how to clean and paint the inside of your headlights

**bigdawg15005** · 10-08-2009

I assume no responsability if you screw up your headlights from not doing this properly !!!!!!

The lights get discolored on the inside to. Which im sure you guys know. There may be a write up on this but i dont know because i didnt search it.. But my point is,

1. Disasemble the light, remove all bulbs ect., all but the headlight itself. This also works for the corners.

2. Bake them in the oven for like a min or so on like 275-300 preheated temp. Keep checking on them and leave in longer as nessesary, but you dont want to melt them, so dont walk away from them while they are in there...

3. Keep trying to pull the lens off of it.You may also want to have a small flat screw driver handy to get it started. Be gentle you also dont want to scrape the lens all up.

4.When it gets warm enough the factory seal will let loose.Once it does let it cool down.

5. Clean it ,sand it,ect whatever you feel will make it clearer. Dont forget to scrape any dried up old factory sealant off around the lens and the housing.

6.While your at it tape off the mirror like reflector and paint the bottoms of them whatever color you like. kinda how they do the black headlights but whatever color your fond of.

7. Then when your done cleaning and painting them its back to the oven,only this time your gonna heat them up and press them back together.

8. Once you get them back together the best you can let them cool back to room temp.

9. Then hit the edges with a very small bead of clear silicone caulk...I used tub and tile silicone caulk as it is an adhesive and a silicone combined. I believe tub and tile is the brand of it,its a blue and white tube and i think it works the best.

I have had these on my car for almost 2 years and havent had any
condensation issues....Thanks for reading..
Good Luck i hope this helps you guys out......
click links below to see pics
I found these on my womans camera hope they help...ill try to get some real close up ones later...........
http://www.grandprixforums.net/membe...n2009-058.html

http://www.grandprixforums.net/membe...n2009-057.html

http://www.grandprixforums.net/membe...n2009-059.html

**bigdawg15005** · 10-08-2009

i will try to get pics my camera broke and my cell doesnt take good quality pics...i tried and you cant see in detail very well.

**Skeeve** · 10-08-2009

Nice write up, i just did the outsides of mine a few days ago and realized that the insides were nasty too, and was about to just start prying the lenses off tomorrow, didnt think about baking them to release the bond, has anyone else done this? good? bad? please chime in

**ohioGTP** · 10-08-2009

I havent done this with my GP, but I have done it with my Tiburon a couple times.

Its really pretty easy, once I got the factory seal to come loose I just had my wife cut it with a razor knife as I stretched it (it stays kinda gooooey, at least for my Tiburon it did).

**mvp2765** · 10-08-2009

^^^^ Same, i baked head lights for a 350Z to change the amber reflector to a clear one...

Does anybody know if there's a clear reflector to replace the amber one for 2000 Grand prix headlights?????

**bigdawg15005** · 10-11-2009

I dont know..........But i like your red hat....It go good wit your glasses.....Hahahaa!!!!!......... J/king....

**mvp2765** · 10-12-2009

it's bubbles, from trailer park boys...gotta see it, than u'd laugh...you tube some clips

**bigdawg15005** · 10-13-2009

I know i was just messin with you...like it was a pic of you lol...its cool that shi* is funny as hell.

**Skeeve** · 10-13-2009

Originally Posted by bigdawg15005

I assume no responsability if you screw up your headlights from not doing this properly !!!!!!

The lights get discolored on the inside to. Which im sure you guys know. There may be a write up on this but i dont know because i didnt search it.. But my point is,

1. Disasemble the light, remove all bulbs ect., all but the headlight itself. This also works for the corners.

2. Bake them in the oven for like a min or so on like 275-300 preheated temp. Keep checking on them and leave in longer as nessesary, but you dont want to melt them, so dont walk away from them while they are in there...

3. Keep trying to pull the lens off of it.You may also want to have a small flat screw driver handy to get it started. Be gentle you also dont want to scrape the lens all up.

4.When it gets warm enough the factory seal will let loose.Once it does let it cool down.

5. Clean it ,sand it,ect whatever you feel will make it clearer.

6.While your at it tape off the mirror like reflector and paint the bottoms of them whatever color you like. kinda how they do the black headlights but whatever color your fond of.

7. Then when your done cleaning and painting them its back to the oven,only this time your gonna heat them up and press them back together.

8. Once you get them back together the best you can let them cool back to room temp.

9. Then hit the edges with a very small bead of clear silicone caulk...I used tub and tile silicone caulk as it is an adhesive and a silicone combined. I believe tub and tile is the brand of it,its a blue and white tube and i think it works the best.

