intro

[Roxtar]

Hey everyone. I met a couple of you out at summit this saturday.

i'm a JMU alum, class of '04 with a BS in Comp Sci. I drive a 2005 toyota matrix XRS that i've been slowly modding over the last 3 years.

current mods are listed in the link in my sig.

[Andy]

Welcome. Were you the guy with the gray JMU sweatshirt? Hope you see you at more track events.

[Kaan]

Welcome! I'm the guy in the tech shed.

[WRXtranceformed]

Welcome to the forum!

[Maengelito]

welcome

[Roxtar]

Welcome. Were you the guy with the gray JMU sweatshirt? Hope you see you at more track events.

yeah. that was me.

i plan to do some more track events next season.

[ScottyB]

welcome, nice matrix btw!

[ziich]

welcome. niiice HID retrofit

[Roxtar]

thanks for the welcomes and compliments everyone.

the HID projector retro was something i'd wanted to do for a long time. I'm partway through making some projector fogs (from a jdm is300, they accept a 9006 bulb just like my OEM fogs) so i can get rid of my ugly cracked yellow ebay ones that i had to get once my OEM ones cracked. the ones i'm making will have a .25" lexan shield to guard against rocks.

[WRXtranceformed]

Altezza projectors ftw!

[Dave]

the HID projector retro was something i'd wanted to do for a long time. I'm partway through making some projector fogs (from a jdm is300, they accept a 9006 bulb just like my OEM fogs) so i can get rid of my ugly cracked yellow ebay ones that i had to get once my OEM ones cracked. the ones i'm making will have a .25" lexan shield to guard against rocks.

Sounds awesome, I like the thinking outside of the box!

Welcome to the club!

[Feersty]

Welcome my man. Don't see a modified Matrix too often. Nice to see something new.

[Roxtar]

they're more common in other areas... specifically california and ontario. not too many in virginia that are modded. most of them around here are driven as grocery getters by old people. as a result, we have to pay companies a premium to develop parts for us, adapt parts meant for the celica and corolla, or go DIY/custom. there are a lot of really creative people on our forums that have a wealth of technical knowledge and aren't afraid to experiment.

[Jeff]

there are a lot of really creative people on our forums that have a wealth of technical knowledge and aren't afraid to experiment.

I know all about this, being a turbo dodge person means making stuff yourself.

Speaking of such, how long did it take you to do the projectors? I want to do HID projectors on my Minivan, I just need to figure how to get a clear lens (as opposed to the reflector type it is now) and what type of projector housings to use. Do you have any pictures of the process as you did it?

[Roxtar]

no "in progress" pics. there isn't a mass-produced projector headlight for the matrix, so i used black oem style ones with clear corners.

the thing that took the most time with the retrofit was figuring out my shroud design and materials. I went through about 3 different designs and numerous materials changes before i discovered that PVC pipe reducers make good shrouds. another key is getting the aim just right. like flying an airplane straight, you have to pay attention to pitch, yaw, and roll. not including my procrastination, waiting for the guy to do the paint, and the redesigns... the whole thing can be done in a week during evenings and weekends if you stay focused. including all the things listed above, it took me a year and a half. paint was a big delay though. my friend in PA has a paint booth and access to OEM colors. so he said he'd color match it to the body for me. the thing is that he had a kid around the same time he took the project as well as some remodeling work at his home which pushed things back a long way.

one good resource that i made use of was the forum at hidplanet. that's also the site that i bought my bosch e46 projectors and chrome trim rings from.

if you're feeling adventurous, and having trouble finding clear lenses for your caravan, you can take a set of stock headlights, smash out the front lens and replace it with acrylic or lexan.

[Goodspeed]

Welcome to the forums, its funny because I was just thinking the other day about how few Matrix's you see on the roads...at least, I hardly ever see them, are they at all rare?

[Roxtar]

i don't know what the production numbers are, but they're not uncommon. it's just that few stand out. also, keep in mind that the pontiac vibe is the same car just with different sheet metal.

[Sijray21]

i see them all the time, but i RARELY see the XRS

i always keep an eye out for the carolla xrs too (also rare)

welcome and nice ride

[WRXtranceformed]

One more post and you're at 4k jayray!!

[Sijray21]

One more post and you're at 4k jayray!!

done and done! 8) :lol: