didn't have much time to work on the lights however I managed to do a little trim work on one of the shrouds. I really like the way its looking! Although I have to find a way to cover the rest of the projector where is meets the reflector bowl. Maybe I will try some of those stove top bowls??? That will have to wait until another day.

[type-si]

nice retro, I was going to do the L brackets but my e46 shrouds will interfer it so I mounted mine bolt onto the reflector lines.

[treal512]

damn thats some skillaz im jealous

[ethlar]

looking good, cant wait to see the finished project

[Evic]

I can't decide rather to leave my reflector chrome or paint it black??? What is the most common?

[ethlar]

a lot of people paint the reflector black, i didnt when i did mine, but the new set im gonna build will be blacked out

[liuh]

Originally Posted by Evic

I can't decide rather to leave my reflector chrome or paint it black??? What is the most common?

I think it depends on what color your car is... for a brighter color car, maybe chrome looks better, and with a darker car blacked out may be better.

but it's really up to you :-D

[type-si]

Originally Posted by Evic

I can't decide rather to leave my reflector chrome or paint it black??? What is the most common?

depends on the colour of your shrouds and color of your car and also dont forget the orange reflectors on the headlights.

[Evic]

thanks for the feedback so far

Now tell me... Should I post smaller pics?

[ro.sniper]

BIGGER! lol jk, they are perfect. any new updates?

[FijiSan]

good work, all of these retro diy's are convincing me to tackle my own shiz....scrap yard here i come!!! (anybody have any luck with these places?)

[Evic]

Okay... I now have the lights aimed for the most part... I think I will rotate the driver side just a tad bit to the right...
Here are some pics of the cutoff. I sprayed the cutoff shield black to help get rid off the rainbow. I tried a washer on each nipple but didn't like the effect... Got rid of washers!

I still need to install my crossfire bezels and maybe paint the reflector black "still haven't decided on that one". At this point I am planning to either glass my bezels in or use carbon fiber. I just couldn't find a shroud that I liked with the crossfires... Heck I might even carbon fiber the entire reflector.

Pics aren't the greatest as its been a long time since I had a photography class, its hard to get the right exposer in the dark.

[Tredd]

wow nicee, ive been wanting to do mines, what would you rate this 1-10 on the diy difficulty scale?

[liuh]

are those pictures with washers on, or off?

looks good so far where did you mount your ballasts?

[07mugencivic]

sweet

[iCeMaN57]

very nice job

[deltatechx]

Looks great. I'm definitely doing mine now. I think I'm going to leave mine chrome since I have the full nose mask. Is there any fitment issue on the passenger side due to the ABS block? Also, are the TSX projectors essentially the same as the S2000 projectors?

[iCeMaN57]

Im too much of a n00b to do mine...i'd rather pay some1 to do it lol