Problems with the retrofit, advice?

So I did my first retrofit. It turned out pretty well I thought. The only problems are:

1. Scratches on the paint of reflector bowl when installed. :|
2. Driver's side projector is slanted by about 10 degrees.
3. Some chips in the paint on my shroud. :'(
4. Cracked then lens after painting inside for "demon eye" effect D':
5. (CLEANED!) Fibers on the lens.
6. Headlight lenses are slightly oxidized.
7. (FIXED!) Headlight likes to move after I've set it.
8. You can see some JBWeld sticking out behind the shroud (painted it black)

So... it didn't turn out that well. Oops. At least they don't leak! And they fire up quickly!

My situation is this. I've got basically another set of OEM headlights in pieces. Not missing anything, but not painted/cut either. I was going to keep them around for a spare stock set, but I've pretty much given up on that idea. Unfortunately, the lenses on these looks even worse. But I was thinking I could reuse the lenses that are on there now and restore them later. Is there an easier way to get the projector unmounted? Or am I just in for a long dremeling session?

OR... I could buy a pair of Depo lights and just do those instead. Or should I just use those as a spare until I get the other part done and then use THOSE lenses? Would they fit the OEM assembly?

As an update for anyone crawling through this, I've since reopened the offending headlight and the reflector bowl was loose from 1 of the 3 connections. Making it flop all over the place. I even cleaned the lenses and the inside of the housing some.

 

I've never really heard good things about those depot lenses. Id be hesitant to order those. I found a headlight on ebay with a broken rear tab for $110. Lens is still perfect. I would try to find something like that. What projectors did you use? How did you crack the lens?

 

Used the FX-Rs. It sounds a lot worse than it is. You couldn't notice anything I listed unless you were right up on the headlights. But I know... you know?

As far as the Depos go, I haven't heard anything BAD about them. One or two people suggested you should seal them up a little better, that's it. Even AsianAnts and Ambiguous offer those as starting points if your stocks are too cloudy.

Cracked the lens (just the edge, more of a chip really) because when I put the retaining ring back on after painting the inside, the lens was still moving around. So I had a set of channel locks trying to bend the tabs on the ring back into place. Squeezed too hard and cracked a bit of the edge off the lens. No harm done really, I was just pissed with myself.

 

Ahh. Yeah those rings are a bitch. I held the rings down really tight and used a hammer and a flathead to get them back together. The only thing I've ever heard about the depot lights is that they haze up gadget than stock. No personal experience though.

 

I've heard good things about the Depo brand lights too. Supposedly as close to OEM quality is we can get in an aftermarket housing. I've had people tell me to use 303 aerospace protectant on headlights to keep them from fading. I'm sure that'd help the depos.

I understand what you mean. Even though 98% of people probably wouldn't notice anything at all, you do. It'd bother me to the point where I'd want to redo it.

 

What year is your truck?

 

Me? 06

 

Just curious as I have a pair of new aftermarket 2012+ housings available.

I would personally search for a pair of housings and take your time on the retrofit (or fixing your current retro).

 

Sorry, I should've updated. I've finally found a set that I'm doing another retro on.

Found a member on here that had a set of lenses, a deal on eBay for some Acura TL projectors, and bought the solenoid conversion kit from you guys to make fitment a little easier. Just waiting on the parts to start all the fun stuff

 

Sweet! My best recommendation is to be patient and take your time. It takes up to a few hours to tune those, but when you're done, it's so worth it!

 

Shit. That's what I forgot. The washer tuning kit.