Lights

[JT_]

Painted headlights on 00 STS.

 

[StraDog]

That looks RAW as hell.... nice choice of the woven mesh. Best looking mesh out there.

I seen a '02 Towncar Limo with painted headlights much like that. Looked awesome.

 

[codewize]

That looks great but forgive my ignorance. What exactly is a pianted headlight?

 

[JT_]

Painted headlights are when you paint the inside of your headlights.

 

[codewize]

You just paint the inside of the lenses with regular paint ?

 

[K2K]

Looks very tight

 

[JT_]

Thanks, makes it worth the trouble. The paint I used was Hi temp paint, but not sure if you need it. Probably not. I didn't paint any of the reflectors. Just the chromed or sputter coated piece that goes around the reflectors and lens for the projection beam headlights.

 

[huntz52]

Ive got the same model as you.. how do I do all this cool stuff, lol. Did you do the custom mesh where the old fogs were? and how do you get into the light fixture itself? as it the front clear peice, that would be tight if I could paint it the same color as my car and then change my turn safety light to a HID side light. If you dont mind, could you possibly post what all you did to your car and possibly where i could find it call? thanks

Jesse

 

[JT_]

Ive got the same model as you.. how do I do all this cool stuff, lol. Did you do the custom mesh where the old fogs were? and how do you get into the light fixture itself? as it the front clear peice, that would be tight if I could paint it the same color as my car and then change my turn safety light to a HID side light. If you dont mind, could you possibly post what all you did to your car and possibly where i could find it call? thanks

Jesse

Yes, I put mesh where the fogs were, just bend them to shape and use self tapping screws and wedged it in there, I won't fall out - no matter how fast you go. Also I put in fogs and hooked them up to the stock wiring. Much brighter.

For the headlights, that was a few hour job each. It was awhile ago but I'll post what I remember. And I'm at work so I can't write too much. So once you get the headlight off, (I did one at a time and drove around with one painted and one not for a week or so) You use a heat gun to heat up all of the little plasitic clips/tabs that hold the lens cover and the black housing together UP, so that not to get in your way later during the disassembly.

Then comes the really fun part. I tried to heat up the glue in the headlight to soften it and take it apart, but it didn't work for me. Some import cars you can "bake" a the entire headlight assembly in foil in an oven at something like 15 - 20 min and take it apart, so maybe it'll work for you, but the silicone on this my particular headlight didn't react much to heat.

Anway getting back to the hard part. or fun part, yeah... so you gotta find youself somthing like a paring knife or smaller with a flexible blade, mine had a slight foward curve to it which made it a little easier.

With some flat blade screwdrivers find a spot on the bottom, and try and pry an edge of it up (BE CARFUL NOT TO SCRATCH THE PLASTIC ON THE INSIDE!!)
Well not too much at least, cause it may be hard not to. When you have a small opening held open by the width of the screwdriver you get your knife in and start to cut around the headlight however much you can cut with the knife. The headlight assemply is held together like a tupperware lid - there is a groove like channel iron, a U shape (the lid) which covers an edge. filled with silicone I think. l < like this and (back of light) I think, but pretty sure
U < this. (and front of light)


So you won't be able to cut all of the glue out cause there's still glue on the other side. So this comes the scary part. you have to get one end of the headlight (I think I ended up starting on the blinker side) and manage to pry apart the housing with you screwdrivers and somthing to protect the plastic. (But most of the headlight is hidden anyway.) So once you get a space enough for you fingers, you just massage that SOB apart using all the useful tools you can find. WITHOUT BREAKING THE PLASTIC!!! So be careful, but you can put some decent force on it.

So after you get it apart, you gotta scrape all that lovely glue outta there. Have fun.

Then take out the reflector and paint. I was gonna do mine body color but, I didn't have the paint so black was it. And also I didn't use any special paint or high temp paint or anything and they were fine. It doesn't get that hot in a headlight. But let dry. an get ready to put it all back together.

So buy some silicone glue or rtv and hold on to it. you'll use it in a little but not yet. Get you heat gun, and bend off the tabs/clips back to the normal position before you bent them. I went in a low humidity area (I had an A/C room. And glued it back together.

So there goes your friday night. oh and get a large piece of cardboard or a utilty blanket to work on. It helps with the clean up and gives you lots of room.