Reply With QuoteVery cool. I always eanted to ry to do a pair of bi-xenons for my 05 GSXR1000 so both HIDs would be on for lo and for high....I even bought a second headlight off of ebay so I could chop it up-never got around to it.
More light is always a good mod.
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I'm finishing up a HID projector retrofit for an 06 gsxr 1000. I'd like to hide all the mounting hardware and vacuum forming seems to be the best way....
My question is which material to use:
- Acrylic
- Polycarbonate
- Polystyrene
Last edited by JoeRider; 01-25-2011 at 04:29 PM.
Very cool. I always eanted to ry to do a pair of bi-xenons for my 05 GSXR1000 so both HIDs would be on for lo and for high....I even bought a second headlight off of ebay so I could chop it up-never got around to it.
More light is always a good mod.
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Polycarbonate is the best choice and it's what OEM headlight covers are made of. It is much more durable (resistant to cracking) than acrylic. I haven't run across polystyrene in a transparent form, but the fact that it's not normally used in this application, probably means it isn't the best choice.
I used a FX-R b/x up top and a tsx on the bottom. I'll post pics once done.Originally Posted by omnivore
I was leaning towards polycarbonate as well. I've read acrylic is capable of shattering and polycarbonate is much stronger but reacts to moisture. Not sure if moisture is a problem if it's painted?
the acrylic will be easier to form and have a wider thermo moulding temp window. UV will eventually degrade it somewhat.
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Polycarbonate is the same stuff that OEM headlight covers are made from. It will be every bit as resistant to moisture as your original-equipment headlight is.
By the way, the most common commercial trade name for polycarbonate is Lexan. It is very tough stuff. The visor on your helmet is probably also made of that, and so is the OEM windscreen on your bike.
having some experience with this, use polycarbonate, and polish it well after the vacuum forming. take your time heating it. work quickly, but not sloppily. what sort of negative mold are you using?
i'm forming the inside of the headlight to hide the mounting hardware. All the retro's i've seen have either painted the reflective housing or removed all the housing and painted it all black (as the pic below).
I'm hoping to form a plastic backing to give a nice clean look. The mold is the headlight itself, atleast at this point it is.....
I'm using e46 shrouds which cover most of the housing, however I'll have to make some sort temporary backing for a smooth finish with the plastic. This is where the fun begins... trial and error.
Last edited by JoeRider; 01-26-2011 at 07:18 PM.
check out www.plasticworld.ca if you need some supply's. I cant remeber the owners name I think it was Harold any ways he was a wealth of knowledge when I had to cast some old Honda parts that were not available anymore.
Cheers Glen
www.fsmotorcycle.com 416-889-8769 Map to FS Motorcycle
there is a company in Vaughan that provides this service. Not suggesting you get them involved unless you build the negative and want them to form the product for you. The company is called TFP I think, they are a division of Accutec Group. Great guys, really easy going and if anything they will probably sell you the Lexan to do the job. They may even have off cuts from their production run that is otherwise useless for them but value to you. Knowing these guys they would probably give you a deal of a lifetime. You can check them out here http://www.accutecgroup.com/accutec.html Your project looks like fun. Enjoy
Some pics:
Oven - 1600W BBQ Element
Acrylic Form
Headlight without shroud
Headlight with shroud
Top projector is a FX-R (Bi - high/low), Lower projector is a TSX (low beam only).
Thanks for the link. I had purchased a 8' x 4' sheet at 1/16 at plastic world. Also, dont use Homedepot's polycarbonate or acrylic for forming..
Your headlight housing "sucks". j/k I guess it should, because it is vacuum formed!
So you used your box to heat up the plastic, the plastic is in a wooden jig frame. You heat up the plastic and when it begins to droop you take the frame out and put it into some other box? You laid the hot plastic over your headlights and sucked the air out. Where did you attach the vacuum?
It looks good, but looked like if the lights were the wrong shape you might not be able to remove your plastic from the headlights once the plastic cooled.
The vacuum table has a large piece of wood on top with a box below it for the vacuum suction.
I used a 5HP Ridgid shop vac which was over kill! I basically had to turn it on and off until the form was at the right height, otherwise the plastic would get sucked under the projector.
This isn't the one i built but same idea:
Edit:
Just to summarize the process:
- Slide the acrylic into the frame
- Heat the acrylic sheet in the oven at 300F for a few minutes (until it sags)
- Turn on the vacuum (which is connected to the vacuum table with the headlight firmly resting on top)
- Press the frame over the headlight until all four corners are resting on the vacuum table (Due to the size of the shop vac, I had to turn it off/on so it didn't suck too much and pop the plastic)
- It took approx 10 seconds for it to cool
- Dremel the acrylic once cooled leaving it in place over the headlight.
- Let the plastic sit for a few hours on the headlight to settle. (It will shrink very little)
TIPS:
- If you have several bubbles, the acrylic needs to be dried prior to forming. In my experience, the acrylic purchased from Homedepot had several bubbles (all the time). Purchased a sheet from Plastic Word and no bubbles without being dried.
- When placing the acrylic over the headlight, use the opposite side that was heated in the oven.
- Leave the protected covering on the side that will be exposed on the light until ready to paint. (The blue coloured film)
- I used a plastic primer and let it cure for 24 hours
- Used high heat paint - Flat black header paint VHT - 3 coats
Last edited by JoeRider; 05-04-2011 at 01:15 PM.
Thanks for the info. I will one day set up my own vacuum forming table.
I wonder if your headlight will get to a sufficiently high temperature so as to warp or deform your new headlight housing?
Some vacuums have a way of reducing its strength through an adjustable opening in the hose. This is usually at the attachment point to the vacuum. Otherwise you could drill a 1" hole and attach something (wood, plastic) to block the hole that can be partially moved away as required,
This was a concern of mine as well. However, since I've completed this project I've put on about 600kms in various areas (toronto, vaughan, barrie) hitting many bumps and pot holes. My plan, if the acrylic were to crack or deform, I would create a mold from the spare acrylic (with plaster of paris?) and attempt a pull at polycarbonate (or outsource the polycarbonate with the mold).
Good point on the hole, I didn't even consider it. Makes sense, its a typical feature of the central vacuum I have (plastic slider on the handle).
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