Nissan 370Z Forum

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-   Mid-Atlantic Region (http://www.the370z.com/mid-atlantic-region/)
-   -   Headlight modification? (http://www.the370z.com/mid-atlantic-region/58843-headlight-modification.html)

dmhenderson 09-10-2012 10:05 PM

Please just let me know if you are able to do it so my girlfriend doesn't have to wander around kensington tomorrow.

eastwest2300 09-10-2012 10:30 PM

I got you man, I'll make the trip up there tomorrow.

eastwest2300 09-10-2012 10:32 PM

DM what color is your Z?

dmhenderson 09-10-2012 10:34 PM

.










<-------

eastwest2300 09-10-2012 10:39 PM

Monterey Blue?

eastwest2300 09-10-2012 10:40 PM

Nevermind... its black, I just saw that.

weiboy718 09-10-2012 11:05 PM

Sorry to be bumming in a different territory but I thought maybe I can help out a little bit with information.

You guys should try out this paint, it is a Matte black finish yet it has a slight gloss to it.

Here's the link!
SEM Paints (SEM39143) Trim Black,Aerosol : Amazon.com : Automotive

And a few picture of the actual housing painted using that product.
http://i50.tinypic.com/1z2hro4.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/29wlrfr.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/2iihq43.jpg

Also, if your oven is slightly too small for the corner of the housing and is touching the oven don't sweat it! Wrap that part up with foil paper so it wouldn't melt. An important tip, make sure the paint is fully cured before baking it again because the last thing you would want is the chemical released from the paint and mess up your lens. Never wipe the inside the of the lens as that will scratch it up, once opened immediately wrap it up with cookie sheet or shrink wrap. Hope this helps!

Good luck and have fun!

b1adesofcha0s 09-10-2012 11:10 PM

No problem man, we appreciate the advice :tup:

dmhenderson 09-10-2012 11:13 PM

I like the look of it but they're asking $16 per paint can plus an additonal $16 (lol what) in shipping for 3-5 day delivery - which I don't have.

I'll go with the krylon in the DIY thread since I have volunteers.

weiboy718 09-10-2012 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmhenderson (Post 1910830)
I like the look of it but they're asking $16 per paint can plus an additonal $16 (lol what) in shipping for 3-5 day delivery - which I don't have.

I'll go with the krylon in the DIY thread since I have volunteers.

You can check your local automotive paint shops too. Not just amazon.

dmhenderson 09-10-2012 11:19 PM

Well i'll check autozone and pep boys tomorrow but I doubt they have anything other than the "touch up" paint.

weiboy718 09-10-2012 11:22 PM

I doubt autozone or pepboys carries those. You need to go to the shops that sells professional paint.

b1adesofcha0s 09-10-2012 11:24 PM

Also try calling places instead of actually going there (if you're not already doing this). Would save a lot of time and unnecessary driving.

b1adesofcha0s 09-10-2012 11:44 PM

If anyone wants to stop by the Severn/Glen Burnie/Baltimore area I can get the paint and you can pick it up from me......or you can just stop by the Walmart Supercenter in Severn to get it yourself. I have confirmed the last two times I went there that they have it. I need to go there later this week anyway and I can pick up the paint if someone can pick it up from me. Still not sure whether I'm going or not.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 01:31 AM

DM, I got your paint.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 04:35 AM

Ok fellas, its 0530, Im still at work, about to get off in 30min. I just finished going through the entire thread, and PM'd everyone that said they'd like to attend with PM read reciepts.

Which was about 5 to 7 people. Hopefully we'll get atleast 3 to 4 cars to come out. I look forward to meeting up with everyone.

It would be very nice for someone that knows how to remove the bumper to show up at 0800 on Saturday, that would really help out BIG time.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 04:35 AM

Im gonna copy and paste this in the other thread as well.

dmhenderson 09-11-2012 08:37 AM

Ha ha didn't read this until now. No one needs any more paint. The girlfriend picked up 2 cans (there were only 2 left!) at Kensington hardware on her way into work. I think we have more than enough stuff now.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 09:08 AM

Well then looks like you don't need my help anymore with the paint. I'll see if I can stop by in the afternoon or evening to see how things are going. Be sure to post your progress in here, I really want to check these out when they're done. :tup:

dmhenderson 09-11-2012 09:59 AM

Dunno if we're going to get very far without someone who knows how to remove the front bumper without damaging it.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 10:02 AM

Well either way I'm definitely not gonna be there anywhere near 8. I need my sleep :icon17:

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 12:18 PM

We should be ok, I'll do some research on how to pull the bumper off, I've heard from Kirkster, and Shahid on how to remove the bumper. They both agree its a fairly simple process. So we'll see.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 12:33 PM

1) Get underneath the bumper and take off all the 10 mm bolts and 3 plastic clip things that hold the bumper to the under tray.
2) Pop the hood and remove the plastic clips holding the bumper. Look in the wheel wells and remove 2 more plastic clips.
3) Peel the plastic fender liner back. There should be a bolt holding the bumper behind the fender liner that also needs to be removed.
4) This is the scary part or at least the part that seems scary the first time you do it. Grab the bumper from the edge by the fender and just start pulling it off. You'll hear some loud clicking/snapping noises from the bumper getting unattached, but it's perfectly normal. Just keep pulling and you will figure out where it's attached along the top edge of the bumper and underneath the headlights. Should come off pretty easy.

