Scarmiglio

Just painted my headlights this weekend. Check it out and tell me what you think.









I painted them a metallic gunmetal color to match my rims. I think it looks pretty sweet!

goodorange

nice and clean, rims are tight

itzkcatz

Very nice rims. Are those the Volk-Te37's? How much did u pay for them and what size are they ? they look like 16's ...Jon

s6xtysecassasin

it looks alright i did mine but painted them black, you need to paint them a little darker or get, some high temp clearcoat so they shine because it looks like primer still. what type did you use, high temp grill paint.

Scarmiglio

Nope, they are 17s. They're actually Volk LE-37s. Basically, that means that they come with a machined (polished) lip, and they include the center caps (usually cost about $40 a piece). They cost me around 2 g's just for the rims. Check my sig and I specify.

redrims

That is sweet. Nice and clean.

smithers_0990

WOW

How did you get the lenses of the housing? I want to do that so bad, but im terrified of the dealer saying bye to my warrenty. What did you use to reseal it?
Did you think of putting "angle eyes" in while you had the lenses off?

Later

Scarmiglio

The picture doesn't really do them justice. They aren't black, but aren't supposed to be. Lots of JDM headlights are more gunmetal color anyway.

Scarmiglio

The only way to get the lenses out of the housing is to heat the entire headlight in the oven (or use a heat gun, but that would be slow). I put it in the oven at around 175f for about 10 minutes, then pried it apart. When I was done painting, I pressed it back together, put it back in the oven to reheat the glue (it's really the only way as the glue is stuck in there pretty well.) Then I used marine grade sealant (like $4 at home depot) and ran it all around the crack to ensure a good seal. You can also use fish tank silicone to seal the light.

Angle eyes would have required some fabrication/time/money that I wasn't prepared to do/take/spend. It certainly is a nice thought though. A nice set of projector HIDs would be pretty damn cool, but that would be much dinero, and I'm not even sure there is a kit available.

I may end up redoing the whole process as I did not use high temp paint. I know that this isn't recommended, but I had to be stupid and use something else. It is good paint (rustoleum), but I wanted to use a color that I couldn't find in the high temp stuff. If it peels, it peels, and then I will have learned my lesson. I suppose that the second time around won't be quite as hard as I already will know what to do.

Don't worry about your warranty. Just take your time and give yourself an afternoon to complete the project. Make sure you have everything you will need before you begin. Taking off the headlights requires removal of the front bumper (at least part way) and you don't want to have to put your car back together just so you can go to the store to get something you forgot. It really isn't that difficult and gives the car a much more agressive look.

Dermen

I have to disagree. I like the flat look better than the glossy look. If I didn't know any better I would think that your headlights came like that. It looks almost exactly the same as my stock blacked out headlights.

LOS-323

Do the headlights get so hot that high-temp paint is really needed? Or, is this only a precaution?


I agree with Dermen... I like the flat look better than the glossy look as well. Looks great.

smithers_0990

I dont know if you saw this but its pretty easy and quite cheap to create.

http://students.washington.edu/ashis...gel%20Eyes.htm

Check it out, maybe next time you have the lenses off you can throw put the angel eyes in.

Later

SEA_P5

Great Job on the paint. It matches nicely with the look of your car. It actually looks like factory OEM.I also would NOT paint it glossy...it would make your headlights not look right.

s6xtysecassasin

It requires hi temp grill paint because the first thing you have to do is put your lights in the oven, yes i said oven on about 350 and leave them in for about 3 min. after that you can smell the inside plastic smell a bit. You do this to get the housing away the clear plastic, then you unscrew silver part from backing, then you clean, prime, then paint with hi temp, becuse at times when your running a bulb light catz or piaa or any other aftermarket bulb they will run about 275 to 300 degrees F on a descent day, and a hot day i dont even know. But you have to take you time with the lights, very light coatings of each and be patient it took my 2 1/2 hrs to do both of mine.

Wouldnt you rather have you lights look good forever than just a couple of weeks that is why you use the hi temp, it only about 3.99.

Scarmiglio

First of all, I wouldn't put my lights in the oven at 350. It only really requires 150-200 degrees. Much safer that way. You wouldn't want to warp or melt your headlight. Second, I use factory bulbs. Nothing else is really necessary. Third, most hi-temp paint only comes in flat black, or other boring colors. The paint I used is a semi-metallic gunmetal color. It looks great in the sun! Fourth, it hasn't peeled yet, and I drove for an hour yesterday with my headlights on. In fact, it hasn't affected the paint at all. If, and when it does, I will use high temp paint, but we will see.

I did sand it down first, and I used 2 coats of primer, then 2 coats of paint. I really took my time and let the primer and paint dry well, so if it does peel, it won't be because of my prep work.

I did stick the headlights back in the oven at 200 degrees after painting for 10 minutes and it didn't affect the paint at all. I guess I'll find out if the paint will last in another couple of months.