7" retrofit (GDAA WRX)

[satrya]

This is the craziest fog light retrofit ever

Indeed

Thanks; that is assuming it gets completed someday.

@TRSAndrew, you've gone through some crazy retrofits yourself... I was looking forward to the MKZ 2 x 2 lens per side retrofit in the Tacoma.

[gold94corolla]

I like how bright the 9W version is, but I don't like how smaller it is. Bigger = better in terms of visibility. Maybe you can fit 3 of the small ones instead of one of the larger ones?

[satrya]

^
For the aux turn signal housing, the slightly smaller diameter of the 9W isn't enough to fit 3 of them in place of the 3W. A bigger housing won't clear the space, as the current aux turn signal housing already squeezes itself next to the Micro DE.

If I make it large enough to fit 3 of them, I would have to get rid of the Micro DE. In the order of things, I prefer to have the Micro DE and the ES300 in the retrofit, and everything else only if there's space.

Or did I misunderstand your feedback?

[TRSAndrew]

@TRSAndrew, you've gone through some crazy retrofits yourself... I was looking forward to the MKZ 2 x 2 lens per side retrofit in the Tacoma.

Decided against that due to limited supply.

[satrya]

Decided against that due to limited supply.

I see. But you had at least one pair of the MKZs, didn't you?
Maybe that and the prius LED might work stacked on top of one another.

Or if you could source one of these from Europe to stack with the MKZs...
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/18/u...ed-headlights/


That would top everything imho

You just need to fit the inner one with 24 individual LEDs

[Flipswitch]

It's always fun checking out your work :-)

[satrya]

It's always fun checking out your work :-)

Thank you.
Glad I entertained someone.

Still running quads on the GDAB?

[satrya]

Sealing potential sources of water ingress

I've been using the silicone based aquarium glass sealant (picture below) for several days now. I read from many threads to be cautious of using silicone based sealants for the potential of the acetic acid hazing the lens from the inside. I read that aquarium sealant was allegedly ok, but was a bit alarmed that it too had the smell of acetic acid. Either way, to minimize the issue, I've taken a very gradual approach to using this sealant; little by little, one thin layer a day; to let the curing process release the acetic acid byproducts outside instead of into the housing. The seal for the 7" glass lens is still butyl rubber.


Clamping the back panel to the housing as the silicone cures. The L bracket is just there to keep the edge straight.


A little added insurance on top of the rubber grommets put in place. I doesn't look aesthetically pleasing, but better that than a leaky housing imho.

[satrya]

40 mil clear film

Prepping for installation of a 40 mil clear lens protection film. The DIY housings are propped up by the tape rolls on top of a microfiber towel. The 7" glass lenses are cleaned with alcohol solution.


I bought a generic 8 x 16" sheet. I prefer generic rolls/sheets rather than pre-cut templates, because most of the time, the pre-cut templates don't allow the film to go all the way beyond the immediate frontal surface. I've bought from Lamin-X as well as other sellers before (xpel, weathertech), and this is not an endorsement for any brand in particular.


The upper pouch contains a sheet of instruction, a green squeegee, a small spray bottle, a cutter, a business card to help find a professional installer, and a decal.


Interestingly, this instruction sheet specifically says only use water for the spray solution. Prior instruction sheets from the same company and others mention some 1:2 to 1:3 ratio of isopropyl alcohol and water, in addition to a separate spray bottle of water and a drop of baby shampoo. The latter is very important for large complex surfaces.

I decided to go off label and use a 1:3 isopropyl alcohol and water instead. It has worked in the past, although it is possible that they've changed the adhesive backing formulation.

[satrya]

Tools for film install

In addition to the green squeegee provided, I decided to have ones I've collected from past installs along. To the left is a white plastic squeegee that has a ruler on one end, which can be useful to help with the guesstimate when trimming sheets on the fly. The middle one is identical to the left one, but wrapped inside a felt blanket. The blanket makes the edges a bit rounder, and can absorb some of the excess liquid being squeezed out of the center of the film (during install).


The 8 x 16" sheet, cut into two. Because of its 40 mil thickness, it is stiff enough to stay curved at room temperature. It needs to be warmed up to allow for stretching during install.


I almost always start from the middle, and leave some part still masked by the backing to control the amount of film that starts sticking. On larger surfaces, using the water+baby shampoo solution helps with this.


Note that the sheet is no longer as stiff as before; this was after a few seconds under a low heat gun setting. This is still too stiff for curving the edges, but is better left this way at this stage while it is being applied to the frontal area of the 7" lens, which is relatively flatter.

Closest thing I can think of is the consistency of those rectangular cheddar cheese slices in cheeseburgers, as it comes out of the fridge.

[phantom240]

LOL cheddar cheese slices.

Looks like this epic journey is nearing completion.

[Fstrsn]

LOL cheddar cheese slices.

Looks like this epic journey is nearing completion.

Mmmm, I can't wait to see these installed on the car and dubbed "finished"

[satrya]

LOL cheddar cheese slices.

Looks like this epic journey is nearing completion.

Mmmm, I can't wait to see these installed on the car and dubbed "finished"

Mmmm.. cheddar cheese....

As to whether the project is almost finished or not, it depends on whether or not I'm going to make a new foglight cover trim, or just modify the current, beat up one:

[Fstrsn]

Mmmm.. cheddar cheese....

As to whether the project is almost finished or not, it depends on whether or not I'm going to make a new foglight cover trim, or just modify the current, beat up one:

Gah, I forgot about the fog trim predicament.

[Fstrsn]

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