Excellent work. I like this method better versus just attaching the projector to the reflector bowl itself and tighening down 4 nuts. Your method is how it should be done, giving the projector a solid mounting base. Thanks for the pics.
Tomorrow my bezels will be done. I'll post up some pics in this thread if you don't mind. Here are my solidworks models in the mean time. I left out the fillets except for the outer back diameter. The machines computer reads from the model and I wanted to keep machine time down. I'll just smooth off any sharp edges with a scotch brite pad.
That's a pretty cool design! Should look great on the car. Are you milling this at school or do you have a deal with a machine shop? I know that it's expensive to get milling done. The elliptical plates that I had machined were pretty simple (and I supplied CAD data and stainless steel plates) and I really had to shop the design around to get them done for less than $400.
Thanks...it's being done at a machine shop by a friend of the family. Work was kind slow at the shop so he hooked me for nothing really. This afternoon I'll see how they fit. I gave him a tolerance of +/- .010" so I'm hoping for a close fit without interferance. I may have him drill and tap 3 or 4 small holes and insert set screws to secure them to the projectors, or I may just use high temp silicone sealant.
Ahhh...friends are very good to have I'd go the set screw route if I were you - just to be sure that things don't fall apart after it's all sealed up. I also used Loctite thread sealant on all of my fasteners. I fell in love with JB Stick, from the makers of JB Weld. It comes in a role and you cut off a slice and roll it in your hands to mix it up. You can then form it into any shape that you want and it sets up like a rock! You can even work it (drill it, file it) after its hard. Worth its weight in gold
They came out pretty good, but the bottom relief needs to be cut a little deeper, plus there are some machining marks so I'm having them debured and tumbled. I'll have pics up by the end of the week.
Best way that I've found to remove machining marks is by wet sanding. Then, use a buffing wheel and some compound to polish it, then a milder polish (I used Meguiar's Gold Class metal polish) with the wheel to get a mirror bright finish. Lots of elbow grease is required!
Great job in keeping the car looking mint over the years. Everything looks so clean. How do you like the thermal exhaust? I've never had an opportunity to hear one and am curious to know how they sound?
The custom mounting bracket looks great for your projectors. It's hard to find any pictures of custom rotational brackets on the hidplanet forum, so I appreciate you posting pictures of your setup.
I love the Thermal! I love the understated yet classy look (no grapefruit launchers for me, please) - almost stock but way cooler. The sound is nice too! It's much deeper sounding than stock but maybe only slightly louder. Very smooth sounding with no raspyness (a.k.a. "farty-ness"). It just makes it sound like you have a very highly tuned engine. I wish I had a .wav file to share but you can probably do a search and find one.
Yeah, that rotational bracket design is better protected than a government secret, isn't it? I never found an example either so I designed my own. It's definitely not the only way to do it and probably not the best way either but it works!
I love the Thermal! I love the understated yet classy look (no grapefruit launchers for me, please) - almost stock but way cooler. The sound is nice too! It's much deeper sounding than stock but maybe only slightly louder. Very smooth sounding with no raspyness (a.k.a. "farty-ness"). It just makes it sound like you have a very highly tuned engine. I wish I had a .wav file to share but you can probably do a search and find one.
Yeah, that rotational bracket design is better protected than a government secret, isn't it? I never found an example either so I designed my own. It's definitely not the only way to do it and probably not the best way either but it works!
No kidding, its hard to find any step by step pictures for these type of brackets.
Do you plan on incorporating the same bracket system for your next setup?
What about this mystery rotational screw setup that is often mentioned on the hid forums?
I came across these pictures of a setup that "JnC" made that uses small brackets, which I assume allow a slight amount a rotation.
I plan on using a design similar to my Valeo H7 setup on my new TSX retrofits but I'm sure it will be slightly different to accommodate the different projector geometry. JnC's method should work OK but it probably wouldn't fit into a Prelude reflector bowl because clearance is pretty minimal between the projector and the low beam area of the bowl. My aim was also to make a setup that is adjustable after everything is sealed up and JnC's design would not allow for that. It's also pretty ugly so you'd have to be sure to make a shroud to cover it all up. I saw a post on hidplanet awhile back that might be the "mystery" setup that you mentioned. It was a screw that was adjustable from outside of the outer housing. That screw turned a small gear that in turn rotated a larger gear that was fixed around the circumference of the projector, like a starter turns the flywheel. Cool idea but I think it would be pretty hard to get that to work reliably.
Well I think the plans posted could be be used to mount directly to the headlight housing rather than the reflector. JnC posted this picture which does show the adjustment screw from the bottom of the housing.
Interesting idea but I still think it would be impractical for the Prelude. A very long screw would be required to reach the projector from the bottom of the housing and I don't see how the stock horizontal and vertical adjustment mechanisms could be re-used.
Believe it or not, I've never polished it! I was very careful not to get any oil or anything on it when it was installed and it turned that pretty gold and purple I've heard that Meguiars metal polish works well on headers but I've not tried it.
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I'd go the set screw route if I were you - just to be sure that things don't fall apart after it's all sealed up. I also used Loctite thread sealant on all of my fasteners. I fell in love with JB Stick, from the makers of JB Weld. It comes in a role and you cut off a slice and roll it in your hands to mix it up. You can then form it into any shape that you want and it sets up like a rock! You can even work it (drill it, file it) after its hard. Worth its weight in gold 
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