Still going strong at this end, can't wait to shoot a few pictures and update soon.

Looks as if everyone was enjoying doing nothing this weekend so I took this rare opportunity to caved myself and went on machining the shroud and projector skirts. I now have all the CNC gcode completed and optimized for the assembly.

A bit of an embarrassing note; I've received the headlights that I've ordered from the USA and long waited for. However I've received the ones that I already have i.e. with the amber flashers. Wrote to the seller and the response I got was "they are the same as the one you ordered, same fit, what's wrong?". My guess is they are trying to get rid of old stocks so if you order a set of "clear" headlights please ensure they double-check and do request a confirmation before they pack/ship. Long story short, they accepted to take back the headlights and already FedEx'd me the correct order (all at their cost). Not fun but there you go..... looks like I'll be one week late in the completion of my project here.

I've already have sold 3 kits for 996 owners (thanks to Takart), 1 for a friend who own a 986 just like mine and 1 kit for myself! Four kits already sold so I went off and bought a few more billet AL stocks. I'll be semi-busy machining those during the evenings of this week.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237132.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237139.jpg
^ Raw product. CNC Gcode and Machining completed

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237144.jpg
^ TYPEII Anodizing in a sulfuric acid electrolyte powered @ 12.5amps for 60min

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237151.jpg
^ After black dye. I use TAC dye imported from Japan. Not cheap I know but because of other parts that we do here, we have no choice. Flashpoint on those dyes is 10years. We have all the colours! Hello Kitty PINK included ;)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237161.jpg
^ Off to the high temp VHT paint. The flash silver look really stand out.... looks like a factory unit.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237170.jpg
^ Cooking for 120min at 200 degree to cure the paint. Very solid result... can't punch my finger nail in those when cool down for a few minutes.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237182.jpg
^ Laser and chem etching job. Okay here I've settle for the white Porsche typeface. The black typeface can't be read and does make the unit look dirty from a few meter away, while the white and flash silver combo appears to be "very clean" at any distance. Porsche style?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237200.jpg
^ The lens being epoxy with very high temp resin. I have access to some of the best epoxy in the industry here, mainly used in the aerospace industry. Although very expansive ($200/50ml) I occasionally get it free ;)

Some more visuals:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237211.jpg
^ Skirt, projector, solenoid and cutoff plate assembly

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237235.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237245.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237255.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237265.jpg

and..... the final product! Can't wait to fit those in the headlights

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1379237277.jpg

Thats what im talking about! Thats the wow factor right there!

Been following this thread for a while, and I have to give you credit. I'm very impressed with the creativity and work that is going into this in such a short time. Nice work, they look really sharp. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Are you using SolidWorks to do the design and renderings?

Thanks Mike! Can't wait to see your reaction when those GT style projectors are installed into a 100% black headlight unit, and on a 986 ;)

Great encouragement, thank you Sir!

Why I have a feeling that you know more than I do ;) Maybe your Alias tells a lot!
The rendering capacity of SW is fantastic.

I actually work for SolidWorks. Before I worked for them I used the software to design plastic injection molds.

It's always fun to see all the different things people design in SolidWorks.

Good looking models and renderings!

I know Mike, you are famous in case you didn't noticed yet ;) Hence my comment above (SW Mike alias, Las Vegas, etc... not a hard guess).

I regularly see you on SolidWorks World's Stage presenting. Big fan of it and make sure not to miss it every years. Nice work to "you guys", period.

Didn't know you were drriving a Boxster tho. That is good news. I'll make sure to request help from you if this happens. How could you refuse to help out a fellow boxster owner LOL

Good to see you here!!!

'Some' progress:
 

The projector's mounting design is final. The prototype machining is completed and the assembly have been tested. Again, all carried out with emphasis on simplicity (Plug&Play), lightweight, and rigidity.

A 40mm spacer between the projector and the headlight reflector was required. Without the spacer the whole assembly was hidden (tucked) inside the reflector. Now the shroud's features can be viewed from most angles; top, front and sides. Looks absolutely fantastic (pics of this coming soon).

For now, here goes the model and other visuals of the projector mounting assembly.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/011379770854.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/021379770867.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/031379770881.jpg

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http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/051379770902.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/061379770914.jpg
^ This is how the kit comes really (and will ship). How easy!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/071379770924.jpg
^ The kit after anodizing. Yes I anodize everything but for good reasons:
1. the parts last a decade (min) without showing any sign of fading
2. the anodize layer is extremely hard, making the aluminum parts and their finishes indestructible
3. non-conductive surface. when anodized, the part lose its conductivity feature. A must when engineering parts near electrical systems.

Now off the headlight preparations & painting. I'll update as soon as I can

/

Looks great!

