How-to: Black out Headlights!

[bosoversa]

Well, finally got a free weekend to do the other side and document it with pictures. When I get working on something, sometimes I forget to slow down and document EVERYthing. But these pictures should be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to try blacking out their headlights. The main tool used in this is a Dremel or other similar rotary tool, with a fiber reinforced cut-off wheel. Besides that, youll need a sharp x-acto knife, a brillo pad or scotchbrite pad, some high quality black silicone sealant, and some versa downtime! Here we go.

Getting the headlight out isnt too hard. Theres a total of 4 10mm bolts holding it in. The only tough one is behind the bumper, near the fender. Once you get it out, remove all the bulbs/harness and set them aside. Clean the light if you like, because you might not want to be holding a dirty light for the next few hours.Remove this bracket that is help on with two Torx head screws.Begin cutting with the dremel along the most recognizable crease. The red dots show where I mean. Cutting takes time, and its messy, and it stinks. But be patient.You can see where the best place to cut is along that red line^^. Its gonna be tough, but just keep cutting and checking.Remove these two Torx head screws.Using the dremel again, cut this little tab, along with the two others I marked in this next shot.That is the inner housing which we will be painting black.To remove the orange reflector, push in on those two marked tabs and it will pop out the other side.Removed reflector.You also need to remove this clear diffuser for the parking lamp section. In this pic the piece is half-way removed to show how to get it out.Here it is removed. Note the tabs.Here is the housing without it.Here is a shot of the headlight backing that we cut off. Here you can see a little better where to make your cuts.Same idea there^^Clean up ALL the edges that you cut with the dremel. There will be little bits of burned plastic hanging EVERYWHERE. Slice them off carefully with the x-acto. Get every single little scrap of loose plastic away. After this step I vacuumed my entire work area to keep bits of plastic from getting in my light.Take your chrome housing to the sink, and using a brillo pad (steel wool) proceed to scuff the surface. The chrome will actually begin to come off, which is desired. Do as much as you possible can, using water from the sink to rinse the chrome dust away.Here is a closeup^^Take the clean, sanded housing outside and paint it! Of course this is flat black but honestly you could paint it whatever color you want. Even body match the color like the Honda Fits! Once you get a nice covering of paint, let it dry fully, re-assemble the two plastic reflector pieces, and set the housing back into the lens. Reinstall the two Torx screws to hold it steady. Set the headlight backing into the lens/housing and you should have a small, clean gap running along the entire perimeter of where you cut.Like that^^Using the silicone sealant, apply a liberal bead if it along that gap. You want to SEAL the headlight, not just stick it back together. In this case, more glue is better.(to some extent!)Two more pics to show the silicone bead.

LET IT DRY overnight so the silicone gets nice and firm. You should now have an awesome new headlight!

[CodeRed]

Very nice tutorial, i will work on getting it up ASAP.

[mayahmed423]

tht iz so cooool dude, actually the stuff whic we need to black them out are not available in my place. and i so wana black out my tail and head lightz..guyz is there any other way to do tht?????????

[Martin Roy]

How about a picture of it mounted on your car ! It looks awesome man, good job ! I was wondering, isn't there a safer way to separate the light, like using a heat gun to warm and melt the glue, without melting the plastic ?

[mayahmed423]

thtz a diff stuff its dotted tint which comes out coz of heat. + it leaves those dotted markz it lukz ugly then.

[bosoversa]

How about a picture of it mounted on your car ! It looks awesome man, good job ! I was wondering, isn't there a safer way to separate the light, like using a heat gun to warm and melt the glue, without melting the plastic ?

The big problem with the Versa lights is that they are held together with silicone, which doesnt melt with heat. So instead of prying and breaking something, its safer/easier to cut the lens off with the dremel.

And on-car pics are coming later.

[Martin Roy]

they are held together with silicone, which doesnt melt with heat.

Hum... I remember that to change the silicone around the bathtub, I used a special paste that melts it and makes it easy to scrape off. Could that be a solution ? Anyone else knows an alternative ?

