How to: 04-08 OEM headlights FX-R Projector HID retrofit.

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Tools needed:
SAFETY GLASSES
Dremel tool or other rotary tool.
1 cut shaft bit
Fiber-cut off wheels 1 inch 4 of them
1/2" Sanding drum 4 of them
1/4" sanding drum 4 of them
permatex ultra black rtv silicone 2 squeeze tubes.
clear silicone (optional)
Shop Vac, Compressor for blowing dust off lights.
8- #8, 1 1/4inch Phillips/flat screw head bolts (drawer/cabinet handle bolts).
9/64 drill bit
13/16 drill bit
Power drill
1 sharpie
1 set of extra headlights. you can sell the extra set after done the retrofit.
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HID parts needed:
2 FX-R projectors
2 Gatling shrouds (what I used)
2 HID bulbs type D2S
2 Digital ballasts (I went 35w)
1 HID wiring harness
Halo (optional)
100MM halo (what I used) might be able to go one size smaller. your risk

I paid around $350.00 for all HID stuff and $100.00 for extra headlights.

* I bought the above by piecing it together from custom HID conversions, HID kits, LED, CCFL specialists - retrosolutions or you can buy the kit from link below. http://www.theretrofitsource.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First off you have to bake your headlights one at a time in the oven. It took me 5 tries to get one apart. Read this link on "how to paint your headlights" to take them apart.
How to Paint Headlights
OK now that you have your headlights apart. Remove the bulb shield with a torx bit. Take your reflective bowl and With a sharpie mark the middle from left and right of the light bulb hole 3 lines over . Now from the top of the light bulb hole, mark the middle 1/4 inch above the first line. Below the light bulb hole mark the middle at the top of the bulb shield spot. Now free hand a slight oval with the sides wider. As in pic 1

pic 1


Take your Dremel and cut shaft bit and cut 1/4 inch on the inside of the marked oval you just made. Dremel and cut shaft bit are in pic 2 as well

pic 2


Now take the Dremel and 1/2 inch sanding drum and sand to the line. Now take the FX-R (projector) and fit it in. Under the FX-R mark the piece hitting the bowl like in the picture. pic 3

pic 3



Take the Dremel with cut shaft bit and cut a square where you marked below the FX-R. Then with the Dremel and 1/4 inch sanding drum clean it up and add two sanded areas on the sides for brights wires. (2 red wires) Also sand a angle where the bulb shield went. Be careful not to sand to deep on top when you start to see black plastic stop. Now put the black rubber seal back on the back of the housing pic 4

pic 4



Place the FX-R in the bowl hole and through the black rubber seal. looking sideways the two silver prongs should just be past the black rubber seal. If not sand the bowl some more till prongs look like picture (very important)
pic 5

pic 5



When you get the FX-R to fit properly level and scratch where the holes are. Do this as straight as possible. Now mark them with the sharpie. pic 6

pic 6



Take the drill and 9/64 drill bit and start drilling the holes at a angle for a bit. pic 7

pic 7



Now straighten the drill out, and drill through the bowl. pic 8

pic 8



After drilling the holes should look like this. pic 9

pic 9



After doing the steps above, the bowl should look like this. Take a #8 -1 1/4 inch bolt and using a screwdriver slowly screw the bolt into the holes. Like you did when making the holes with the drill and drill bit. Once the holes are threaded try not to insert/remove bolts to often. DO NOT USE DRILL you will melt the plastic threads for holes. pic 10

pic 10



Now if you want you can put a rubber grommet in like I did for the brights wires and halos if you want them. Hole size will very. pic 11

pic 11

 

Now the Gatling shrouds. The next 4 pictures will be comparing a modded shroud to a new shroud. We need to sink the shroud onto the FX-R as far as we can so when done the clear lens for headlight won't hit it. In this picture you can see the cut outs made on the bottom of the modded shroud for the bottom of the
FX-R. pic 12


pic 12




Inside the shroud will need to be cut down. pic 13

pic 13



The sanding that will need to be done on the inside. pic 14

pic 14



If you want to run the 100MM halo the plastic for the vents will have to be cut. And the inside of shroud will have to be sanded close to the front. pic 15

pic 15



OK first install the FX-R into the bowl allowing the red wires to fit in the sanded groves in the hole.(pic 4) One on each side. Use the 4- #8 bolts to screw the FX-R in with a screwdriver. Install the shroud and line up how you want the vents on the front of the shroud to look. Mark where the screw and tab meet the shroud. Where the screw is measure 3/16 up the shroud. Where the tab is measure 7/16 up the shroud.
pic 16

pic 16



Your marks should look like this. Take the Dremel with the cut shaft bit and carefully trim the outline. Not to close to the line. Now take the 1/2 and 1/4 inch sanding drums and sand close to the line. pic 17

pic 17



On the inside of the shroud sand down as much as you can all around 3/4 inch from edge. With the 1/2 inch sanding drum.
On the inside of the shroud mark 3/8 all around. Measure from back of shroud. pic 18

pic 18



Using the Dremel and cutoff wheel, cut where the line is. pic 19

pic 19



*** Skip this step if not installing a halo ***
Cut the outside vent tabs as much as possible without hitting the vent . so watch and change you cutoff wheel. Use Dremel like in the picture below. pic 20

