dave586270

iTrader: (3)

So I've been a member for a while, seen all the great things you guys have done to your cas and I'm finally getting around to showin off my work so far. She is all show, with stock go, and i'm proud of how it has turned out so far:

Here she is completely stock from a couple years ago (except the windows. don't have any pics before i tinted 'em)


De-badged and pulled up the passanger muffler (was saggin a bit) thanks jproy for your help!


Here is a close up of the new rims; 225/40/19 on Kumho Ecsta SPT's


And here she is standing lookin good!


I'm working on a few other small things right now.
- Upgrading the headlights to 6K from the factory 4K
- Tinting the tails unless i can get a swap or buy the 03's (they are hard to find on here)
- Custom mesh grille (pending a free weekend to fit it)
- New beefed up brakes with slotted/drilled rotors painted, w/performance pads
- Re-painting the calipers black to keep with the theme and hopefully upgrading to the Legend calipers this summer

I'm just so happy that i've finally gotten a chance to put some work into her with the weather finally cooperating out here. Thanks to everyone on the forum for inspiration and plenty of projects to drool over all winter while deciding what I wanted to do. Enjoy...

Mike

good to hear that you're enjoying the $$ pit

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Oh don't I know it. Just when I think i'm done I find something else I like. I mean is there really anyone out there who can honestly say there isn't a single thing left to do to their car?

DaInFaMMuS1

gotdamn that thing is sitting high! lookin pretty good tho

DaInFaMMuS1

definitely need suspension as ur next mod

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Thanks man. I actually just bought some today, but i'm not lowering it much. I don't like the slammed look when it's down on top of the tires. I like an even gap around. Just replacing the stock cause it's got a lot of give and making some noise on the right side.

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

clear ur head lights black the housing

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Alright so last weekend the work continued on CL-S. Didn't have time to clear the headlights, but will try this weekend. Did have the car apart for the day to get some work done:

Supplies for day ahead:
New intake filter
Sway bar links
Caliper Paint
Brake Parts Cleaner
Clear Corner Bulbs
2 New struts
2 Sets of strut mounts
Brake fluid
iPod with playist to run all day (like 1500 songs)


Two projects at once (the beauty of having help)


My brother worked on the suspension for me, while I did the brakes


So I've been getting this bad 'pinging' noise from the suspension for like a week. Bro took it apart and found this gem.


Buddy told me about a different way to paint the calipers, went twice as fast as the last time I did, and holds up so much better; heat caliper, dust paint, heat paint, repeat (made unbelievably fast work of the calipers).


Couldn't believe what the old filter looked like after only a year and a half on the cold intake... Damn Illinois winters. So much easier to work on intake with bumper off! last year i did it by just undoing the shroud under the bumper and squeezing everything out that way...


New sway bar links (just maintenance). They were a bitch to get out. Me and my bro spent like a half hour trying to cut 'em out cause once we broke the old ones free, they just free spun and wouldn't come out. Cutting is fun...


Working till about 10:30. Got all the brakes put back together, suspension on, bled the brake lines, and put her all back together.


So it was quite an extensive weekend getting all this done in a day with work and play all mixed in. But I love the progress being made. Thanks again for all the members with write-ups and DIY that have more than made my job easy.

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

damn that looks fun, can't wait till college ends in june

JayT

Hafa!!!! I seen your license plate bro. LOL.. keep up the work and I hear you on there is always something in mind that I want to do next to the CL. Next for me is putting in my 6000K, clearing my corner's, buffing out all the damn oxidation, and re-doing my grill.... I can't wait for my next 2 days off. keep up the progress.

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

It was a ton of fun. I always enjoy workin on her. Just so crazy when its all in pieces than seein it come back together...

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

How have you seen my license plate? Or do you mean you've seen someone with something similar? Yeah, this weekend i'm gonna try and clear the corners. After that i'm right behind you with the 6K's and the grille. Working on some 03 tails, they are hard to find though. But the list is getting shorter...

Gregory_20706

So U have 225/40/19 tires was there any problem with rubbing since U have lowered it?? What is the offset of that rim u have there?

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Yeah they are 225/40/19. But I haven't lowered it yet. The offset is 8. I do plan to bring it down a bit, but right now it's sitting stock height.

JayT

from the pics you have posted your license plate says CHAMORO so I assume your guamanian was all.... and you mean the rims are 19x8 (8 inches in width) not an offset of 8?

