FR-S Headlight Reflector Blackout

[Yruyur]

One of the guys here did color match it with his asphalt. Looked amazing. Headlight just looked like a seamless part of the car.

Sent from a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

[mxsled]

Originally Posted by retrosmiths

I've heard of plastidip melting on really high temps..plus I read somewhere that when you remove the dip layer, you'll take off the chrome too..

yes,the chrome come off when you try to remove the plastidip...don't use plastidip for blackhousing

pic of last year when I've removed the plastidip of my old tail lights

[Diode Dynamics]

Originally Posted by mxsled

yes,the chrome come off when you try to remove the plastidip...don't use plastidip for blackhousing

pic of last year when I've removed the plastidip of my old tail lights

Yeah...I would definitely avoid using plastidip on the headlights, I don't think it holds up to the heat very well and paint looks a thousand times better IMO.

Just my .02

Nick C.

[ck-GT86]

Did this over the weekend following the DIY tutorial by @DarrenDriven

In total, took me about 8 hours.

A few notes/tips:

1. Materials: VHT Epoxy Satin Black spray paint (1 can), 320 grit sanding block, dish washer soap and Grease Grizzly Degreaser

2. Sidemarkers - there's a notch along the bottom you press up on first, then stick the screwdriver in behind the other notch and pry outwards

3. ORGANIZE ALL OF THE CLIPS, maybe it's because I like to think I have A.D.D. There are a lot of clips and bolts that need to come off, EVERYONE hates it when you're missing or ending up with an extra bolt. (see 2nd attachment)

4. Oven heat - I baked my lights at 220 degrees for 14 minutes. Took some effort to pry apart the housings, but it saved the risk of melting anything

5. BE PATIENT, this takes a lot of time. Don't even think about skipping any of the steps, do it right, and do it 100%

6. The highbeam rubber seal does not simply pull off like the lowbeam rubber seal, you need to remove the 3 screws, pull off the plate, then twist the seal until it "clicks" off.




Clip Organization




I really like the finish of the VHT Epoxy satin black, can withstand up to 250 degrees, plus it doesn't require a primer. I'd suggest you sand off the chrome coating using 320 grit sandpaper, it'll help with the spray-on paint. Once done, I sprayed on the Grease Grizzly Degreaser, then washed again with dish washing soap; hang-dry and wipe off with a cloth. Go easy on the first few coats, I waited about 10 minutes between coats out in the sun. Once done, I followed all the steps in reverse order and applied some Permatex Black Silicon adhesive sealant around the edges as a "just in case"

[Charky]

Originally Posted by DarrenDriven

Oops, yeah, my bad.

Darren how is the light output off your headlights with the hid 55w kit throw time??? Is it the same as the first time you intalled them.

[Gixxersixxerman]

Originally Posted by ghost86

Anyone done a color besides black? I'd love it on one of the lighter colors but still want some contast on my Ultramarine. Just want the chrome gone. Thinking about trying Krylon Fusion Satin Pewter Gray.

I did mine color matched, a whit out color matched and a color matched black.. Paint was bought from here
http://Automotivetouchup.com

Results
Best pic I have of mine in asphalt


Best picture of the black


The white out



Again, these are all perfect color match paint.. The black and the asphalt have the perfect amount of metallic

Also a customer asked me to do his headlights in plastidip



Then later decided to go quad projectors, because of the epoxy the halos tear the plastidip and I had to peal it all off both lights.. I never took a picture after but the lights came out like they never had anything on them. Chrome and everything came out great





I've never touched the chrome with anything but fresh gloves.. I don't clean, sand, wipe, anything to the chrome housings.. I use krylon paint, usually satin black and in over a year have not had one problem..

My first retrofit, after sanding and cleaning I always had fish eyes or other problems.. Since then I've just sprayed them how they come out of the assembly and have not had a issue yet

[retrosmiths]

What projectors did you use for the retrofit?

[Gixxersixxerman]

Originally Posted by retrosmiths

What projectors did you use for the retrofit?

I used the new morimoto 6.0 mini H1..

And for the quads I use the morimoto matchbox projectors

[retrosmiths]

So TRS now includes 6.0's instead of 5.0's in the FR-S Retroquick Kit?

[Gixxersixxerman]

No, I got those kits from headlightsquick.com, those FRS on there I did.. I got with TRS to see if they would take my template to have them all cut the same.. Then a 5.0 or 6.0 would work

[Gixxersixxerman]

Blacked out BRZ lights I did yesterday

[retrosmiths]

Can you post said template?

I always thought the mounting points/screw holes are the same for both 5.0 and 6.0..

[Gixxersixxerman]

Originally Posted by retrosmiths

Can you post said template?

I always thought the mounting points/screw holes are the same for both 5.0 and 6.0..

They are the exact same, the problem is the 6.0 is wider and taller, so some minor trimming is required, problem is the metal is so think I have to use a dremel with a cutoff wheel. Yeah, I'll get a picture and post it.. The template is one of the brackets I haven't used, I just traced off of it for awhile, I've done so many since the group buy Vegas86 did that I don't need it any more, I know the cuts by heart now

[retrosmiths]

Cool man, let me know, I'm planning to upgrade to 6.0.