So I got my headlights on my '00 open up and I want to do the AE mod by painting them, does anyone have the how-to or what color/type paint to use?
Thx

 

PM to icelandmaxima...he has done this and it looks damn good...also he has a "unique" method of doing it, involving no actual painting!

 

also interested in doin something like this. tried to find some pics of iceland's car but no luck, maybe he could post his technique here? irish's "unique" teaser really got me interested

 

I have them. me and NYCmax did it the other day, but i dont have pics yet

 

i was lookimg to do this also, icelandicmax has a write up?

 

I took my lights put tape were you want chrome. Take air plain paint remover(walmart $4) spray, let it soak and scrub with a brillow pad .........let me know and I can send pic of the finished product.......

 

How easy is this from 1-10? For the general method of doing this?

I'm intersted in doing this also! Cheap mod to make the Nissan look good!

 

-remove headlight from car

- First start off by opening the headlights i prefer heat gun but it may be easier with the oven

- Remove all screws and bulbs before heating.

- Then carefully pry open headlights more seperating then prying apart once the plastic has been heated you dont want to stretch it out to much to insure a proper reseal. Patience is key, you dont want to pry up the plastic just slightly to get under then you can pull apart you may need to reheat.

-Once you have the headlight opened up you will then remove any screws that hold the housing in place.

-now that the housing is out the rest is easy, you will then simply use a terry cloth or rag and have a small bucket of warm water nearby

-then apply some water to the cloth and rub off the chrome i used water and mild soap because its all i needed i wouldnt advise any other solvents/solutions.

-i actually had a broken headlight so that i could take out the housing and experiment with it before i open up my own headlights. I was all ready to paint the housing but i realized when i was preping it to paint it just rubbed off but when i used more than water it damaged the housing.

-use only water and maybe a little soap, it may take a little while but bear in mind, i did one headlight then the next weekend i did the other, im sure that it can easily be done in one day but i took my time.

- when you rub the chrome paint off the undercoat is a gloss black.

-continue to rub off all the chrome surrounding the housings except for reflector area for the turn signal. I made sure to rub everything off surrounding the area and anything that would show when i sealed the headlight. Try not to even touch the area for the turn signal cause then youll have to wash off your finger prints and could possibly take some off the chrome off.

-now clean the inside of the headlight cover i bought a headlight restorer on ebay works pretty good but i know they are just simple solutions but they work.and wipe down the housing with a lint free dry cloth.

-screw any screws that hold housing together and reheat with whatever method you prefer.

-once reheated begin to put back together, be sure to give it ample time for the seal to seal.

-then wipe down the clear part as you did before so that they are as clean and clear as possible.

- put all screws and bulbs back in place, and reinstall in car.

tips * patience is key and take your time

I will help out anyone who is local, or if anyone can spare there headlights you can send me them and i will do it for you.

 

they will match the se tails perfectly

 

iceland, do you have any pics of the final product?

 

no camera, but they look awesome

 

i can vouch for that....

 

I just did mine and they do look awesome, I will post pics tomorrow, my batteries are dead and charging.....

 

A little confused. The chrome just comes off with water and little soap? Do you have to scrub?

Gosh, I wish I was as adventurous as you are Thinking about taking apart the headlight gives me goosebumps...

 

Yeah the chrome paint will just rub off. You need to apply suffient pressure but it will rub off. Thats how i got it all off, im sure that you could use other solvents/solutions to remove the paint but water worked best for me and didnt damaged the housings at all. Once you get it going its easy

 

yea it comes off, but is a pain in the @ss.....i didnt have the patience so I just spray painted mine with high-temp low gloss black. I will post pics tonite when I get home.....

and yes popping the headlights in the oven didnt sound too good for me, but it was actually pretty easy....

 

i will post pics sometime when i get a camera. I just like the fact that its not an extra layer its the actual base so itll never come off.

 

Cool. Pics will be very nice esp. the rub-off lights.

 

Wouldn't a light rubbing compound do the trick if soap and water isn't tough enough? You would just have to make sure not to get any on the shiny part of the reflector.

 

Anyone have any idea what temp the oven should be to get these headlights open?

 

i used 250 degrees for 30min....make sure the headlight housing doesnt come in contact with any metal, lay on cookie tray with wet (damp) towel on

 

 

Is there any silicone or anything needed to reseal the headlights??

 

not really you can reuse the glue that is already there, but if you want just go to an automotive store and buy some silicone sealant. you wont need much though.

 

thanks alot man did you use a heat gun or oven??

 

I did this mod last year and just reused the original silcone. I have has no leaks or condensation build up.

 

how long did it take you i want to do it today not sure if i have time before it gets dark

 

Can some start a thread of how many of us here have the hp evos on our maxes????

 

This Was A Total Pain In The ***!!!

 

hey.. give us the details!!!

And tell us how long it took you.


thanks

BB

 

Well first of all, that epoxy is tough stuff and the chrome on the inside just chips off even if you touch it so I tried something different, I painted the whole chrome part black, I have a black car also so it looks pretty trick the turnsignals are still visible they just dont give off as much light. It took about four hours total. How do I post a pic in here to show you guys??

 

send me all the pixs you have and i host them for you and post them at the same time.

I'll be going out to eat next 2 hrs (he he he) but i'll do it when i come back.


bborges79 -->@<-- gmail.com


Thanks


BB

 

ok give me your e-mail address so I can send them, I'll send them to you at approx 3pm when I leave work! Honestly I think I like what I did better than the AE lights.

Jason

 

I just gave that to you, he he he he !!

bborges79 -->@<-- gmail.com



Remove space bars and make it a normal email address.

 

i rubbed mine, not as hard, just takes time....total of like three hours with heating and polish.... here are the results:





It took a long time and if your dont got it dont do it. i should have done this before i got my HIDs.....oh well now someone else gets these bad boys without any work....

 

and more pics:

 

Are they for sale?????

 

they are...i PMed the person and reply, if he doesnt say anything by tomorrow ill put them up for sale.

 

PM sent !!!

Talk to u later