DISCLAIMER: I will not be responsible for anything that may happen to your car due to this modification. This is DO AT YOUR OWN RISK. Once you modify your headlights they do not comply with DOT regulations.

Goals of the project:
1. To add a little more bling to the clearance strip.

Materials needed:
-Pair of G35 coupe headlights
-Heat Gun
-Dremel
-Screw Drivers
-Sandpaper
-Heat Duct Tape
-High temp silicone sealant
-Nissan Headlight Sealant
-(2) White CCFL Tubes + Inverters from svc.com
-Heat shrink wrapping



Step 1: Disconnect Battery
Step 2: Remove 4 pop up screws from top of the grill and 2 pop ups from the upper part of the bumper.



Step 3: Next rotate the two side screws that are holding the grill in place. These can be located at the backside of the left and right side of the grill.
Step 4: Push down on tabs that are behind the grill to remove grill from the front fascia.
Step 5: Turn your wheels so that steering wheel is turned all the way to the right (You need to do this so you can have room to work in the fender area.
Step 6: Go to the driver side fender area and remove the 3 pop ups holding the fender lining in place. Peel back the fender lining.



Step 7: You will now see two screw (see pic) that hold the driver side bumper into place. You need to remove these screws. A long Philips head screwdriver most definitely helps in this situation.



Step 8: Now you need to remove the 8 bolts on the underside of the bumper. See pic for the approximate locations.



Step 9: Repeat Step 5-7 for the passenger side.
Step 10: Remove corner lights. Pull off bumper cover (Be careful , as things scratch easily!)
Step 11: Now go to the driver side headlight and remove the 4 bolts holding the headlights in place.




Step 12: Now you need to disconnect the headlight from the wiring harness. This can be rather tricky as it is very stubborn and hard to take out. You can remove it using one of the following methods:
-Use a screwdriver to press down the harness tab and pull.
-Take a paper clip and put it in the front hole of the harness and jiggle it around. At the same time pull.
Step 13: Repeat Steps 11-12 for the passenger side.
Step 14: Take your headlights to a safe area and find a soft working surface to use. (No comments on the purple pilates mat please ). Now remove the three screws holding the two pieces of headlight together.



Step 15: Now take your heat gun and make numerous slow passes around the headlight aiming for the crack which separates the two headlight pieces. Take a flat head screwdriver and remove the black sealant material every now and then.



Step 16: After about 5-8 mins of heating up the headlight gently pry the two pieces apart. Set the clear lens piece somewhere safe as you won’t be using it for a while.

 

Step 17: Remove the clearance strip reflector housing + lens from the headlight assembly by unscrewing the attachment bolts. Also, remember to unplug the bulb/bulb holder from the back of the headlight. Place in a safe area



Step 18: Take the 12” CCFL strip and cut it out of it’s housing with a dremel cutting disk. (Sorry I didn’t take pictures of this). Be VERY careful as the CCFL bulb is very fragile. It also has two copper wires running down the sides.

Step 19: Test the CCFL tube by connecting it to the inverter and running the invert’s +/- leads to the car battery.

Step 20: Once you have the CCFL tested place it in the reflector dish (see pic). Make sure the copper wiring isn’t touching the metal of the reflector dish. You may want to run silicone on the bottom of the reflector to prevent any chance of a short out. Secure both ends of the CCFL with a good amount of silicone.



Step 21: Now you have to cut up the strip lens to allow clearance for the CCFL that is sitting in the reflector. Use a dremel and cut away the lower portion of the lens. (Note the black markings to get an idea where to cut)



Step 22: The dremel will cause the plastic to melt so you will need to sand down the bottom of the lens like this. If you don’t do that the light will look distorted and uneven.




Step 23: Put the clearance strip together again making sure that you silicone the top and bottom of the lens to the area where the CCFL ends sit. Let dry for 24 hrs.

Step 24: Cut off the original clearance strip’s bulb holder and run the +/- leads to the CCFL Invert’s +/- leads. Solder them together and use heat shrink wrapping to seal them up properly.




Step 25: Use electrical tape and wrap up the outside of the inverter (This is to prevent any moisture issues). Also, use silicone in any place that is exposed.

Step 26: Attach inverter to headlight right below the aiming screw. Use 3M double sided tape and epoxy glue.




Step 27: Put headlight back together reversing the methods used to take it apart.

Step 28: Plug these bad boys in and enjoy!

 

Results:


Stock:


CCFL Retro:

 

damn this is awesome. hopefully next project!

 

Awesome write-up!

 

Great DIY & Pics, Thanks!!!

 

omfg thats gorgeous,where do you get the ccfl,and what kind?

 

where are the pics????

 

No pics?!?! Please upload pics again...I'm looking to do this mod and the write up is great!!! Thanks!!!

 

bump for pics!!

 

PM'd OP for pics...bump

 

talk about a old thread =]

 

anybody have luck finding pics?

 

some should update this thread so the photos work

 

BUMP please update photos, useful guide!