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08 Acura MDX HID full optical retro

underpowerd

By underpowerd
in Exterior/Aesthetic

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underpowerd Mentor

underpowerd

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good luck, finse. definitely give some thought into just fashioning some easy brackets from the get-go. my setup has held perfectly solid with the method in the pics, but a quick bracket would likely save you some time; i'd certainly do it that way if i was starting from scratch again.
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GTS Jeff Community Regular

GTS Jeff

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in the picture, theres a great big glare box on the garage.

 

It's pretty typical for OEM HID projectors to have squirrel finders. You can actually see them in the comparison pics he posted. IIRC, even the RX330 projectors do too. Some people's worldview would collapse knowing that a retro can produce glare too.

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finse Experienced

finse

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good luck, finse. definitely give some thought into just fashioning some easy brackets from the get-go. my setup has held perfectly solid with the method in the pics, but a quick bracket would likely save you some time; i'd certainly do it that way if i was starting from scratch again.

 

That's a great call. I'll be sure to take my time and get something made at a machine shop. Since this is going to be my permanent setup, might as well do it right!

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underpowerd Mentor

underpowerd

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That's a great call. I'll be sure to take my time and get something made at a machine shop. Since this is going to be my permanent setup, might as well do it right!

 

all you should need is something approximating the lgt shield (at least in the mounting areas) bolted to the back of the mdx shield, so you can drill right through and bolt right up to the lgt housing. that way, no spacers, and no inching along with the slotting. your call with machining, but i'm sure some cheap metal stock would do just fine ;)

if you snap off a few pics of the success, i'll be happy to add them to the reserve post at the beginning :)

again, best luck.

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murdoc158 Enthusiast

murdoc158

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Anyone know the difference between the 04-06 projector versus the 07-10 projector?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380314572030&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1182

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380314573285&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1182

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MiniStiGuy Grand Master

MiniStiGuy

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I work for ACURA! give me a part number ill get prices at my price well below retail. that goes for any honda or acura part, just let me know

 

 

I used to work for Acura as well and you cannot buy these units by themselves as they come in an entire headlamp and are not sold seperately. The only thing you can buy seperate is the ballast, bulbs, and harness pieces.

OEM HID's Rx330 Retro

 

 

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Myevodream Enthusiast

Myevodream

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Finally getting around to starting my retro this weekend! Had to get another set of headlamps first just in case I F* up. Will post results when I am complete

 

EDIT, so I was placing my projectors on and noticed that TRS sent me 2 lefts!! Damnit, now I have to wait for my right one to come in.

 

double EDIT, just got off the phone with Matt over at TRS, says there's no real difference between the left and right projectors. Looks like the cutoff shields are mirrored of each other, but other than that the bowls look the same, so is it worth trying to find a right side one? He said this is the way they have always gone out. Also will put a piece of electrical wire at the glass to fit in their snug as I am doing the tsx-r lens

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finse Experienced

finse

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all you should need is something approximating the lgt shield (at least in the mounting areas) bolted to the back of the mdx shield, so you can drill right through and bolt right up to the lgt housing. that way, no spacers, and no inching along with the slotting. your call with machining, but i'm sure some cheap metal stock would do just fine ;)

if you snap off a few pics of the success, i'll be happy to add them to the reserve post at the beginning :)

again, best luck.

 

So I finally got around to staring this project this weekend. I pulled apart my lamps last night, and spent the today fabbing up some mounting brackets. I found some nice aluminum shelfing matererials, and cut it up using a powered coping saw and my old trusty dremmel too. Here is one of the sets:

 

http://www.slacktastic.net/car_pics/headlights/lgt-mdx-brackets.JPG

 

 

They are not prefect, but they do fit. Here is a picture of the bottom one, fitting :rolleyes:

 

http://www.slacktastic.net/car_pics/headlights/lgt-lower-bracket.JPG

 

Notice how I went around the notch, also note how thin it is up top, the bowl needs clearance here, and since this is not a structural component (just a spacer) it's no big deal.

 

And here it's mounted

 

http://www.slacktastic.net//car_pics/headlights/lgt-mdx-optics1.JPG

 

Ok, so the good news is the projector seems to fit roughly. I have not yet removed the portion of the reflector from the howto, nor have I trimmed the shields. That's coming up this week.

 

Now for some questions......

 

I have a total of 4 MDX sheilds, three of them are labeled 949 470R, one is labeled 949 470L. Looking at underpowerd's pictures, it appears my initial assumption of R=Right, L=Left is correct. Is it also a correct assumption that L = Drivers side, R= passengers side?

 

Since I reused the original lower holes for mounting the projector assembly, is the projector going to be mis-aligned from the shroud when I try to re-assemble everything?

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underpowerd Mentor

underpowerd

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So I finally got around to staring this project this weekend. I pulled apart my lamps last night, and spent the today fabbing up some mounting brackets. I found some nice aluminum shelfing matererials, and cut it up using a powered coping saw and my old trusty dremmel too. Here is one of the sets:

 

http://www.slacktastic.net/car_pics/headlights/lgt-mdx-brackets.JPG

 

 

They are not prefect, but they do fit. Here is a picture of the bottom one, fitting :rolleyes:

 

http://www.slacktastic.net/car_pics/headlights/lgt-lower-bracket.JPG

 

Notice how I went around the notch, also note how thin it is up top, the bowl needs clearance here, and since this is not a structural component (just a spacer) it's no big deal.

