Projector Fog Light Retrofit

Today I started on my latest project, projector fogs. I have a 2015 1500 with the vertical fog lights. I'm currently running OPT7 LED's in them. I'm not terribly impressed with the range of the LED's, but I do like the color output. I'm also not thrilled with the chrome reflectors sticking out like a sore thumb against my black bumper.

I figured if I did a projector retrofit I could not only totally black out the lights, but also increase the output. So I bought a new set of TYC fog lights and proceeded to baked them open. It was easier than I thought.

I followed the method I saw on some of the Retrofit Source videos. I put them in a pre-heated oven at 270 F for 7 minutes. I had to do this twice as I was only able to pry about half the lens off per time. The adhesive loses it's pliability really quick. I took my time and was fairly gentle which probably accounts for having to heat them twice, but I didn't want to force the lens off and break or warp anything.

Honestly, it took longer to remove the old adhesive than it did to open the lights. I would just keep alternating popping them in the oven for a few minutes to soften it up and then work until it started to get hard again.

My plan is to fit Morimoto Matchbox projectors. It looks way simpler than trying to cram the MH1's in there. There doesn't seems to be enough room for the MH1's without some significant cutting. According to the specs the Matchbox projectors require a housing depth of 80mm as opposed to the MH1 needing 115mm. It looks like the fog light housing can handle between 90-100mm max without opening up the back and I'm not sure I want to get into that on my first attempt.

I still need to order the supplies to finish the lights. I didn't want to order anything until I figured out if I could successfully open the lights. Once I get all the parts I'll be painting everything black (reflectors and shrouds). I'm also gonna fit the projectors with switchback halo's. I've seen others with blacked out projector fogs and really liked the look. I think they'll blend in quite nicely with my black bumper.

I'll update as the project progresses.

Subd.

This is one of those projects I'll get around too eventually.

Parts are ordered and on the way....

Did you go through retro source for the matchbox projectors?

Rzrman328 said:

Did you go through retro source for the matchbox projectors?

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Yes. Got the projectors, halo's and sealant from them.

Looking forward to seeing your project. I chickened out on my headlights and sent everything to Jeremy, but I might be able to handle the fogs. I thought I read somewhere that the H1 version 7.0 will fit without cutting. I may be hallucinating.

Im doing my custom set of quads right now. Once im done them and they are in my truck, i plan on doing a retrofit to the foglights. Most likely will be doing either the matchbox or trying to make the mh1 fit somehow.

Either way i look forward to how yours comes out as i have a different fog light (2012) so im sure the sizing is different but i dunno lol. Im very interested to see how yours turn out.

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When I did my fog lights, I dremeled down the outside of the H7 adaptors that came with the projectors and it worked like a charm. When you get your parts you'll see what I mean

my question is the matchbox waterproof from the back? Ive looked and is there a seal for the bulb to the housing that Im missing to make a retro work?

Matchboxes are easier to swap but the light output compared to a MH1 is no comparison. I swapped 7.0s into my vertical fogs and didn't touch the backs or cut anything. I just heated the lense with a heat gun (or oven) and pressed the lense over the projector. The lense conformed to the shape of the projector slightly and allows the lense to clip down. The projector only goes past like 3/16" at one corner. The lense doesn't affect light output and the new slightly curved lense isn't noticeable as it sits so far back in the bumper.

I too had the same Delema with my blacked out ram. I plasti dipped the reflectors and glossed them
And used cheap black MH1 shrouds. It's fully blacked out and I get the 7.0 output compared to the matchbox. And since there was no cutting it's super easy.

WilliamS said:

my question is the matchbox waterproof from the back? Ive looked and is there a seal for the bulb to the housing that Im missing to make a retro work?

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No projector is waterproof. I ran projectors for 2 years in my bumper and counting and have had no issues. Including NJ snowy winters and a hurricane. The back of the projector (clip and clip bracket) will rust over time. You can easily throw a rubber cap over it if you choose to do so.

blackbetty14 said:

Matchboxes are easier to swap but the light output compared to a MH1 is no comparison. I swapped 7.0s into my vertical fogs and didn't touch the backs or cut anything. I just heated the lense with a heat gun (or oven) and pressed the lense over the projector. The lense conformed to the shape of the projector slightly and allows the lense to clip down. The projector only goes past like 3/16" at one corner. The lense doesn't affect light output and the new slightly curved lense isn't noticeable as it sits so far back in the bumper.

I too had the same Delema with my blacked out ram. I plasti dipped the reflectors and glossed them
And used cheap black MH1 shrouds. It's fully blacked out and I get the 7.0 output compared to the matchbox. And since there was no cutting it's super easy.

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I gotta figure the output of the Matchbox projectors are still better than the OEM halogen housings so it's still a win.

Parts should be here Monday and then the ball will start rolling.

swine said:

I gotta figure the output of the Matchbox projectors are still better than the OEM halogen housings so it's still a win.

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Ya...I wasn't necessarily concerned with the effectiveness of my foglights output as much as any projector in there will look better and work better than the reflective housing.

