After being bombarded with numerous emails about my headlights I have decided to finally write up a thread just for the subject. I will subsequently be linking this thread to my sig for all find. This will be the place to discuss the subject of flushmounts, love them or hate them.
First off, this is my 2nd set of flushmounts. My first set was on my 90 Supra. I have contracted the same guy to build both setups, and he's no longer making these. If you want flushmounts, you're going to have to build them yourself because I ain't doing it.
My setup required the relocation of my battery to the trunk, your setup may or may not require this step).
The housings for my headlights (the cover and the box) are made of 2 materials. The cover is made from Polycarbonate Plastic and the box is made from Lexan. The covers are formed by taking a piece of Polycarbonate Plastic and setting it on top of a stock pop-up headlights cover (the metal piece that covers the headlights when the lights are down). Place these in an oven and bake until the plastic has formed to the shape of the headlights cover. Trim the plastic as needed with a belt sander, going slow and only a little at a time so as to not catch the plastic on fire.
Next you will take pieces of Lexan and cut them to make 4 sides of a box. The 2 side walls will need to be cut at an angle so as to mimic the slope of the hood (a triangle with a right angle where the core support is). The length of the boxes will be the distance from the core support to the bumper. The width of the box will be the width of the stock pop-up headlight cover. The back wall will be a rectangle. Once you have dry fitted all the 4 pieces together (not including the cover), glue them together using a syringe type epoxy that is injected with a needle. Make sure to use a form so that the walls will be exactly 90 degrees when you glue them together. If you wish to permanently affix the headlight cover glue it in place the same way you did the walls, be very careful when you do so because you only get one chance at this. If you screw up you have carefully cut the wall off and sand down the surface to start again.
The back wall (which is the deepest in the engine bay) will need to have an appropriate hole(s) cut to fit the lights of your choice. Cut them a little small so that you can trim as needed. You will want a tight fit between the light (s) and your housing wall.
This is the really tricky part. Carefully remove the stock flushmount light assemblies. This is the point of no return. Using a cutoff wheel and an angle grinder, carefully cut a hole in your core support so as to allow the light housings to fit through. Create your own set of brackets to firmly mount the housings to the body and core supports.
For mounting your light(s), each setup will be different. My setup used 4 Hella 55w H7 projectors that each required a custom mounting bracket. Once you have securely mounted and aimed the light(s) in place, use clear silicone sealant to seal the light in place. Wiring the lights will require a volt meter and some wire. It is possible to wire the lights into the stock system, you just have to know what wires to plug where. I'm sorry about being vague on the wiring, I'm horrible when it comes to electrical.
That's pretty much it in a nut shell. Feel free to post your thoughts on the topic. I know of only a small handful of MKIII owners with flushmounts. I will post pictures later of the installation process and materials.
Adam
First off, this is my 2nd set of flushmounts. My first set was on my 90 Supra. I have contracted the same guy to build both setups, and he's no longer making these. If you want flushmounts, you're going to have to build them yourself because I ain't doing it.
My setup required the relocation of my battery to the trunk, your setup may or may not require this step).
The housings for my headlights (the cover and the box) are made of 2 materials. The cover is made from Polycarbonate Plastic and the box is made from Lexan. The covers are formed by taking a piece of Polycarbonate Plastic and setting it on top of a stock pop-up headlights cover (the metal piece that covers the headlights when the lights are down). Place these in an oven and bake until the plastic has formed to the shape of the headlights cover. Trim the plastic as needed with a belt sander, going slow and only a little at a time so as to not catch the plastic on fire.
Next you will take pieces of Lexan and cut them to make 4 sides of a box. The 2 side walls will need to be cut at an angle so as to mimic the slope of the hood (a triangle with a right angle where the core support is). The length of the boxes will be the distance from the core support to the bumper. The width of the box will be the width of the stock pop-up headlight cover. The back wall will be a rectangle. Once you have dry fitted all the 4 pieces together (not including the cover), glue them together using a syringe type epoxy that is injected with a needle. Make sure to use a form so that the walls will be exactly 90 degrees when you glue them together. If you wish to permanently affix the headlight cover glue it in place the same way you did the walls, be very careful when you do so because you only get one chance at this. If you screw up you have carefully cut the wall off and sand down the surface to start again.
The back wall (which is the deepest in the engine bay) will need to have an appropriate hole(s) cut to fit the lights of your choice. Cut them a little small so that you can trim as needed. You will want a tight fit between the light (s) and your housing wall.
This is the really tricky part. Carefully remove the stock flushmount light assemblies. This is the point of no return. Using a cutoff wheel and an angle grinder, carefully cut a hole in your core support so as to allow the light housings to fit through. Create your own set of brackets to firmly mount the housings to the body and core supports.
For mounting your light(s), each setup will be different. My setup used 4 Hella 55w H7 projectors that each required a custom mounting bracket. Once you have securely mounted and aimed the light(s) in place, use clear silicone sealant to seal the light in place. Wiring the lights will require a volt meter and some wire. It is possible to wire the lights into the stock system, you just have to know what wires to plug where. I'm sorry about being vague on the wiring, I'm horrible when it comes to electrical.
That's pretty much it in a nut shell. Feel free to post your thoughts on the topic. I know of only a small handful of MKIII owners with flushmounts. I will post pictures later of the installation process and materials.
Adam
