Boise Car Audio Stereo Installation, Diesel and Gas Performance, Bluetooth, iPod and Navigation all in one spot - Trax Customs

From Tinted to Matte-ish Glossyness

12/8/2017

Customer brought in his Ford Explorer Sport Trac for a much needed Lighting Boost.
He recently moved up here from Cali for school and I'm surprised he got away with the Tinted Headlights down there....it's illegal for the most part (everything is illegal in Cali) and the light output was horrid.

So we started fresh with a new set of clear headlights.
Then we crammed in 2 Hylux 35w HID systems....1 in the fog housings and 1 in the new headlight system....which features an ACME H1 Projector....which surprisingly has a good cutoff and focal area....not the best bet definitely far from the worst we've seen.

I covered up the ACMEs with a Turbine style shroud then painted it Matte Black to match the headlight shroud.
I popped off the side reflectors and painted those Gloss black, along with the main headlight reflector and turn signal reflector.

The Gloss on Matte on Glass look REALLY pops with these....but you have to be looking for it.
It's my new favorite color combination....

1794 Edition Tundra - Projector Headlights

9/11/2016

Client in North Dakota sent us some brand new OEM headlights for his 2016 Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition
(which made me question if it needed HIDs or Kerosene for the light output)
*Nerd Chuckles to himself*

He just wanted really good output and for them to be blacked out.

So we went with:
Bi-Xenon HID Projectors
Bullet Projector Shrouds
Morimoto HID kit
Matte Black Internals
...and #BananaForScale

These are super simple, yet highly effective....the cutoffs on these are perfect and the width of the beam is exactly what this truck needed.
The shroud is a perfectly bulky design to fit the rugged look of this truck....and it's easy to tell the size of said shroud since I generously included a #BananaForScale ......so....you're welcome!

Pontiac Solstice - Projector Headlights

7/23/2016

Had a client from Nevada send me his Solsti headlights and wanted an upgrade.

We did:
Morimoto Bi-Xenon HID Projectors
Gatlin Gun V1 Shrouds
Switchback Internally Hidden LED Halos
Black Reflector
Chrome Interior

Yukon Denali - Projector Retrofit

12/22/2013

Been working on this project for over 3 months......not continuously, but I had a split second to 'retro' the projectors on the car (while it was here getting some crap ballasts replaced) then fast forward 2 months and I'm finally ready to complete the project....this is what went in:

3" FX-R Projector with 'Trax' logo etched into the lenses
Fake 2.5" Projector retrofitted in OEM turn signal spot
Dual Apollo V2 Shrouds
Dual Plasma Halos (Yukon Direct Fit kit)
Morimoto 35ive D2S Ballasts
Osram Xenarc Bulbs
Switchback Bulb in OEM location (behind fake Projector)
Custom Fiberglassed Turn Signal/Running LEDs in OEM Side location
Matte Black Internal Paint

I installed HIDs into this car back in March-ish this year, and after a few months my client was wanting better lights....what better way than upgrading to Projectors! He wanted to take it to a different level than a simple retro. He wanted to get rid of the 'ribs' that normally surround the Denali upgraded headlights, so we went with a regular Yukon aftermarket light to clean up some of the lines. With that out of the way, he wanted the 'dual' look of high-end cars, so we went with a fake projector up top. Normally with fake projectors, they are just that....fake, and there to look OEM....not perform. Well, this one was different. I did the normal mounting (just aesthetic....not aligning them to output)...and once installed on car and SUPER bright switchback bulb behind the lens, I noticed an issue.....this thing PUTS OUT LIGHT....normally it'd be just a good indicator light...but the Driving Lights output light, and by that, I mean throws light a hundred or more feet.....so that may be an issue down the road, as I've never ran into something like this...but the customer and I agreed that he'd run around with them like this for now and see if issue pop up...if so, we'll simply bypass the running light portion into the High Beam setting. Crazy cool that it does it, but not necessary in my mind. Moving on, my client wanted to do something with the boring side mini light....I suggested a cool switchback led pod of some sort and with the mention of fiberglass, he was hooked....so I fabricated a custom 'ribbed' mount and went from there.
After everything was done, threw some matte black paint down and she was good to go.
These turned out SICK and are among the coolest looking lights I've done so far.

Nissan S14 Silvia - Projector Headlight Retrofit

7/28/2013

A Buddy brought in his uber rare Right Hand Drive Nissan Silvia for some new headlights.