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Oh shit, yeah that's what i meant for the width, not offset, sorry about that Gregory_20706. But yeah my dad's side is Chamorro/Guamanian. The proper term is Chamorro, it's so funny cause I've never heard anyone use that word (guamanian) except my friends. They made it up when I told them my dad was from Guam. They were like, "Oh, so then you're Guamanian?" I just laughed cause it's not a real word. You're only the second person who's known what my plates mean.

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Sorry man, what I meant to say was the tires are a 45 offset. The new offset compared to the oem ones puts them right at the edge of the fender, I love the way it stands with them now. So all together:
Tire: 225/40/19
Rim: 19/8 with 45 offset

Look at the back tire and you can see what I mean about the offset pushing the wheels out more...

JayT

I know what the proper term is I just wasn't sure if you understood what I was saying in reference to your plate... that's why I was like Hafa bro!! and hence why I used the term "guamanian"... which actually is the real/ a real term at least for haole. Improperly used and what I've heard plenty times was "oh your guamin" that's when I proceed to say "what the fuck bro, where you get guamin from" LOL.... I rock my 671 sticker discreetly...anyways bro...shoot!

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

that's great. I love when i'm around my friends and I'll call someone a haole and they all just look at my like wtf? Good stuff. I never heard Guamin before, that's one for the books though man!

Gregory_20706

I gotcha Thanks

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

No prob man, you lookin to sport some new rims?

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Forgot to put up a shot of the new calipers...lovin the black so much more

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Alright, here for the update. I've seen so many guys with it and I finally set aside some time and managed to clear out my headlights! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but damn the results make it all worth the wild. It was tricky finding a solid DIY for the lights so this afternoon I plan on writing a full DIY with detailed pics and instructions.
I also upgraded to 6000K lows and am excited to take some pics tonight to add to this update! Enjoy!

SlickShiftNall6

iTrader: (4)

I'd like to see how you did your headlights. Everyone says there are real bitch to do. Did you find some short-cuts? Please list the materials used thats one things that I can't find in specific. (type of silicone etc.) Thanks-

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

No problem, I'm actually working on the write-up now. It was challenging but I think you just have to really be patient and take your time to do it right.

DK Type S

iTrader: (1)

Great looking car. I'm glad to see you're sticking with a theme. I'm trying to do the same. Having an NBP CL-S I'm going black with chrome and red accents. My new shoes should be here sometime this week.

bhurlbut

Damn, that is sooo funny! The past 6 weeks I've been doing the same work! I'll have to post pics of me using a plasma cutter to removed the old RSB endlinks!

VIPCLS

Clean, I like them wheels alot!! What brake system did u go with u never said?

nbennettksu

iTrader: (2)

as CLtypeSLOW would put it, I think you meant you downgraded to 6000k

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

I've been looking forward to this mod for a long time. When I decided to look around and research this mod it was hard to find a solid write up. I found a little here a little there and was able to get a general idea of what I needed to do. So hopefully this D.I.Y. write-up will help anyone else who is looking forward to trying this mod.

MATERIALS

Flathead Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Medium Star Screwdriver
Silicone Sealant (I used an RTV waterproof/weatherproof silicon sealant)
10mm socket (long socket or an extension will help)
Clamps (when re-sealing housings)
Heat Gun (no oven heating here)
Razor or putty knife (scraping old adhesive from housing)
A buddy with a little free time (another set of hands makes this process much easier)
A well ventilated area (melting glue and fresh silicon can get to you)

STEP 1
BUMPER REMOVAL

Remove Bumper
It doesn't really matter which order you remove the bolts and snap clips as long as you remove them all or else you wonder why the bumper isn't coming off.

Bottom of Bumper
There are four(4) snap-clips and two(2) 10mm bolts on the bottom side of the bumper. To remove the snap-clips just use the flathead screwdriver to pop the flat part of the clip up and then the whole clip will pop out. I put all the clips/bolts for the bottom of the bumper in a zip-lock bag so i didn't mix them up with the other clips/bolts.

Here are the two(2) clips on the driver's side of the bumper:


Here is the 10mm bolt on the right (you can also see one of the two clips from the previous step on the left side. I just circled that to you give you a reference point for the 10mm bolt:


Top of Bumper
There are eight(8) snap-clips on the top of the bumper holding the radiator shroud to the bumper.

This is what you should see when you lift the hood. The black piece running along the top of the headlights across the bumper and covering the radiator is the shroud you are going to remove in this part:


Here are the five(5) clips in the middle of the shroud (the blue circle with an 'x' is where a few screws are that you'll remove in the next part of the bumper removal):


Here are the two(2) clips on the driver's side:


Here is the one(1) clip on the passenger side:


Once you have removed all the clips the shroud should come right off. Just set it aside where you won't trip over it.

