Getting Parts Manufactured

Dealing with the fucking chinese in a manufacturing scenario is a fucking nightmare, besides the fact you have to buy a container load at a time and QC is non-existent.

I'm in Aus
The process to get stuff made legal is pretty easy to follow
Not saying you actually get it approved though....
However modifications ARE legal and simply adding DRLs or new projectors is technically allowed so long as you follow some stringent conditions.

Well I may as well try and take a crack and finding these chinese manufactures?
I really want to at least TRY and get some headlights without the plastic cover on them. Minimum
That's all I need
The PCB shit and the assembly I can do all myself.

I just can't stand trying to pry open an already made headlight assembly.

That is a Ford F6
It is the big brother of the Australian motor world
And no putting an LS1 in it would make it LESS powerful
Google "Ford Barra 195" and try searching S chassis Barra swaps

The chinks are still going to need the money to make expensive molds and an order the size of a cargo container, then you pray it is correct.

You simply don't have that type of money man. Unless six figures is in your mind pry open the OEM headlights and do your magic. I don't mean to be a dick but you have zero idea how much money even a simple plastic mold costs. thousands of AUD. for something as large as a headlight, just the backing is probably 12k AUD. let alone the other parts.

Okay I'm with you.
I didn't consider the cost of setting up the ability to produce that shit.

Only reason I don't want to pull them apart and re-seal them is because I've found that trying to heat them to remove the covers just causes the assembly to become malleable while the seal stays rock hard most of the time.
A friend suggested I try using acetone to melt the seal, but I have my doubts on whether that would work or not.

Driving me mad having this really good idea, with people actually asking if they can buy sets of lights already, but I can't produce decent numbers of them, or at the quality level I want.

No problem man I'm a mechanical engineer with a small scale manufacturing background. Probably the best person to shitpost in your thread you could imagine.
> trying to heat them to remove the covers just causes the assembly to become malleable while the seal stays rock hard most of the time.
that means that whatever adhesive/sealant is used for the lens/body seal is a THERMOSET (eg epoxy) and not a THERMOPLASTIC (eg ABS) like the headlight body. You won't be able to melt it off. Even if it is a thermoplastic it obviously has too high of a melting temperature.
>A friend suggested I try using acetone to melt the seal
Actually a good idea. Mind you the acetone will attack the polycarbonate headlight lens and the ABS (most likely) headlight housing but if you don't let it sit too long you may be okay. Likely you will need to physically seperate them with a knife/blade/dremel.
>Driving me mad having this really good idea, with people actually asking if they can buy sets of lights already, but I can't produce decent numbers of them, or at the quality level I want.
There is a reason OEM headlights are 1k a piece now a days.

What car are we talking about?

That just means it needs a Turbo LS.

>the lens/body seal is a THERMOSET (eg epoxy) and not a THERMOPLASTIC (eg ABS) like the headlight body
That makes sense
This is the shit I can't find by just googling, nothing specific comes up

>Likely you will need to physically seperate them with a knife/blade/dremel.
This is what I'm afraid of
If it comes to that I think I may be better off simply cutting the bottom of the very front of the cover off and inserting my lights that way.
Then after that re-seal the plastic that I cut out
Better than fucking the entire thing.

>What car are we talking about?
Actually the car in the OP
The Ford FG
There are 2 headlight variants over the various models.
I plan to alter both versions for sale.

It's big business here because they're just becoming affordable for the kind of guys that like to mod

haha everything is better with turbo
But the F6 is already turbo
Ford claims it makes 310Kws at the crank, but it's closer to 330-340 for most people.
Easily built up to 1000Kw cars

>This is the shit I can't find by just googling, nothing specific comes up
Thats what I'm here for. Still tho the sealant may be a thermoplastic, if so try using a heat gun and using a box cutter to cut/scrape away the sealant. Don't bake it in an oven like I assume you are doing. The heat gun may allow you to heat up the sealant enough to melt it without heating up/fucking up the lens/housing. If the sealant is a thermoset epoxy you are shit out of luck tho. Just goona have to try it to find out.
>If it comes to that I think I may be better off simply cutting the bottom of the very front of the cover off and inserting my lights that way.
>Then after that re-seal the plastic that I cut out
As long as your seal is water tight and your headlight housings are not fully sealed that should work? I've never dove into a HID w/projector housing so i'm not sure what they are like. Regardless, surgery is probably your best option. You can even perform the service for a fee and make more money.

