Headlights - help....need opinon
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Headlights - help....need opinon im thinking about going to gun metal finish for my headlights instead of just the normal clears...
what do you guys think? those of you who have actually seen my car
what do you guys think? those of you who have actually seen my car
Yes, it's an Acura EL
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I just posted this elsewhere, but I can't find the link right now:
- mask off what you want to keep silver
- use Krylon Fusion black for the base (2-3 coats), then one light coat of Duplicolor Wheel paint in Graphite to finish it. That way it looks black from afar, and gunmetal-metallic-glossy up close. No need to finish in clearcoat. If you don't like the textured look, put on two coats of Duplicolor Graphite (sand between coats) then sand and clearcoat several times. Finish off with rubbing compound. I find this too shiny for my taste, but it's up to you, my little friend.
- mask off what you want to keep silver
- use Krylon Fusion black for the base (2-3 coats), then one light coat of Duplicolor Wheel paint in Graphite to finish it. That way it looks black from afar, and gunmetal-metallic-glossy up close. No need to finish in clearcoat. If you don't like the textured look, put on two coats of Duplicolor Graphite (sand between coats) then sand and clearcoat several times. Finish off with rubbing compound. I find this too shiny for my taste, but it's up to you, my little friend.
Yes, it's an Acura EL
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Rep Power: 368 And yes, a DARK gunmetal (like the shade Rota uses on their rims) looks faboo on black cars. And red cars. And silver cars. And green cars. And white cars. But not hot pink or baby blue. Those cars don't deserve headlights.
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Originally Posted by Liro
i think its nice...but i also like the totally clear lights too....hmmmm.....
i do trust telly and freddy's opinion though....
i do trust telly and freddy's opinion though....
*ahem*
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Rep Power: 0 i like freddy's but im actually trading mine up with someone's who are already done....but the only chrome part left is the h4 reflector....
what do you guys think of that?
what do you guys think of that?
im planning to do the same... .hey telly, how long do you leave it in the oven agai?? 2 minutes right??? and what temperature do you set it at?? im planning to do it myself and hopefully i don't f@kc it up!! oooh ya whats the silicone sealant do you use?? thanks
Yes, it's an Acura EL
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Originally Posted by lounge_8180
im planning to do the same... .hey telly, how long do you leave it in the oven agai?? 2 minutes right??? and what temperature do you set it at?? im planning to do it myself and hopefully i don't f@kc it up!! oooh ya whats the silicone sealant do you use?? thanks
Originally Posted by WhiteCastle
what kind of paint are you guys using? I was thinking of painting my headlights white ^.^ matching the car and junk
I just wanted to reply to a few other comments here:
- You don't really need high heat paint for headlight housings. It doesn't get THAT hot in there. That said, if you were to do a white finish, I dunno if it'll go yellow in time. One other thing to worry about with white housings is if you get condensation and it happens to stay in there for a while, you'll really be able to see any kind of mold or discoloration that happens as a result.
- I used to use high heat barbecue paint (seriously) to paint housings black then a coat of Duplicolor Graphite wheel paint to give it a gunmetal glossiness. Since then, I've moved on to Plastikote black for blacked out headlights, and if I want a gunmetal finish, I'll spray on a coat (more like a dusting) of Duplicolor Wheel Paint (graphite)
- Plastikote paint sticks to plastic, so no need to sand/primer the (plastic) chrome pieces, and it gives a finish that's plenty glossy, especially once you place the lens back over it. If you really wanna get shiny about it, plan to have your headlights off for a couple of days, then primer-sand-paint-sand-paint-sand-clearcoat-sand-clearcoat-sand-clearcoat-sand-clearcoat-sand-rubbing compound. It'll come out looking like a bodyshop did it. But I don't think you'd be able to tell the difference between the two unless you were comparing cars side by side.
