DIY headlight painting
#27
Also Queens FTW. What part are you from? I was born in astoria
#29
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Palm Coast FLA
Posts: 1,929
thanks everyone
the hardest part is take the bumper off. the rest is
who ever does it post up your pics here so we can all see.
#30
Since you asked! - just did my headlights with a charcoal metallic grey. I've done several sets of headlights over the years, and decided that the grey looks a little more OEMish... it's all in my head, but anyway... from far away they look black. Here are the pics:
If I had to give advice / tips:
* I used 250F for my oven temp, and it was plenty to get my lights apart
* the reflectors come out easily if you pop them out from the backside with your thumbs. You might have to pull and twist the chrome (gently) a bit but they will pop out without tools.
* when you reinstall the reflectors, you'll need to press them back in over the new paint. Again if you use a little enginuity you can press these back in without scratching the paint
* my thought is that a lot of people paint these headlights and then bake them back together in a half hour. LET THE PAINT DRY. The condensation problems that people are having can also come from moisture within the paint. I let mine dry for a half hour, then put my painted housings back in the oven at 200F for 5 minutes, then put them outside in the sun for two hours before putting everything back together.
* don't paint these on a humid day, or a rainy day
* I pressed everything back together, put them in the oven for 5 minutes to get the sealant all gooey, then took them out, reinstalled all the screws (snugged them up, didn't gorilla tighten them) to pull everything together a little tighter, then put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Pulled them out again and I could get another 1/4 turn on all my screws.
That's all I got - enjoy.
If I had to give advice / tips:
* I used 250F for my oven temp, and it was plenty to get my lights apart
* the reflectors come out easily if you pop them out from the backside with your thumbs. You might have to pull and twist the chrome (gently) a bit but they will pop out without tools.
* when you reinstall the reflectors, you'll need to press them back in over the new paint. Again if you use a little enginuity you can press these back in without scratching the paint
* my thought is that a lot of people paint these headlights and then bake them back together in a half hour. LET THE PAINT DRY. The condensation problems that people are having can also come from moisture within the paint. I let mine dry for a half hour, then put my painted housings back in the oven at 200F for 5 minutes, then put them outside in the sun for two hours before putting everything back together.
* don't paint these on a humid day, or a rainy day
* I pressed everything back together, put them in the oven for 5 minutes to get the sealant all gooey, then took them out, reinstalled all the screws (snugged them up, didn't gorilla tighten them) to pull everything together a little tighter, then put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Pulled them out again and I could get another 1/4 turn on all my screws.
That's all I got - enjoy.
#33
Thanks man - I'm really happy with how it turned out... it's raining tonight... fingers crossed that there's no condensation!
#34
My driver side is condensating BAD. Almost to the point that you cant even see the reflector at times. Tried to clear silicone it but that didnt do a thing
Trying to find someone local that can do a retrofit and re seal them at least.
Trying to find someone local that can do a retrofit and re seal them at least.
#35
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Palm Coast FLA
Posts: 1,929
sorry to hear that bro.
thats what i was worried about so i siliconed the crap
out of mine so far nothing. fingers crossed.
#38
Ditto! I'm thinking about doing this this weekend. I think black would make my Fit look emo, so I'm considering white. Anyone have any pics of this?
#40