Wow, really great stuff! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

** Headlight Preparations Update**
 

I was told that if you paint the cutoff plate, the lens will reflect that color. That said, if you paint your cutoff yellow, your lens will appear yellow. Pretty neat way to simulate devil eyes but without using additional power, LEDs and cabling!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/011379906228.jpg
^ Cutoff plate assembly. Just remove the two little screws behind the mounting bracket and everything falls apart. Do USE high temp paint, always.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/021379906237.jpg
^ Off to cooking (120min@ 225). Yes, I cook everything. Love cooking ;)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/031379906244.jpg
^ That's what it looks like when reassembled in the projector. Should have gone RED devil eyes but I think the black mean looking eyes will be sufficient here.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/041379906252.jpg
^ reflector preps. The whole prep is super easy and takes about 2min to complete.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/051379906262.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/061379906272.jpg

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http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/091379906316.jpg
^ Pain job done. Do yourself a favor and paint ONLY with High Temp paint. Don't believe the others who said that it is not needed. The reflector will become hot and over time believe me the regular aerosol paints will start to peel off. Better be sure than sorry (just cost $20 more, not a crisis).

Trick: paint the back face of the headlight's inserts instead of on top of it. The material is clear polycarbonate so the paint will show just as much as if you paint the top surface. The result is magic e.g. no orange skin spray can effects! The fog light aluminum parts can be removed and painted separately (only two little screws).

RE the devil eyes; I got the idea from : cutoff shield painting - Page 6

Long thread I know. Look up for the "white" lens.... very scary looking stuff :eek:

.... and a sneak peek preview of the headlight. Sorry for the sun glare.... that was taken indoor. Looks far better outdoor where you can see the whole assembly's features and typeface

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/101379907873.jpg

Once I've washed the 986 and have those installed I'll shoot a few pictures of the kit. Looks sick imo... identical to the Carrera GT style shiners. Successssssss ;)

Looks fantastic! I now wish I waited instead of buying the LED ones. I'm assuming you're selling this as a complete retrofit kit? Did you mention price?

Extremely dedicated, OP.

How much time have you spent on the R&D, 100hrs?

What brand is the projector? It looks like morimoto.

**final product with pics**
 

Surprise, I've installed the GT projectors in my old amber'ed headlights. I have a buyer for those set already (local guy here) so when I received the clear one, if I ever do, I'll retrofit those as well.

Can't believe I had to wash the 986. Been sitting in the garage for the last 1.5month. I personally love the new look. What do you guys think of the new front-end?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/011380018977.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/021380018988.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/031380019010.jpg

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http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/061380019056.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/071380019069.jpg

That is a LOT of red, apologies for the eye bleeding session ;)

They look great. Have you had a chance to try them at night yet?

Match my cheapo tail lights ;) (showing off, can you tell?!)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/081380019955.jpg

Amazing! Can't wait to get my kit.

Yes did that yesterday nite. The 35w ballasts are perfect for city driving. Not too bright and very clean in all honesty. I use a 6k HID lamp and they appear to be 100% pure white (no blue'ish glare). Looks just as factory HIDs really.

The high beams are a bit killer however. Not sure if this is safe but given you turn them off when someone comes up the opposite direction everybody should live a long life.

I'll try to snap a few shots of the beams at night. I might need the help of my buddy here who is a pro photograph.... I've never had too much luck shooting at nite but will give it a try anyway (fingers crossed).

Mitch, I got you priority mate no worries :cheers:

Your Boxster looks killer...What body kit is that?

Jeff, I can't do this publically not being a vendor. I would certainly hope to be able to sell out to fellow 986 owners by offering an identical (complete) retrofit kit, that is right. If there is a demand then I'll sponsor the 986forum by becoming one. Can't find any details about this anywhere at the minute

You are right. The seller selling this range of projector calls them morimoto I believe.
The manufacturer of the projector did the R&D already. I've researched on the materials only. Did you know that Porsche uses the very same Polycarbonate used to make the F22 Raptor cockpit top window?

RE killer; you meant this all because of the headlights style right?!

A's: GT2 front bumper, GT3 rear bumper, TA Style sideskirts and a AerokitII (knockoff) spoiler). All made of very cheap fiberglass! Had the front and rear bumpers custom made however, in 3mm thickness (ultralight) with a supplied epoxy resin. Others are the UDP, cold intake, and a full performance exhaust system. I get the car dialed in every seasons at my local circuit by a Pcar guru there. Got maps for each seasons.... cost more in fuel in cold months, and more air in summer time. Deleted a few things as well. Properly tuned, the 2.5l can become a fun little car, but not yet 'killer' ;)

That is looking really nice!

nice work on the headlights. Very nice car- no one would ever guess it's year. What wheel size?

Looking great! You did reserve a kit for me, right? :D

I'm not looking to crack my headlights open again any time soon, but if I did, I'd definitely want to install these. Since they are basically the same mount design as my existing projectors, it would be any easy swap. ;)

Edit: final design :)

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...91C8DCBA01.jpg

What's your secret on getting such nice clean and clear headlight lens without the yellowing from exidation? I have an 03 which have headlights newer than those, garage kept and it's yellowing... Please share.

PS, headlights look great!

What really pays off on this mod is having cool members like yourself throwing nice compliments. Really appreciated. Cheers mate :cheers:

Same as yours Woodmans, I'm sure nobody can guess the year of your boxster. One thing for sure, the design of this car is timeless. Quoted from many members already but fun to reminded ourselves.