pic 20



*** Skip this step if not installing a halo ***
With the 1/4 inch sanding drum, sand as far down the shroud as you can. Like in the picture. But unlike the picture you will have to sand the the groves almost out. Almost flush all the way around. GO SLOW BE CAREFULL NOT TO GO THROUGH OR HEAT THE SHROUD UP TO MUCH, or you will get burns on the outside. Only when the plastic gets really thin will you get heat burns. Don't sit in one spot keep the Dremel moving.
pic 21

pic 21


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*** Skip this step if not installing a halo ***
This is how the 100MM halo looks when new. ( I know not the best picture) pic 22

pic 22



*** Skip this step if not installing a halo ***
With the halo in your hand take the 1/2 inch sanding drum and sand the outside quite abit. Sand the metal tabs off the back, and the chrome piece of the front so it round.
***DO NOT SAND THE CLEAR PLASTIC ON THE FRONT.*** pic 23

pic 23



Once you think you sanded enough put the halo on the FX-R and the shroud. Put the clear lens on the back headlight housing. Check for clearance between shroud and clear headlight lens, there should be 1/8 inch or a tiny bit more. If shroud is touching the lens, sand the shroud some more on the inside. If shroud is still touching clear lens sand the bowl where the FX-R goes a bit bigger on the sides and top. Once it all fits together now would be the time to paint what you want.


With the FX-R out drill the FX-R mounting holes bigger with the 13/16 inch drill bit and drill. Now it's time to put everything together (kind of). Run the wires through the bowl, screw the FX-R to the bowl with the halo on it. pic 24

pic 24



To make things easier I removed the ends off the wires with a sharp owl. I then ran the wires out the back of the headlight through the hole that was made earlier in the how to. I then installed the ends back onto the wires. This is what the wires look like with out the plastic ends on. (Notice the 2 tabs that will need to be pushed in and pulled out to install) pic 25

pic 25



Once you have the ends back on the wires in the back of the head light, it's time to wire up your ballasts on your truck. (read your instructions) Install the bulbs into the headlight (FX-R) connect all the HID wiring. Install the headlight on the truck. Go to a flat area 25 feet away from a wall. If you cannot do this at your place drive with the normal halogen headlights to where you can, then switch the headlights. **DO NOT DRIVE WITHOUT THE CLEAR LENS PROTECTING THE FX-R. Once at the wall drive as close to it as possible. Place a 12 inch piece of tape horizontal at the middle of head lights on both sides. Also there is a 3mm circle in the middle of headlight measure from it to the ground, and see how close your tape is to the measurement. Now place a 12inch tape vertical in the middle of headlights. Should look something like this on the wall.

___l___ ___l___
.... l ........ l
.... l ........ l .



Move your truck back 25 feet from wall to FX-R. Turn the 4mm bolt for the headlights to raise them so you'll have no problems to lower them when adjusting, or in case you get a level kit in the future. Now you can use a drill to adjust but slowly. This is how you want it to look like.

........ __l___------------__l___-------------
. ______/_______________/ .



The picture above will make more sense when you see it. The low part on the left side make that 3 inches below headlight hight. Where the steep is on the cut off put the straight part of the t in the middle of it. Once adjusted your lights should look like or close to this. pic 26

pic 26



After you have your lights adjusted take your headlights out. Using the permatex ultra black rtv silicone run a bead around the FX-R and the back of the bowl from behind the headlight. I also put some on the back of the bolts to back of bowl. Then Squeeze some in the front and back of the wires hole. Put the rubber seal boot on the back of headlight around the back of the FX-R. I made 3 small slits in the boot to fit around the FX-R better. After the boot fits good go around it with the permatex ultra black rtv silicone. pic 27

pic 27



Using the permatex ultra black rtv silicone or clear silicone put some in areas on the FX-R where the shroud goes and install the shroud and push it as far as you can onto the FX-R. Now run a bead in the crevice of the headlight housing, install the clear plastic lens. Now clamp the lights together but not to tight like I did.(the headlight twisted throwing the one projector cutoff out a few degrees) Instead of clamps you can also use those 2 foot long zip ties around the headlight. pic 28

pic 28



After 24 hours of drying remove the clamps and look at what you accomplished. pic 29, 30, 31

pic 29


pic 30


pic 31



Install headlights back into truck and go back to the wall where you adjusted them before. See how they are, you can lower or raise them. If one is a few degrees out you can install a washer where the headlight bolt is (what I did) or you can bend the cutoff tab inside the FX-R. (I never tried this yet)


Picture of halo in the dark. pic 32

pic 32

.

 

Some pictures of the finished product.

Only halo on, flash from camera. pic 33

pic 33



Only halo on, flash from camera. pic 34

pic 34



The way I drive around in the daytime with halos and switchback leds. pic 35


pic 35



A night shot with a iphone. pic36

pic36



Night shot with a real camera. Projectors on low beam. pic 37

pic 37



Projectors with High beams on. pic 38

pic 38




Projectors with low beams on, and capped HID bulbs in fogs on. pic 39

pic 39



Projectors with high beams on, and capped HID bulbs in fogs on. pic 40

pic 40

 

Very nice writeup on the correct way to add HID; I made sure to rep you

 

Thanks!

***I added 4 new lows and highs pictures at bottom of post 3.

 

Nice writeup, I know it takes lots of time to document and then publish projects like this. My hat's off to you.

 

Thanks! It did take a lot of time to do the write up. It took almost as much time as the retrofit it self. If a couple of people use it, it was well worth the time.