[Clipsed]

there is NO alternative besides hacking up the light to do it. My plan was a bit different though, I was going to take my time getting the lense off with only cutitng the lip, and resealing it with Butyl, that way if I ever needed to get inside again, I could just throw it in the oven.

[PB]

Good training,But looks scary if its not all sealed up right.

[reyes1212]

I like it...just wanna see it on the car now.I REALLY want to do this to my car...but i guess i need to go buy some more krylon fusion lolya think that a clear coat would be too much? I would like it to be glossy like the rest of the paint on my car.

[brownbrix]

Nice tut manjust wish you showed how you got them removed im pretty dumb when it comes to this stuff u should see my grill

[MinisterofDOOM]

Great writeup. Your result is how they should have come from the factory if you ask me. Looks very good.

[KimberKenobi]

Can anybody guess what I plan to do Saturday?

hehehehehe

[Martin Roy]

Go for a walk in the park... sing at the karaoke... rent a movie... I don't know !

Seriously, Kimber, keep us informed ! You car is coming along nicely.

[CodeRed]

Can anybody guess what I plan to do Saturday?

hehehehehe

Hack up your headlights, then spray paint the inside, then glue it all back togeather with the same stuff you use to seal the edges your your toilet bowl!?

[reyes1212]

Hey guys, I just bought, the bonding glossy paint, the dremel, and the sealant called "Amazing Goop" or something like that. Now I'm going to do it soon.

[Clipsed]

no disrespect here bosoversa, but I am curious as to why you decided to cut the headlights open the way you did? It is a damn good mod, don't get me wrong, but I think the hack up the way you showed it is not all the best or nicest way to do it. But I am glad you found a way to do it other than the way that I WAS going to open mine. Be nice if Nissan woulda done what Honda did with the fit and color match those.

[KimberKenobi]

hehehe, I bought blue reflective today... ;oD

[bosoversa]

Good luck to those planning on doing this mod! And as far as it being a hacked up way, there really isnt any other great way of doing it. If you try to cut closer to the edge youll hit the part of the lens that is surrounded by silicone. Cutting silicone with a dremel is a PITA (melts, stinks, smokes, and ruins dremel bits), and if you make it past the silicone, youll cut into the lens, which doesnt seem bad, but clear plastic is very stiff and brittle compared to the black housing. If a cleaner, easier way is found, I'll be all ears.

Oh and pictures on the car tomorrow.

[CodeRed]

BOOM

http://www.nissanversa.org/tutorials.shtml

http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=267092

[KimberKenobi]

Boso?

Can you post a pic of your final product? You know, a frontal view of your V with it's new lights? Please?!?

[idunno22221]

i'll post pics of mine in a couple minutes! i just took pictures tonight so i have to upload them..its dark out so its a little hard to see but i think you will get the idea!

[idunno22221]

kk here it is..its a little dark out but oh well!

[KimberKenobi]

It makes me feel way better that someone else has done this already ;oD

I am almost into the first headlight... sigh. I wish I had the money for the corded Dremel... ;oP

[reyes1212]

I know i'm bringing this back from the semi-dead, but I must know...WHY exactly can't we stick the headlights in an oven?is that tint stuff or whatever it is THAT hard to take off with using an oven or what?I saw on the forum AZHT (Hondas) that they jus took theirs off like normal, stuck them in an oven, then paint, and reseal...I WANNA DO THAT...~!

[KimberKenobi]

because the silicon won't melt and loosen.

You can't bake silicon free.

[reyes1212]

man that realllllly breaks my heart.........i wish there were an easier way...i guess ima go pop out my dremel soon...

[jfanaselle]

I plan on doing this as soon as the weather gets better. I might use some niteshades on the reflector, though, so the whole thing looks black but will still reflect.

[CodeRed]

holy bump batman

[reyes1212]

yeah i know sorry codred, but i just had know if there were any updates with this issue or not...i still wonder how those black headlights the thread creator made look like all installed and stuff...