shizupple
New member
So I got the change to do my projector retrofit this weekend! I know there’s a bunch of write-ups on here about doing the retrofits but hey why not one more? I’ll start by saying that I went with the Morimoto Bi-xenon Mini Stage III (H1) kit from The Retrofit Source. I used the 50W ballasts, 5500K bulbs, and Mini-Gatling Gun shrouds. I used the discount code TRSFB10 at checkout and saved about $28 and it came out to be about $270 with shipping. Overall the install went pretty well without any huge hiccups.
I will say that if you want to do this the right way, just go ahead and dedicate an entire weekend to it and you should be able to get it done no problem. This was my first retrofit and I know that the next time I did it I could fly through it. I opted to paint the reflectors and shrouds flat black which turned out to be an awesome idea. A few tips/mistakes I made that maybe you could learn from when using this kit.
1. I watched all of the videos on TRS’ YouTube channel & read write-ups on this forum before attempting the install. It’s good to have an idea of the steps you need to do before you start to save yourself frustration.
2. I used some aftermarket housings for the install that I have had in my runner for a few years. Be careful when prying them open not to crack the metal because it’s pretty poorly made.
3. The videos I watched showed people mounting the shrouds on the projectors as the very last step. With this kit, you have to mount the shrouds before securing the lock nut. I didn’t know that’s how they were secured until it was too late and I couldn’t take the projector off the reflector!! I had to end up ditching the screws for the shrouds and JB welding them on. That’s what I was originally planning on doing, but it just wasn’t as clean as what I could’ve done.
4. IF at all possible, mark your headlights before taking them apart. I didn’t think this really mattered because my headlights were so jacked up to begin with, but it might’ve saved me some time in the long run. It took me a few hours of guessing and checking (and pissing a few drivers off on the road) to get the alignment right. I still need to make a few small tweaks, but it’s almost there.
5. I bought the RetroRubber from TRS. There was hardly any seal on the original so this came in handy when resealing back up. I probably only needed 1/10 of what they sent me, but oh well.
6. The wiring was pretty straight forward. There aren't a lot of options for mounting the ballasts but I think I ended up finding a pretty good home for them and the control box (pics later).
7. I think I saved myself a lot of frustration with using the Morimoto set instead of going the bargain route. You know the saying – don’t replace garbage with garbage.
I did a pretty bad job with documenting pictures of the whole procedure haha. Besides snapchatting my friends about baking my headlights, I only got a few pictures along the way. I’ll post some more pics in the next couple days of the cutoff lines because I know you hounds are dying to see them cutoff lines!
I will say that if you want to do this the right way, just go ahead and dedicate an entire weekend to it and you should be able to get it done no problem. This was my first retrofit and I know that the next time I did it I could fly through it. I opted to paint the reflectors and shrouds flat black which turned out to be an awesome idea. A few tips/mistakes I made that maybe you could learn from when using this kit.
1. I watched all of the videos on TRS’ YouTube channel & read write-ups on this forum before attempting the install. It’s good to have an idea of the steps you need to do before you start to save yourself frustration.
2. I used some aftermarket housings for the install that I have had in my runner for a few years. Be careful when prying them open not to crack the metal because it’s pretty poorly made.
3. The videos I watched showed people mounting the shrouds on the projectors as the very last step. With this kit, you have to mount the shrouds before securing the lock nut. I didn’t know that’s how they were secured until it was too late and I couldn’t take the projector off the reflector!! I had to end up ditching the screws for the shrouds and JB welding them on. That’s what I was originally planning on doing, but it just wasn’t as clean as what I could’ve done.
4. IF at all possible, mark your headlights before taking them apart. I didn’t think this really mattered because my headlights were so jacked up to begin with, but it might’ve saved me some time in the long run. It took me a few hours of guessing and checking (and pissing a few drivers off on the road) to get the alignment right. I still need to make a few small tweaks, but it’s almost there.
5. I bought the RetroRubber from TRS. There was hardly any seal on the original so this came in handy when resealing back up. I probably only needed 1/10 of what they sent me, but oh well.
6. The wiring was pretty straight forward. There aren't a lot of options for mounting the ballasts but I think I ended up finding a pretty good home for them and the control box (pics later).
7. I think I saved myself a lot of frustration with using the Morimoto set instead of going the bargain route. You know the saying – don’t replace garbage with garbage.
I did a pretty bad job with documenting pictures of the whole procedure haha. Besides snapchatting my friends about baking my headlights, I only got a few pictures along the way. I’ll post some more pics in the next couple days of the cutoff lines because I know you hounds are dying to see them cutoff lines!
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