painting headlights

Rodd1s · Post by **Rodd1s** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:59 pm

ok, ive searched thru about 25 pages worth for a thread i saw ages ago.

the thread in question is where someone disassembled their Lanos' headlights and painted the inner surrounds black, so it looks like its got headlight masks.

the specific info i'm after is the disassembling part of the job.

has any one got any info on it? or pictures?

or would i be alrite just taking evrything apart until i find success?

and is there anything to be wary of, ie: sealant glue, weak rubber seals, weak plastic parts...?

lanos2001 · Post by **lanos2001** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:12 pm

here you go bro.

http://www.daewootech.com/forum/viewtop ... angel+eyes

nick

Pir0 · Post by **Pir0** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:41 pm

I've a few questions about this. Read through that section there.

How would you stop the paint form flaking due to heat in the headlights? ANy special paint you should use? special primer? Would you need to rub down the existing chrome paint to key it for the new paint?

How do you reseal them? Wouldnt putting them back in an oven make the the newly added paint flake off? Would it risk melting them?

I've heard about using a hair dryer instead. Maybe a bit safer as you can control it a bit more.

Also, one last thing, is it ok to reseal them doing this? just reheating the original glue and letting it melt back into place? Or should i silicone it too?

daewoomofo · Post by **daewoomofo** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:28 pm

when you bake them after you paint them you dont bake tha part you painted, that part stays out of the oven and when you take the pieces out of the oven you attach the painted piece to it and put the clear cover back on it. no you dont have to silicone them, the origional glue is good for acouple openings. you should sand the chrome on them (its not chrome paint, its actual nickel chrome plate), of your worried about heat use engine paint, it can take heat alot warmer thant headlights.

jorge · Post by **jorge** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:51 am

To open with a hair dryer yo never go back to your house because you could burn it and your wife trash you

you need to buy a heat gun in home depot $15-35 and solve the problem

daewoomofo · Post by **daewoomofo** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:11 am

dude just use the oven, its safe. ive done it, just remove the bulbs befor you bake. you can controle the temp perfict and all of that stuff.

Pir0 · Post by **Pir0** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:07 am

It's the plastic on the back of my headlights i worry about o_o

Rodd1s · Post by **Rodd1s** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:46 am

lanos2001 wrote:here you go bro.

http://www.daewootech.com/forum/viewtop ... angel+eyes

nick

brilliant! exactly what i was looking for... why isnt that in the 'How-to' section? or did i just completely overlook it?

Rodd1s · Post by **Rodd1s** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:54 am

jorge wrote:To open with a hair dryer yo never go back to your house because you could burn it and your wife trash you you need to buy a heat gun in home depot $15-35 and solve the problem

yeah, ive got a heat gun. so will probly do it that way.

Pir0 · Post by **Pir0** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:58 am

Rodd, what paint are you gonna use on yours? And are you gonna primer it too?

BosnianLanos · Post by **BosnianLanos** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:40 pm

I recommend oven over heat gun...much more even heat spread. With the heat gun, you'll only get one side hot and risk cracking the lights...which is bad. You only need a few minutes in the oven, less than 6-7, just enough to make the glue gooey. Unless you fall asleep, you simple cannot damage the light.

I don't think you need any special paints, but if you're going to be doing it, you might as well use a nice high-quality engine paint that can sustain high temps. I didn't even paint mine, I just covered the chrome with some mock carbon fiber vinyl. I did this 2 years ago and I have no cracking, peeling, or bubbling. It looks totally stock.

And no additional glue is needed to seal them. Just heat them up and stick 'em back together. Idiot-proof.

Pir0 · Post by **Pir0** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:51 pm

Yeah idiot proof but i can be a full scale retard at times.

I've had bad visions of me reheatng the glue and driving down the road, with my car being rather stiff, hitting a 2 cm stone and the lens falling outta my headlight, thus inducing tears from my tearducts.

Rodd1s · Post by **Rodd1s** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:25 pm

Pir0 wrote:Rodd, what paint are you gonna use on yours? And are you gonna primer it too?

gonna use el cheapo halfords own gloss black. at least 3 coats.

no need to primer it seeing as its chrome, just gonna key the surface with 1200 grit wet n dry paper (as i did with my grille) and the painting works a treat.

i put 3 coats on the grille without sanding between coats and it looks as if it were meant to be. bit of a flat colour still tho, so might lacquer it at some point.

Rodd1s · Post by **Rodd1s** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:26 pm

Pir0 wrote:Rodd, what paint are you gonna use on yours? And are you gonna primer it too?

gonna use el cheapo halfords own gloss black. at least 3 coats.

no need to primer it seeing as its chrome, just gonna key the surface with 1200 grit wet n dry paper (as i did with my grille) and the painting works a treat.

i put 3 coats on the grille without sanding between coats and it looks as if it were meant to be. bit of a flat colour still tho, so might lacquer it at some point.

Pir0 · Post by **Pir0** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:44 pm

Reckon gloss would look better than satin or matte? I've some satin in my shed i think. Gonna give this a bash probably at the weekend. Have 4 spare headlights so cant go wrong!