Wheels are 8.5" (ET40) front and 9.5" (ET40) rear with 235/30-19 & 275/35-19 rubbers. The rear arrives flush to the fender but I like it with a 15mm spacer. The fender to wheel arch follow-up is what makes this car rear-end look badass imo. Don't flame me on the 19" and '97 model too quick.... the wheels are as light as the stockers ;)

Anytime mate. There is a US based member who is looking at retrofitting his but doesn't have time to carry the job and want to send me his headlights. Can I send a kit to you (gift included) and he sends you his headlight for a retrofit job by you? Not far from you. He is happy to support financially I believe - send me a quote if interested.

A bit savage but there you go:

1) Wet sand with #1200 abrasive paper (carbide) (15min per headlight)
2) Wet sand with #2000 (30min per headlight - if you can't find #2000, ask a local jewelry shop where they get theirs)
3) Use a rotary pad/machine and buff them with the Maguire Headlight Restoration kit (a good 30-45min per headlight). Do this in a hot environment..... as in don't let the polycarbonate cool down when buffing them for the whole period.

It's a loooong and painful 2.5hrs job (lol) but as you can see, once done you won't be able to make the difference between an old unit and a NEW one :cheers:

Did you remove the reflector bowl to paint it? I don't see how to remove it, and I don't want to break anything trying. Guess it can be painted in place, but I'd rather remove it if it's not too much trouble.

I will use VHT high temperature ceramic flat black paint for this.

I didn't. And I was happy to paint on the unit just in front of the bowl. When reassembled you have a 3/4" gap between the bowl and the headlight's insert and that also needs painting. Just lift the bowl to its highest position using the headlight adjustment HEX screw (lower one) so that the spray can reached under the bowl. That did the trick for mine.

If you really need to remove it, the assembly main mount screw is located behind the PIN connector. The connector has to be removed first (two screws, top/bottom). That's as far as I can help, I didn't removed mine so I don't know how much more effort there is after that main assembly screw. Careful, the assembly seems to be mounted on a snap/ball joint system. If your headlight is aged you don't want to pry anything there. PE material stiffen with age... better to just let it be (100% safer).

Flat black is by far tha best choice for a sport looking headlight, I couldn't agree more. But you will have to remind yourself to never park the front-end in direct sunlight. Not sure of the exact heat tolerance of the Porsche headlight but I know that matte black and sunlight are not good friends. I'd say if the car is garaged and occasionally driven, then Go-Go flat black. If not (e.g. DD) Satin Black is the safest.

I couldn't find any flat black in high temp here (for some reason). Satin finish only, which is closer to matte than gloss. I was quite surprised with the result but of course not 100% satisfied ;)

Small detail.

Read from the pro at HiDplanet : The Official Automotive Lighting Forum that some paints react to the chrome material used on some reflectors. So don't take the chance and sand the chrome finish off your bowls before applying your paint. Literally take 5 min per headlight with a #600 grit abrasive paper. The chrome is so burnt out by the halogen' heat that it comes right off - was a good sign that this had to go before painting ;)

Thanks for the advice. I will paint the reflectors in place, and I will sand them first.

I think we can work something out ;)

I'll send you a pm after I get off work.

amazing work and result fred :eek:

I just back from spain with my family yesterday. how is my friend green car custom light? sending already?

Thanks Takart

And yes yes yes those greeners are done and shipped out since more than a week now - he signed for the parcel last Thursday so I know he has them safe with him. Looks like you have some catch up to do on your forum there. Your friend François is a good lad, I love him (you can tell him). He made me anodize 65,735 different piece of aluminum to test a few greens that I have here :/ Very generous guy however, the tip he PayPal to me is enough to pay for my electricity bills until next March 2014 (embarrassing). Rich French Racers.

He promise he'll send me a few pictures of his lime green 911 with those installed. Can I please task you to make sure he does. That'd be fab.... I'd pay whatever to see this!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/011380973723.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/021380973740.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/031380973751.jpg
^ Custom made, anodized lime green aluminum with his team typeface (his request)

Not to forget, his team mate from CPRT also got a kit. I had to do this one for free to remove the embarrassing weight I had on my shoulder (RE François' PayPal overkill surprise).

This guy wanted them black-on-black for a black '99 gt3 with painted black Carrera Cup BBS wheels. One of the sickest car I've seen.... your mates do have good taste let me tell you that.

I made sure to provide the hardware (screw and cap) in 99.998% PURE anodize aluminum (lol). Hope we are squared Takart, as you've requested, I gave my very best for your mates there

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/041380974147.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/051380974156.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/061380974166.jpg

no problemo i can do this. you can not see the picture and detail because francois post is reserve to vip member

thank you for doing a good job for my friend. you give a free kit to the wrong guy you need to give it to me haha. someone on my forum write you sell the kit include every thing hid ballast and light for 325 us dollars is this real? the price you give me is 355 why more for me?

also can you send me installation picture or save it on this post so we can see how to install the projector many people asking to see this. thank you fred