My main goal was to match my fogs up to my projectors in the low's.

Rzrman328 said:

Ya...I wasn't necessarily concerned with the effectiveness of my foglights output as much as any projector in there will look better and work better than the reflective housing.

My main goal was to match my fogs up to my projectors in the low's.

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Exactly. There is basically no other way to black out the fogs (which is my goal here) than to install projectors. I don't really need them to be substitute headlights. What I wanted was a fairly easy install and the Matchboxes are effectively drop in.

Projectors came in today. I did a test fit on the housings and it can't get much easier. The existing bulb holes don't need to be enlarged at all. The threaded portion of the projectors fits perfectly. I did trim off the bulb holder from the rear the housing.





This allows easier access to the nut that holds the projector in place. A Dremel took care of it quickly. The projector pretty much self aligns in the housing, it just needs to be rotated into place for horizontal alignment. I'll run the wiring up through the existing vent hole.

As stated, I'll be painting everything black. I need to fit the halo's first as I don't want to screw up the fresh paint job trying to attach them. I also need to get screws to attach the shrouds. They look like they take tiny little buggers. Hopefully I can find what I'm looking for locally.

I'm somewhat at the mercy of Mother Nature on painting as we got hit with cold weather as usual. I may be able to heat the garage enough to paint, I just don't like painting inside if I can help it since I've got to worry about overspray.

I'd like to get this done fairly quick, but given my other commitments it'll probably be mid March before it's finished.

Prepped the shrouds for the halo's last night. I wish the face of the shrouds were flatter, they angle in slightly. It makes it a little more challenging to fit the halo's. I'm going to wire them to the shrouds as per the instructions that came from Morimoto. If they were flatter I would probably add a little adhesive as insurance. Once I get them wired on I may see if I can shoot a little epoxy under them with a syringe. I'll see how secure they seem after attaching the wires. Last thing I want is to have them come loose inside after closing up the lights.

Slightly concave face. It doesn't seem like much, but the halo's don't sit flat against them. They only touch on the outside edge.

The directions indicated drilling a holes for the wires. I ended up having to cut a slot. The wires are glued to the back of the halo's in such a way as to require more clearance than just a hole would provide. The slot is directly under the halo so it won't be visible.

The slot for the wires. If you look close you can just see the holes for the retaining wires.

The glue is built up enough to need more than a hole to sit flush

Halo just resting on the shroud. Notice the slot isn't visible

Drilling the holes for the retaining wire was a treat. I used a 1/32 bit in my dremel. I'll be using 22ga wire that is black coated. I got the wire at Hobby Lobby in the jewelry area. I had to open up the little wire tabs on the halo's also to get the wire to go through. Those holes are nearly microscopic. It'd be nice if they included the wire since the instructions direct that method of attachment. Not sure what gauge wire they're designed for... I wanted to use stainless steel wire, but the stuff I found wouldn't stay twisted closed.

I ended up using some #6-32 screws that I had on hand to attach the shrouds to the projectors. I ran a tap in the plastic hole of the shroud to gives the screws something to bite into to start. A smaller screw might have been better, but I didn't have any on hand. The #6's work, but it's an unfinished hole (no threads) hence the tap. I couldn't get them to start otherwise. If I had to guess I'd say a #4 self tapping machine screw would probably be the ticket. Again, it'd be nice if these were included.

Lookin good so far.

I used wire for the led tubes in my tails for the exact reason of not wanting them to come loose after they were all sealed up.

Nice work! I've been kicking around the idea of the matchbox as well for simplicity. I really want to gut a set of BMW X5 fogs and use them, but I think it's going to be a lot of work.

I love this idea. I'm planning on swapping my entire interior / exterior to LED, and was hoping to figure out a way to black out these fog lights. I hate the chrome look inside my black express bumper.

Following...

Also, as this factor has more importance to me, how much cash are you invested into this project? I almost retrofitted my quad headlight until I figured out how much it was going to cost me even doing it myself...

mpicc84 said:

I love this idea. I'm planning on swapping my entire interior / exterior to LED, and was hoping to figure out a way to black out these fog lights. I hate the chrome look inside my black express bumper.

Following...

Also, as this factor has more importance to me, how much cash are you invested into this project? I almost retrofitted my quad headlight until I figured out how much it was going to cost me even doing it myself...

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I'm into this for about $425 in parts. That includes brand new fog lights, projectors, halos, a complete HID kit, etc. There are some misc costs for other supplies involved (hardware, paint, etc), most of which I already have on hand. So let's round up to $450 all in. You'd save about $65 if you use your existing fog lights. I had some issues with the lenses on mine (from a previous mod that didn't work) so I bought new ones. I also figured (right or wrong) that the TYC lights might be easier to open. YMMV

If I were to have these lights built the way I'm doing it (painted all black, projectors, halo's and HID's) I'd be looking at just under $800. By doing it myself not only am I gaining some knowledge, but I'm saving about $350. I can do quite a bit with that amount of money.

Also, it seemed like an easy enough project (and so far it has been) and I like to do things myself as much as possible. Not to mention I like tinkering and fabricating.