FD Sleek lights: anyone interested in an OEM-style replacement?
 

I'm looking into having an OEM-style sleek light replacement kit fabricated with sealed pods (to eliminate moisture and fogging as a concern), bulbs which can easily be replaced with an HID conversion kit for those interested, easy mounting and an OEM-style appearance, and acrylic or glass covers to resist scratching and hazing.

I've got a designer working on a "look" for the RX-7, and I'll probably post pictures here for voting when they're ready to see what people are interested in, generally. He is also my contact with someone who can blow mold the glass covers, etc. and has done custom designed parts for other cars in the past, including one-off tail lights and headlights for show circuit cars.

The cost could be quite high, and although I might end up forking out the money just to have a set I'm happy with (I've discarded the RE Amemiya kit, the C-West kit, and now an East Bear kit) it would be more interesting and financially feasible to make a group purchase of it and pool our resources to get the kits made and then get everyone a kit at a reasonable price.

I'm shooting for $750 as a nice price, since the less than pleasing and certainly not DOT legal East Bear kit is around $600 and the C-West kit and RE kit are both over $1,000 by a substantial margin. $750 is about what you'd pay for a couple new Supra headlights, or for a pair of Audi S4 European headlights (Xenon bulbs not included), so I think that's fair, especially if the quality and look is far higher than any of the other kits I've mentioned.

Anyone interested in getting in on this? I'm not asking for money at this point, just statement of intent to buy. I know that several of you are very interested and have been waiting for me to pull something like this together.

I'll be talking to the designer again this week, and I'm analyzing some different OEM lights to see if there are readily available parts that could be cannibalized for the kit, as mentioned in the RE vs. C-West vs. East Bear thread.

Thanks.

Only $529 each! :)

http://www.parts.com/schematics/images/6/6230810.gif

Here is the list of design criteria that I'm working from:

1. Must use stock mounting points and not require modification
2. Must be easy to install and remove
3. For bulb replacement, bulbs sockets must be accessible, or see #2
4. Must have OEM-style fit and finish
5. Must use bulbs for which there are readily available HID conversion kits
6. Must plug into the stock wiring harness without modification

Light weight is a bonus, of course. It'll probably weigh less than any of the other sleek light kits available if done right.

Look, it's a baby Supra... :)

http://www.mivec.co.uk/pictures/may2001/dawns.jpg

http://www.mivec.co.uk/pictures/may2001/daves.jpg

http://www.mivec.co.uk/pictures/may2001/lees.jpg

And one more... with a little more detail...

http://www.mitsubishi-fto.net/brochu...ront_cover.jpg

Another shot of the NSX... (big-un)

http://image.genex.com/acura/00/gal/...wal_3_wall.jpg

i was just looking at some McLeran F1 pics. the lights look kinda interesting. take a look:

http://www.centralcoastweb.com/nsxb/...ren/img061.JPG

http://www.centralcoastweb.com/nsxb/...ren/img070.JPG

http://www.centralcoastweb.com/nsxb/...ren/img072.JPG

sorry for you dial-up guys. ;)

here are some more:

http://www.centralcoastweb.com/nsxb/...ren/img177.JPG

http://www.centralcoastweb.com/nsxb/...ren/img213.JPG

http://www.centralcoastweb.com/nsxb/...ren/img219.JPG

Good news!
 

I've been in touch with a company in Ohio who does mass manufacturing of headlights for Ford, among other manufacturers and they *can* reproduce any design we come up with in bulk.

Second, that means that a prototype will need to be made first by a company I've been in touch with in New Jersey. What that means is that you'll get to see a finished (or nearly finished) version of the light prior to deciding if you're in or not. :)

If at that point there isn't enough interest in going forward, the prototype becomes my one-off design, and we're all happy. If we do go forward with bulk production, a deposit or payment would be taken up front and we'll mass produce the lights for everyone.

Sound like a plan? :)

Check out the lights in this link http://www.ksp-eng.co.jp/ATTAIN/menu1/1.html
It's the top 2 pics. Very OEM looking headlight covers, although IMHO the lights themselves are disgusting!
Something along these lines? Obviously with a different light design.
Also, these lights need to be adjustable to a RHD beam pattern for me to be in. They're not much use to me without that!