If you look through the DIY section, there is one there about the bumper removal, which will probably be more helpful since it has pics. Not sure how different the Nismo bumper is though.

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...r-removal.html

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 12:53 PM

Thanks for the help blades.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 01:01 PM

I threw this idea out in the other thread, but if it's just gonna be you 2 there doing headlights, maybe I should come by and finish up my wheels and we can all hang out together. Maybe I could use your painting expertise Dee :icon17:

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b1adesofcha0s (Post 1911470)
I threw this idea out in the other thread, but if it's just gonna be you 2 there doing headlights, maybe I should come by and finish up my wheels and we can all hang out together. Maybe I could use your painting expertise Dee :icon17:

Lets do it, im cool with that man.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300 (Post 1911487)
Lets do it, im cool with that man.

You said you have past experience with painting, right? You can probably help me out then. I have my wheels painted already, but it was really hot and humid that day so the paint didn't go on smoothly and evenly. It's a little rough/bubbly in spots. Also the clear coat didn't dry perfectly since it started to rain.

I just need to refinish the wheels to make them look good. I was gonna sand them a bit using very fine sandpaper and then put one light and one medium coat of paint and then 2-3 coats of clear. Also wanted the color darker so I'll have to find another one to go over the previous one. What do you think?

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 01:30 PM

Honestly... they do need to be sanded down, sanding them down will allow the primer to stick.. once you shoot it with the primer, you'd wet sand them again, which smoothes out the primer and any imperfections, if done correctly, it'll be silky smooth to the touch.. you let it dry.. then you shoot it with paint. After you shoot it with paint and you let it sit, then you'd shoot it with a clear coat. Let it dry. I'd do 2 layers of clear coat. Then after that, you'd wet sand again with a fine grit wet/ dry sand paper... again it'll be silky smooth to the touch... then after that, you'd go to your buffing compounds for the finish.

That right there is what a professional shop would do, thats what I use to do when I was in Tallahassee, volunteering at this body shop, its where I learned all about it, body work and paint.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 01:49 PM

I did all that already, but I just need to refinish them since they didn't dry properly. Already have primer, paint, clear on there. Everything went smoothly up until we started to paint. The primer went on perfectly and smoothly after we sanded the wheels. The weather just wasn't cooperating for the paint and clear.

I just need to sand it a bit and then 1/2 coats of paint, 2 coats of clear, and the final wet sanding. What do you recommend for buffing compounds? I've never done any buffing before.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 01:58 PM

There's a 3 or 4 step process by 3M you can go with, its expensive though. I know there's a Finish Master shop in college park, I'd google it, and call them, you can buy it from them, you'd need to get the buffing compound and a buffing machine with pads.

Its kinda pricey when you have a shop do it, but this is why. The labor and all the sh1t they spend to do it the right way.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 02:11 PM

Yeah the whole point of doing this myself was for it to be cheap. I mean I don't need a pro quality finish, just something decent.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 02:22 PM

Maybe just some car polish and wax would do the trick to give it a nice shine without spending too much. Do I need to sand before I do this? This would probably be done after the clear dries.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 02:28 PM

I just dont see how the paint didnt stick to the primer.. that doesnt usually happen. Thats very odd.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b1adesofcha0s (Post 1911600)
Maybe just some car polish and wax would do the trick to give it a nice shine without spending too much. Do I need to sand before I do this? This would probably be done after the clear dries.

You'd wet sand after the clear is on, with a fine grit wet/dry sand paper.

dmhenderson 09-11-2012 02:30 PM

Ok I'll get 6 lbs of wings. That should be enough I think.


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b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300 (Post 1911612)
I just dont see how the paint didnt stick to the primer.. that doesnt usually happen. Thats very odd.

Oh no that's not the problem. The paint did stick to the primer. The problem was that because of the high temps and humidity the paint came out of the spray can weird. I'll try to take a close up pic to show you what I'm talking about.

eastwest2300 09-11-2012 02:41 PM

well if thats the case, you could always strip the paint off, and spray them again indoors. with the windows open, of course.

b1adesofcha0s 09-11-2012 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300 (Post 1911632)
well if thats the case, you could always strip the paint off, and spray them again indoors. with the windows open, of course.

I'm too lazy to do the whole process over. It's not the whole surface of the wheels that the paint is messed up, just certain spots here and there.

Cristobal09 09-11-2012 03:20 PM

why did you even take the plasti dip off the wheels shahid?

Masa 09-11-2012 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cristobal09 (Post 1911656)
why did you even take the plasti dip off the wheels shahid?

They got shredded off when he got tires mounted lol.


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