Once the shroud is off, there are three screws right on top of the bumper in the middle (where the bumper comes to a point under the hood latch). These were a pain in the ass to remove because they had never been unscrewed. Make sure you don't strip them. I actually had to drill out the two smaller ones on the left and right because they were rusted in place. As long as you can salvage the bigger one in the middle that is all you really need.
Once again I put all the clips from the top of the bumper in a zip-lock so I didn't mix them up when putting it all back together.

Side of Bumper
The final bolts you need to remove before you can take the bumper off are located on the sides of the bumper right in front of the two front tires. These are 10mm bolts like the two under the bumper.

Here is the driver's side bolt. They are right in front of the tire, if you have trouble reaching them with a socket, try turning the wheel to get better access to them:


Now that you have all the bolts/clips removed you can slide the bumper off. It's a little tricky to do by yourself so if you were able to wrangle a buddy into helping you than this is a good time for him/her to step up and make himself/herself useful. Once the bumper is off, you should have something like this:


Alright, now the bumper is off! Believe it or not that was the simplest part. But its all business after this, set the bumper where it won't get in the way and where the weather won't get to it either. It's gonna be off for at least a day so inside is your best bet. I just took it down to the basement so it wasn't taking up room in the garage.


STEP 2
BUMPER/HEADLIGHT BRACKET REMOVAL

Remove Brackets
With the bumper now off you will see a metal bracket underneath each headlight. Each bracket is held in place with three(3) 10mm bolts. If you have a socket extension, it will help on these.

Here is the one(1) on the outside of the driver's side headlight:


Here are the two(2) underneath the headlight:


Got those out no problem right? The ones on the bottom are a bitch cause the threads are so long and take forever to unbolt with the limited space to ratchet back and forth... Well now its time to take out the headlights.

STEP 3
HEADLIGHT REMOVAL

Remove Headlights
Now that the brackets are removed there are only two more bolts holding the headlights in place. The headlights are wedged in there pretty good, but make sure you support them with your other hand (or call back your buddy) while you unbolt them.

These are the two bolts located on the top of the driver's headlight:


Unplug/Remove Bulbs
Once you've got the bolts out, you just have to disconnect all the bulbs in the headlight housing. There are four total. The High Beam, Low Beam (HID), Turn Signal, and Parking Lamp. The High Beam is locked in place. All you have to do is look at the orientation of the thread and turn the bulb to unlock it. It takes some muscle so don't be afraid to give it a little oomph. The Low Beam (HID) is really simple. You can't remove the bulb itself, you have to unplug the power harness from where it connects to the back of the housing. Just push down on the clip and it slides right off.

Here is the back of the headlight housing from above. The High Beam is on the left (turn and it pops out), and the Low Beam (HID) is on the right (just unplug the power):


The last two bulbs are the same as the High Beam Bulb was, you just turn to unlock and they pull right out.

Here is the Turn Signal (on the top of the picture), and the Parking Lamp (the bottom of the picture):


Make sure that you tuck the bulbs back so they don't swing around or get in your way when you have to re-install everything. Be careful not pull too hard or bang them around, or else you're gonna be shopping for some new bulbs.

Alright so now you have all the bulbs removed and you can take the housing out of the frame! Set both the housings somewhere comfortable for you to work cause the next steps are going to be time consuming.

STEP 4
REMOVE HID BULBS

Remove HID Bulb
Now it sounds simple but the bulbs are locked in the housing to keep them away from moisture and dirt. Flip the headlight housing around so you can see the back of it. It should look like this:


Now if you look closer you'll see a warning sticker and the dust/moisture shield where the HID Bulb is housed. At the top of the housing you'll see a small star screw. Once you unscrew this the back cover will rotate to unlock and then pop right off.

Here is a closer look at the back of the HID Bulb housing (the star screw is circled at the top):


Once you have the cover off you can see the HID Bulb and the wiring, etc. There is a metal clip that holds the bulb in place. The metal clip latches right underneath where the wires connect to the bulbs harness. Push it down to release the bulbe and slowly pull the bulb out! Be careful! These are expensive bulbs so take your time taking them out! Once the bulb is out you have to turn the bulb in the harness to unlock it, then pull it out of the harness. MAKE SURE NOT TO TOUCH THE BULB! You can ruin it if you touch it with your hands.

Here is the back of the Bulb harness with the cover off:


Once you have the bulbs out make sure you set them aside somewhere where you will not damage them. That could be a costly mistake!

