DIY: how to make your headlights black housing with 20 bucks...

SgtGoldy

Nope. Holds up just fine on mine.

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dmhenderson

The guys who reworked my headlight mess said that you need to wet-sand and do multiple coats to make sure the paint holds (especially on the chrome parts) but I haven't heard of anyone else's paint flaking so ymmv

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Dallaz

I've got a few questions, my bumper is off, headlights are out, and I'm about to order the paint for my lights. Going to go with Gloss black Krylon Fusion for the housing, AutomotiveTouchup's spray can of Monterey Blue paint for the shrouds, and I'm thinking about VHT night shades for the reflector. Is VHT night shades the best one to use for the smoking?

Also, how are you guys removing the old silicone, any special tools? I watched Nut_N_Much's video of using a heat gun and a cardboard box which looks like a combination of both the oven and heat gun methods combined. Pretty good vid if you guys haven't seen it.

More questions. I'm going to wipe down everything with alcohol, but I wont need to use an Adhesion promoter on the housing if I'm going to be using Krylon Fusion right? because that stuff is made to be used on plastics etc and should stick just fine I think, but on the shrouds where I will be using the Automotive touch up paint I'm assuming I should use an adhesion Promoter?

Maybe I'm over thinking, but I'd just like to get it done right. Any information is helpful and I would love to hear from the guys who have had there's done for a year minimum and see if you have any problems that have occurred and if so what?

Thanks!

Kinda just chillin at the moment!!

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AeroJacket Lip Kit | GTR switch | NISMO S-Knob | Blacked-Out-EVERYTHING| 5% Tint | Carbon Fangs/Upper Trim | VOSSEN CV3's | Painted Headlights | CF Diffuser

Dallaz

Bump for answers

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AeroJacket Lip Kit | GTR switch | NISMO S-Knob | Blacked-Out-EVERYTHING| 5% Tint | Carbon Fangs/Upper Trim | VOSSEN CV3's | Painted Headlights | CF Diffuser

AlexRaymond19

I just did mine last week. What i did was buff the housing with a green scotch bright pad, then wiped it down with alcohol until there were no more smudges on the rag. Yes Kyrlon fusion is the way to go. No adhesive promoter is needed.

VHT night shades will probably be the best thing you can find locally tbh... I just did my reflectors black.

As for the silicone, just leave it in there and reuse it when you put it back together. They is more than enough to reuse and it works just fine.

This brings me to my last suggestion/comment. Use the oven! I did mine at 190-200 for about 8-9 minutes. I put my light right on the oven rack, and had no melting issues what so ever! I took one appart with the heat gun, and did one in the oven. The oven took me 12 minutes to get appart, the heat gun took hours, and i eventually ended up putting it in the oven anyway... Also make sure to stripe the light of the bulbs and ballests and that wire harnes that the bulbs are connected to. I had to use vice grips to get the little screw off that connected to silver braided wire to the bulb and ballest, that sucker was on there good!

Take your time, and have fun with it! It was a blast, though the first one was a little stressful...

PS make sure you are in a dust free invironment when putting the light back together. Got dust on my lenses, and was really upset, but i took an air compressor and blew air though the back access port!

GOOD LUCK!

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2010 370Z Touring MT | Stillen | Motordyne | Momentum| Z1 | Fast Intentions | Advant Garde | RE11 | Swift | SPC | Quaife | Whiteline | Evo R | 322RWHP 259ft-lb Mustang

AlexRaymond19

Also, PM me and i can give you my number if you need help with section, or are not sure. If you are not sure about something, don't hesitate to ask!

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2010 370Z Touring MT | Stillen | Motordyne | Momentum| Z1 | Fast Intentions | Advant Garde | RE11 | Swift | SPC | Quaife | Whiteline | Evo R | 322RWHP 259ft-lb Mustang

dmhenderson

The baking part is where you are most likely to damage your headlights. If you want to do it the safe but long way, you use a heat gun and a damp piece of cardboard and sloooowly pry it open as you go.

For resealing them, I would use a combination of the original sealant plus that horrible black rubber butyl sealant stuff (makes a huge mess but works).

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Dallaz

Thanks for the answers ya'll. feeling pretty confident, looking through automotive touch ups website and they're products I learned a lot about the whole process as well (painting, not disassembling). Hopefully have it back together for cars and coffee down here February 2nd. Will post pics

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AeroJacket Lip Kit | GTR switch | NISMO S-Knob | Blacked-Out-EVERYTHING| 5% Tint | Carbon Fangs/Upper Trim | VOSSEN CV3's | Painted Headlights | CF Diffuser

dmhenderson

Oh and for the record, 11 minutes at 210 degrees in an oven is ~too long~ unless you really like the melty headlight look

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Dallaz

Questions......


Can this beaded wire stay inside the light while baking?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1359426432.917127.jpg

Also, I can't get this bad boy off, it's the last thing holding all the wires to the light, and it looks like it should just slide off........ Well, it won't. Suggestions?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1359426460.516094.jpg


Here it is again, top left-ish area of the photo. Also I'm assuming I can leave this other gray plastic piece attached to the blue wrapped wires in? Because I don't see how to take them off
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1359426527.966253.jpg


Another angle
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1359426596.866735.jpg

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AeroJacket Lip Kit | GTR switch | NISMO S-Knob | Blacked-Out-EVERYTHING| 5% Tint | Carbon Fangs/Upper Trim | VOSSEN CV3's | Painted Headlights | CF Diffuser

dmhenderson

Well for starters in image 1, yes that wire stays on while you're baking.

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Dallaz

Awesome!!! What else

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AeroJacket Lip Kit | GTR switch | NISMO S-Knob | Blacked-Out-EVERYTHING| 5% Tint | Carbon Fangs/Upper Trim | VOSSEN CV3's | Painted Headlights | CF Diffuser

dmhenderson

Pretty sure you do need to disconnect that doohicky in the rest of your pics. I'm holding my salvage light set in my hands and that wire is unhooked (part of the ballast assembly iirc)

I could be wrong about that though.

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dmhenderson

Wait no that's the bottom of the light. Hmm I dunno.

Here's what I remember.

-The HID bulbs are attached to the ballasts which you can completely disconnect. Be very careful extracting the HID bulbs and whatever you do, don't touch them with your bare hands. Don't touch the bulb part at all if you can help it. The bulbs should come right out with the ballasts (which you can then disconnect)

-The blinker bulbs come completely out attached to their harness which unplugs from the assembly.

-Be super careful with the little hatched/conical shiny reflectors that surround the parking bulbs. They look like plastic but they're not. They're ceramic and easily damaged.

I'm pretty sure that's everything you need to remove prior to baking.

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Dallaz

I'm just going to continue and try to take everything I can off, I'm only going to put it in for like 9 minutes at 190-200 degrees, even though I've heard plenty if people go 250 for 10 minutes

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AeroJacket Lip Kit | GTR switch | NISMO S-Knob | Blacked-Out-EVERYTHING| 5% Tint | Carbon Fangs/Upper Trim | VOSSEN CV3's | Painted Headlights | CF Diffuser