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Headlight Blackout mod
Tools needed:
- Flat head mini screw driver
- Torx Screw driver set.
- Silicone Sealant Clear
- Painters, blue masking tape
- News papers
- Krylon Fusion Plastic High Gloss Black Paint
- 320 grain sand paper
- Conventional household Oven
- Powder free latex Gloves
- Oven gloves
- Aluminum foil
- Piece of cardboard. Size should enough to fit the headlamp on top of it
- Windex glass cleaner
- Micro fiber towels
Step 1: Remove the headlights; refer to (Headlight Removal walkthrough)
Step 2: Remove the 3 plastic pieces on the back of the headlamp.
Step 3: Remove the black boot on the back of the headlight by pulling on the ear flaps.
Step 4: Remove the Clip holding the bulb in place.
Step 5: Remove the bulb
Step 6: Remove the 3 torx screws on the outside corner of the headlamp.
Step 7: If you are wondering about the weather strip, there is no need to remove it. Preheat the oven for cooking to 300 degrees.
Step 8: while the oven heats up, prepare the piece of cardboard to put the headlamp on top of it by covering it with aluminum foil.
Step 9: Once the oven is ready, turn it off and put the headlight inside on top of the cardboard covered with aluminum foil. Wait 10 minutes.
Step 10: This is the hardest part. Take the headlight off the oven with oven gloves (as it will be hot) and begin to pry off the clear cover from the side marker side towards the turn signal side. Use the flathead mini screwdriver to open the tabs as you pry the clear cover off. At the same time you pry off the clear cover use a stick or something small to direct the streching glue away from the clear cover and put it in the channel with the rest of the glue on the back part. You may need to remove some of the glue.
Step 11: Using latex gloves remove the 2 Torx screws holding the chrome piece inside the clear cover. Handle the chrome piece with latex gloves to prevent prints and grease to get on it.
Step 12: Remove the signal light cover and the orange reflector.
Headlight components after openingStep 13: This step is optional, but do it if you like. Mask off the turn signal reflector in the chrome piece with painters masking tape.
Step 14: Lightly sand the remaining surface to be painted and clean the pieces with Windex and the micro fiber towels
Step 15: Prepare your painting area. I prepared a 4X5 newspaper square and placed the chrome pieces on it.
Step 16: Paint the pieces with 6 light coats waiting 10 minutes between coats.
Step 17: One hour after painting remove the making tape from the signal reflector.
Step 18: After an additional 4 hours you can place the signal cover back and the orange reflector if you like. I left out the signal cover but had to put the orange reflector back because of local law.
Step 19: Put the pieces in their respective clear covers and screw the 2 torx screws that hold them in place.
Step 20: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
Step 21: Turn off the oven and insert the back part of the headlamp in the oven for 10 minutes.
Step 22: After 10 minutes remove the piece using oven gloves and verify that the glue is soft enough so that you can put the headlamp back together by pushing firmly on the sides starting from the side marker side toward the turn signal. Be careful that the glue does not get on the visible part of the headlamp. You can remove some of the glue to prevent that before assembling the parts together. Screw back the 3 torx screws removed in Step 6.
Step 23: Cover all the border were the two parts meet with silicone sealant. (As a precaution to prevent fogging)
Step 24: mount the plastic pieces removed in Step 2 and the bulb with the black boot.
That’s all
Note: I left the headlights dry for 7 days before mounting them back on the truck
Finished mod pictures
Before and after
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