Porsche Headlight Retrofit [from CAD, prototyping to finish)

[Nine8Six]

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

[Nine8Six]

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.




^ Raw product. CNC Gcode and Machining completed


^ TYPEII Anodizing in a sulfuric acid electrolyte powered @ 12.5amps for 60min


^ 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


^ Off to the high temp VHT paint. The flash silver look really stand out.... looks like a factory unit.


^ 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.


^ 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?


^ 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

[Nine8Six]

Some more visuals:


^ Skirt, projector, solenoid and cutoff plate assembly









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

[Mikelove]

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

[2003S]

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.

[SolidWorks Mike]

Are you using SolidWorks to do the design and renderings?

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by Mikelove

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

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

Originally Posted by 2003S

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.

Great encouragement, thank you Sir!

Originally Posted by SolidWorks Mike

Are you using SolidWorks to do the design and renderings?

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.

[SolidWorks Mike]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

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!

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by SolidWorks Mike

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!!!

[Nine8Six]

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.












^ This is how the kit comes really (and will ship). How easy!


^ 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

/

[Van914]

Looks great!

[Hayden]

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

[Nine8Six]

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!


^ Cutoff plate assembly. Just remove the two little screws behind the mounting bracket and everything falls apart. Do USE high temp paint, always.


^ Off to cooking (120min@ 225). Yes, I cook everything. Love cooking


^ 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.


^ reflector preps. The whole prep is super easy and takes about 2min to complete.










^ 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).

[Nine8Six]

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

[Nine8Six]

.... 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



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

[jeffm]

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?

[Trey T]

Extremely dedicated, OP.

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

What brand is the projector? It looks like morimoto.

[Nine8Six]

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?















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

[kjc2050]

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

[Nine8Six]

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