How To: Black Head Light mod

No one?

 

There are a couple guys that do this already. Pretty sure some of them post up under the 2nd Gen Marketplace thread.

 

Hmm. I would have thought I'd see them in this thread. I'll go look, thanks!

 

Great write up! In the process of doing mine.

 

BeBeep can you throw up a full front end shot? I've always toyed with the idea of color matching my grill and doing the BHLM.

 

Sure does. Thank you sir.

 

Subd

 

Subbed for reference

 

Sub'd. Will do when I have time!

 

Well, it took 9 hours for my 2012 but I did it and it looks bad-ass! Like other posters have said, it sounds more difficult than it is. The work was pretty straightforward and Viet's instructions were clear and accurate. I was feeling adventurous and decided to do both lights at once. If I were to do it again it would likely take 3 hours less to complete.

1. Remove grille 90min This was the hardest, most frustrating part. It turned out to be simple but all of the videos did a poor job of explaining how the bottom clips detach. (Basically you remove the 2 top bolts and 2 plastic pins; remove the trim plates under the headlights then grab the inside and outside corner of the grill with both hands and pull slowly and evenly... but with a lot of strength. POP. Done. It turns out that you don't need to mess with the clips at all. Though it seems like you're pulling too hard, you're not. Wasted a ton of time as I didn't want to break anything.)


2. Remove headlights. 30min. Again kind of a pain on the 2012 as there is one bolt in the fender well and you have to twist the lights out just right.


3. Separate lights and bezel. 30min. A bit nerve racking as I was not sure about the oven but it was surprisingly easy. Viet's times and temps are spot-on. Instead of a screwdriver I used polycarb door panel removal tools which work perfectly and won't scratch the plastic. I simply pried one side enough to get my fingers in there then pulled it apart with a bit of strength.


4. Paint. 4-hours. Sanded the bezel slightly with 1000 grit then applied 1 light and 4 medium coats of Krylon satin black. I also sprayed the Toyota grill badge and bolted on a black TRD badge next to it.

5. Reassemble Lights. 90min. I did mine a little different. Instead of removing all of the old material I left it and added a 1/8th bead 3M window sealant. I reattached the bezel and put both separated halves in the oven at once. This preburned the paint and softened the adhesive in one step. Make sure to reattach the orange reflector! I forgot on the first one so it cost me some time. D'OH!


6. Reassemble truck. 60min. Had a bit of trouble getting the bulbs back in correctly but it went pretty smooth.


I gotta say that, though I'm glad it's completed, I feel quite accomplished at the moment. I'll post pics tomorrow as it's time for Dr. Jameson.

 

Ok guys so I done effed up and I don't know how! I tried to be very meticulous about this. My paint is bubbling and I don't know why. Here's what I did:

I got everything pulled apart smoothly.

I then sanded the easy to get to areas with 400 grit, the rest I didn't bother with because so many people don't even sand at all.

I then blew them off with my air compressor.

Then I made sure I got all the remaining dust and any oils by wiping it down with denatured alcohol.

I let it dry for around 10 min and then I primered 1 coat with Rustoleum Plastic Primer.

I let that dry for about 16 hours (the primer was beautiful and smooth) and then I sprayed one light-ish coat of Rustoleum Semi-Gloss Protective Enamel in the spray booth with the fan on.

Almost immediately it started to crackle I have no idea what I did wrong!! I tried sanding it down and tried again and it immediately started to peel again. WTF?! Does anyone have any ideas?? I really want my taco back I'm driving a jeep wrangler with chrome wheels

 

What do the instructions on the primer can advise? There usually is a time frame for a top coat, usually within a few hours of application or after a week of curing.

The solvents in the black paint reactivated and lifted the primer. All that paint has to be stripped off now for a flawless finish. That's a bitch of a job

 

Oh IT WAS! I left it a little sloppy behind the reflectors but everything else got completely stripped. Its all better now. That Krylon fusion is good stuff.

Do you think 24 hours is enough time for it to off gas? I would love to put them back together tonight.

 

I wish I had waited longer on mine, I started to get a haze on the inside clear lens from what I believed was the solvents in the off gassing process. I had to cut a strip of chamois cloth and feed it into the headlight assembly while the lights were off the truck. I put mine back together with a few hours of doing the mod though.

Basically, if you can still smell the paint chemicals, the off gassing hasn't finished. That could be a week or more and I don't know anyone who has that amount of time to be without their truck.

 

Bullocks...

 

I've offered this in the past. The problem is you don't know what kind of lights you're going to get back from the customer. Often times, the headlights get damaged during removal if you're not careful.

It's hard to get like for like. I still offer BHLMs if anyone is interested though.

 

? Yeah thats what I did use.

 

Scott's had a long day.

 

You have a PM.

 

Just wanted to toss a 'thank you' this way. With the help of this thread, I just finished the BHLM on my 2015.

Cheers.