- I do sedan headlights in the oven by popping them in at 300F for 3-4 minutes. Coupes, same temperature for 2 minutes at MOST. Heck, I did a coupe headlight clearing on a really hot day and all I did was pop the clips and open it outside. Make sure it's 300F, not 300C, especially with those fancy schmantzy ovens with the digital displays! A friend of mine melted his because he didn't know which was which - I was in the room, and the smell and sight of a drooping headlight is heart-rending. I don't think I've ever had to wait longer than 5 minutes total at 300F for a sedan headlight. You really should check them at 3 then if you can't open them without minimal effort, pop them back in for another minute. Otherwise you risk warping/permanently bending the rear housing, which will of course result in the headlight not resealing properly, which leads to leakage and condensation.
- When resealing, I press the headlight housing and lens together, then pop it in the 300F oven for 3 minutes at most. As soon as I get it out I use spring clips to press the seams closed. They look like this:
Once the gap is closed up, for coupes you should be good to put the clips on. However, for sedans, and the paranoid coupe owner, I use Permatex Gasket Maker (the grey stuff) and run a bead all around the headlight:
My headlights are still condensation free from this method, and I've hit them with thunderstorms and pressure washers.
- One more thing, make sure you don't have any dust on the inside of the lens when you reseal. You'll notice it like two days later and it'll drive you mad. I keep either one of those air-cleaner spray cans or (if I have money that week) one of those swiffer refill cloth thingies. You don't want to use a paper towel (wet OR dry) or just any random cloth, as it'll put tiny scratches on the inside of the lens. I used to use terry cloth towels but the ones I got always left a tiny piece of lint on the lens so I had to use an air can anyway. Bah.
Drifting away in time and space...
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Rep Power: 326 that's alot of detail... where would we all be without telly! he he
when i painted mine i just taped off what i didn't want painted, then used a primer, then a high performance wheel paint (gunmetal. Same one i used on my stock si wheels, and my upper and lower grills) and just finished it off with some clear coat.
when i painted mine i just taped off what i didn't want painted, then used a primer, then a high performance wheel paint (gunmetal. Same one i used on my stock si wheels, and my upper and lower grills) and just finished it off with some clear coat.
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Originally Posted by FreddySi
that's alot of detail... where would we all be without telly! he he
when i painted mine i just taped off what i didn't want painted, then used a primer, then a high performance wheel paint (gunmetal. Same one i used on my stock si wheels, and my upper and lower grills) and just finished it off with some clear coat.
when i painted mine i just taped off what i didn't want painted, then used a primer, then a high performance wheel paint (gunmetal. Same one i used on my stock si wheels, and my upper and lower grills) and just finished it off with some clear coat.
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From: Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 well im just trading mine up...if i do decide to do the gunmetal....still on the fence..but everyone seems to be in favour of the gunmetal....definately something to think about
Registered!!
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From: Richmond Hill, Ontario
Rep Power: 0 Swap is done...Liro now has a full coupe headlight conversion! 
Post up some pics!
Thanks for your advice yesterday Telly, worked like a charm...I'd probably still be sitting there with my little hairdryer if Rob didn't call you...
Post up some pics!
Thanks for your advice yesterday Telly, worked like a charm...I'd probably still be sitting there with my little hairdryer if Rob didn't call you...
I have the OEM version of weight reduction. DX
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Rep Power: 315 ^^ hair dryer, a heat gun would work well wouldn't it.. I actually have had one sitting in the back of my car for almost a year... 
Maybe I should give it back to the guy who owns it. 
Funny thing is, he hasn't asked for it back. Whenever I called him he'd be like, "Dude, whenever your in the neighbourhood"
His shop is in Rockland.... for those of you who don't know where Rockland is from Ottawa, it's about a 45 minute drive East on the 174 hehehe
Maybe I should give it back to the guy who owns it. Funny thing is, he hasn't asked for it back. Whenever I called him he'd be like, "Dude, whenever your in the neighbourhood"
His shop is in Rockland.... for those of you who don't know where Rockland is from Ottawa, it's about a 45 minute drive East on the 174 hehehe