The stock housings had already been separated and had a new clear lens installed...which was a big help....but here is what I did to it:

3" Morimoto FX-R Bi-Xenon Projectors version 3.0
Custom Fit Apollo V1 Shrouds (Chrome)
Red Resting Demon Eyes
Red Demon Eye Accent Lights
"Trax" logo etched into the lenses
High Beam area converted to Amber LED for DRLs
Re-Painted certain areas black to match theme
Morimoto Elite D2S series HID Bulbs and Ballasts installed with Heavy Duty wiring harness

I've never had to cut so much of an OEM reflector housing as I did in this set of lights...I was about one more inch from having to custom make these from scratch...but I made it fit...and it looked great

This was a major upgrade to the lighting and the owner was stoked with them.
I know he'll love driving at night now....and I think these will be a good opportunity to break into yet another car-specific headlight arena.

Project Beyond JDM - Retrofit Complete

7/10/2013

Customer sent me some pics and a nice detailed feedback email today....it's always good to get quality feedback instead of 'thanks' or nothing at all.

These lights turned out great on the car and the customer is stoked!

Project Caliberight - Back for more!!

7/5/2013

Had my buddy bring his Dodge Caliber back in for even more mods....this time to the existing retrofit I did a while back.
I originally installed Bi-Xenon Projectors covered by a Gatling Gun shroud (version 2) with a CCFL halo. At the time, that was the best available.

With new technology changing all the time, the XB LED halos have been available and he wanted them...along with some extras.

Instead of sticking with the Gatling Gun shrouds, he opted for the Apollo shrouds (version 1) with White XB LED Halo's behind them. I had to custom make a back shroud to space the halo just right, as the 100mm I had didn't quite fit the 110mm opening....still very bright!

He also wanted Red Demon Eye lighting, which blends perfectly with this interior led upgrade I did a while back as well.

With the lights off, it's a slight change from the Gatling to the Apollo, but as soon as you start flicking those switches you notice a MUCH better upgrade.

Project Beyond JDM - RSX Headlight Retrofit

7/1/2013

Customer dubbed project, "Beyond JDM" featured some pretty gnarly products...most of which I haven't used before now....so this was very exciting even for me.

Customer provided some JDM RSX headlight housings, I got the rest:
Honda S2000 Low-Beam Projectors
'Black Series' Clear Lens Upgrade
OSRAM Xenarc CBI D2S 4300k HID bulbs
Gatling Gun Projector Shroud

Retro was pretty straight forward....had to borrow a local car from a car enthusiast to ensure proper alignment of headlights; as customer is out-of-state.
The Black Series Lens Upgrade was a must and provided an even better output on an industry standard for low-beam projectors. The OEM S2k projectors needed to be modified to fit the housing...and even after modifying the reflector as much as I have ever needed to, everything still barely fit.

All-in-all this thing turned out pretty sweet....I think it'll fit the project perfectly!

Project Demon Solstice - Warranty Swap

6/24/2013

Sometimes things happen that make me second guess doing alot of out of state, and out of country, installations....especially since I don't make my own products. I'm putting my business name on the line with other peoples' products. This case, was a very rare case, as you simply DO NOT see these products go bad. If you do a search for Burnt FX-R Projector, you'll have a hard time finding anything....after talking with my suppliers, it seems these were apart of a bad batch. They made it just a little over a year until the bowls started to burn and flake.

So, I am warrantying these with NEW FX-R (version 3.0s) and upgrading the CCFL halo lighting to the new XB Plasma LED lighting......a much needed upgrade.

Everything went well, and as you can see in the last few pics, the customer will need a good cut/buff on the lenses once he gets them back!

Out with the Old, In with the New

6/17/2013

With all of the new products available, I felt as though I had to update my 3 year old headlights so I can show off options to customers......so, instead of Re-Retrofitting my Old headlights, I found a buyer (in Hawaii) who was looking for a set of lights. He didn't want them ALL black, so I told him I'd swap whatever he sent me (new headlights) so they would be AS chrome as possible.....I also re-retrofitted some NEW XB Led Halo's behind some new Gatling Gun chrome shrouds.

These were my first Chrome on Black on Chrome headlights and I'm kinda diggin' them....for OEM purposes....they look OEM-ish...but also aftermarket if you're a Solstice owner.

A cool feature I found when doing this retrofit...with the New Clear plastic that's being used for shrouds (instead of white) and the light coats of Chrome they use on them....the XB LED halos are SO bright that they actually shine through EVERYTHING....you get the desired 'Iron Man' look with this....but you get an added cool feature of seeing the entire circle behind the shroud......pretty neat.

