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

cincySE_Ryan · 10-21-2012, 09:23 AM

simota1 · 10-21-2012, 04:00 PM

looking good bro

ONEighty · 10-22-2012, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simota1

FIRST off i just want to let everyone know... opening your headlights is really really scary if your not patient enough and you pry it to soon ull damage ur headlight.... This is actually my first time using the heat gun method on opening headlights so if i can do it you can do it... I usually use the boiling water technique really great!!! you dont warps on the plastic and its more clean.... the reason why i didnt do this technique is cuz well... i dont have a pot that huge... that technique is good for hondas cuz there headlights are tiny ok anyways....

I gotta ask... what is this boiling water method? THAT sounds scary to me lol

simota1 · 10-22-2012, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ONEighty

I gotta ask... what is this boiling water method? THAT sounds scary to me lol

lmao... i know it sounds retarded but it actually works....

anyways this is how it works lmao, you boil a **** load of water like maybe 2-3 gallons of water then dump all the hot water in a big ol bucket... not the tall buckets at home depot but like the short wide ones... so when you got all the water in there submerge your headlight, the lens part facing the water and leave it there until it fogs inside... when it fogs you know its hot enough now you can literally pull it apart because the glue is so soft

ive done this technique to cars usually with glass headlights

when i accidentally cracked the glass headlight of my friend with my heat gun

some guy told us use hot water because thats what he uses... i thought he was full of sh!t lol but he was actually right

cincySE_Ryan · 10-23-2012, 12:01 PM

These headlights are 1000.04$ OEM... so be a little careful.

cincySE_Ryan · 10-23-2012, 12:02 PM

per side..... lol

simota1 · 10-23-2012, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cincySE_Ryan

These headlights are 1000.04$ OEM... so be a little careful.

yup

i knew that when i opened her lights up when she was only a month old or 2.....

actually back then.. at the local stealership they qouted me $1500 per side lol so i knew i couldnt mess up

henryy370z · 11-16-2012, 10:46 PM

I'm sooo scared anyone in jersey wanna help lol

dmhenderson · 11-17-2012, 05:14 PM

Trust me on this one. Pay a shop to to it. My headlight misadventure cost $900

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

henryy370z · 11-17-2012, 07:05 PM

How much you think they are?

Westbrook711 · 12-05-2012, 02:54 PM

Good thread, I might be trying this.

dmhenderson · 12-05-2012, 03:03 PM

I would still recommend against doing this yourself unless you are extremely "handy". It is extremely easy to mess your lights up beyond repair.

Dzel · 12-05-2012, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmhenderson

Trust me on this one. Pay a shop to to it. My headlight misadventure cost $900

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If I do do it I'll do it this way.

b1adesofcha0s · 12-05-2012, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmhenderson

I would still recommend against doing this yourself unless you are extremely "handy". It is extremely easy to mess your lights up beyond repair.

It shouldn't be if you do it the right way though, which I've found out we didn't. Temp was too high. Safer to go with lower temp and longer time in the oven. I think we were supposed to be around 200-210, but we were doing it at like 250. If we had it at the right temp, we wouldn't have had to put it in lens down.

dmhenderson · 12-05-2012, 03:58 PM

For reference in case you think it's just me being a klutz (which I am) - a bunch of us in the Mid Atlantic forum thought it'd be a good idea to do this ourselves for fun. Of the 5 sets of headlights we attempted to mod only 1 set came out unscathed.
List of problems we encountered:
-Scorched & melted headlight lenses. It's VERY easy to melt the housings when you're trying to soften the sealant. The damage is very ugly, very visible, and cannot be repaired.
-Broken HID "clips". For some reason, the little metal clip thingy that holds the HID bracket in place is very fragile.
-Busted up HID bulbs
-Constantly running out of daylight. The process is long, time-consuming and messy as hell.

10-21-2012, 04:00 PM	#182 (permalink)
simota1 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2009 Location: Dededo, Guam Posts: 6,642 Drives: solid red 370z 6mt Rep Power: 405	looking good bro __________________ *TOP SECRET/POWERHOUSE AMUSE/ARC/DAYTONA RACING/VARIS/MINES/GANADOR/J-LINE/WORK EMOTION CR KAI/GT SPEC/CARBON SIGNAL/ZOOM ENGINEERING/ CARBON FIBER ELEMENT/STILLEN/*

11-17-2012, 05:14 PM	#189 (permalink)
dmhenderson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 5,930 Drives: AWD TT 370z Rep Power: 27	Trust me on this one. Pay a shop to to it. My headlight misadventure cost $900 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________

12-05-2012, 03:03 PM	#192 (permalink)
dmhenderson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 5,930 Drives: AWD TT 370z Rep Power: 27	I would still recommend against doing this yourself unless you are extremely "handy". It is extremely easy to mess your lights up beyond repair. __________________

12-05-2012, 03:58 PM	#195 (permalink)
dmhenderson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 5,930 Drives: AWD TT 370z Rep Power: 27	For reference in case you think it's just me being a klutz (which I am) - a bunch of us in the Mid Atlantic forum thought it'd be a good idea to do this ourselves for fun. Of the 5 sets of headlights we attempted to mod only 1 set came out unscathed. List of problems we encountered: -Scorched & melted headlight lenses. It's VERY easy to melt the housings when you're trying to soften the sealant. The damage is very ugly, very visible, and cannot be repaired. -Broken HID "clips". For some reason, the little metal clip thingy that holds the HID bracket in place is very fragile. -Busted up HID bulbs -Constantly running out of daylight. The process is long, time-consuming and messy as hell. __________________

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10-21-2012, 09:23 AM	#181 (permalink)
cincySE_Ryan Base Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 32 Drives: Pearl 370z Rep Power: 16

10-23-2012, 12:01 PM	#185 (permalink)
cincySE_Ryan Base Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 32 Drives: Pearl 370z Rep Power: 16	These headlights are 1000.04$ OEM... so be a little careful.

10-23-2012, 12:02 PM	#186 (permalink)
cincySE_Ryan Base Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 32 Drives: Pearl 370z Rep Power: 16	per side..... lol

11-16-2012, 10:46 PM	#188 (permalink)
henryy370z Enthusiast Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: nj bergen county Age: 32 Posts: 380 Drives: 2011-black-manual Rep Power: 13	I'm sooo scared anyone in jersey wanna help lol

11-17-2012, 07:05 PM	#190 (permalink)
henryy370z Enthusiast Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: nj bergen county Age: 32 Posts: 380 Drives: 2011-black-manual Rep Power: 13	How much you think they are?

12-05-2012, 02:54 PM	#191 (permalink)
Westbrook711 Base Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Houston Posts: 24 Drives: '10 370Z Touring MT Rep Power: 13	Good thread, I might be trying this.