Put my set-up to shame....damn nice work there!

 

Hey Thanks for posting that! What a fantastic look!!

 

Well done sir.!

 

I am sorry to report that I no longer have my custom headlights.

A slight mishap wiped them out.
Turns out retrofitted headlights do not withstand a 100+mph head on impact with the armco.

Car has been in the shop being re-everythinged for some time. Has stock halogens on it.

I will do them again once I get up from under the catching up bit to get it back on the road.
I guess I will go for the Lexus or TSX projectors this time around.

 

Damn. All that work shot. It wouldn't be the money lost making me sad as much as the time and effort that went into them. Will be looking forward to version 2 though.

 

And then there was only one with projectors . Sorry to hear about the accident though

 

awesome job. I remember doing this stuff to my VW and it took incredible patience and determination to get it right.

 

ok so ive been doing research about doing this mod myself, and im looking at some TL projectors. i looked at the TSX projectors but they are not bi xenon, correct?? the TL projectors are. my question is, do you think they will fit in the headlight housing? and what brand ballast should i go with? phillips? thanks!! btw, great work! sorry about the accident.

 

I've done this myself, with my msm headlights. Its easier with 01+ lights, but I'd recommend an RX-8 single beam projector. I use the E-55s on mine because I tried the other bi-xenons and they don't work. DO NOT try another bixenon with 01+ lights, you'll be sad when it doesn't work. You need a unit with the solenoid on the front, not the back. It could be done, but its a waste since you have to cut all the good stuff out of the light.

Great job on the project, sorry it got trashed. GL with the new one. Seriously, 01+ lights (05 msm's would be ideal) with Rx-8 projectors. And, oh. well, search Ms.com for my thread, big differences between 05, 01-02, 03-04 headlights internally. Anyway, later.

 

Resurrecting an old thread here..

I am tackling the bi-xenon retrofit project one more time.
(My headlights were destroyed in an accident, I have been driving with the halogens since..)

After I had completed my retrofit the last time, I have had a few comments directed at me regarding the bi-xenon projector quality and illumination capacity.
Some said I should have used Acura TSX, or Lexus projectors.

So, I went ahead and got all of them, so I could examine and compare them all. Side by side tests (hooked up to an identical ballast, and using an identical bulb) revealed vastly different results in both brightness, and beam width.

After a close inspection of the reflective surfaces on the bench, I found out that the geometry of the reflectors themselves are indeed not a significant contributor as far as the light output is concerned.
The real factor, it turns out, is how brightly coated the reflective surfaces are.

Hella reflectors have a satin-like finish, while the coveted, expensive bi-xenon units are mirror-like on the inside.

On the other hand, Hella reflectors have bullet proof and lightning fast solenoids for hi-low beam, and are rather compact in size, which makes the retrofit installation much simpler.

So, I had an idea:

I am taking a set of Hella reflectors apart, to have them chromed inside. I have access to all sorts of chrome (and zinc, and anything else) plating at a friend's factory where they do super fine work on both metal and plastic materials, so I can experiment till I am satisfied with the results.

I also have access to a huge assortment of projector lenses, so I can experiment with Fresnel and clear lenses to get the best output.

I mean, the light output was amazing compared to the stock halogens to begin with. I can only imagine what it will be like when I am done with them this time around.

I will keep posting the results here as things progress.

 

Finished..

I decided not to go with the E55 projectors, after all.
A bunch of projectors, tested side by side produced a clear winner: The Infiniti FX35 projectors were the brightest, with the widest beam.

The only drawback was their bulky size.
So, I modified the hell out of them.

Here is the projector before:

 

Here is what I did to fit them inside the Miata headlight reflectors:

 

I did not want to paint the reflectors black this time around.
Instead, I had a more radical approach. I decided to build a vacuform setup to make a housing to conceal the reflector.

I heated 1mm thick PVC sheeting in the oven till it was barely sagging (I sanded the PVC before heating to make the painting step easier)



Then The vacuum took care of the rest

 

The result was actually satisfying:

 

So, I made two of those housings.. Took me a dozen tries to get here...

 

I used one of the rejects to see how it would look.
Instead of painting and waiting for the paint to dry, I used aluminum tape to make it "shiny", so I would see the result.



I liked how it turned out, so I did a full mock up:

 

Once I was satisfied, I primered (is that a word?) and painted the trimmed PVC pieces in chrome paint.
Turned out pretty cool.



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Next, I closed up the headlight assemblies, and mounted them on the car. I used relays for both sides this time around, as well.

Sorry for the crappy pics. I will take better pictures during the day.






The light output is far better than the previous HID conversion. The light simply floods the road.

 

That's some dedication, good work!

 

Wow! I'm impressed with the actual fabbing that went on.