BrianSD_42 's Morimoto Mini D2S 3.0 Panorama Halo Retrofit DIY Journey

[ivopivo]

Finally done!

Well I finally completed my very own HID retrofit. I used Brian's thread here as well as octanejunkie's (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/224604-my-3rd-gen-retrofit-projector-project.html). I also got some help from both these guys answering a few stupid questions.

I purchased everything needed (except headlights) from DDM Tuning. D2S V2 bi-xenon kit with range rover shrouds, Ultra HID kit 35w with D2S bulbs 5500k and their H4 high-low harness. I got the headlights from ebay. They're TYC brand with the clear glass, driver side is 20-5652-00 and passenger 20-5651-00 for those interested.

Again, I followed the first post in this thread pretty much 100%. I used all TYC components but per Brian's recommendation I did apply jbweld to the adjusting screws (white part that spins and black part that holds the white part are glued together) and the other "pin" as shown in post 4 of this thread.

I decided to paint my shrouds body color and I did matte black on the housings. I think it looks pretty good but will look even better once I start doing some more mods (satoshi grille, nice bumper and some clear/smoked corners).

Just a few notes for those doing this for the first time...

PLAN everything out. Planning is what made this job easy for me and rushing some things is what made it slow down. Doing it in your home garage (access to tools AND an oven) is much easier as I had to do all the painting and assembling off/on the car at my shop, but baking to disassemble/reassemble at my home. Make sure shrouds fit and you trim the rear of the housing (for the lock nut to fit easier on H4 lock ring) before painting.

Lastly, the one thing I wasn't clear on was aiming and making sure the projectors were level before reassembling lights. What I did was as Brian explained here but on my car... tighten everything really well (once EVERYTHING is done except putting the glass back on) and put the headlight assemblies on the car. Then I rotated the projector (holding the shroud) to make sure it was level. While still installed in the car (didn't want to risk removing them and projectors moving) I applied some JB weld to lock in the H4 adapter ring to the housing and the projector threads. At this point I had my bulbs in as well as the bulb lock ring, so it was easy to see how much jbweld I can put and still have enough thread to lock in the bulb. After letting this set for about 15-20 minutes, I removed the headlights and then applied jbweld liberally around the entire lock ring etc.

Finally, here are some photos...

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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106317939/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (2)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4617/28106317939_45c08e3286_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (2)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/39176414654/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (3)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4654/39176414654_a7bca9b0c4_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (3)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/39176414424/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (4)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4741/39176414424_72c52d8785_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (4)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106317849/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (5)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4655/28106317849_b5194c5351_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (5)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106317529/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (6)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4744/28106317529_1d2da51d3c_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (6)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/39176414554/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (7)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4604/39176414554_cdd60d9fdc_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (7)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106317709/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (8)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4697/28106317709_e472d5793a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (8)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/39176414274/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (9)"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4608/39176414274_e24e4772b9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDRetrofit (9)"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/39176290014/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerOEMLow"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4619/39176290014_4f315074db_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerOEMLow"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106236659/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDLow"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4632/28106236659_5231b9e388_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDLow"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106236739/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerOEMHigh"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4769/28106236739_3bc8c7db34_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerOEMHigh"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130074049@N07/28106236709/in/album-72157692614974285/" title="4RunnerHIDHigh"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4659/28106236709_c4cd44032a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="4RunnerHIDHigh"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[BrianSD_42]

looks great man!

 

[ghettoflow21]

Going to try to tackle this project soon, using the ACME H1 Kit with Panamera 1.0 Switchback! Have a couple of questions, as I'm trying to prep and order everything on Amazon:

1) I previously bought the TYC headlights because my OEM shattered. Is there any reason not to use the ones these (currently on my truck)? It seems like a lot of people purchase separate ones from their current truck to work on.
2) How do I test the lights on my bench if I do not have special equipment? Do I just need a 12V battery? A little confused by this (sorry, really bad at electronics).
3) Breathing tubes: I didn’t see any place to buy these or how to construct them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
4) To clarify, with this kit, I do not need to drill holes correct? Is shaving down the bottom of the shroud necessary?

 

[ghettoflow21]

looks great man!

Brian, have any suggestions to my questions above?

 

[BrianSD_42]

Brian, have any suggestions to my questions above?