That kit appears to be a modified RE Amemiya kit (the headlight cover, at any rate) with lighting that's a close copy of the Breathless kit for the Corvette...

http://www.westcoastcorvette.com/ima...npoplights.jpg

RX-7...

http://www.ksp-eng.co.jp/ATTAIN/menu1/images/photo1.jpg

Jim,
I would be willing to put some money in up front to help this along. Let me know if it would help.

Jason

THOSE LIGHTS ARE ONLY $434.00 DOLLARS IN JAPAN :mad:

Those are cool, but will require some trimming of the front bumper..

John, after such a gross violation of my sense of aesthetics, I think I'm going to have to reconsider selling you the T56... :)

BTW, that light kit requires the bumper, and that has to be the most hideous bumper I've ever seen. :)

And purely for amusement value... :)

http://www.3kgt.com/readersrides/dinsmor2.jpg

Another view of the new 2002 NSX design...

http://ignite.blackened.net/supercar...onda_nsx-2.jpg

nsx headlight conversion:

http://www.abysstek.com/nsxfd.jpg

Absolutely no way of knowing. We don't have material costs, manufacturing costs, or even a design yet. I know most of you don't understand how manufacturing works, but please... we're talking ideas on paper at the moment. It'll take awhile.

I don't have any other details yet concerning pricing or time frame, or obviously I'd be sharing them with you. :)

No, but you're more than welcome to rice them on your own time... :)

Damn dudes...do you even read the freaken posts or just shot you mouths off...

he said they are no designs just yet ! Just kicking ideas around...shit ppl ..
80% + of you are going to drop by the wasteside anyways...

So dont rush the process...

That was funny. :)

True enough, we're in the design phase, and more accurately, we're in the "what if" sketching on napkins phase. There will be full color renderings of the RX-7 with the light kit when all is said and done, and I think my cousin's skill speaks for itself.

We are also in the "secure manufacturing" phase, and that involves evaluating different methods and companies. It is entirely possible that we won't go with either of the two companies I've got lined up right now, although that's probably unlikely. They're both very, very qualified to build what we're asking for.

I've even lined up someone locally who can build a replica from hand and machine shaped steel to use as a buck for the mold, once we have a design selected, should that become necessary.

Unfortunately these things take time, as anyone who has ever had something custom built for them and not just purchased it off a shelf realizes. Have a little patience, but keep the creativity coming.

For those who didn't bother to follow the links to the renderings page on the Ida Automotive site, or just like to look at pretty pictures, here are a few of my cousin's designs...

http://www.grinitch.com/ida/images/blackwood.jpg

http://www.grinitch.com/ida/images/focus.jpg

http://www.grinitch.com/ida/images/mustang.jpg

One more to consider... picture only the outer two projectors per side.

http://ignite.blackened.net/supercar...4_veyron-1.jpg

http://ignite.blackened.net/supercar...4_veyron-2.jpg

Is it just me, or does this car remind you of a brown and white 50's saddle shoe? In a good way, though... :)

Is it just me or does this remind you of MAD Magazine's Spy vs. Spy... :D

You be the judge... :D

http://www.drewlarson.com/Lamborghini/pict1119.jpg

http://www.wb.com/madmagazine/spycase/img/cover400h.jpg

I really like the looks on the Lotus Elise there, but the same design just won't cut it on the Rex. Problem being that those lights are stacked and it's justified on that car due to the curves of the hood. Overall very nice though. I still think that the NSX edited in version of the Rex someone submitted up above was okay. Just dont like the chrome/silver lamp housings.

I think we need more photoshop edited pics. I'll post when I get done with one.

Hahaha, that's my car! Good picture, do you have the original, un-nsx'ed version?
~Tom

another angle...

http://www.mitsubishi-fto.org/info/b...e-sports00.jpg

Noooooooooooo...........modena lighting on an FD looks like this goofy Miata. :(

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...&postid=463109
http://www.miata.net/news/wpe7.jpg

Jim, ever think about using these lights for the kit?


http://www.geocities.com/twoface227/...headlights.gif

They are off integras and light up pretty good. Plus they use 9006 bulbs which can be converted to HID. You can get these cheap nowadays

Just some Q+D ideation sketches with no thought into feasibility.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...&postid=482965
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...&postid=482957

Jim,

here's another idea for you.

David
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...&postid=521176

keep it on topic....or I will start deleting...

:D Thanks.. I'm quight proud of it.


SOO Jim :beerchug: Jimmy Boy :crackup: Jimmy Beans :hah: I think We/I understand that your busy and things are going kinda of slow but you don't even have concepts of what they'll look like?

