Retrofitting Acura TSX Projector Parts?

[bmwman91]

OK, so I have heard a few people mention that they popped apart their ellipsoid housings and stuck in TSX projector & bulb assemblies. Does anyone have some good detailed information on this (pics + part numbers would be awesome)? I am really tired of DDM junk Xenons in my Euro ellipsoids (over the last year, the two bulbs have become slightly different in color, and their "5000K" bulbs are actually 6000K ones with a sticker saying "5000K").

Also, has anyone used different OEM projector assemblies than the TSX ones? I suppose that I will miss the Euro-spec beam pattern, but the lighting with these DDM lights is so crappy that I would be a lot happier with a US-spec beam pattern & legit OEM quality parts.

Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks guys!

[$hane]

heres a good place to buy all your retrofit needs. Cesar is a super nice guy too, if you give him a call im sure he can help you with whatever you need. lightwerkz.net

[Wh33lhop]

FX-Rs ftw, same lens diameter as stock E30 projectors (2.5") and they're relatively compact.



Bixenon is nice :)





You can grab FX-Rs at theretrofitsource.com.

[e30trooper]

FX-R FTW. Using tsx projectors would be to much work.






Goto HIDPLANET.COM read read read!!!!!! Dont buy shit until you read. this isn't cheap. Bulbs alone new are upwords to 100 a pair

my set up , Euro bosch smileys with 1st gen fxr's ,phillips d2s 4300K bulbs , ddm's 55w ballast.
Total cost :
smileys-150
fxr's - 80
DDM kit - 45
used d2s bulbs - 30
d2s adapter - 15
cheap ddm bulbs i tossed away - 15
parts for retro - 10

total : $345.00

[bmwman91]

Great info guys! The cost isn't really a factor at this point; only excellent OEM quality lighting is important right now (which might sound weird, since I have been using DDM crap bulbs).

Are there any advantages to using OEM ballasts versus DDM ones? The ballasts from DDM seem to be considerably better than the bulbs, and have never given me problems. Lots of people complain about them, but I also suspect that most people do the power wiring inadequately, and don't put them in well-ventilated spots. ANYWAY, if I was to want to use the DDM ballasts that are in there now, would I just need an AMP=>D2S connector adapter?

Oh, and I can tell that this is yet another project where having a lathe will make life soooo much easier! If I can chuck-up the light housings & get them co-planar with the chuck head, I should get a nice flat reference surface when I chop off the back of the housing with a parting tool. I bet I can also turn out a nice adapter ring from some aluminum plate to screw everything into, and then seal with some sort of reflector-safe RTV.

[e30trooper]

Great info guys! The cost isn't really a factor at this point; only excellent OEM quality lighting is important right now (which might sound weird, since I have been using DDM crap bulbs).

Are there any advantages to using OEM ballasts versus DDM ones? The ballasts from DDM seem to be considerably better than the bulbs, and have never given me problems. Lots of people complain about them, but I also suspect that most people do the power wiring inadequately, and don't put them in well-ventilated spots.

when you go bi-xenon , you need good bulbs. ddm and such cheap ass ones are not centered 100% , reason why i threw away new ddm bulbs and bought used phillips

[jrobie79]

I want to do this too, but I dont want to hack up my euro smileys and then be stuck with a bunk set of headlights

[einstein57]

Well i know for a fact the morimoto mini h1 can be mounted with an adapter with out any modification to the original e30 housings. However that still leaves you with the h1 bulbs. I have designed an adapter-plate that will work with U.S. and euro projector buckets and will be releasing them next year. You can look in to purchasing some premium h1 bulbs before you go around spending all your dough on projectors. I will be ordering a set of morimoto d2s projectors to see if they can retrofit easily as well.

And for those of you who are like me and just hate the euro projector cutoff pattern the us projector lens/metal bracket can be directly swapped over with out any modifications. All the alignment dowels are exactly the same.

[bmwman91]

Well, I now have some FX-R projectors, Phillips D2S 85122+ bulbs and an Amp=>D2S adapter on the way. I currently have BOSCH Euro ellipsoid headlights in there (they are the non-smiley Euro ones), and it would appear that the plastic housings will come apart with the removal of a few screws. I may be able to do this retrofit without chopping anything up and just machining an adapter plate. Having a Bridgeport mill & a lathe in the garage is fun!

[e30trooper]

get to work go. go sign up for hidplanet.com

[e30trooper]

just so u get an idea of size.
You will have to cut. GL

[lbreevesii]

i've seen the tsx's done on hidplanet, but i haven't seen a write up on the fx-r's. i'm gonna have to go find one now.

Sounds like you're doing this the right way, but i highly recommend reading this site:

https://www.danielsternlighting.com

[bmwman91]

get to work go. go sign up for hidplanet.com

just so u get an idea of size.
You will have to cut. GL

Hmm, yeah it is going to take a little finessing to mate this stuff. I need to do some timing chain maintenance tomorrow, so I'll get a closer look at the headlights while I am draining & removing the radiator. Maybe I will pull the lights & look them over while the motor cools off before I work on it.

How weather-proof are these FX-R projector assemblies? It looks like there could be all sorts of ways for water to get into the back side.

i've seen the tsx's done on hidplanet, but i haven't seen a write up on the fx-r's. i'm gonna have to go find one now.

Sounds like you're doing this the right way, but i highly recommend reading this site:
www.danielsternlighting.com

Yeah, DS Lighting is a great website. I love the information on aiming your headlights...super useful!

[Wh33lhop]

You will need to seal the projectors to the housings; let me know if you find a good way to do it ;)

The projectors themselves are not hermetically sealed, however the reflector bowls are sealed pretty well to the bulbs. Basically you will need to seal the projectors to the housings--just seal the projectors themselves when you do so.

[bmwman91]

You will need to seal the projectors to the housings; let me know if you find a good way to do it ;)

The projectors themselves are not hermetically sealed, however the reflector bowls are sealed pretty well to the bulbs. Basically you will need to seal the projectors to the housings--just seal the projectors themselves when you do so.

I should be able to seal them to the housings pretty well. My main concern is the rest of the projector assembly, behind the housing. I assume that you want to keep water and dirt out of the reflector, solenoid and just about everything else.