Black headlight housing

I haven't found a thread on the 3rd gens yet.. but I have seen a few pictures of people's Tacos here that have done the blackout mod to their 2016. Could someone post your experience and pics? I want to black mine out as well.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-bhm-blackout-headlight-mod.419323/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-bhlm.404598/

 

I just finished mine. I painted them OEM Ford tuxedo black pearl.
Ive done a few BHLM before. These on the tacoma where such a pain in the ass and by far the hardest I have done. It took me two days to finish. Some pointers.

-Yes you have to remove your bumper.

- Take your time when pulling apart. Toyota used Permaseal which has a higher melting point than the black plastic on your headlights. I did 295 degrees for 15 min, pulled and put back in for 7 min and pulled repeat until the came apart. Took probably 5 or 6 tries. This stuff cools down and rehardens in like 2-3 minutes.

- Its a BIG pain in the ass, but you need to go back and pull out all of the old adhesive, to ensure a proper reseal. (put back in the oven for 5 min at a time to soften)

- The seal I used is "RightStuff" from auto zone. This way I could fill in all of the voids really well. (buy the caulking gun tube not the little metal canisters, because those loose pressure half way through)

- Have some silica packets to put into the bottom of the head light for added security against moisture. (there is a little door on the bottom of the headlight that is perfect for them to fit in.

 

How hard is it to take the internals of the light apart.. like the projector and the lens covering the DRLs?

 

That's the easiest part.

 

+1 good tips.
Here is my write up;
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-bhlm-retrofit-projector.429820/

 

Man has been such a pain. Started out with 225° for 15 min.. didn't budge. 250° for 10 min.. still nothing. Went for a little longer and the cardboard I had it sitting on started to burn. Smoked out my kitchen. I gave up for the night. Only got small spots peeled back. Still far from complete separation. Gonna try again tomorrow... Maybe. It was so much easier to do my s14 headlights.

 

It's a pita, and will require multiple bakes. in-out-in-out. I did 240deg @ 18min. Sealant was still hard, so back in at 260deg @ 10min. Start at a corner and use a flat head to work in the plastic channel. The key is to "break" the seal in 1 spot and work your way around. don't worry about bending the plastic surround, collateral damage will happen. You can re-hear it and mold it back once it's apart.
IMO, BHLM is a MUST on this truck.

 

You need to be at 265 minimum, I had mine at 295 but kept a close eye on it. No more than 7 min at that temp. Like the guy above me said, you will have collateral damage but you will be able to mold that back. The main thing is to not crack the clear lense. When pealing apart make sure you try to put all the stress on the black plastic not the lense.

 

Did you guys clear coat your paint? If so which can did you use? Please post pic. Every time I try to clear coat something it makes the finish foggy looking. Not truly clear.

 

No. Few coats of Krylon fusion matte black. Let it cure and seal it up!

 

Okay cool. I'd hate to mess up my finish after making it look good. I'm using Rustoleum gloss black for the base.

 

I'll having a time getting this remaining permaseal stuff off the lens and housing. I'm beat.. lol.

 

What have I gotten myself into? Lol

 

just have to muscle the old glue out with some blood and sweat. I used a razor blade on the clear housing, and a flat head to scrape the glue out of the housing channels. Critical you get most of it out! This will make the seal so your headlights don't look like a fishbowl when it rains.

 

Yeh im trying to get most of it out. Luckily this is just a practice light I bought from someone on eBay.. so if I mess up its no big deal. It will prepare me for when I decide to do mine. LolI'll know more what to expect.

 

Well test light is done. Can't wait to start on mine!

 

Nice work man

 

Thank you!

 

Just use a heat gun instead of having to take them in and out of the oven.