 

And here it's mounted

 

http://www.slacktastic.net//car_pics/headlights/lgt-mdx-optics1.JPG

 

Ok, so the good news is the projector seems to fit roughly. I have not yet removed the portion of the reflector from the howto, nor have I trimmed the shields. That's coming up this week.

 

Now for some questions......

 

I have a total of 4 MDX sheilds, three of them are labeled 949 470R, one is labeled 949 470L. Looking at underpowerd's pictures, it appears my initial assumption of R=Right, L=Left is correct. Is it also a correct assumption that L = Drivers side, R= passengers side?

 

Since I reused the original lower holes for mounting the projector assembly, is the projector going to be mis-aligned from the shroud when I try to re-assemble everything?

 

i think i see what you've done -- you're trying to keep the mdx shields fairly unmolested, which is pretty much impossible (without countersinking) to get everything to seat comfortably behind the lgt shroud/bezel.

even with brackets, to achieve acceptable height, you're still going to be drilling through the mdx shield in the exact same location where i've slotted them in the pics (not simply using existing mount holes).

 

the issue at hand is that the lgt lens holder (ergo, lens) sits a few mm higher on the shield relative to the mdx unit. the whole mdx optic needs to sit a few mm higher than it would if you just mounted using those existing lower bolt holes on the mdx shield... so naturally you need your mounting holes to be a few mm lower.

on the bright side, it looks like you've found a terrific material in the Al stock.

 

here's what i might try: line up the lgt shield to the the mdx shield via the 3 lens holder holes (which i believe are identically spaced on both units). theoretically, this should show you where your 4 mounting holes will need to be on the mdx shield for proper positioning/fit, and pretty much reveal the shape/size/drill points of brackets you'll require. get the top piece done first, test fit shroud to verify, then worry about the bottom (which will then show you exactly where to punch through). if you've measured and fastened the top correctly, you'll notice you can't use the stock bottom mdx shield holes; you have to drill through or slot mill.

 

if this sounds complex, it may be; you're pioneering after all ;). if you feel the slightest hesitation with this route, you can always fall back on the slotting method if you feel more comfortable that way.

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finse Experienced

finse

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i think i see what you've done -- you're trying to keep the mdx shields fairly unmolested, which is pretty much impossible (without countersinking) to get everything to seat comfortably behind the lgt shroud/bezel.

even with brackets, to achieve acceptable height, you're still going to be drilling through the mdx shield in the exact same location where i've slotted them in the pics (not simply using existing mount holes).

 

the issue at hand is that the lgt lens holder (ergo, lens) sits a few mm higher on the shield relative to the mdx unit. the whole mdx optic needs to sit a few mm higher than it would if you just mounted using those existing lower bolt holes on the mdx shield... so naturally you need your mounting holes to be a few mm lower.

on the bright side, it looks like you've found a terrific material in the Al stock.

 

here's what i might try: line up the lgt shield to the the mdx shield via the 3 lens holder holes (which i believe are identically spaced on both units). theoretically, this should show you where your 4 mounting holes will need to be on the mdx shield for proper positioning/fit, and pretty much reveal the shape/size/drill points of brackets you'll require. get the top piece done first, test fit shroud to verify, then worry about the bottom (which will then show you exactly where to punch through). if you've measured and fastened the top correctly, you'll notice you can't use the stock bottom mdx shield holes; you have to drill through or slot mill.

 

if this sounds complex, it may be; you're pioneering after all ;). if you feel the slightest hesitation with this route, you can always fall back on the slotting method if you feel more comfortable that way.

 

Thanks for your input on this. I think I did do a similar test as you are describing.. Both the LGT and MDX shields have three holes to help properly position the lens holder. I put the front to front (tab sticking out on either end) and inserted the lens holder. The bottom holes are close, but like you said, just a bit off.

 

Luckily I have the two spare shields I can practice on to achieve the best possible fit. And worst case scenario, my pop has a ton more aluminum in his basement!

 

I'll come back to this part of the retro in a week or two, in the mean time I am going to get more acquainted with the shrouds and 600 grit sandpaper ;)

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Myevodream Enthusiast

Myevodream

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http://legacygt.com/forums/%5Bimg%5Dhttp://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5508313848_e3b9681ed8_z.jpgFinished this up last weekend, night and day difference. Sanded, painted black, with mdx projector bowls, and shields, as well as tsx-r glass. The pic of the cutoff is me holding the projector against the wall, the real cut off is amazing and will post pics of them on the car when the weather allows me to do so.

 

1

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5508313848_e3b9681ed8_z.jpg

 

2

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5508313430_8c44402f69.jpg

 

3

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5507715375_0156b0d224.jpg

 

4

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5507715453_429d9579a6.jpghttp://legacygt.com/forums/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.flickr.com/photos/31031807@N04/5508313848/%22%20title=%22After%20by%20FourViewStudio,%20on%20Flickr%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5508313848_e3b9681ed8.jpg%22%20width=%22334%22%20height=%22500%22%20alt=%22After%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E

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