99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

Ok, so here's a small update. The particular projector Shroud that I wanted to use for the Bi-xenon in the highbeam location was on backorder so I could not go too far with completing that step of the retro because I need the shroud for positioning and checking clearance.

I did mount one of the bi-xenons into the highbeam bowl temporarily and it fit just fine as far as depth which was a concern with the small area of the high beam on this car. The issue I have is that because the highbeam bowl and bezel is of an oval-ish type shape when using the original bulb mounting hole to mount a projector the center point of the projector will not be the centerpoint of the outer bezel.

I've gone back and looked at the few highbeam retro's I could find and saw that they all do have a similar positioning problem, but it is not nearly as noticeable once the Shroud in place. I hope to be receiving the Shrouds in the next day or two and I can see where to go from there.

Here is projector mounted thru the stock bulb location:









And here is an idea of how off-center it is with the bezel in place:
(Now this is a pic without adjusting the aiming screws at all, the screw do move the projector around some and it does help a bit, but I can't tell if it is going to be enough without the shrouds to test fit with)

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

So I've been working on a backup mounting plan in case I need it. I've made a way to mount the projector to the back-plane of the housing not using the oem highbeam bowl. It worked out well and I am able to center the projector better and have some adjustment, but I loose the benefit of the oem aiming screws. So this may be an issue, we will see what happens once I make some more progress..

Here is the projector temporarily test mounted closer to center without using the oem bowls:

Mr Jokster

iTrader: (8)

If you set up the screws right with an extra nut between the housing and the projector, you an use it as leverage which in turn will act like a leveler

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

For the moment I'm gonna skip back the low beam portion of this retro with a little info and progress there.

The LS430 projector has one of the widest output of all projectors, this is because of the Shroud design that funnels excess light from within the projector out the bottom and reflects it out to the side. This is why the 430 Shroud looks so funny, and this is what the hole/recess is for.

That is also why the LS430 projectors are Left and Right specific and most other projectors are interchangeable from side to side.

Notice in the pic below the chrome recess area is what shines extra light to the side:



Although being one of the widest makes it stand out as one of the best, the cuttoff is pretty poor when compared to the TSX and S2000 projectors.

The reason the cutoff performance seriously lacks with this projector is because it uses a Fresnel lens instead of a clear one. Lexus does this because the car is built for a broad range of consumers and some people feel that a sharp cutoff is fatiguing to their eyes, so using a Fresnel lens softens the lines and makes it a more gradual transition..

Here is the Stock LS430 Fresnel Lens:



And here is a TSX Clear Lens:

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

I am now working on making spacers to get the lens spacing correct to get the sharpest and best colored cutoff I can out of using a TSX Lens on the LS430 Projector. In the next pics you will see quite a difference.

Stock LS430 Fresnel Lens Cutoff Line:



TSX Clear Lens on LS430 Projector New Cutoff Line:

Mr Jokster

iTrader: (8)

well at least I now know that I'm not the only one with a nasty unfocused cutoff with my LS430's. Must be a 430 thing

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

Please give me some more insight on this? I'm very interested..

From what I'm thinking you mean are you talking about if I had used long screws to mount the projector kind of like 430 mounts to the LM bracket? Or the way that most previous projectors have been mounted to the oem bowls?

This projector has a threaded shaft to mount directly through an existing bulb hole location. So I think this counteracts what your suggesting.??

Open to all suggestions, thanks for the input!

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

It is most defiantly a 430 thing due to the lens they used, swap in some clear TSX lenses and space them out a bit and it'll be looking sick like in the pic above..

Mr Jokster

iTrader: (8)

Its a consideration to swap. You're SURE though that its the shroud creating the better output and not the projector correct?

as for the aiming, you're correct about my theory. Doesnt counteract at all, in fact it helps it. Once its in tight, you dont have to worry about it turning (cause you dont want it to) once the bolt is 'stuck' in place you can use the nut on the outside of the housing to adjust it in and out. I did this when I was trying to put my bixenon in for my high beam.

Ok, heres a crappy drawing to get the point across




Numbers 1 and 2 are nuts and 3 is a spring.

oh, forgot to put a washer between #1 and #3.

position the #1 and the spring as close to where when you screw #2 in, it will squish the spring tight between the housing and #1. THEN from there you can adjust outward. The spring will keep things tight and shake proof Oh and this only has to be done done only on the bottom 2 bolts while the top two can just be fixed in place.

If you do this, make sure that when the spring is fully compressed, that the projector too is as far back as possible, this all insures that everything is tight as to not move.

As it seams, you have a brain in your head so I'm sure with the quick solution I made up, you can probably come up with something even better

5t341th

iTrader: (16)

wow great progress! the ls projector has such a nice output. q45s are not up to par with those.....

bigjussin

iTrader: (2)

damn..how nice is the shop in the background? im jealous...i'd show a pic of mine, but old eurotrash and early 90's cbr's arent too exciting...the projector mod looks awesome

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

Maybe I should clarify a little. I was saying the Shroud allows the extra width, which is Wrong since technically this is the shroud:



So maybe I shouldn't say Shroud because it is only decorative and has nothing to do with the output. Looking at the open area under the Projector Lens hole on the Shroud is where the extra light comes from.

So the area that really projects the extra width is actually built as part of the rear projector bowl, which is seen in this pic in the middle:



So it is the projector that is special, to rephrase what I really meant is that the Extra Width that the LS outputs does not come out of the Lens, it is reflected out the bottom to the side from the lower bowl of the projector..

When testing the lights on the bench when I covered the lower bowl area, a huge amount of light was taken away from the output, but only to the side. The forward projecting light still looked the same.
I should have taken pics but wasn't thinking about it, I may try to take a couple so people can see the drastic difference.

I have seen a couple LS430 retro's on other cars where the LS Shroud was not used and the projector was cut/modified to eliminate the lower bowl, presumably for space reasons since they are so huge to try to fit in other cars. This is a totally waste of the 430, as the extra side lighting is the main reason to use this projector in the first place. They should have just used the TSX or S2000 instead if you can't utilize the entire LS assembly..

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

I totally get what your saying, and it's a very good idea. Thanks for sharing, it is defiantly some info I will be pondering on.. And it is the way I thought you meant, which does eliminate the original mounting method this projector was meant to use.

Thanks for the visual aid, it does help..

And previously you said the Bi-Xenon you tried was too large for the housing. The e46 is a 3" Lens, that's a huge projector to fit in such a small space. What's you status with this? You still trying to make it work?

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

Thanks! The LS is kinda goofy looking though, the Q looks so sick visually.

Thanks, my last house had a small garage in the basement, which was great at the time, but it was always packed to the brim with no room to work. So when I sold it and built this house I made sure to build a shop that I 'thought' I wouldn't outgrow, but 3 years in now and it's packed full of junk too!

And I like CBR's, share some pics!

speedaddic

iTrader: (10)

pretty awesome thread man...Progress looks great. I like how you got the high projectors centered. I've seen a few retros with them off centered and doesn't look very good.