The Problem:

The factory headlights are nothing to talk about and put out a very poor amount of lighting. I first moved on to new H4 conversion housings with Hella housings and quality H4 lamps. The output was much better but I knew HID would be the next logical step to further improve the lighting. I purchased a drop-in HID kit with a movable Hi/Low shield controlled by a solenoid. Everything was plug and play and it gave off a beautiful color and decent output but nothing compared to a true HID projector. I finally decided to start looking into projector retrofits but many of the Bi-Xenon projectors were too large and many of the firebird retro’s (typically 98-02 birds)I had seen left the projector lens exposed. I wanted to retain full functionality so a Bi-Xenon was the only logical solution. It is said the Infiniti FX35/45 bi-xenon projector is the smallest to get and looking at the measurements, it looked plausible. After viewing one of the LS1 bird retros that used plexi-glass with a center hole cut to mount the projector, I had my idea.

Supplies:
Infiniti FX35/45 Bi-Xenon projectors w/ Clear Lens (pair)
Hella Gen 3 OEM ballasts (pair)
Philips 85122+ HID D2S lamps (pair)
H4 Wiring Harness with solenoid wires (positively switched)
Plexi-Glass Sheets 1/10th inch thick
Lexan Sheet
Garden lamps used for projector shrouds
Plaster of Paris
Stock Headlamp
Black High Temp Paint
Misc. wire connectors and Elec. Tape

Price List:
Clear Lens Projectors FX Bi-Xenon Projectors – $100 HIDPLANET.com forum member (non-clear lens versions are cheaper but output isn’t as good)
New Gen 3 Hella D2S ballasts – $180 for the pair
New Philips 85122+ lamps – $90 for the pair
Pre-Made Wiring Harness – $87
Garden Lights – $20 – could be done for cheaper but this worked just fine.
Cost of Lexan – $15.00 for the sheet
Cost of Plexiglass- $15.00 large sheet
Plaster of Paris – $5.00
OEM Headlamp – $8.00
H4 conversion connectors – $15 but already had from previous setup

Procedure:

Begin by cutting the factory mounting brackets from the FX projector.

You can see where I cut right in the center of the projector.

Next, I attempted to do a trial fit of the projector in a spare bucket I had laying around. As you will notice, the projector slides all the way in with a very snug fit to boot.

Now take a piece of lexan and cut two pieces that measure just a bit larger than the opening of the factory trim piece that holds the lamp to the bucket. I also measured and cut a hole for the projector lens to poke through.

Next, I took my Garden lamp screw cover and used clear RTV to secure it to the Lexan piece. This will be the projector shroud. I sanded off the open-close lettering and left it with a brushed aluminum look on the face just as a cosmetic accent.

I then painted the back of the Lexan with the black high temp paint. Painting the rear of the Lexan makes the front come through as very shiny.

Moving on to the hardest part of the retro – The Plexi-glass bubble covers. I read online quite a bit and finally found someone that was force forming plexi-glass. I first need a mold so I cut open the stock sealed beam housing and removed the lamp inside.

I then mixed and poured the Plaster of Paris into the open housing and waited for it to dry. My first attempt I used too much water and it never fully dried even though it was solid. The second attempt was perfect and left me with a very smooth and solid mold. However, I guess the mold expanded ever so slightly and cracked the stock headlamp…oh well don’t need it anymore anyway.

I used a power sander and made the surface as smooth as possible. I then did a little hand sanding with 2000 grit for an even finer finish. Make sure the surface is smooth and free of debris before attempting the next steps.

Now, cut a piece of Plexi-glass considerably greater in size than your mold. I took an old windows screen frame and cut it up at a frame for the plexi-glass sheet. I used large paper clips to secure the plexi-glass to the metal frame. Remove the silver clips before placing it in the oven.

I placed this in the oven on 4 coffee cups at ~310 – 325 degrees F for around 7 min. This required quite a bit of trial and error with the amount of heat and heating time. Different sheets took different times and not every oven temperature is the same. You will see the center of the sheet sag but don’t overheat or keep it too long or it will create small bubbles in the plastic. When it’s ready, remove it from the oven quickly and place it over your mold. I then used the metal trim that holds the factory headlamp and forced it down the mold quickly. I then held it there while it cooled. I obviously used oven mitts for this but take care to not touch the plastic with your mitts or it will imprint their texture onto your formed plexi. Cut out the excess plastic to fit snuggly but flush with the metal housing trim.

I used clear RTV again to seal and secure the plexi-glass lens to the metal trim frame. This will ensure a water tight seal so you can wash the car like normal with the headlights up.

Here is a mock-up with how everything should fit and look in the car. Notice that there was no need for fasteners because the 4×6 Lexan actually fits within the metal trim piece. This allows not movement side to side or front to back because everything is a very tight fit but in a good way.

Finally, the install!

Here’s a picture of the area we will be working with:

Most vehicles have this area partially faded or completely faded. Even after fading, an
outline still remains of what once was. This tutorial will remove all the outlines, symbols,
lettering, you name it. This will also remove scratches and swirls on it aswell.

Let’s begin by gathering up all the materials you’ll need for this.

Materials Needed in Order of Use:
Rubbing Alchohol / Nail Polish Remover [[* Only if you need to remove anything RED]]
Paper Towels
Couple Bottles of Water
600 Grit Sandpaper
1000 Grit Sandpaper
1500 Grit Sandpaper
2000 Grit Sandpaper
Meguire’s PlastiX [[or any plastic polish by a major brand name]]
Microfiber Towel
Microfiber Applicator Pad
Buffer [[* Not needed to complete but will give even better results!]]
Some Patience and Confidence

Pop your hatch and remove anything blocking you from pulling back the carpeting covering
up the back of the taillights. Here’s a picture of what you will be removing:

Pull the material away from the car, like so:

You’ll need to remove 5 black screw caps from each taillight. They look like this:

After you get both taillights off, you’ll be able to pull the middle piece off. There is
nothing attaching it to the car, so give a playful tug to get it off.

Grab your bottle of Alcohol and saturate some paper towels with it. You’ll only need to do this
if you have any red ink on your piece. If you don’t have much fading, get ready for a fight.
Those of you that have most of it faded, this part should be relatively quick to complete.
Keep rubbing and rubbing until you get ALL of the red off. Sanding will not remove it, so
take your time and get it all off.

Don’t be decieved by the newfound color the alcohol may induce. Once it dries up, the image will fade
again. Keep at it and get it as clean as you can. You’ll notice that you won’t be able to get rid of the
outline of the image. That’s what we are going to use the sandpaper for.

Once you get your piece to look like the one above, you’ll need to bust out your bottles of
water and the 600 Grit Sandpaper. Rip off a small section suitable for two fingers to use.
You can see in the picture how little of a piece I used. The bigger the piece, the more
uneven the sanding will be.

Dump some water onto the piece and then lay the piece of sandpaper on it. Dump more
water on making sure to get the sandpaper nice and wet. Begin by moving left and right
on the piece, making sure to keep adding water as your sandpaper beings to move slower.
You want to keep the paper moving smoothly. The water will act as a buffer between the
piece and the sandpaper, making a nice sliding effect. DO NOT APPLY EXTREME PRESSURE!!!
You barely have to apply any pressure onto the sandpaper. Hold it on and let it work it’s magic.
Keep at it until you feel everything is fairly smooth. You’ll feel how rough it is especially when you
get to where the images used to be. Once you feel like everything is smooth, pour more water
onto the piece, washing away all the contaminants.

Here’s what mine looked like after the 600 Grit stage:

You may notice some outlines still remaining. The next two stages may get rid of them completely,
but if they don’t, be sure to go back and do another pass with the 600 grit.

Grab your piece of 1000 Grit sandpaper and emulate the process above. Keep the paper
and unit wet and move in left to right motions. Keep going until you feel that everything is relatively
smooth. Wash all the contaminents off for the next stage.

Grab the 1500 Grit sandpaper. Your going to do the same process once again. Make sure
you keep everything wet and smooth. Once you feel like everything is smooth again, move
onto the last sanding step. Here’s a picture of the 1000 and 1500 stage.

***I had to go back at this point and hit the unit with 600 again. I had some outlines remaining
and I did not feel that the 2000 grit would remove them. If you’ve gotten all the outlines off,
proceed ahead, otherwise go back and start at the 600 grit step again. ***

Once your sure that the lines are off, grab the 2000 grit sandpaper for the final sanding step.
Follow the process your now familiar with making sure to keep everything wet. Once everything
is smooth, wash away all the contaminents and dry it off with your paper towels. Here’s what
mine looked like after the 2000 grit step.

Now we will make it look shiney and new! You can use Meguire’s PlastiX Automotive Rubbing Compound.

Using your Microfiber applicator pad [or buffer if you have it], apply a generous amount of the
PlastiX to the pad. Begin by applying the polish in a circular motion, similar to a buffer. Your hand
will begin to slow after you spin it for a while. Once you feel that you can’t spin the polish, grab
your towel and buff the cream off.

Continue on until you’ve completed the entire unit. I did not use a buffer and I got pretty damn good
results. If you do use a buffer, expect an even more kick ass finish. I’ll eventually go back and hit it a
few times with a buffer. Here’s a picture of what it looked like before I finalized the polishing.
You will notice some areas with scratches still, so go back and hit ‘em again with the polish.
Do this until your satisfied.

After I finished I went back and re-installed everything. Once you re-install you’ll be able to get a
good idea of how it looks with your taillights. Mine finish was pretty close, so I decided to throw some
PlastiX onto the lights for an even better match. Here’s some finished pictures:

Supplies:
Auto Stripper (Gel work great)
Brush
Gloves / Mask
Mothers Powerball Optional

The Procedure:

Clean the wheel with soapy water so the stripper strips paint and not loose dirt.

Brush the paint stripper over the wheel with a thick coat. Allow about 15-20 minutes and this is how the wheels should look. Be sure to use your gloves and face mask. Do this outside or in a well ventilated area.

Here is the final product. Make sure you removed all of the paint stripper is removed. A water hose and towel work well. Hit it will some metal polish such as Mothers brand and presto.