Project TigerStyle - Pontiac Solstice Crazy Projector Headlight Retrofit

5/29/2013

Was given the opportunity to work on some pretty wicked headlights over the past few months....I say that because multiple delays on just about everything, including my own personal knee surgery....but we finally got them finished up and back over to the East Coast.

The owner had some pretty wild ideas with this one, but based on what he does for a living, these match his lifestyle....so I was more than happy to do these for him. These headlights have just about everything we offer on custom headlights....not everything, but pretty damned close:

Bi-Xenon Projectors with 35 watt 6000k HID Bulbs and Ballasts from Morimoto
E46 Extended Shroud (Painted Black)
100mm Plasma Morimoto XBLed Halo (White)
Red Demon Eye Projector Lens Accenting Lighting
White/Amber Switchback LED strips 'sewn' into OEM Shroud
Shroud painted a custom 'TigerStyle' with Black and Red/Gold Paint

I'll have more On-Car pics once they get wired up.

Ford Focus - Projector Retrofit

12/29/2012

A past client brought his Ford Focus back in for some lighting upgrades.
We went with a Bi-Xenon Projector (Low and High Beams) since the existing headlight was a single bulb 9007 setup.
We covered the projector with a modified Apollo shroud and kept everything chrome on the inside.
On the back end, he received Morimoto 6000k D2S bulbs, powered by New Morimoto 35watt 'Blue' Ballasts, and a Morimoto-Control wiring harness so everything is firing perfectly.

These will allow him to be MUCH safer at night (being able to see further and wider than stock) all while looking as OEM as possible.

Honda Accord - Projector Headlights with LED DRLs

11/18/2012

Had a local client that wanted MUCH brighter lights, while staying within the realm of legality.....as well as an all black look to the lights.

Projector Retrofitting will take care of both those issues!

Owner picked up a set of DEPO lights, so the lenses were in perfect condition.
I went with my Bi-Xenon HID Projectors, covered in a ridiculously trimmed down version of the Ocular Shroud; all in the low beam spot.
Since the projectors are Bi-Xenon, we no longer needed the high beam spot for anything, so, as usual, I converted that area over to a Super Bright LED, for use as an auxiliary light as well as DRL if needed.
I placed this light on a switch that was mounted inside the vehicle on a blank switch panel.
This circuit turns off with the vehicle, so the owner doesn't have to worry about running his battery dead.

The entire headlight received and nice coat of semi-gloss black paint, and the lower portion was smoked to allow light through.

Project was fun and a owner loves his new lights.

Acura RSX Projector Retro

8/13/2012

Got these lights from a client in California.

Advanced Retrofit using FX-R Bi-Xenon Projectors with 6000k D2S Bulbs and 35 watt ballasts.
Covered everything up with an extended E46 shroud and kept it chrome to appear stock/OEM.

Turned out great and will be shipped back tomorrow of final installation on the car.

Terminator Solsti?

7/25/2012

Got another Pontiac Solstice Projector Retrofit in this week.
With the colors being black and silver.....with Demon Eyes, I couldn't help but think of good ol' Arnold back in the day and his robotic counter-part. That, coupled with the fact of how well these demon eyes turned out (see photochopped pic below) I'm starting to think of calling them Terminator Eyes instead of Demon Eyes.....not sure yet, but with Options labeled Iron Man Halo and Terminator Eyes, who WOULDN'T want that in their custom made headlights?
What nerd could resist?

(Thinks to self: How can I implement Thor's Hammer into headlights?)

Back to the project......

This one involved an FX-R Projector - Version 3 with Morimoto 6000k D2S bulbs and Morimoto 35watt Long Cord Ballasts.
The Projectors were hidden behind a Gatling Gun Version 1 Shroud that also hid a Super Bright LED XB Halo.
Behind all of this are the Terminator Eyes, with a soft back glow onto the newly painted reflector, it gives it an Eye Vain look....pretty cool when it's pitch black.
Speaking of pitch black (no, not Vin Diesel) The rest of the headlight internals were painted gloss black. The Gatlin Shroud was painted GM Silver to match the car's color.

Project Wicked Solstice - Pre Assembled

4/21/2012

Got the Wicked Solsti headlights retro'd and ready for owners final decision on whether to leave it all wicked or add some black accent paint in there.

So far they look good....they'll look even better once I'm done adding the CCFL lighting....but for now they will remain all wicked.

Project Wicked Solstice - Kill it with Paint!!!!

4/17/2012

My painter bro-namath got to all the parts I sent him.

Here is some progress pics of them.

I'll be assembling these for client approval soon.

Till then...