> If the sealant is a thermoset epoxy you are shit out of luck tho
hmmm that is my worst nightmare

I tried using a heat gun with very poor results.
I have spoken to a few guys who put halos on these things and they all use a heatgun and flat head screw driver to slowly scrape the glue out.
I really don't have the patience or care for that. I always end up fucking something.

Housing are fully sealed, but I should be able to cut a piece out then plastic weld/ glue it back in to place with relative ease.
So long as I don't go using a dremel the width of my thumb to cut it out.....

I guess now I just gotta find someone to design a decent PCB for the LEDs and a place that'll let me buy bulk at wholesale prices.

>I have spoken to a few guys who put halos on these things and they all use a heatgun and flat head screw driver to slowly scrape the glue out.
Then it 100% is a thermoplastic sealant with a "melting" point above the headlight housing. You must use a heat gun then.
>I really don't have the patience or care for that. I always end up fucking something.
Hire someone who has the dexterity and patience to wield an exacto blade and a heat gun.
>Housing are fully sealed, but I should be able to cut a piece out then plastic weld/ glue it back in to place with relative ease.
>Housing are fully sealed, but I should be able to cut a piece out then plastic weld/ glue it back in to place with relative ease.
Just be careful as the you may need to dry the aire inside the headlight (heat it up) before you seal it up or it may be foggy forever. I'm sure a simple google search can tell you how to do this or if i'm dumb.
>I guess now I just gotta find someone to design a decent PCB for the LEDs and a place that'll let me buy bulk at wholesale prices.
I'm not sure about AUS businesses but in the US if you have your own board design you can have the PCBs made for a few dollars a piece small scale and then you can just assemble them yourselves. I'd hook you up with the companies I use but lol ocean and customs.

>You must use a heat gun then
Damn, well there's always hope that the acetone may melt the sealant though?

>Hire someone who has the dexterity and patience to wield an exacto blade and a heat gun.
Possible. Not sure how I would go about that though

>Just be careful as the you may need to dry the aire inside the headlight (heat it up) before you seal it up or it may be foggy forever.
Yeah that part I easily have covered

> if you have your own board design you can have the PCBs made for a few dollars a piece small scale
I've found a few places online that are set up in the US or pacific which do this
I only took note of the ones that popped up in forums etc that people said good things about
However it's designing one that I'm not totally thrilled about

I can easily sit down and learn exactly what I will need to do and what needs to function.
Also have an engineering friend who is great with electronics and has done this sort of thing in the past for very small things like switches.
However finding a company which will take the dimensions that I have to fit it in to, then try and design something that will light up the way I want is proving to be difficult

>Damn, well there's always hope that the acetone may melt the sealant though?
Realistically you are going to have to destroy a few headlights to find out what works best. Heat gun/heat gun + acetone and wash off after/cut off/etc
>Possible. Not sure how I would go about that though
Bitches. They got fine dexterity. Ask your girl.
>Also have an engineering friend who is great with electronics and has done this sort of thing in the past for very small things like switches.
If he hopes to be worth a damn outside of school he can help you bring this to production from concept himself.
>However finding a company which will take the dimensions that I have to fit it in to, then try and design something that will light up the way I want is proving to be difficult
No, you want to give them a final design. Don't use their "design services." Assuming you've already made a functioning prototype making a proper board is easy as fuck.

>Realistically you are going to have to destroy a few headlights to find out what works best
The worst part of this whole thing

I could keep making them with this flexible led strips with silicon tubing around it
I don't have to pull anything apart that way, just use tools to fuck around and put the tube in and glue it down.

But to make up a really nice quality bright solid light that looks like something BMW are currently using, I would have to make up a PCB with LEDs crammed in on top of each other.
Meaning it will be rigid and I'll have to either disassemble or cut my way in.

