Headlight modification?

b1adesofcha0s · 09-11-2012, 10:02 AM

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

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.

DIY: Front Bumper Removal

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

eastwest2300 · 09-11-2012, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b1adesofcha0s

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

Lets do it, im cool with that man.

b1adesofcha0s · 09-11-2012, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300

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

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.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

09-11-2012, 10:02 AM	#781 (permalink)
b1adesofcha0s A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: MD Posts: 40,963 Drives: HypeTrain Choo Choo! Rep Power: 141	Well either way I'm definitely not gonna be there anywhere near 8. I need my sleep __________________ Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) \| Uprev Tune by AAM Competition \| Berk Exhaust Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) \| Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

09-11-2012, 12:18 PM	#782 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 90,824 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684550	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. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

09-11-2012, 12:33 PM	#783 (permalink)
b1adesofcha0s A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: MD Posts: 40,963 Drives: HypeTrain Choo Choo! Rep Power: 141	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. DIY: Front Bumper Removal __________________ Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) \| Uprev Tune by AAM Competition \| Berk Exhaust Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) \| Corsa Xtreme Exhaust Last edited by b1adesofcha0s; 09-11-2012 at 12:44 PM.

09-11-2012, 12:53 PM	#784 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 90,824 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684550	Thanks for the help blades. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

09-11-2012, 01:01 PM	#785 (permalink)
b1adesofcha0s A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: MD Posts: 40,963 Drives: HypeTrain Choo Choo! Rep Power: 141	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 __________________ Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) \| Uprev Tune by AAM Competition \| Berk Exhaust Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) \| Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

09-11-2012, 01:30 PM	#788 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 90,824 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684550	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. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

09-11-2012, 01:49 PM	#789 (permalink)
b1adesofcha0s A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: MD Posts: 40,963 Drives: HypeTrain Choo Choo! Rep Power: 141	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. __________________ Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) \| Uprev Tune by AAM Competition \| Berk Exhaust Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) \| Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

09-11-2012, 01:58 PM	#790 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 90,824 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684550	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. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

09-11-2012, 02:11 PM	#791 (permalink)
b1adesofcha0s A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: MD Posts: 40,963 Drives: HypeTrain Choo Choo! Rep Power: 141	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. __________________ Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) \| Uprev Tune by AAM Competition \| Berk Exhaust Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) \| Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

09-11-2012, 02:22 PM	#792 (permalink)
b1adesofcha0s A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: MD Posts: 40,963 Drives: HypeTrain Choo Choo! Rep Power: 141	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. __________________ Project: b1adeZmobile (2009 370Z) \| Uprev Tune by AAM Competition \| Berk Exhaust Project: b1adeZmobile 2.0 (2014 C7 Z51) \| Corsa Xtreme Exhaust

09-11-2012, 02:28 PM	#793 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 90,824 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684550	I just dont see how the paint didnt stick to the primer.. that doesnt usually happen. Thats very odd. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

09-11-2012, 02:30 PM	#795 (permalink)
dmhenderson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 5,930 Drives: AWD TT 370z Rep Power: 26	Ok I'll get 6 lbs of wings. That should be enough I think. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________

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