Project Wicked Solstice has begun

4/15/2012

Ed swung by the shop early this spring, as he was in town visiting family. We discussed some options for his Solstice and come up with a pretty good plan. Once he got back to Texas, he sent me the lights and I've just begun to work on them.

So far, all I've done is prep everything for paint. These badboys will be getting a complete washout of Wicked paint. Wicked is GM's Ruby Red Metallic color. Ed liked the way the Corvette's headlights look, so we are going to see how they turn out on a solstice. If he changes his mind, it'll be easier to paint certain parts black, than viceversa.

Biggest thing was taking apart the new Version 3 FX-R hybrid projectors....these are a bit different than the Version 1 or 2's that I'm use to....but they are ready and good to go. Also, on these newer projectors, they are wider in the lens holder area, so significant mods were made to the Gatlin shroud in order for it to fit.......lots of dust flyin' around after this one.

Paint on Monday, Retro on Tuesday, mod the lights and should have these ready to go soon.

Project Inferno Solsti....out the door

3/7/2012

Got them all sealed up, cleaned up, packaged up and ready to go.
Snapped these pics to finish off the build pics.

Next up? On-Car pics whenever the client gets them to me.

Cheers

Inferno Solsti....almost ready

3/5/2012

Got the CCFLs (two per shroud) attached to the shrouds
Projector has been hand-painted (couldn't masked off LED holes)
Mounted the Shrouds, soldered all the wires, tested all the lights.

Just waiting for the shrouds to cure and we'll be good to seal these badboys up.

This shroud/projector combo was the hardest I've had yet. Didn't help that I tried to stick 3 sets of CCFL's behind them. Unfortuneately, they don't make a size that would fit that last ring and even if they did, it wouldn't have fit on the FX-R projector. I had to doctor these shrouds up in order to get them to fit just by themselves.....then add a strip of LEDs for the Demon Eyes, and 2 CCFLs to the mix and it took some crafty shifting to get these on.

All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with the outcome.....it's hard to tell how these will pop because of all the black, but they will for sure finish off that Brazen solsti once they get put on...it's such a good color when you match it with black, that these headlights will look siiiick!

....now......we wait.....

Inferno Solsti

3/3/2012

New Solstice Headlights.
This time they are going on a Brazen colored Solstice.
Brazen is Pontiac's (GM) Burnt Orange Color...it's called Inferno Orange.
Pretty cool color...has a mix of Red and Orange.

These ones will be special:

FX-R Projectors with clear lenses
G37 Shrouds Painted Brazen Orange
Dual Halo's behind G37 Shroud
Orange/Amber Demon Eye LED Accent Lighting
Everything else painted Gloss Black.

Will be ready for paint tomorrow and the next day

Demon Solstice Retrofit

2/14/2012

Got these guys all polished up and somewhat ready to go....I think I might clear coat the lights to give them that perfect look.

Problem with these lights is that the lenses had a fiberglass cover over them that scratched up the crystal clear look they had....owner plans on putting them back on, but wouldn't mind rockin' them naked either....I don't blame him, they look sick all black. Most people that polish headlight lense only deal with yellowing...not deep scratches....so we gave it our best shot.....and back to what those 'other' guys do, they NEVER touch the insides of the lenses....as they can't get them open....well....we do!!!!! Polished the insides of these bad boys as well. They turned out pretty good, but they were so beat up and rubbed the wrong way that I think a clear coat is all we can do now....we'll see.

Other than that, these beasts are ready to ship out. I can't wait to see them back on their mother ship!!

Throwin' some red down on pair of MC-Rs

2/7/2012

Had to take some extra care with these MC-R shrouds that cover the FX-R projectors I'm retrofitting into these Solsti lights. These are a newer-ish shroud that I have yet to install, so I'm pretty stoked for the outcome. The Halo will sit behind the oval cutouts and will give a nice even glow due to the frosted plexi lens in between.

Waiting for them to set and I'll have these back together in no time.

Solstice Retrofit Progress Report.....Paint

2/2/2012

Got the projector taped off and everything ruff sanded for primer.

Primer down

High-Temp Low-Glass Black Down

Ready for paint on the shroud...just need to get the red!

Another Solsti Retro; this one's seeing red

1/28/2012

Got another Solstice in that wants an Advanced Retrofit.
This one will be recieving:
FX-R Hybrid Projectors, modified to get the best possible light output
CCFL Halo's behind Shroud
MC-R Shroud custom painted Red
Internal Parts Painted Black
Headlight Lens Buffed and Cut

Got some time with them tonight...opened them, sized them up, cut some plastic, set the projector in for a test fit.

Tomorrow I'll get them on the car, aligned and set permanently and we'll be good to start painting....

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