How To: Black Head Light mod

I'm getting ready to do this and Ive been reading some other threads on the subject that talk about sanding the chrome off the before painting.

Is this necessary?

 

Maybe not sand all the chrome off, but most definitely need to scuff it up real well. Otherwise the paint will have nothing to stick to.

 

I did it. I can't guarantee it's necessary. But I can tell you it's much easier to sand the chrome off the plastic than to sand equivalent chrome off of metal - which is a serious pain in the patootie.

 

I didn't bother, but I used RustOleum's version of Krylon Fusion.

 

I didn't bother with it, just used the paint designed for plastic and was good to go.

 

Is it mandatory to stick in oven?

 

Only if you don't want to break them when you try and separate them

Seriously - the'yre glued together and the only way to soften the glue is with the heat of the oven. You wouldn't get good results with a heat gun - you'd get parts too hot and other parts not hot enough.

 

Good luck getting it apart without breaking it without heating the glue.

I didn't use the oven to reassemble or cook the paint, but I literally waited a week before closing them up, and months before installing the lamps and installing, so the paint had plenty of time to off-gas.
I got creative with clamps and shims and over the course of a week, the lens pulled in flush.

 

Do not use window weld. It's not the same as the butyl type stuff. It's more like plastic and doesn't seal very good. And it's harder to pull apart if you ever need to.

 

Advanced Auto or Autozone should have it. I'd use the roll.

3M Window Weld is perfect to use to seal up the headlights... They come apart with the same effort if you ever need to do it again. I don't know if you're talking about the tube stuff but the window weld roll is good stuff.

 

For those that have used the Krylon fusion paint, did you use the flat black or gloss?

Any recommendations and experiences with one or the other would be appreciated.

 

RustOleum "All Surfaces" (self-priming) in Satin Black.

 

I painted mine white but I used Krylon Fusion. Pretty sure it was satin.

 

I used adhesion promoter with Krylon Fusion sation black.

 

Is adhesion promoter a primer that you apply first?

 

Yeah it helps with adhesion of topcoats to whatever surface you're painting.

 

Yes it creates a good base for the paint to stick to. Krylon fusion still looks great on my badges after 3.5 years, I dont think i have used a better paint.

 

Krylon fusion in satin black, not too shiny not too flat.

 

You're a poet and don't know it

 

Just did this mod. Really not bad. I had a buddy lend a second set of hands.

200 degrees for 8 min was what I used.

Adhesion promoter and rust oleum satin black.