Done.

 

Perfect!
Ok my turn. Keep in mind there was no write up for the 04-08 to follow.


Breaking open headlights: 7/10 (I have never done this, and it was a PITA)
Cutting hole in reflector bowl for projectors: 9/10 (It took forever to get the right size of hole for the depth, No howto: for a gideline)
Drilling mounting holes in reflector bowl: 3/10 (I will say go slow here....if your drill gets through too fast you risk widening the hole too much.) (I agree)
Cutting shrouds to size: 6/10 ( since most of what you cut won't be seen.) (Gatling shrouds require more cutting again no howto.)
Wiring up HIDs: 3/10 (Took more time then expected but easy)
Aiming projectors: 2/10 (I found this to be easy. This is difficult if you have trouble finding a level parking surface. This is also the most crucial step.) (I agree)
Putting it all together and re-sealing: 5/10 Wasn't necessarily hard....just a PITA. I like to go back around the exterior of where the headlight halves come together and lay a bead on the outside to make sure there is no condensation. Let's just say I was covered in RTV sealant by the end of this. ) (Iagree)
Seeing the results: 10/10 (Oh yeah!)

EDIT: Added to post 6, my finishing post.

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but once the headlight is apart, how do I take the headlight bowl off at the lower medial clip? I twisted the upper one and it came off fine, but the lower one is attached to a plastic piece that runs across the bottom.

 

You have to remove it from the two lower points, the bar stays on. Once you remove teh upper, one of the points simply pops off with a bit of force and then you turn the bowl and plastic bar to allow it to release on the other side. It will seem easier once you try it than how i explained it.

Also
MBLOUIR
That is a very cool retro.
The all black housing with the small chrome looks perfect and doesnt make the projector seem out of place.
Awesome job

 

So the plastic bar stays on the bowl, or the light assembly?

 

I left my bowl on the whole retrofit. It was easier to get the right depth needed for the projector.

 

I had updated my build thread, but wanted to ask here, too. Do you know if the projectors will be fine if I have to reheat and disassemble the headlights again? I'd use the headlight method (preheat to 250*, turn off, put in for 10 minutes).

Do you foresee any problems regarding the projector assembly and the heat?

 

Breaking open headlights: 2/10 I used ebay headlights, and they had some kind of glue that was SUPER easy to split/remove. 7 minutes in the over @ 240 degrees was all I needed, didn't have to put them back in or anything. 30 seconds to split them open
Cutting hole in reflector bowl for projectors: 6/10 Time consuming and annoying because of all the noise and dust, but not necessarily super difficult. Had to cut it considerably larger than this guide shows. Also be careful as the chrome can flake off if you aren't somewhat gentile.
Drilling mounting holes in reflector bowl: 5/10 This part wasn't hard to do, just make sure to algin the projectors a bit before drilling, if your holes are off at all it will be a PITA.
Cutting shrouds to size: 2/10 I didn't add halos and I used the apollo shroud. This step was cake.
Wiring up HIDs: 3/10 Super easy, just make sure to ziptie the wires to avoid any movement and also mount ballasts to a solid, CLEAN surface.
Aiming projectors: 8/10 This was the hardest part for me. Took me a couple hours! Getting the projectors pointed straight, leveled, and at an appropriate drop-off for a lifted truck was time consuming.
Putting it all together and re-sealing: 4/10 I used epoxy glue to hold the projectors solid in place, so it just took more time. I also recommend using 3M sealing butyl tape instead of silicone, works wonders. It also sucked waiting overnight to fully dry when I was so tempted to toss it on the truck!

 

Has anyone done the trick mentioned at the very end of the How-To for adjusting rotational alignment if it's off by a few degrees?

 

Speaking of rotational adjustment, I have successfully cut out all the holes for my FX-R, but when I went to drill the holes to bolt it in one of them ended up being about 1/8 of an inch off. What would be the best solution?

 

I think I had one that was out aswell. You can drill that hole on the projector a bit more. Or drill all holes on projector a bit bigger if you never did so. I also had to grind the heads down on a few bolts and that gave me the space needed to reach that hole that was out.


mSaLL150 Thanks for that, I added to post 6.

 

Ace Boy2099 Did, post 107 link below.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/4487124-post107.html
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Thanks, man. Credit should go to Steve (NCSU), though....he was the first to get retrofitted headlights in that style. I was just jealous.

I agree---I'd just drill that one out a bit bigger. Or use your dremel and slot it to where you need. As long as the other three holes are fine you won't have any problems. Do like the rest of us and throw some RTV on the bolts after they are in place to put your mind at ease.


Thanks. Do you happen to recall if he ever posted before/after of doing that trick? When I tried the other night the whole thing just kind of sprang back into place. I didn't want to push too hard on those flanges because I didn't want to break them.

 

No, I never took pictures because I was still in the build process while I did it so I had nothing to bolt in or light up at the moment, Just a bolted uncovered projector with a test harness to a loose balast.

When you do it you have to use the screwdriver to lower the cutoff shield so you can get to the tabs then just a smidge, re-mount and test till accurate.

My lights are level fine but I guess I goofed when I did my retro they are both pointed off to the pass side. Look good at ~20-25feet from driveway into garage but once driving you see just how squed they are. They meet at the line on the side of the road....

 

Dang, looks like a lot of people are having issues with the rotational alignment. The best course of action for me was to bolt the reflector/housing to the truck, aim to a wall and hold the projector perfectly level while my friend put epoxy glue all over the back of the projector. It takes only 5 minutes to solidify, then mount your screws. My cutoff is level, the only flaw in mine is the passenger side doesn't point 100% perfectly straight. So at a distance the steps get slightly closer together, barely noticeable and really not worth fixing. I'm perfectly fine with it.