Lexus IS300

haha, yeah Lexus put a great set of reflector HIDs on here, and the high beam reflectors are really nice as well, and just that much brighter with HIDs in them.

Bright as f**k

I had to do a double take, before I realized they weren't in projectors. That's pretty amazing

lol thanks guys

Update time.

I ordered two brand new painted fenders last night, as well as two complete doors that I will have to paint myself.

More (old) pics.

I'm planning to redo the interior, since the dashboard finish is deteriorating rapidly (infamous sticky dash problem). Gonna get a 2001 dashboard because it doesn't have this problem, then paint the trim gloss black with clear coat.

I will also be doing a dash kit, so I ordered some samples from CARID.com.

Dash Kit Samples by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Dash Kit Samples by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I originally wanted the blue and black carbon fiber finish (to go with the new blue-stitched shifter knob), but since it's real carbon fiber, you can only see the blue in one direction. And the all-blue carbon fiber is simply way too dark. Real carbon fiber is nice, but overdone. And the chrome came out as a flat mirror, not rounded like the others.

But I really like the black/gray zebra wood finish (in the corner), it has the darkish look of carbon fiber, but it unique. Gonna go with that whenever I get to it lol.

Next up was fender work. Since I was going to order new fenders, I wanted to roll them properly this time. So I got a fender roller on Ebay for $105.

Fender Roller by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I used it well enough, but since the fenders were already wrecked, this didn't do anything to help that. New fenders will be good though, since the metal will be evenly modified all around.

Fender Roller by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I was able to get all 4 fenders rolled/pulled even more though, which eliminated any kind of occasional rub I had. I also messed with the bumper/fender alignment to make it smoother looking, like the car was naturally wider from the factory.

Front Fenders Rolled by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Rear Fenders Rolled by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Oh, and the front lip is back on, since I hated how it looked without anything.

Front Lip Installed by gold94corolla, on Flickr

washed

Car Washed by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I also bought this fender finisher, but I don't know if I'll need it on the new fenders. Bought it just in case I need to do minor adjustments. It was only $30 lol.

Eastwood Fender Finisher by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Finally, I happened to find a random windshield repair kit in Walmart, so I bought it and had a go. Not bad for my first try. You can still see a little part of the outline, I don't think I used enough resin. But the chip was about the size of a nickel inbetween the two layers of glass. This looks 100 times better than before lol. After I took this pic, I finished the job by filling the hole in the middle.

Windshield Chip Repair In Progress by gold94corolla, on Flickr

In the effort of catching up, you get 2 updates in one day lol.

My front DRL switch that I had since the Corolla fried on a pothole somehow, so I had to look for a replacement. Jeez it's impossible to find a simple rectangle switch.

But I remembered these guys:

http://www.otrattw.net/home.php

Figured I'd give it a shot and see what happened.

I first ordered 2 switches, one for the front lights, and one for the tail lights that I was working on finishing.

Switches have a natural location right to the left of the steering wheel. The switches were slightly too big to fit, so I had to shave off the inner edge of the switch openings to make them fit, and I had to grind a slight amount off of the bottom of the switches.

Out with with the old, in with the new:

Switch Installation Preparation by gold94corolla, on Flickr

wow they look incredible

Installed Switches by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Wiring was kind of a pain though, since the switches do not have wire harness, but instead, have individual pins. But I got some female wire crimp ends and went to town. Each of these switches has 5 wires... 2 grounds and 2 hots for the 2 individual blue LEDs, and one output.

Switch Wiring by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Done and working! The switches match the OEM finish EXACTLY and look perfectly at home there!

Switches Installed by gold94corolla, on Flickr

When I turn the key to start the car, the top section lights up blue

Switches Lit by gold94corolla, on Flickr

And then when I flip the switch to the on position, the bottom indicator lights up to tell me that it's on.

Switches On by gold94corolla, on Flickr

These switches have a nice "action" to them, they have a very solid click feeling when rocking them on or off.

Switches Off by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Switches Lit Up by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Switches On by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Now that I had those 2 switches in, it was obvious that I had to find a third switch that would somehow control the brightness of the HID head lights (that's what the middle rotary switch does).

The old switch has 3 positions (3 brightnesses: 38 watt, 53 watt, and 68 watt), but I didn't really need all 3 settings. So I decided to go with a 2 position on-off-on switch. The low setting is now 43 watts, and the high setting is still 68 watts.

