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FX-R Quad Retro v 3.0

11K views 59 replies 4 participants last post by  sprocketser 
#1 ·
So, while cleaning and organizing the garage yesterday I was looking at my old FX-R retro and decided, to hell with it. I WILL make those MH1's fit where I wanted them for my current RX330 setup. So I disassembled the housings and went to town with the dremel tool.

This is as far as I got. Notice how much of the existing headlight bezel I had to hack off to fit the MH1's without it looking ridiculous. I probably could've saved more of it but one of them was already cracked so I decided to cut it there.




The backside that I now have to figure out how to seal up. I'm thinking aluminum tape in conjunction with some "flex seal" and an appropriate sized rubber coupling to go over the MH1.



And both housings. I slid on one of my old mini GG shrouds to see how it would look.



I also opened up the adjustment holes for the FX-R's to give me more flexibility since that was one of my main complaints when I first did that retro.

I ended up ordering a pair of new mini GG's that I will trim and spray black as well as a pair of carbon fiber hydro dipped E55-R shrouds for the FX-R's, 2 new bulb clips for the MH1's since my originals have gone MIA, as well as a pair of 5000k H1 bulbs for the MH1's to match my existing CBI's. When the new xB H1's come out I'll swap these out, put these in my Matchboxes, and run the xB's in the MH1's.

I also ordered a pair of 70mm xBa rings in white but they are backordered currently. So when they come in I'll re-open the housings and mount those.

The other thing I have left to do is figure out a way to adjust the MH1's. I think I'm gonna take a couple strips of aluminum/steel and tie them into the OE horizontal adjuster that you can kinda sorta make out on the lower left of the FX-R. Since to add a threaded rod out of the back of the housing would require a ~4" piece. So, we shall see what happens.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
That s some kind of great work in there mate ! Look forward to those .
 
#3 ·
That s some kind of great work in there mate ! Look forard to those .
Thanks. After using brackets now again I am a firm proponent for their use in comparison to epoxy. Brackets allow for down the road adjustment and easier removal whereas epoxy requires more work and correctly re-epoxying when adjustments are needed.

I also decided last night that in the interest of making things easier that I'll just pick up a length of threaded rod and use that to adjust the vertical pitch of the MH1's. I'll lock it in with nuts and lock washers on both sides to keep it from spinning in place and space permitting use wing nuts to adjust from the outside.
 
#4 ·
Gee , man , lots of work in there right ! I like when you can adjust stuff without changing everything . Say the Highs & the lows . Not both of them .

Never did stuff like this , but it seems interesting .
 
#5 ·
If you're interested in this stuff go take a look over on HID Planet. It's a small board compared to this. But when it comes to automotive LED and HID lighting they know their stuff.

That's where I started looking last Jan/February and now I'm on retro #6 since then. I just keep wanting to tinker and make it better and try different things out.This will be my last setup with this car though.
 
#6 ·
Keep it up man ! I know some here are pretty good with these beside yourself , I m just looking right now , but I ll check it out , thanx for the link fella .
 
#7 ·
Thanks.

I got both pairs of shrouds in this morning, as well as the bulb clips, and 5000k H1 bulbs in. I forgot to order the centric rings as well so I called and had TRS send me a pair this morning. Hopefully I'll have them before the 4th.

I hope to get the mini GG shrouds trimmed and painted tomorrow after work as well as pick up the remaining hardware that I need to finish this. Namely some sheet metal, threaded rods, and the right nuts/lock washers to go with them.

A member on HIDP suggested cutting a piece of sheet metal to fill in the hole that I made with a cutout for the MH1, so I'm going to attempt that.
 
#8 ·
Will keep an eye on those !
 
#9 · (Edited)
Well, for the past week this project has been at a stand still due to the weather. 90+ degree days with extreme humidity meant that I didn't even try venturing out to the garage to work on them. I did do some work on them last night though and was planning on doing more right now but it is pouring here so that will have to wait.

Last night I attempted to get the E55-R shrouds to fit and because of how they curve up and away from the projector face I cannot make them clear the housing lens. So I checked to see what else TRS has in their "bargain basement" and ordered the pair of "Titanium Metallic" Iris shrouds. The Iris is what I used originally so I know it will fit and clear the housings.

I also got the MH1's fully mounted and adjustable. The smallest threaded rod I could find at Home Depot was 1/4" so I had to enlarge the MH1 mounting hole. For reference the MH1 hole is 4mm. Once that was done I mocked up the Mini GG shrouds and went to town with my trusty cutting wheel and sanding drum from the dremel. I also notched the inside of the shroud to allow the 70mm ring to sit flush. The first coat of paint is drying on those right now and I should be able to lay down a second coat later on, (weather permitting).

I'm also going to attempt to hack up the halogen bowls even more to try and hide some more of the hardware as well as cut some tubing to go over the adjusting bolts on the back of the housings to allow the wing nuts to sit flat against something as opposed to on an inclined surface like they are now. I also need to cut the aluminum sheet I bought to cover the giant hole in the back of each housing. That should be an interesting experience.

Pics will follow as well.
 
#10 ·
Wow , worked allot mate ! Sounds great .
 
#11 ·
It shall be interesting to say the least. On the one side these housings are mostly done. On the other side there is so much work left to do.

I still need to finish painting the mini GG shrouds, re-trim and paint the halogen bowls, cut, paint, and mount the aluminum plate for the back of the housing, trim the new Iris shrouds when they come in, mount and align on the car, swap over my good housing lenses, and finish running the second bi-xenon harness.

