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Planned - Mach HID spruce up

6K views 35 replies 6 participants last post by  fakitol 
#1 ·
Whatup folks? One of my ballasts went out on my Mach's. On top of that, I have tried restoring the lenses about 3 times now. Even used the good 3m Kit. They're still fudged up. So I'm going to be doing a complete spruce up-

-Replace both ballasts (either 35 or 55), aftermarket
-replace both bulbs, aftermarket
-swap OEM non-Mach lenses onto the Machs (sealing with the butyl rubber of course!) (OEM 00-04 regular headlights)
-paint Machs black while I have em cracked open
-clear Lamin-x to protect

I'll be posting progress and pics in this thread. Plan on starting to order items now.
 
#3 ·
Those Depos look spot onto the OEMs!!

Good for replacing the whole thing!

I bought a set of brand new OEM 2000-2004 headlights off of ebay. $60 for the pair and $30 for the shipping! These will be my donor housing lenses to swap over to the Machs, via heat gun and screwdriver. I'd rather not stick em in the oven.

I will be pairing that with some LaminX clear on order with the UV option.

Trying to figure out if I want to spend the extra cash on TRS 3Five ballasts with relay harness. Also want to the paint the Machs black while I got them open and see if there is a clear lense upgrade for the projectors.

I want these mofos to be FRESH and as bright and clear as I can. Will get around to HID retrofit in the fogs next :)
 
#4 ·
TRS emailed me back and suggested the Evox-r projector swap. I found on the other Focus site that they don't fit.

So..

OEM housing lense swap
Laminx clear w/UV
TRS E55 clear lenses
TRS Morimoto 50w ballasts/bulbs (5000K)

I would love to swap some upgraded projectors in there but they won't fit and I don't want to mess with fabrication.
 
#11 ·
The EvoX-R do fit, but the oem ignitor doesn't fit or attach to the back of it. They mount perfectly inside of a mach housing. I bought a set when they first came out and learned the hard way. I actually still have them sitting in the shipping foam/box (minus the clear lens) with no use for them.
 
#5 ·
I've done the TRS clear lens swap and I thought it was worth it.

Putting headlights in the over sounds weird and it kept me from painting my Machs for a while. Since the method is all over the internet I gave it a go and it wasn't as bad as I thought, if you use a heat gun keep it moving so you don't concentrate the heat in one spot.
 
#7 ·
That is very cool!!

My brand new OEM regular headlights just came in (donor lenses).

I will be ordering the 50W 5000k Morimoto system, LaminX and E55 clear lenses on Friday (payday!).
 
#8 ·
hey, i have machs i just got and am planning to get em atleast working before i get em on my car lol. i sanded and polished em alright, but not perfect, definitely better though. anyways, as for the new hid kit, how do you plan on wiring that in? i am in need of a new ballast, but it's cheaper to just get a ddm tuning hid kit it appears. the machs i got came with the ford pigtail already, so would i just plug power into the wire originally for the low beams? and ground to the negative wire? this is what I'd assume, but please correct me if i am wrong.
 
#9 ·
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=295910

Don't go with DDM. They're run by scumbags. Get something like this http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=242

Pricier than the cheapo guys but worth it. 5 year warranty and much higher qaulity than DDM or any of the cheapos. (DDM will NOT honor your lifetime warranty, check my thread above, scamming aholes).

I believe the 35w kits plug right in to the Machs, but the 50w kits will have to have some creative wiring. I'll have my buddy help me with that.
 
#15 ·
We're lucky because we can take the projector unit out of the headlamp housing through the back of the housing.

Make sure you unplug the ignitor, take the bulb out and put in a safe place (no fingerprints). You should be able to see four screws that hold the projector in the housing. Take those out and you should be able to maneuver the projector housing out of the headlight housing.

The lens is held in with a metal ring on the back side of it. Take out the metal ring, and the lens comes right out. Taking the foreground limiter is easy, just bend the tabs on top wide enough apart to slide it off the metal bracket. You just have to be careful not to scratch the inside of the projector bowl. Once it's scratched, there is no going back and fixing it without a new projector unit.
 
#16 ·
oh, it is that easy? lol. i'll try it here one of these days. maybe saturday. as for clear lense, i need that ballast first then i'll work on making em better haha. will they still be way better than halogens even without removing the limiter or adding clear lenses?
 
#17 ·
I had just the clear lens and it is definitely a decent cheap upgrade, and even just upgrading to the machs from halogens it will be much better.

Once you start getting into it, you might have to align the projectors with the screws and such, but nothing with the lighting is difficult as long as you take your time and have patience.. otherwise things can go wrong fast if you rush lol.
 
#21 ·
I have my Lamin-X and butyl rubber sealant from TRS on the way!!

I went to change the bulbs and learned that the adjustment screws are chewed up/melted. One side even had layers of electrical tape on them. I posted a thread asking about the screws (where to buy) or even if Tousley would have them.

Paint, Lamin-X, new lenses, bulbs and ballasts wooot!
 
#23 ·
Very cool you got your goodies!

I got my Lamin-X today and my Butyl rubber sealant from TRS. So I got everything!

Sucks my dad is going to the beach this weekend. I don't do any car stuff without him because sometimes I fack things up and he gets pissed when I leave him out!

Question though...I've seen the other Mach painting threads. Why do folks tape off the rings? Can't those be painted black as well? Also anyone know the safest max temp for the heat gun?

I know the oven method calls for 250 degrees. I don't wanna melt these bad boys with the gun. Or was even of thinking of using a heat knife I made from a soldering iron (took a soldering tip and flattened it in a vice grip. Ghetto heat knife!)
 
#24 ·
i'd say just be careful with the heat gun lol. most people tape the rings i believe just to leave some "depth" to the lights, so it isn't just one single color. helps give em a "pop" if you know what I mean?

when do you plan on these being all installed and such?
 
#25 ·
Yeah, I might just go for the oven (after removing the internals to be safe!) or the heat knife. Both give me the heebie jeebies on melting this expensive bad boys.

Lucky I live 5 minutes from my folks and can ride with my dad to work, so not worried about not being to drive it. Since he's coming back Monday I'll wait until the following weekend. I'd like to remove, paint, swap lenses, and Laminx on the same day. Want them to be us fresh and clean as possible when the Laminx goes on. Will be posting pics as well.

As far as the rings go, I'd prefer them to be all black. Phantom looking if you will! Even the rings. Probably gonna be a PITA painting the dimpled main ring.
 
#27 ·
Thanks for keeping up bro.

I could imagine the Laminx would do well for ya'll up there. Harsh winters right? Probably wears on the headlights pretty heavy, the salt and snow and all that.
 
#30 ·
did you ever take your projectors out? i couldn't for the life of me figure it out today. got the new bulbs in though, aiming is super messed up so I gotta go fix that. yay for me picking a day when it's like 20 degrees with 40 mph winds and snow coming. i shouldn't ever work on my car when i'm pissed before I even start [mad]
 
#31 ·
Holy hell it was like 80 friggin degrees here yesterday. Been hot as hell and sunny all week!

They will be coming out tomorrow. I will borrow my sisters phone to document the carnage!

Also gonna buy a new rear subframe and the Euro grill today as well, but thats' unrelated.
 
#33 ·
There's 4 or 5 bolts IIRC.

You'll have to go underneath for one or two. And you'll have to remove the black plastic radiator shroud thing (where your hood latches) for one. I had to unbolt my fender and pull it away from the lights to to let them squeeze out.

This vid will show you how
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiiqt9vOlyo
 
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