I have had these on my car for almost 2 years and havent had any
condensation issues....Thanks for reading..
Good Luck i hope this helps you guys out......

I followed this a couple days ago and it went well, i used rtv clear 66br i do believe, it has a temp rating -75 to 460 f, the only think i can recommend that wasnt mentioned in this is to scrape between the lens and the body with a razor blade, cleaned out a bunch of the original sealant and made it easier to pry them apart.

**JbrownGTP** · 10-13-2009

What kind of paint should i use to paint the inside?

**Panzer4** · 10-13-2009

Very good write up. Props OP.

**bigdawg15005** · 10-13-2009

Originally Posted by JbrownGTP

What kind of paint should i use to paint the inside?

The stuff i used was called diamond hard its soposed to stick to anything,and it worked. I just used that because i was xperimenting and had it laying around. It was a semi gloss black and it looks awsome. i dont see why you couldnt use any kind of good quality spraypaint just primer first so it sticks good bc for the most part its sealed. Xcept for that little breather thing on the back. I forget the name of it........

**bigdawg15005** · 10-13-2009

Originally Posted by Skeeve

I followed this a couple days ago and it went well, i used rtv clear 66br i do believe, it has a temp rating -75 to 460 f, the only think i can recommend that wasnt mentioned in this is to scrape between the lens and the body with a razor blade, cleaned out a bunch of the original sealant and made it easier to pry them apart.

Dang i knew i was forgetting somthing. Yea i scraped that dried up sheeot out to.But for the most part most of it stayed in there or wouldnt scrape out..for people who havent done it when you do youll know what we r talking about...and when i reheated it the lens restuck in it so i just hit it with a tiny bead of that tub n tile to make sure it stayed and sealed you know lol.....

**bigdawg15005** · 10-13-2009

Thanks guys glad i could help out..

**Sandman** · 10-14-2009

I might try this, the inside of my headlights have gotten water spots in them. Good way to reseal these cheapos from ebay.

**bbptech** · 11-01-2009

Do u have any pics to show how they turned out.

**bigdawg15005** · 12-10-2009

finally got pics ....will be on here later tonight.....

**DaytonaGTP** · 12-21-2009

Originally Posted by bigdawg15005

I assume no responsability if you screw up your headlights from not doing this properly !!!!!!

The lights get discolored on the inside to. Which im sure you guys know. There may be a write up on this but i dont know because i didnt search it.. But my point is,

1. Disasemble the light, remove all bulbs ect., all but the headlight itself. This also works for the corners.

2. Bake them in the oven for like a min or so on like 275-300 preheated temp. Keep checking on them and leave in longer as nessesary, but you dont want to melt them, so dont walk away from them while they are in there...

3. Keep trying to pull the lens off of it.You may also want to have a small flat screw driver handy to get it started. Be gentle you also dont want to scrape the lens all up.

4.When it gets warm enough the factory seal will let loose.Once it does let it cool down.

5. Clean it ,sand it,ect whatever you feel will make it clearer. Dont forget to scrape any dried up old factory sealant off around the lens and the housing.

6.While your at it tape off the mirror like reflector and paint the bottoms of them whatever color you like. kinda how they do the black headlights but whatever color your fond of.

7. Then when your done cleaning and painting them its back to the oven,only this time your gonna heat them up and press them back together.

8. Once you get them back together the best you can let them cool back to room temp.

9. Then hit the edges with a very small bead of clear silicone caulk...I used tub and tile silicone caulk as it is an adhesive and a silicone combined. I believe tub and tile is the brand of it,its a blue and white tube and i think it works the best.

I have had these on my car for almost 2 years and havent had any
condensation issues....Thanks for reading..
Good Luck i hope this helps you guys out......
click links below to see pics
I found these on my womans camera hope they help...ill try to get some real close up ones later...........
gp gt tinted head lights - Picture

gp gt tinted head lights - Picture

gp gt tinted head lights - Picture

ok just to make this clear for me so i dont screw this up... the back part of the assembly where it looks like a bunch of little reflective squares... i leave those alone and just paint the smooth areas on the bottom and around that area right...? i know it should be obvious but i want to make damn sure before i waste my time doin this twice...lol. thanks dude.

**wildman4910** · 12-24-2009

I used a crome paint & primer combo from duplicolor to fix my head light buckets. the origanal crome was completely faded to black. I resealed the lens with clear rtv. Hope this helps.