Headlights

[8000RPM]

So i tried to open mine and paint them with black transparent paint. i took them off, but i could not get them to open. has anyone done this before? I have seen some pictures of 98 and up contours that have removed the orange reflector/turn signal plastic plates from the sides of the front headlights. how is that done? i look the old forums but nothing popped up :(

i tried putting the headlights in the stove at 350 degrees for 1-2 min, hoping that the heat will melt the silicone, which it did, but still couldn't take the clear plactic off. and i have used this method before on a vw, so i know it works, but...not for the csvt :((
any ideas are welcome

[Pudmunkie]

Doesnt work to bake them in the oven? Thats news to me....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/Pudmunkie/Projectors/DSC01985.jpg

Put them back in the oven, and you will need to pry. Of course this is null and void if the glue is the white-ish yellow glue. If its that lue your best bet is to cut them open

[SVT SNOB]

Amazing looking lights :drool: Would look awesome with eyelids.

Aaron

[jtour]

Baking worked for me!!!:cool: The key is to take your time. Good luck!

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/596000-596999/596174_2_full.jpg

[getsum111]

Boo for the white glue. I had to cut mine, it was a pain in the :censored: but it looks sooo cool when done.
http://img324.imageshack.us/img324/2035/qslsvtmeet0025pe.th.jpg (http://img324.imageshack.us/my.php?image=qslsvtmeet0025pe.jpg)

[getsum111]

8000, try searching teh old forums under aesthetics for "hightower" and headlights. A member named Chris Hightower was one of teh first to have the balls to cut up a perfectly good set of $200 headlights, so the mods got his name.:laugh: There was a pic of exactly where to cut. I will check at home to see if I still have the pic.

[8000RPM]

pudmonkie, do you have a pic of your headlight upclose??? and yeaaah, it is yellowis silicone/glue, which is hard like hell. at the stove, well, i was afraid not to melt something else. do you remove the bulbs and everything that you can possibly remove??? or just stick em in there. I had the stove set at 350 degreed, and left them for about 2min. the light was damn hot, i couldn't even hold it. and the glue was much softer, but still not soft enough.

getsum 111, if you have a pic of that old forum or the link for it, it will be great, i will also look for some info, like you advised me to.

do you think i should paint them in black? (My car is black), and should I sand the chrome part a little before, or just spray over it? huh? hmmmmmm

thank you all!

[8000RPM]

dude? do you have hids???

[getsum111]

I wouldn't sand the chrome, as it will flake off, leaving black underneath anyway. I cut them apart, then taped(lightly) the areas I wanted to keep chrome. This way, it won't affect light output. Seeing is good.:laugh: Last night was open house, so I will check for that link tonight.

[jtour]

pudmonkie, do you have a pic of your headlight upclose??? and yeaaah, it is yellowis silicone/glue, which is hard like hell. at the stove, well, i was afraid not to melt something else. do you remove the bulbs and everything that you can possibly remove??? or just stick em in there. I had the stove set at 350 degreed, and left them for about 2min. the light was damn hot, i couldn't even hold it. and the glue was much softer, but still not soft enough.

getsum 111, if you have a pic of that old forum or the link for it, it will be great, i will also look for some info, like you advised me to.

do you think i should paint them in black? (My car is black), and should I sand the chrome part a little before, or just spray over it? huh? hmmmmmm

thank you all!


No need to sand. When I put my headlights in the oven I wrapped them up in an old bath towel put the temp at 400 degrees and I would take them out every 5 - 8 mins and work at prying them open. It took a long time but it was well worth it. Once I opened the headlights I unscrewed the chrome piece and I lined the chrome parts I wanted to keep chrome with cotton and taped over it to keep it in place. Then I just sprayed gunmetal paint on the rest of the chrome. Then I made a quick run to Menards (any hard ware store) and bought clear water proof silicone that people use to caulk their bath tubs. Never ever had a leak and its been a few years since I did my headlights. The whole reason I did my headlights was because they were getting fogged up. Then I saw people do this to celica headlights and thought it would be a good thing to do as well. Good luck and dont be scared.

[getsum111]

8000, Here ya go. http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=aesthetics&Number=942048&PHPSESSID=&fpart=1#Post942048

I used a dremel w/ the fiber reinforced cutting wheel, took about 1.5 wheels per light. It's better to go too shallow than too deep. Read that whole post and you should be good. Since you have the yellow/white glue, DO NOT BAKE THEM! Good luck.

[8000RPM]

woow. ok. thanks again.
so here's what i will do. I will try the oven again, just in case. coz setting them in higher temp for longer time will soften thaty yellow glue even more. if it doesn't work the i will cut them...sounds like a plan?:)
yyeaaah

[getsum111]

No!!!! The yellow glue is NOT able to be softened in an oven. All it will do is haze/melt your headlights!

[8000RPM]

ok, I will keep that in mind...maybe i will just cut them..

[getsum111]

I know how you feel. It's only scary on the first try.:laugh: Just take it nice and slow, and you'll be ok. Make sure you read that thread several times, it will make sense once you start to......gulp......cut.:laugh:

[Pudmunkie]

Ill be nice and give of some hints

You're better off (aesthetic and performance) to buy new headlights at 220.00 and bake them open.

Dont just paint over the chrome, it won't last. Have you guys seen how weak it is? There is a way to get black headlights without painting....

I wont give you all specifics, but its stuff you should be able to figure out

[jtour]

Dont just paint over the chrome, it won't last. Have you guys seen how weak it is? There is a way to get black headlights without painting....

I wont give you all specifics, but its stuff you should be able to figure out


I painted my chrome and its been a few years and the paint is holding up. The way to get black headlights is to take some tap and dap at the chrome it will peal right off.

[mart_svt]

If you just want to remove the orange reflectors, try this:

Clear Headlamps (http://www.geocities.com/sweetsvt99/mods/#headlamp)

[Pudmunkie]

I painted my chrome and its been a few years and the paint is holding up. The way to get black headlights is to take some tap and dap at the chrome it will peal right off.

If you've got hours to spend ;) also not as easy on the newer headlights.

[getsum111]

Duct tape worked as well, but it was quicker to sand. My black has been on for about 1.5 years, and seems to be holding up well. Knock on wood.:laugh:

[Jason43]

Don't paint over the chrome. You could paint over the chrome and theres a chance it might hold up. Theres also a very good chance that it will flake off. If doing Hightowers is as hard as alot of people make it out to be, why not just do it right the first time? It takes all of a half hour to wetsand the chrome off and thats counting taking it slow around the turn reflector. It is not bad at all. Same with cutting them open. My first time trying this, I had both lights open in under an hour.

[96RedSE5Sp]

If you just want to remove the orange reflectors, try this:

Clear Headlamps (http://www.geocities.com/sweetsvt99/mods/#headlamp)

Aren't those reflectors there for a reason? Is it even legal to remove them? Is this why people do the orange Audi side marker mod?

[96RedSE5Sp]

Has anyone tried painting them the color of his car instead of black?