On the other hand both pairs of projectors are more or less mounted, 1 set of shrouds is cut and being painted, the headlight bezels are cut and painted, I'm waiting on my white xBa rings to come in, (who know's I may throw my Amber's in there). It's mostly hurry up and wait.
 
#12 ·
Great job mate , some kind of fitting here right !
 
#13 ·
Yea, neither projector would ever fit in the incandescent bowl or the halogen bowl so I had to get creative. But it's not uncommon to mount them like I have. In some cases even if the projector will fit in the halogen bowl it's actually easier to do it this way.
 
#14 ·
So, after going back and forth with a member on HIDP I've decided to make some revisions to the MH1's. First off I will be adding the foreground limiter from the 5.0's. The 4.1's and lower were known for their borderline excessive foreground light. So this limiter should help that issue. I'll paint the limiter black to help it all disappear in the housing too.

The other thing that I'm looking into adding is replacing the clear lens with a vertical ribbed lens. This lens would thin out the beam pattern and potentially make it wider than the FX-R, (since distance isn't a huge concern of mine added width is a very pleasant side effect of this). The only issue with this is I will lose the step and color band from the MH1.

I'm looking at something like this.


I'm currently looking for output shots with those lenses installed.
 
#16 ·
Thanx for updates , big difference between them .
 
#17 ·
Thanks.

I e-mailed Andrew@TRS and they do not have any of those ribbed lenses. But if he comes across any he will let me know. In the mean time I ordered a set of foreground limiters and lens holders in case I have any issues getting these new lenses into the holders I don't want to ruin my one and only pair and I ordered the lenses from Deal Extreme.

So now I'm off to work on the Iris shrouds that came in today, trim the halogen bowls even more, and attempt to cut the aluminum that I bought to seal the back.
 
#18 ·
That s more work than I thought it would be from the beginning , but it s custom work , so always more time right !
 
#20 ·
Made massive amounts of progress this afternoon. I got both Iris shrouds trimmed down, both mini GG's "fully painted", (Depending how the paint sets I may sand it down and get a new can. This was the end of the can I had.), Got both halogen bowls trimmed and painted, (May repaint these along with the mini GG's.), and got the drivers side rear sealed up as best I could.

So now I just need to wait on the paint to try so I can possibly install the halogen bowls and the Iris shrouds, seal up the passenger side, and wait on parts to come in from TRS and Deal Extreme.

Onto the pictures!

Drivers side, both shrouds, no halogen bowl.


Drivers side, both shrouds and halogen bowl mocked up.


Rear of drivers side before the aluminum flashing was secured.


Both housings, all shrouds, and both headlight bezels mocked up.


Close up of drivers side.


I'm really really liking how these are coming along.
 
#21 ·
Gee , that s some kickass work in there mate ! One off .
 
#22 ·
Received my 5.0 foreground limiters today as well as the spare lens holders for when I get the ribbed lenses in. I'm gonna paint the limiters, re-paint everything else tonight, and install the shrouds. Then hopefully tomorrow afternoon/night I can get everything aimed and aligned.
 
#25 ·
Same here mate .
Lol, thanks guys.

I'm off to get her detailed and when I get back I'm gonna pull the front end, run the second bi-xenon harness and try and get everything looking all nice nice.
 
#24 ·
Same here mate .
 
#26 ·
90% done.

I need to pull the bumper off again tomorrow morning and sort out why the MH1's only come on with the high beam. Although I think the low beam pin may have pulled out of or is loose in the harness, which should be an easy fix.

But the FX-R's are aligned. Low and high beams work, and the amber xB rings are in and work as well. The last thing I need to do is swap over my eyelids tomorrow. I know I don't have enough double sided tape and I was running out of daylight so I said forget it, and rather than rush it and risk messing something up I held off.

Onto the pics,

Drivers housing,


Passenger housing,


Both housings,


Drivers housing with xB ring and amber SMD sidemarker,


Drivers housing with xB ring, amber SMD sidemarker, and FX-R with CBI's,


FX-R low beam cutoff,


I'll try and get better pics tomorrow after she gets detailed and the eyelids get swapped over.

I also swapped on the MH1 5.0 foreground limiters. So once I get that wiring corrected it'll be interesting to see how the two interact before the ribbed lenses get here.

Lastly I finally swapped over to amber LED turn signals to complete the retrofit. Seeing the exposed incandescent bulb was always a turn off for me and I'm pleased with the LED bulb I chose.
 
#27 ·
Daytime shots now!

Before the eyelids got swapped over.




Eyelids installed.






I still need to pull the front end and figure out the MH1 issue. It's just way to freaking hot and humid out there right now. Hopefully I'll be able to get some better output pictures tonight.
 
#33 ·
Thanks.

Wow , great results mate . love the way you did the finishing touch with the eyebrows !
Thanks.

If I get up early enough tomorrow, (before the heat really kicks in) I'm gonna pull the front end and see if I can figure out the MH1 wiring. Then if I'm feeling adventurous I may play with my old ES retro.

Nothing like procrastinating actual responsibilities by working on a retrofit.
 
#32 ·
Wow , great results mate . love the way you did the finishing touch with the eyebrows !
 
#34 ·
Great job , will see what will come out of the next mods .
 
#35 ·
Took a couple more shots last night even though I didn't get a chance to pull the front end.

FX-R low beam output. Don't mind the angle, the car was parked on the curb.



And color comparison between the CBI's and Morimoto 5000k.



I'm about to go out in a few and brave this heat and pull the front end. I want to be able to enter this into HIDP's Retro of the Month Contest, and entries end on the 20th.
 
#36 ·
Nice job man ! I know the heat kills me mate !
 
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