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Questions for the "painted headlight" gurus.

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Old 06-12-2012, 10:07 PM
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blnewt
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Questions for the "painted headlight" gurus.

I've got an 09 OB Sedan and will be painting the headlights soon. I'm thinking a matte black main color w/ gloss black shrouds and gloss black over the amber side marker strip. The question I have is~
~Does the black bezel cause a significant decrease in light output since the reflective nature of the bezel is gone?
~I'd really like to black out as much of the headlight as possible, will the fog lights & turn signals still function bright enough to be effective if I paint the box surrounding the fogs & turn signals black?
~If I plan on using 3m windshield tape to re-seal the lights is it best to remove all the old sealant, and if so, how hard is it to remove, and anything that helps in removing the old sealant?
Thanks for any help you pros can provide
Old 06-13-2012, 05:43 AM
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Djfarhan
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the bezel itself will be fine, however.

blackening out the housing for the fogs and the turn signals will make it dimmer compared to a chrome housing cuz of the decrease in reflection. thats why i left mine OEM for those 2 areas.

i would recommend using the same kind of sealant if you want to use new sealing product to seal the headlights back. the 3m in my opinion will not be strong enough to hold out all the moisture and the last thing u want is condensation in these things. i didnt have to use any new sealant for the resealing them. i used the same sealant that was on the headlights when we took them off. just need to make sure the housing is shut tight and these is sealant aLL along the touching area.
Old 06-13-2012, 08:58 AM
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blnewt
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Thanks DJ, I'll just try to be extra careful w/ the sealant, that would really simplify things if I could just reuse it

I may just install Hella fogs in my bumper, I really don't want any chrome in the headlights, I guess the fogs would be almost worthless without the chrome reflector

Anyone that's painted their turn signal reflectors black I'd like to hear your thoughts on how well they work now.
Old 06-13-2012, 09:06 AM
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Kidcane
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I painted my turn signal housing but then put brighter bulbs in to offset it. They are still a little more dim than stock but plenty bright to be seen.
Old 06-13-2012, 11:09 AM
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TimG37x
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Don't re-use old sealant.

You can leave the old stuff in there but add more to it.

Get some high temp RTV from Kragen or O'Reillys and double seal.

Don't risk getting condensation.

I painted my turn signal housing as well, I didn't put brighter bulbs in but that's a great idea.

I think they are still plenty visible as is but will probably upgrade the bulbs soon just in case.
Old 06-13-2012, 02:04 PM
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blnewt
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Thanks so much for the replies, I think I'll just go ahead and black out the whole thing and add fogs later.
Kidcane, do you have the link for those particular bulbs? Also do you & TimG37x have pics of your headlights?
I was considering using the Butyl windshield tape based on the recommendations in this thread (replies 2&8) The poster in reply #8 has done many headlights so I assume he's a good source
https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-cou...eadlights.html
Thanks again guys!
Old 06-14-2012, 11:58 AM
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Can'tGme
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Can someone answer these questions for me?

1. What LED's should I use for the 'Demon Eye' mod?

2. Where exactly should these LED's be mounted inside the projector?

3. Should I be worried about the heat from the headlight bulb hurting these LED bulbs?

4. Do I need a in line resistor or fuse for these LED's if I'm going to have a separate switch for them?
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