1) if your current original oem are NOT shattered then just use those, assuming the lens is clear. If the lens is not clear then buy tyc and "swap z glass" which is to move the new glass onto the old oem plastic housings. The OEM plastic is stronger. Then sell the tyc plastic and old glass for some chump change on eBay.

2) you can test with a 12v car battery. Not an amp. Use a car battery.

3) I prayed this either here or in the v4 thread. First of it come with two which members for would argue is enough. You can do a third tube just by slipping a tube between the main projector opening and the housing it sits in, the center area. Seal up the gap with silicone.

4) I suggest you call TRS directly. They can answer questions and are paid to do so. Yes with the mini D2S 3.4/4.0 you do not need to drill new holes per say. But you will need to Dremel out the housing so your headlight sits properly.

Best of luck to you!

 

[ivopivo]

Going to try to tackle this project soon, using the ACME H1 Kit with Panamera 1.0 Switchback! Have a couple of questions, as I'm trying to prep and order everything on Amazon:

1) I previously bought the TYC headlights because my OEM shattered. Is there any reason not to use the ones these (currently on my truck)? It seems like a lot of people purchase separate ones from their current truck to work on.
2) How do I test the lights on my bench if I do not have special equipment? Do I just need a 12V battery? A little confused by this (sorry, really bad at electronics).
3) Breathing tubes: I didn’t see any place to buy these or how to construct them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
4) To clarify, with this kit, I do not need to drill holes correct? Is shaving down the bottom of the shroud necessary?

In addition to Brian's answers I just wanted to add my quick thoughts having done this recently...

1. I did what Brian suggested in this DIY, which is to epoxy the TYC adjusters (look at post #4 of this thread to see exactly what I'm talking about) and have had no issues (yet). I did this because I figured new lights + epoxy will be stronger (or at least less brittle) than my 20 year old lights with 270k on them. If it was much less mileage I would have probably done what Brian mentioned, that is to use the stock housings/frame with new TYC glass lens.

2. I would highly recommend you test the leveling of the headlights in your truck, then epoxy the projectors in place. I pressed on the projector as much as possible to tighten the nut in the back, then put everything together (except the lens) and made sure both projectors were level. I then put epoxy on the nut, projector thread and housing, solidifying everything together. After all that was done I put the lens back on.

You can adjust the projectors later as well because it will slightly move, but for me it was much easier to turn the actual projector from the front and level it vs turning it by the nut in the back (if lens is already on there).

3. I taped some gauze on the stock breathers as a "filter" since Brian mentioned he was getting some dust. I have had no dust or condensation issues for a month now and around 800-1000 miles.

4. Shaving of the shroud is usually necessary. There are some out there that come with a flat bottom, but even those may need to be fitted for our headlights.

Hope that helps.

1) if your current original oem are NOT shattered then just use those, assuming the lens is clear. If the lens is not clear then buy tyc and "swap z glass" which is to move the new glass onto the old oem plastic housings. The OEM plastic is stronger. Then sell the tyc plastic and old glass for some chump change on eBay.

2) you can test with a 12v car battery. Not an amp. Use a car battery.

3) I prayed this either here or in the v4 thread. First of it come with two which members for would argue is enough. You can do a third tube just by slipping a tube between the main projector opening and the housing it sits in, the center area. Seal up the gap with silicone.

4) I suggest you call TRS directly. They can answer questions and are paid to do so. Yes with the mini D2S 3.4/4.0 you do not need to drill new holes per say. But you will need to Dremel out the housing so your headlight sits properly.

Best of luck to you!

 

[BrianSD_42]

The panorama shroud will definitely need to be cut to fit. Others for the most part should fit fine.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Brian/others - maybe I missed it, but could the halos be used as DRLs, or are they not bright enough?

I'm not planning on doing an HID retrofit any time soon (though probably will in the future), but I am thinking of adding DRLs of some sort - I was thinking an LED strip in the filler panels below the headlights.

But if the halos are bright enough to serve that function, I might hold off on cutting up the filler panels, and speed up the HID retrofit. Are they bright enough?

 

[BrianSD_42]

but could the halos be used as DRLs, or are they not bright enough

On cloudy days I do use my halo's and LED strips (see my pics) as DLR.

