DIY - Painting Your Headlights

[BuckeyeInMI]

Originally Posted by G35papa

Duplicolor black sandable primer for the base followed by Duplicolor Bumper Coating...also black. It's a dark black matte finish. You won't be disappointed

Woohoo! Did mine last weekend. Scary as hell, but I didn't have any problems at all. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I'll get some posted soon enough. I used the same paint you did papa, 4 or 5 light coats of primer, 4 or 5 light coats of Bumper black. Came out flawless, no sanding needed between coats. Honestly, it was easier than painting the grille.

When I put them back together before putting them in the oven, I borrowed a hair dryer from my sister and used that to get the goop a little bit soft. This allowed me to press them together almost all the way. After 10-12 minutes in the oven they went together very easily.

A word of warning to everyone. Be VERY careful about touching the inside of the lens. I noticed a small fingerprint on the inside after I re-installed the lights. It's barely noticeable, but I might re-bake that one so I can clean it.

[G35papa]

^Yep...it sounds alot harder than it really is Glad you finally got them done. Post the pics when you get a chance.

Good tip/warning. I always put the lenses inside the house away from everyone so they only get handled a couple of times.

[donthaveityet]

finally got mine done after sittin on it forever lol.. i used high heat semi gloss black engine enamel gives a nice sheen but not overly shiny, also you some nightshades to tint out the signals im happy with the results.
thanks papa for your sticky, i used it and it helped me get through it without any flop ups!

[Alpha Ice]

Originally Posted by Big Rob

Very nice write-up, Papa. It was so thorough, for a minute, I almost believed even I could do this myself!

Haha, I've actually been looking into the Demon eyes, its a nice look that not many ppl have and cheaper than buying the projectors for the 06 models

[G35papa]

Originally Posted by donthaveityet

finally got mine done after sittin on it forever lol.. i used high heat semi gloss black engine enamel gives a nice sheen but not overly shiny, also you some nightshades to tint out the signals im happy with the results.
thanks papa for your sticky, i used it and it helped me get through it without any flop ups!

Those came out great! That black is extra dark! I love gloss black accents on GF (your grille) and the headlights are a nice match/contrast

[BuckeyeInMI]

Here's the pic of my finished work. Probably going to open up the passenger side one again and clean the lens from the inside. Got a fingerprint in there and I want to make sure everything is seated properly.


The grille and headlights really changed the overall look of the car. I love it. Thanks papa for the DIY.

[G35papa]

No problem Buckeye. Looks great

[jin22gt]

What do you guys mean not to touch the lenses? Which part are the lens you guys are talking about? also are there any info on how to change the orange singal to clear?
thanks for the DIY! im going to do this soon.

[BuckeyeInMI]

When you remove the outer clear cover, aka the lens, you don't want to touch the inside of it because you can't clean it once it's put back together. As for removing the orange signal cover, I think G35papa did it by dremeling out the orange and cutting a circle out of a plastic fluorescent light cover to replace it. I'd consult with him on this, and I think he said it was pretty stressful doing it. I considered it, but it will have to wait for the next headlight upgrade I do, which might be adding an HID kit for the fogs or going all out with quad projectors.

[G35papa]

^What he said.
Removing the lense and crafting up a new one is the most time consuming part of this DIY. Painting the bezels is the easy part.

[jin22gt]

Lenses are the headlight covers. lol. I thought there were another set of lenses over the lights.

[NaiveRapture]

Personally what I did with the signal lenses was, I dremeled out the existing amber sections, and then I cut out circular pieces from a sheet of fluorescent lighting cover (the stuff that's textured which covers the fixture). I then epoxied those clear pieces into the little black piece on the inside that's right behind the original lens. I don't know if I have pictures of them.... I think I do hold on.

Here: Then I just screwed the black parts back int and viola you're done. It is indeed a pain in the ass, but it's worth it to me.

[Alpha Ice]

Nice! That would look really good if you did orange lights in there. Giving you the non amber look parked and still functional to not get hastled from the police . Hey papa, do you have any tips on wiring the CCFL clearance strips? I got mine today but they're arent any instructions. I'm gonna attempt the setup in the next week or 2. Hard with a daily driver and working almost everyday

[Gargan]

Originally Posted by NaiveRapture

Personally what I did with the signal lenses was, I dremeled out the existing amber sections, and then I cut out circular pieces from a sheet of fluorescent lighting cover (the stuff that's textured which covers the fixture). I then epoxied those clear pieces into the little black piece on the inside that's right behind the original lens. I don't know if I have pictures of them.... I think I do hold on.

Here: Then I just screwed the black parts back int and viola you're done. It is indeed a pain in the ass, but it's worth it to me.

Sweet! Thanks for posting that.

Now I wanna see them all put back together.

[money042]

Just won a pass. side '06-07 headlight on ebay. Now looking for the driver side. The chrome headlights are too shiny for my taste, I can't wait to do this mod!

How many cans (ounces) of paint and primer did you need for both headlights?