This switch has 10 pins though, since it's a double-pull, double-throw switch. The upper 2 pins control the upper LED, the lower 2 pins control the lower LED, the middle 2 pins are the 2 inputs, and the other 4 pins are the outputs. The resistor values you see there are what control the HID brightness. I also cleaned up the wiring a little bit by daisy-chaining some wires together, so that I only had one ground and one hot coming off the switch instead of 2.

Roo Burner Switch Wiring by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Originally, the lower blue LED was supposed to turn on to indicate that the switch was "on" in high brightness mode (you can see the little red jumper wire up there) but the problem is that the actual voltage coming from and going to the ballasts was so tiny that it didn't power the LED. So it didn't work.

I had to redo it all, using a large DPDT relay instead of the switch. So now, the HID brightness control runs through the relay instead, and the switch is powered by the low beams themselves with 12 volts, so that the lower LED works. The output of the switch goes to the relay to trigger it, so essentially, it's like one big switch. Each flip of the switch make the relay click. Of course, the switch ONLY works when the low beams are on.... what's the point of powering the lower indicator LED if the head lights aren't lit?

I also cleaned up the wiring to the other switches by redoing the crimps so that they daisy chained the common grounds and hots.

Huge DPDT Relay Added by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Yes that's a lot of mess, I do with these switches had harnesses, but it's not so bad. The relay just tucks behind there, and the dash easily fits back together.

Now everything is complete and working perfectly! Looks and feels amazing.

Switches Complete by gold94corolla, on Flickr

When the key is turned:

Switches Lit by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Bottom of the middle switch lights up when the low beams are on AND the switch is flipped on, regardless of key position:

Roo Burner Switch Works! by gold94corolla, on Flickr

(yes I got that switch because it has a kangaroo on it lol..... the idea behind "roo burners" is that, when flipped on, the lights are bright enough to incinerate any wildlife that jumps in front of me.... though that's just wishful thinking)

love the roo burners switch.Impressive workmanship and attention to detail!

hahah roo burners

lol thanks guys, when I saw that switch, I had to have it no matter what!

Next up, in August, I finally got around to finishing my custom LED tail lights.  I instantly loved the car again with these installed... gosh I hate the stock tails lol

Inside is painted flat primer black (except for the reflectors), all of the LEDs have been replaced/upgraded for consistent brightness and longevity, and I added some red LED strips to use as DRL/rear fog light.

Completed LED Tail Lights by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Had to rewire the tail light harness to get the tail lights operating safely.  The red wire runs to the "rear light" switch by the steering wheel.

PWM Installed by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Flip the switch, and these light up:

DRL Lights by gold94corolla, on Flickr

turn on the head lights, and they light up the same configuration as before, but better

Running Lights by gold94corolla, on Flickr

with the DRL on as well

Running & DRL Lights by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Brake lights are much brighter now

Brake Lights by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Black finish inside matches the tires perfectly, just what I was going for

IMG_6566-2 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

More quick pics







IMG_6570-2 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

IMG_6571-2 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

IMG_6572-2 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

IMG_6573-2 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

DRL on

LED Tails Lit by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LED Tails Close by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Rear DRL On by gold94corolla, on Flickr

DRL + head lights

LEDs On Close by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LEDs On Side by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I could stare at those lights all day. It would be AWESOME to sit behind you in traffic.

im with kenny, i love your work on all your lights, just THE BEST

Thanks guys! It just wouldn't be right if my car didn't have all custom lights lol. Took long enough to do though, and never again.

Just read this entire thread, love the car

Thanks bro! Means a lot to me

Another road trip!

Spent a weekend driving down to Atlanta for TheRetrofitSource's open house. I didn't get any pics while I was there though lol.

Took the usual route through South Carolina. Left my house at about 3:15 am, got here at 11 am.

In South Carolina out in the middle of nowhere, I love it here so much. (all of the driving/scenery pics are unedited)















Then it was downpouring rain.





Stopped at the church to visit my grandmother's grave and put another solar light on it, the one I put there last year still works!









This dog is tied to the tree literally every single time I've ever been here (it's a long rope though)... even in the rain, poor thing



Then got to TRS at about 4:45 (took a quick nap at 1:30). Had a great time there! Ended up driving 3 hours north afterwards, and by the time I got to the place I wanted to sleep for the night, it was after 1am, and literally every place was either full or closed. WTF? So I slept in the car lol.... saved a bit of money, and it wasn't so bad actually.

Left at 7am for the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was still rainy, so the Parkway was enshrouded with clouds for the longest time, could barely see anything lol.







Some heavily-edited pics.... without editing, you can't see the car the fog was so thick





Two less- edited pics





More edited pics.







No spectacular views this time, just clouds. Like literally clouds, not just fog, but clouds lol.