But and this is a bit of a side tangent ... my DRL are turned on and off with a manual OEM Toyota switch on the dash that controls my LED+Halos.

The 97s didn't have built in DLR and even if they did I would still recommend just configuring your Halo & LED strips to use a simple switch like I did so as to AVOID ELECTRICAL GHOSTS in the machine.

So if you are considering wiring the LEDs to act as DLR the lighting on these trucks just note it is not as simple as it looks at first glance. If I remember my [MENTION=10169]TheDurk[/MENTION] comments over the years, some of the 3rd gen years lighting circuits are positive triggered, others neg triggered.

Frankly there is a lot of room for complications, failures and trip ups once you start connecting extra lighting circuits into the factory circuits. Doing something -as simple as- wiring the LEDs/Halos to effectively trigger off the parking light circuit (I've done this in the past) can = huge PIA down the road when something inevitably breaks and you have to troubleshoot.

For all these reasons I kept the factory circuits factory (well I returned them to such) and use an OEM Toyota switch to control my extra lighting circuits. I also have a BlueSea fuse box so everything is cleanly isolated from a power perspective as well.

// These are just my personal opinions on the matter //

 

[4Runner4Leon]

Thanks Brian! I think I'll go ahead with my LED strips in the filler panels for now, and see how it looks.

I hear you on avoiding tapping into the lighting circuit for the DRL's; I'll do the same as you - add a separate circuit, controlled by a separate switch.

 

[ghettoflow21]

1) if your current original oem are NOT shattered then just use those, assuming the lens is clear. If the lens is not clear then buy tyc and "swap z glass" which is to move the new glass onto the old oem plastic housings. The OEM plastic is stronger. Then sell the tyc plastic and old glass for some chump change on eBay.

2) you can test with a 12v car battery. Not an amp. Use a car battery.

3) I prayed this either here or in the v4 thread. First of it come with two which members for would argue is enough. You can do a third tube just by slipping a tube between the main projector opening and the housing it sits in, the center area. Seal up the gap with silicone.

4) I suggest you call TRS directly. They can answer questions and are paid to do so. Yes with the mini D2S 3.4/4.0 you do not need to drill new holes per say. But you will need to Dremel out the housing so your headlight sits properly.

Best of luck to you!

So I feel like this is simple, but I'm trying to see how the Panamera shrouds fit to the H1 projector and it doesn't look like there is much contact between the Panamera shroud and the projector...

Also, do I need to cover this whole middle area with aluminum tape to prevent light pollution? I was under the impression that these new projectors don't need to be taped?

 

[BrianSD_42]

The projectors do not NEED to be taped.

With the 3.0s Mini D2S I did tape them but with the 4.0 I did not.

It is not a requirement.

I cannot comment on the H1 fitment with Panorama. Have you tried asking TRS? They have really good customer support.

 

[Ed_C]

You need centric rings to mount the larger (for 3" lens) shrouds onto MH1 projectors https://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-retrofit-kits/shrouds/shroud-centric-rings.html

 

[ghettoflow21]

You need centric rings to mount the larger (for 3" lens) shrouds onto MH1 projectors https://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-retrofit-kits/shrouds/shroud-centric-rings.html

Thanks so much! That was really frustrating, as the TRS guys told me I didn't need anything else before I purchased the kit -_- I ordered it, I'm going to do the wiring then hopefully complete this next weekend.

 

[Ed_C]

Thanks so much! That was really frustrating, as the TRS guys told me I didn't need anything else before I purchased the kit -_- I ordered it, I'm going to do the wiring then hopefully complete this next weekend.

No problem! I searched eBay first to find you better pricing for the rings but seems like the US based sellers only sell them with shrouds, cheapest was almost $25 a pair.

 

[ghettoflow21]

1) if your current original oem are NOT shattered then just use those, assuming the lens is clear. If the lens is not clear then buy tyc and "swap z glass" which is to move the new glass onto the old oem plastic housings. The OEM plastic is stronger. Then sell the tyc plastic and old glass for some chump change on eBay.

2) you can test with a 12v car battery. Not an amp. Use a car battery.

3) I prayed this either here or in the v4 thread. First of it come with two which members for would argue is enough. You can do a third tube just by slipping a tube between the main projector opening and the housing it sits in, the center area. Seal up the gap with silicone.

