7" retrofit (GDAA WRX)

[satrya]

Coming along nicely!

Are you going to paint the bezel or just leave it black?

Not sure. I'll have to try both. Having it painted to match body color may require the pieces to be shaped more accurately. Painting it black may hide the imperfections. Appearance wise, I prefer it to match body color.

[Fstrsn]

Not sure. I'll have to try both. Having it painted to match body color may require the pieces to be shaped more accurately. Painting it black may hide the imperfections. Appearance wise, I prefer it to match body color.

I was gonna say, I'd prefer it to be painted black, lol.

[satrya]

I was gonna say, I'd prefer it to be painted black, lol.

Black does look nice. But the original opening is black in the first place; it feels like all that work for nothing then.

Original:


The plastic piece, in black (mocked up with blue tape for mounting):


Aside from the fact that the plastic piece covers a slightly larger area and sits in front of the foglights instead of behind, not much seems to have changed. Unless the plastic piece is painted body color.

[Ilikecars]

Pictures are so small

[satrya]

Test alignment of plastic piece against 7" housing

Took a test alignment between the plastic piece and the 7" round housing:


The dichroic film strips add a subtle color to the 7" housing. I almost feel compelled to add something similar on the headlights; perhaps a thin ring around the e55r's lenses. Or at the bottom surface of the housing, which is currently plain chrome.

I had expected the outer edges of the 7" housing to be obscured by the plastic piece. But because the 7" housing is much deeper than the OEM 7" foglight housing, I had to trim quite a bit of the cone portion of the plastic piece, making the opening much larger than it was. As such, the edges of the 7" housing are now completely exposed. The edges of the hexagonal pattern, particularly on the upper outside, needs to be covered.

[satrya]

Pictures are so small

Sorry. I try not to attach large pictures when the message is the overall shape instead of the details. Post #753 was to illustrate the similarities in overall shape had the plastic piece be painted black.

[gold94corolla]

Wow dude, wow. lol

If you can close up that gap on top, I'd paint them yellow

[satrya]

Wow dude, wow. lol

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing

If you can close up that gap on top, I'd paint them yellow

Yes, that gap. In spite of being careful with trimming and using paper mache prototypes, I ended up trimming a bit too much on top. I may have to resort to adding a fiberglass layer on the back that allows the top to extend upwards by about 2~3 mm. I didn't really want to involve fiberglass work though.

[gold94corolla]

Well after all this, that gap can't be acceptable!!

[Ilikecars]

I think they look good black

[ApexGER]

Is there such a Thing as too much Projectors? I think not

But you schould paint it black to get rid of the imperfections, it would not set off nice in yellow

[satrya]

If you can close up that gap on top, I'd paint them yellow

I think they look good black

Is there such a Thing as too much Projectors? I think not

But you schould paint it black to get rid of the imperfections, it would not set off nice in yellow

What I'm hearing is that given the imperfection, black looks better. If so, I agree. I haven't lost hope on making it match the body color though; I have some tweaks on it that may make matching body color better...

[satrya]

Painted the perimeter with a combination of retroreflective paint and frosted glass paint.


Then paint the outer edge gloss black.

[gold94corolla]

Why are there so many colors reflecting around inside of there?

[Fstrsn]

Why are there so many colors reflecting around inside of there?

Are you talking about the dichrotic film on the "fins"?