A break in the clouds gave a little bit of a view







It finally cleared up towards the end though, so I was able to get a good sunset pic.



Got home after dark to make for a nice weekend.

I know I say this to all your pics, but man, those are amazing shots. Seriously. Love the fog shots.

And poor dog Hope the owners treat him right.

Thanks, I'm always looking for new opportunities for different shots! Rain and fog this time lol.

I think the dog is fine, I've seen him for years lol

wow some amazing pics.

thats some quite exquisite photography.

Earlier this month, I finally did the work to convert the JDM mirrors from RHD to LHD. It was just a matter of swapping the bases... I got lucky, and everything lined up perfectly!

USA Mirrors Disassembled by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LHD Conversion Complete by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Then the mirrors installed easily... just a matter of bolting them on.

Completed Mirrors 1 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Completed Mirrors 2 by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I LOVE how they look. The signals are perfectly level in the mirrors, no weird angle to them. And the covers don't look too big or anything. Certainly looks better than the weird lights I had drilled into the old mirrors lol.

Next up was a TON of wiring. First, I had to cut off the old power mirror switch and solder on the new harness. Same thing with the mirror harnesses. With the harnesses swapped, the new mirror switch and mirrors plugged into the stock harness.

Next was to get the signals and folding operational. Because the USA mirrors have 2 functions that the JDM mirrors do not have (heated surface and autodimming), that gave me 4 extra wires in the harness to use for the signal and folding. So, I didn't have to run any extra wires through the door harnesses. I did have to run wires from one side of the car to the other under the dash though. 2 wires for the power folding on the passenger side, and 1 wire for the signal. Both signal wires come out of the door harness, and then to the driver's kick panel, where they solder to the wires going to the instrument cluster turn signal indicator arrows.

The folding is all self contained though, so the driver's side folded without any extra wiring. The passenger side just had to be connected to the switch in order to operate.

Push the button in, and the mirrors fold up!

Driver's Mirror Folded by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Passenger's Mirror Folded by gold94corolla, on Flickr

And the signals work! They are visible from all angles.

LED Light Front by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LED Light Front Angle by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LED Light Side by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LED Light Rear Angle by gold94corolla, on Flickr

LED Light Rear by gold94corolla, on Flickr

And here are some pics of the wiring lol...... you can just ignore these, or you can try and decipher them to understand how much work this was.

JDM Switch Wiring by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Driver Door Wires by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Passenger Door Wires by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Driver Kick Panel Wires by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Passenger Kick Panel Wires by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I made a video of the car. You can see the tail lights and mirrors lighting up. You can hear the new exhaust. At the end, you can see how the mirrors fold. Not good quality, but here it is:



And one last mod. While I had the door wiring exposed, I cut this wire to the driver's window switches.

Alarm Improvement Mod by gold94corolla, on Flickr

That was to improve the stock alarm. Before, if the alarm was armed, it would disarm if you manually unlocked it from the inside. So, if I left the windows open or someone broke the window, they could just reach in and turn off the alarm. Well, not anymore lol.

And this thread is finally caught up lol.

Finished dying my interior door panels and upper tray carpet back to black. It didn't come out perfectly black, as the dye I used was more of a restorer than a color changer. Oh well, at least they look a LOT better.





Best thing is that, while the fabric is nice and dark again, it's still just as soft as before! Not like spray painting it, no stiffness at all.

Though the upper tray carpet did turn out black... it had faded to a blue color:

looks good chris maybe if you re dye it again a 2nd/3rd time maybe itll come out darker. still looks good though

Thanks bro!  That is actually dyed 3 times lol (more like 10 on the top area).  It's plenty dark enough, but the dye didn't change the color, just darkened it.

lol ok well like i said looks good brother

Well the door panels are still purple... just darker colored. Oh well, so much for that lol.

Door Fabric is Still Purple by gold94corolla, on Flickr

In other news, I got my set of new painted fenders!

Fenders Take 2 (And More Paint) by gold94corolla, on Flickr

My replacement doors came in

Finally..... Doors! by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Here they are, along with the original 2 new fenders that didn't match at all lol.

New Parts by gold94corolla, on Flickr

Doors have been sanded, filled, sanded, primed, sanded, and washed. Ready for paint!

Doors Primed & Ready For Paint by gold94corolla, on Flickr

I cut a piece out of the original fender (you can see the hole up there) and sent it to the fender painters so that they would actually get it right this time. The 2nd set arrived, and these actually match (close enough anyway) lol.

New Fenders Paint Matched by gold94corolla, on Flickr