4) I suggest you call TRS directly. They can answer questions and are paid to do so. Yes with the mini D2S 3.4/4.0 you do not need to drill new holes per say. But you will need to Dremel out the housing so your headlight sits properly.

Best of luck to you!

So besides the shroud issue, which I will need to finish installing next weekend, I installed the retrofit and was pleasantly surprised with the ease of the plug and play Here's a couple photos of the

1. Looks like I will have to add some aluminum tape to block out the excess light (don't mind the painter's tape, LOL) and fix the aiming of the projector (it looks like it's aimed low in the housing)

2. These things are on all the time, how do I disable the DRL feature, or wire the halo to be white to run the DRL (i'm sure I can find it via search but figured I'd highlight all my issues)


3. I had no idea where to plug in the two small wires that come from the projector, which I assume opens and closes the little gate for the high beams...any suggestions on this?

Overall really excited about this mod and will post next weekend when everything is completed!

 

[ghettoflow21]

Yes the running lights (corner light bulb) circuit is stock and the aftermarket headlight HID wiring harness is tapped into there same stock circuit via plug n play harness. I don't have DRL (97) so it is manual lights on.

My halos (2 per light) and LED strips (1 per side) equal out to 6 parallel wires setup to turn on/off via a Toyota OEM switch I installed. This makes troubleshooting way way easier. Taping into stock headlight wiring for your halos is certainly possible but in the long run (think 2-3 years down road) it can be a pain.

Funny that this thread comes up today. I just finished my Mini D2S 4.0 retrofit. The halos were a PIA! See the Panorama shroud ... customer painted and I painted right over the little circles making it a tilted X. I think this looks a lot better.

:bat:

I know you recommend running a separate circuit, but I am crunched for time this weekend and was wondering how to tap my Panamera halos so that the white is always running and the amber with the turn signals. I can't seem to find any pictures or more idiot-proof directions :shrug:

 

[BrianSD_42]

I don't have an answer for you.

I'm sure I could figure it out in person.

Wiring it with the turn signals is totally different than the running lights. Are you saying you want the Halo to flash with the turn signal?

What year, what model 4Runner?

 

[ghettoflow21]

I don't have an answer for you.

I'm sure I could figure it out in person.

Wiring it with the turn signals is totally different than the running lights. Are you saying you want the Halo to flash with the turn signal?

What year, what model 4Runner?

Yup, this is what I'm trying to have. I thought this was standard for the switchbacks?

 

[ghettoflow21]

UPDATE: Important Gluing Required

TYC materials are cheap but you can make them stronger. If you don't do this or already did a retrofit and now the lights are pointed far down you may need to take them apart and do this step.

They shouldn't be aimed far far down for no reason. I think what happened is the TYC white/black plastic adjustment shroud came apart. It's cheap material. It happened to me on 2 sets of lights.

Here is how you fix it. If it ever happens to you in the future.

* remove light from the Truck
* look at the white/bkack adjustment piece of plastic, when the screw driver head touches during adjustment
* it should look tight and not like it's falling apart
* if it came apart you need to remove the entire BIG black plastic assembly then snap the small black/white pieces back into place, then JBWeld. Don't worry, it takes 5 minds and you don't open the actual glass light
* I did all 4 (2x per side) so I never have to mess with it again
* use needle noise pliers, and 10mm socket, use the pliers on the spring and on the square plastic clip, look closely at the square. Disassemble.
* now look at the white plastic screw driver driven adjustment piece.
* snap it back together
* clean both with alcohol
* very careful add JBWeld so it stays together for all time
* do not glue the 2 spinning parts to the black base piece. You want to glue to white and black spinning parts together but in a way that allows them to still spin.
* let it dry overnight (even with quick JB I still give it 6 hours)

Lastly while you have the assembly apart remove the dome screw shown below, clean the area with alcohol then coat in JBWeld and re-screw in into the housing. Make sure there is no JB on the dome.

See pictures for reference.

Thanks for this, my headlights were aimed very low. JB Welded and hopefully that will fix it.

However, I did notice that the black plastic piece is missing on one side on the "dome screw" (see attached). Is there anywhere I can procure another one?