>Assuming you've already made a functioning prototype making a proper board is easy as fuck.
Guess it's time to start educating myself through the magic of google

It takes money to make money user. Regardless of the situation.
>Guess it's time to start educating myself through the magic of google
If you have a functioning prototype you can pay some EE student a hundred bucks to draw a PCB in EAGLE for you...or whatever the hell you use in aussieland. this is the least of your worries. getting in and out of that headlight is your main concern.

>It takes money to make money user
True

>you can pay some EE student a hundred bucks to draw a PCB in EAGLE for you
Could always get buddy to do that for me
He makes up all his shit for 3D printing, I'm sure it isn't much different.

>getting in and out of that headlight is your main concern.
Yeah and that's the biggest stumper.
Just the fact that this stuff is so hard to remove
I'm furiously searching google without many positive results

Think I might just crack and cut these fuckers with a dremel right along the join line between the back and the clear cover

>putting a GM engine in a Ford

If you ever come to Bathurst...

>He makes up all his shit for 3D printing, I'm sure it isn't much different.
Meh. Pretty different, he will at least be knowledgeable enough to tell you no/learn how to design a circuit board/direct you to someone who can. Its not rocket science.
idk man I need pics before advising surgery

I laughed

I heard the V8s are just "Supercars" now and they'll be opening it to different classes in a few years.
Wonder how the worked as fuck Barra motors will stand up with the Japanese engines.

>Pretty different
It's more using that 3D software I'm hoping he can at least help with
Yeah circuits aren't hard
The most I need it to do is be a solid white, then when a current (from the indicator) comes through it changes to yellow.
The standard indicator wiring will take care of the flashing

>idk man I need pics before advising surgery
Oh fuck it, if someone decides to doxx me from this one shitty thread where I'm trying to get some info I guess I'll be damned

Pic related is what I am currently doing in the headlights partially assembled
Link is a vid of what it looks like
youtu.be/fB33jC6md6g

As someone who develops products that are frequently manufactured in China, none of this is true. Chinese factories might need a little more babysitting, but they are usually much more willing to to work with the customer to find solutions than American manufacturers.

I've found that just googling "Chinese manufacturers to make headlights" didn't work

You might try Alibaba, but even then I doubt you are going to have much luck. Due to the DOT regulations, headlight manufacturers would have almost zero motivation to work with anyone outside of vehicle manufacturers or other well-established OEM or aftermarket companies.

You best bet would be to try networking with people in the industry to see if they can connect you. And even then you'll need the cash and business strategy to show you're serious.

>You best bet would be to try networking with people in the industry to see if they can connect you
Currently been trying that
Started locally
Another guy I was talking to down south managed to follow the chain all the way to Ford in Brisbane, but they refused to talk about where the parts come from beyond there.

I had one glimmer of hope when a friend said I guy he knows owns a business manufacturing headlights in China
But apparently he straight up said no

While I have no doubt your relationship with a manufacturer is well, establishing and finding the right mfg is hell. Regardless, if OP is afraid to kill one pair of headlights he doesn't have the funds to play. You don't just make giant ass polycarbonate lenses and ABS housings without serious initial investments. We are talking at least tens of thousands of dollars outside of China here, and China ain't the bargin it used to be.

>tens of thousands
Yeah no way I have that kind of capital

>find who already makes the lights for the manufacturer

There will be a part number and usually a manufacturer logo on the part. Do you even car?

meant for

Just put them in the oven for a bit while the Mrs is out OP, this will soften everything enough to the point they just practically fall apart. You can buy rolls of sealing compound.

We do this all the time on 20yr old Audis where the sealant has gone rock hard after 2 decades and they still give way.

Oh shit, It's FG Mods.
Been subscribed for a while.

Spoken to the guys at MARS performance in Clayton in Melb?
I know they have the Angel Eyes and the DRL Projector, not too sure on whether they manufacture them onsite or just stock them.
Hopefully they may be able to give you some info/point you in the right way.

chances are no one is gonna do it unless you order a 1000 units for 50k

As that other guy said above, it probably won't work. I gotta do it the hard way I guess.

hey man, don't wanna talk to Mars as they'll probably take the idea once they realize there's a market for it lol

Which is a shame