Decided to bake the headlights i was so damn nervous about this cuz i just bought the lights off sick06cobalt lol but they came out ok i still have to put the lens on just thought id take a couple pics of what i did.






Painted them sport red tint and then i have the stealth turn signal bulbs on the way i think its gonna look sweet on the car, what does everybody think?

 

Thats a hot idea, never seen that done before, nice work man

 

how hard were they to get apart?
i have been thinkin about doing mine

 

They aren't hard at all to take apart if you put them in the oven. Once you get the adhesive warmed up they pull apart pretty easily and I used a flathead screwdriver to help pry them apart as well.

 

Yea they weren't too hard to get apart and that was my 1st time doing it...put em in the oven at 200 for 25 minutes and just took my time with it, i just got it all back together and im gonna run a small bead of silicon around just to make sure i have no leaks...godd i wish my car was here i think its gonna look sweet im supposed to get it back tuesday!

 

thanks for the info

 

Nice can't wait to see them done.

 

Just put the silicon around them so this is how they will sit til i get my car back im excited.

 

man those look sweet i am gonna do mine this coming weekend and think of paintin them the blue flash metellic i hope they come out good any tips would help

 

I baked them at 200 for 25 minutes and used a screwdriver to pry the lens apart, i'd only do a little at a time and then put it back in for a few minutes to keep the glue warm..once i got it apart i popped the orange piece out and scuffed it real good with 800 grit sandpaper. I used 2 coats primer 2 coats base and 2 coats clear and let it dry overnight. I baked the lights again to get the lens back on i just reused the oem glue that was left on it and after that i ran a small bead of silicon just to make sure i have no leaks

 

did you guys have problems with the silicon stringing off and getting on the chrome? if so, how did you get it back off the chrome

 

it's not really that stringy
it wasn't hard at all to keep it away just be cautious i guess

 

if the silicon is stringing to much its probably to hot, I would recommend 200* for only 15min

 

nope i bought a tube that had a trigger on it and it came out in a really small bead so i didnt have much trouble...but if it did id probably let it dry completely then just pick it off with your finger nail and if anys left over take some kind of adhesive remover to it

 

Are you going to leave the rest of the light chrome or going to paint it?

 

leavin it..i was going to paint the whole thing and then do nightshades on the orange part but everybody here who has done anything with the headlights has painted the whole thing so i wanted it to be a lil different

 

I wonder what a nice slate/dark gray would look like?

 

on the chrome or on the reflector?

 

when you put them in the oven you just put them on the oven rack? that plastic won't melt at all. (i know it's only 200 degrees but still...) i want to take mine apart to paint them black but that's the only step i'm worried about

 

Lets See Them At Night Dude
Pix Plz

 

The chrome, so the headlights are darker, but not black like everyone else

I put mine on a baking sheet, but i doubt it makes a difference

 

i might try it on the next set of lights i do i dont wanna mess with takin it back apart right now lol.....and i'll post night pics in a few days my car is at the shop cuz some dipshit hit it with a trailer but it should be done tuesday or wednesday

oh and yea i just put them right on the rack it didnt get hot enough to melt at all i grabbed the headlights out with my bare hands..haha yall know how the bottom of the headlights has the plastic pieces that notch into the headlight bracket to secure it? well they got stuck in between the bars on the oven rack and when i first went to grab the light out it was stuck i was like **** i melted the light to the oven! lol

 

thanks so much guys for the ultra quick responses

 

no prob im glued to this site right now

 

ugh I hate taking apart headlights - I did it on my alero - TWICE - and swore it off forever since. Baking them eases things. but i got my little sister to hold a hairdryer on the seam as i was prying them apart and that made a big difference too.

I had them painted black the last time i did them, and it REALLY helps to use a quality plastic primer before spraying on the color (then you dont have to use plastic-specific paint) then clear over the color. Just take your time and do it right and it really lasts.

just be sure to tape off anything you dont want sprayed - overspray gets EVERYWHERE. I left the chrome around the bulbs unpainted for reflective purposes. It looks really nice that way if its taped off perfect.

Also, wipe off the insides them before you put it back together or you will be regretting the dust and fingerprints inside forever! Then re-seal with new silicon.