Headlight Baking!

[korieyuuu08]

So on tuesday i plan on baking my headlights so i can blacken the housing. any suggestions?

if this is wrong please Correct me!

I heard to heat the oven to 250 put the heads in and shut it off and wait 10 mins or so

[dwjp90]

it would be better to buy a heat gun form a hardware store and heat the sides (mine are a lil bit deformed from the baking process)

[greddy]

I actually did it with a very powerful hairdryer (I kid you not), it took a while, but I was able to do it with absolutely no damage to the lights.

[airborneparainf82]

I used a hairdryer... more time, but more surgical

[dwjp90]

lol thats why i said heat gun (a lil more power) as i did the oven way and managed to melt a lil bit of the plastiv (lense is fine tho)

[Galantman03]

speaking of lense... is there anyway where we can just purchase the lense? I mean my headlight assembly is fine, but the lenses are pitted, and i really don't want to pay for new heads just when i need the lenses... any suggestions?

[korieyuuu08]

Im going to do it whatever way but how long did it take with the hairdryer?

[racesnos]

i did it in the oven for about 10 mins @ 350 degrees... did it at least 6 times per head light to get my retrofit in. Oven works best for me.

[SleekGTZ]

I did the oven technique. It's not that difficult actually.

[airborneparainf82]

any of the ways are easy, i just didn't like the oven method because the heads got uncomfortably hot to deal with. the hairdryer was targeted, but did take about 20 mins per head.

[Ruslik]

and my headlights were already black =]

[pinoyesv6]

i <3 my $10 harbor freight heat gun. hasn't let me down yet.

[guynlidia2006]

heat to 250 then put a wet towel on a baking sheet and put the head lens down on the wet towel and put them for 10 mjns.. then thewy come apart like butter, and the wet towel keeps you from melting the lens i have done this twich to the same heads with no issues... just make sure you clean the lens first, so no dirt gets baked in... i had to buff on after because i wasent paying attention...

[HungarianHunter]

heat to 250 then put a wet towel on a baking sheet and put the head lens down on the wet towel and put them for 10 mjns.. then thewy come apart like butter, and the wet towel keeps you from melting the lens i have done this twich to the same heads with no issues... just make sure you clean the lens first, so no dirt gets baked in... i had to buff on after because i wasent paying attention...

Sounds pretty good. Would you recommend a complete noob try this? I'd like to get my headlights blacked out for cheap/clear the corners.

What brand of spray paint did you use? I bought some Plastic paint from Lowe's and the covering sucks a whole platoon of dicks... even with complete cleaning with warm soap water, letting it air dry, 2 coats of adhesion promoter... it leaves like "craters" in the paint, dents kind of, but if I move it back farther at all it doesn't cover at all. It seems too "thick", even after shaking it up well. Any advice? (not meaning to thread steal)

Thanks!

[greddy]

Krylon flat black plastic paint, I personally used some flat black engine enamel, it worked out great, just about any flat black plastic paint will do the trick, just make sure you don't paint the reflector, or else you'll have no light. And yes, a complete newb can do this, I did it, it was one of my first mods.

[HungarianHunter]

Krylon flat black plastic paint, I personally used some flat black engine enamel, it worked out great, just about any flat black plastic paint will do the trick, just make sure you don't paint the reflector, or else you'll have no light. And yes, a complete newb can do this, I did it, it was one of my first mods.

Cool man, thanks a lot. Did you use engine enamal for the interior as well? Did you use adhesion promotor and/or clearcoat?

[korieyuuu08]

well im doing this proj. in apprx 10 hrs. i dont have flat black i have the krylon gloss black. i used it on my grill and it came out great. but i dont have any silicone to reglue the lenses back on. im going to try to reuse the glue sooo . wish me luck and about how long does it take to dry(the silicone).. or i plan on having NO PROBLEMS at all how long will it take to complete.

korie

[HungarianHunter]

well im doing this proj. in apprx 10 hrs. i dont have flat black i have the krylon gloss black. i used it on my grill and it came out great. but i dont have any silicone im going to try to reuse the glue sooo . wish me luck and about how long does it take to dry.. or i plan on having NO PROBLEMS at all how long will it take to complete.

korie

Hey man let us know how using the original glue works :D

[greddy]

Cool man, thanks a lot. Did you use engine enamal for the interior as well? Did you use adhesion promotor and/or clearcoat?

Yeah, used the same engine enamel on my interior, no sanding or adhesion promoter, just enamel then two layers of clear.

[HungarianHunter]

Yeah, used the same engine enamel on my interior, no sanding or adhesion promoter, just enamel then two layers of clear.

So just washed it off and then sprayed it with engine enamel and it looks good? Cool man thanks for the advice :D

[korieyuuu08]

is the krylone black glosss ok to use?

[HungarianHunter]

Some will say it's not a good brand, I personally have had no problems with it. I would buy plastic primer if I were you though, just in case. And clean the surface real well :) Oh and patience is the most important tool you can have ;)

[youngin3]

I used a hairdryer and I also left the original glue in the headlight. I didn't add anything. I reheated it a good two or three times to make sure it sealed back. I have had no water leak into the heads at all and I wash my car every week.

[beam514]

Same, didn't add any extra silicone or anything and the headlights sealed up just fine. I made sure there wouldn't be any condensation in the headlights too by putting the pieces back in the warm oven and them putting them together pretty much in the oven haha (I wouldn't recommend doing this though.. not very safe)

I think I was just lucky though when it comes to how the headlights sealed up

[ASTIG]

I preheated the ovn to 200. shut it off. put the headlight in for 10 minutes.

to reattach. do the same.

[korieyuuu08]

Thanks guys fuck the primer i d c if it comes out bad ill buy new headlights ha.

cheers to my journey today

[airborneparainf82]

you'll be fine w/o primer, just make sure and clean the housing good and dry before you paint.

[korieyuuu08]

Im done just waiting for shit to dry now. VERY EASY took me about and hour

[korieyuuu08]

oh and of course a picture
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/4532/1118081224wg8.jpg (http://img379.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1118081224wg8.jpg)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1118081224wg8.jpg/1/w384.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img379/1118081224wg8.jpg/1/)

[greddy]

You shoulda painted the corners black too, makes it look loads better.

[racesnos]

looks good!

[airborneparainf82]

You shoulda painted the corners black too, makes it look loads better.

what you trying to say huh?!?

haha but really, I agree, in a way I like that mine aren't painted, but then I wish they were sometimes too

[guynlidia2006]

well mine are painted.. and i love how it looks

[greddy]

what you trying to say huh?!?

haha but really, I agree, in a way I like that mine aren't painted, but then I wish they were sometimes too

Basically I'm saying your headlights look like ass, lol, jk, I personally like them all black, but it's just a matter of opinion.

[youngin3]

Basically I'm saying your headlights look like ass, lol, jk, I personally like them all black, but it's just a matter of opinion.

Tell us how you really feel...

[Ivory8g]

lol looks good. I didnt paint my whole light black and thats the way I like it.

[korieyuuu08]

same

[4g63lover]

i like!! I like how you kept the corner chrome. Looks good.