To those with painted headlights...
 

I'm not exactly sure what type of paint CinCity used with my headlights, but the area in front of the turn signals cracked or "melted" over time. I thought it was from poor paint, but it appears the hot temps from the headlights "cooked" the paint.

What kind of paint did you guys use, and did it crack over time?

I bought a can of Krylon Fusion, but I wonder if I should mask the headlight housing and use high temp paint for the delicate areas. If so, is there something as easy to use as Krylon Fusion that can handle high temps?

i used krylon primer and krylon satin black paint after lightly sanding unmasked areas. did it nov '09 and no cracks yet.

maybe they didn't sand or treat your housing properly before painting?
-after looking over your albums, my headlights are standard...don't have extra leds or upgraded bulbs.

Hmm. Problems from CinCity. Now there's a new concept. :sarcasm:

Don't worry, CinCity will blame it either on shipping or on you not taking care of the lights. Best of luck.

Sounds like bad prep work to me.

I got a hold of the broken headlight (from the accident) from the body shop yesterday to learn about how the headlight is assembled from the factory.

The projector reflector assembly is ceramic, and it shattered all over the place like a broken vase. The 6500K Ultinon bulb was dangling and bouncing all over inside, so it's useless now. :(

Anyhow, the black paint is very thin and flakes off the chrome surface. I can scratch parts of it off with my finger. I don't know what kind of paint it is either. I've never tried Krylon Fusion, so please let me know if it is anything close to it.

I ran my finger nails across the "burned" surface of the paint. It felt caramelized and thick, so I couldn't scratch the stuff off.

Learning this, would it be possible to spray the underside surface with something to reduce heat passing through the upper "painted" surface? I would probably focus on the delicate sections, or spray the whole thing.

Anyhow, I'm still on the fence about modding my own headlights. I barely tried test fitting the headlight, and so far it doesn't seem to fit the oven. I have another contact to see if he can work on the headlights. The last resort is a big heatgun. O_o

If any of you guys are comfortable drilling holes, soldering, working with PCBs, etc., and would like to volunteer (not for free, of course) for this project please PM me. I'm better with electrical stuff, so I'm not very crafty.

krylon paint will work fine I have used it time and time again. however if you can afford it I would have an auto body shop paint the headlights with automotive paint as it will have a better fit and finish.

Mike

:confused:

Not on customer cars... I use professional artcraft autobody to paint my housings for customers. I have rattle canned my own housings and they last. There is nothing wrong with using a rattle can... I prefer proffessional grade auto paint over using rattle cans. However, it does not negate the fact that a rattle can will last and is not a bad solution for most DIY kind of people.:tup:

Oh, I was just giving you a hard time about the fit and finish comment:rofl2:.

We used to use rustoleum paint out of a spray can for matte/flat stuff, but it's all done out of spray gun now with matte/flat clear. Never had issues with the paint flaking or chipping from either the can or gun... we also provide 1 year warranty on paint from pealing or chipping so if it does occur, we pay for shipping one way and fix the issue no questions asked.

Reason it could have chipped or flaked was improper prepping, they could have gotten a little bit oil substance on the surface which cause the paint to raise and crack over time.

If you need a replacement projector bowl, let me know... I have a few laying around.

The best way to get the paint to adhere is to strip the chrome off the plastic housing just use e-z off oven cleaner with the yellow top it will take it down to clear plastic then prep for paint that will solve the crack & peeling issues.:hello:

Oh, so this is going to strip the chrome reflective surface? I may still opt for heat shield coating of some sort for the underside to reduce heat from reaching the outside and cooking the paint surface. [shrugs]

Igor? The original plan was to have you guys perform the work on my headlights, but I never heard back from Alex. I'm not trying to bad mouth your shop since the work you guys do is very respectable, which is why I called the first place. However, I guess there may be some miscommunication and frustration. Please bear in mind I've been very stressed out and a bit scatter brained from the accident.

I've already ordered the components, but the design in mind and component choice does not conform to your design methods. It's nothing crazy... mainly forward facing K2 LEDs, projector turn signals with PCB containing 8x5 array of amber Super Flux. All the calculations are done. I have all the parts on the way... just looking for experienced hands.

Hey Phuong, this is Alex. We spoke a few days ago on the phone and discussed what we're going to do in terms of your damaged headlights and the new ones you'll be getting. Sorry if I lost track of time, I didn't know if we even established what we're doing exactly. I'm sending you an email right now so we can continue our conversion.

Thanks

Acknowledged and responded. Let's see how this goes. :)