3 replies to this topic

[Alastair]

I guess a few more photos on this process wont hurt.  My MOT s well overdue, and since my last trip when my Full and main beams blew I haven't got round to sorting my car out.  Rather than change the bulbs and fuse, I thought I would finally sort my headlights out properly.
 
Materials so far (most have been collecting dust for ages!)
 
HID kit - purchased 18 months ago!!
Fez light lenses - purchased god knows when on the crowd funder
Primer, and black paint
sharp knife
Sand paper
screwdriver
oven
hair dryer
3M Butyl double sided tape (best I could buy)
PATIENCE!!
A wife to ensure I remain patient and do the fiddly bits with the masking tape!
 
 
Step 1 - remove headlights, 45 mins
 
Passenger side - easy.  I replaced with a wing nut last time I took it off
Drivers side - Remove the wheel and wheel arch liner as my charge cooler pipes prevent access to the nut from under the bonnet (Stupid F'ing car!! I cant see that I could change a bulb without taking the wheel off, crazy!)
 
Step 2 - get old lenses off 1 hour
 
I think I had a mixture of tape and tiger seal on the lenses, this was a really pain in the arse.  The hairdryer method didn't seem to be doing much for me, so I used the oven.  I wasn't sure how hot to go, it didn't seem to make much difference, so just slowly until I found a method which suited.  I was using a knife to get under the clear covers, but found that prizing them off rather than trying to cut the glue worked best for me.


 
Lenses don't look too bad in this photo but they are pretty crazed 
 
Step 3 - clean up remaining glue and residue.  1 hour
 
Just a pain in the arse - but a bit of sand paper and blade to scrape of the residue.  A good clean with white spirit before masking up
 
Step 4 - masking up - 30 mins
 
Use wife and tape here (not like that!).  Small hands work better than mine



 
Step 5 - Primer .  Give them a few coats and leave for 24 hours.



 
Step 6.  Pub.  Finish tomorrow hopefully!!

Edited by Alastair, 20 February 2016 - 02:45 PM.

[Alastair]

Looking very sorry for itself, and very dirty!!!!

[oblomov]

The black paint on the lense outer edge can be a weak point with adhesion.  The joint strength is only as good as that, and the paint can come away.  This is certainly so on OEM lenses.  Fez will know how well the black surround adheres on his lenses.  I suspect probably as good as can be got knowing his meticulous attention to detail.

 

By not masking the corresponding edge of the headlight body, you may have introduced a second weak adhesion point, depending on how well you keyed it to take the primer, and how well the top coat adheres to the primer.  I think butyl double sided tape was a good decision rather than Tigerseal.

 

Put the light bodies back in the car to get the best alignment of the lenses when you first put them on, but perhaps you already know these things and I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs.

[Alastair]

Thanks for the advice. All welcome. Luckily I did key the outer edge well, I sanded the edge down quite a bit to clean the older residue off, then decided I didn't need a smooth finish because of the primer