Nick

Who's doing the fabrication of this kit? Maybe I can be of some help. I'm an engineer from Tri-Power design(plastics design firm) and maybe able to work with you on this kit. (i.e. injection molding, thermoforming, blowmolding, etc...)

-ed

PS: You may know us from this: http://www.tripower.net/design/produ.../pod-home.html

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=67677

Link to the most recent East Bear thread..... (they look good)....

someone needs to filter out all the BS in this thread...

as of 5/1...I don't see any BS in here anymore...thanks Johnny

Latest?

I'm waiting on renderings, and having some pod "tubs" fabbed from sheet metal for prototypes of a mounting system...

Sorry, not a lot to report, and even less to show. I've been busy with other stuff lately.

Johnny, Poweraxel, KZ1, SOMEBODY: Please start deleting some of these posts. With now 404 posts to this thread I doubt somebody intersted in the light's doesn't want to search threw all the BS to find info. With that said...

Jim: Are you still undecided on witch type of lights you want to go with? I ask because if your going with Hella's you might want to get intact with my uncle, he can get a lot of lighting products wholesale. But if these sell a lot you could just go to the company and get it straight from them. Well it was a thought I sparked up and thought it could possible be useful.

Nick

i ACTUALLY have some INPUT after sifting through SEVENTEEN pages!!!!

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...&postid=483360
this pic (or the top one of the two, don't remember if it has both pics) was posted earlier, and it extremely similar to what Audi did with the Avantissimo concept car. they used vertically-mounted HIDs and a flat reflector plate to send the light forward; their main reason was to shorten the nose, but i remember you saying there is a good bit of room under the pop-up cover when the pop-ups are removed. you could also do a separate, smaller reflector for each light instead of one big one for both lights (easier to aim?). i thought it would be worth looking into. i don't know if people would like the looks as much, but it would be easier to get into the FD's nose shape and is easier to package, and would perform fairly well; and be easy to convert to HID from normal lights.


and to clarify for some of the clowns in here:
HIDs and Xenon lights are NOT the same AT ALL. regular Xenon lights are just halogen lights with pure xenon instead of a xenon/helium/whatever-other-halogen-gas-they-use mix. Xenon lights still use filaments. real HIDs have no filaments; the light is generated from an electric arc between an anode and cathode, and pure Xenon gas must be used so that there isn't any funny spectral effects going on and there isn't any power loss to heat or anything like that. THAT is the difference between them, and why HIDs cost so much.

Part of the problem with the reflector design is its complexity. An enormous amount of R&D would have to go into making such a light and ensuring that it could be focused properly, that it wouldn't break on a stiff-suspensioned car like the RX-7 or go out of alignment, and so on. Interesting ideas, of course, just not very "real world" for a project like this.

Also, there are people looking to regain the space under the lights for intake piping to draw cool air from the front ducts.

That was my thinking as well, to keep the cost down and to avoid limiting people to requiring a single front bumper design. The lights should work with any front bumper which works with the stock pop-ups.

My designer was just getting a little creative and I figured I'd ask, even though I told him it wasn't a very "real world" scenario. Gotta love those real world scenarios. :)

I'll be heading down to see him tomorrow, probably, to see what he has for me.

ok I did some major chopping...probably over did it, but atleast I tried... :)

anyways let's keep it on target...Jim's will have something soon...so let resist the urge to ask when...ok

Thanks Johnny, you cleared things up a lot. I can't wait to see what the headlights look like... Keep up the good work ya do Jim!

Nick

Hey Jim,

I'm not sure if you read my post about the miata sleeks where the back popped up for better bulb clearance. That method would let you integrate a taller bulb if neccessary.
here is the car that it was on:

This is a bad pic, but the only one i could find.
You can see the functionality of the design.

Also, Here is a pic of some possible bulbs you could use. I've heard they have a great light pattern as well as great light output.

Hope this may help:
here is the link for prices and other info.
http://www.susquehanna.com/susq/hella/headlamp.htm#90mm


http://www.susquehanna.com/susq/hell...es/90mm-00.jpghttp://www.mundofree.com/javilc/carroceria/e_hayash.jpg

That looks like a pretty cool idea. I just wonder if the lights would look a little funny in the down position because they would look like they were pointing just a little too high. Also the shape of the FD's light cover wouldn't work as good as that Miata's sqare one. That design would work really good on a second gen.