STEP 5
CLEARING HOUSING/REMOVING AMBER DIFFUSER

Open Headlight Housing
Now that you have Headlight Housing removed and the HID bulb is out you can begin the process of Clearing it (removing the amber diffuser from the corner). In this step you are going to need the Heat Gun, your buddies hands, and that flathead screwdriver again. Out of all the steps this is the most tedious. I can't stress enough how careful you need to be on this step. If you rush through, or you're not thorough in your work you may have problems with moisture getting into the housing. So please, take your time and remember that this is the most important step.

I found it easiest to start from the inside corner of the headlight first (the sharp corner on the opposite side of the amber diffuser). Find the seam where the grey sealant is visible between the black backing of the housing and the clear front. Heat it slowly with the Heat Gun making sure not to stay in one spot too long. It really doesn't take too long to heat the glue. To see if the glue is getting soft, just place the flathead screwdriver between the seam and turn it (don't pry or else you'll bend the plastic). If the glue is warm enough you will see the seam spread apart very easily. Continue to work your way down the seam slowly, heating the glue and twisting with the screwdriver to work the seam open. Once you or your buddy can get a good grip on the seam with your fingers, slowly pull it open while the other uses the heat gun to keep the glue warm. If you take your time and work your way around the housing, once your buddy starts pulling it apart the additional heat will make it very easy to pull apart. Just remember, TAKE YOUR TIME! You don't want to break anything.

Here is my buddy pulling it apart while I keep the glue warm with the Heat Gun:


Cleaning/Removing Old Glue
Now, hopefully without too much trouble you've pulled the Black Backing and the Clear Front of the housing apart. In one hand you should have the back of the Housing which has a deep channel going all the way round the endge of it that is full of the grey glue. Then in the other you have the clear front of the Housing that also has the greay glue all around the edge. Now you have some clean up work to do before you can go any further. I almost made the mistake of not cleaning up the glue first. Trust me, do it while it's warm and get as much of it off as you can.

Keep the glue warm with the Heat Gun for easy removal:


Use the Flathead Screwdriver to scrape out the excess grey glue from the channel:


The Black Backing should look like this (this is the hardest part to get clean, but the most important. You need a clean channel so that you can put fresh silicon sealant in it for a tight bond):


Make sure you take your time on this part! All this extra grey glue needs to come off for a nice clean seal later:


The front of the housing shouldn't be as messy. The most important part about this half of the housing is to get the inside edge clean so that when you remove the chrome reflector, you won't get any glue on the chrome.

Removing Amber Diffuser
Once you have removed as much of the glue as you can, it's time to take out that Amber Diffuser! Make sure you're hands are clean or you put some new gloves on so that you don't get anything on the inside of the lens when removing the diffuser.

As you look at the inside of the Clear Housing you will see two screws at the bottom of the chrome reflector. Be careful when unscrewing these two screws. The chrome reflector is fragile so don't bend it or put too much pressure while unscrewing them.

Here are the two screws behind the chrome reflector:


Once you have the chrome reflector and the clear housing separated, make sure not to touch the chrome or the inside of the clear housing. You want it to look clean, so hold it by the edges to keep any fingerprints off of them both. As you look at the back of the Chrome Reflector you should see the hole where the Parking Lamp goes through. Use your clean/gloved finger or a screwdriver and gently push through the hole against the Amber Diffuser.

Here is the hole for the Parking Lamp you want to go through:


STEP 6
RE-ASSEMBLY OF HOUSING

Finally! Now you have removed the Amber Diffuser and are almost done. The hardest part is over, but you still need to work carefully to ensure your work will last.

Resealing the Housing
Now it's time to put it all back together! First you have to put the Chrome Reflector and the Clear Front back together so you can screw them together. Start with the round side of the Chrome Reflector and put that side in first. Then push in the rest before screwing it back onto the Clear Front. You are screwing into plastic so don't force the screws in.

Using your Silicone Sealant put a nice thick bead in the channel of the Black Backing of the housing you cleaned so thoroughly in the last step. Re-Heat whatever grey glue is left on the Clear Housing (you want to get it warm and soft again so it will help bond the housing closed again). Then starting from the sharp inside corner of the housing, put the two halves of the housing back together. I started with the sharp corner because it fits right into place and makes it easy to guide the rest of it together. Make sure you snap all the clips along the seem back together to help hold it in place during drying. Once you have them back together, press them firmly to work the Silicone into the seems. Secure the Housing with clamps so that they can dry properly. ALLOW 24 HOURS TO DRY indoors away from humidity and weather.

Here is everything drying overnight:


I covered the car overnight cause I didn't want it sitting out like this:


STEP 7
PUTTING YOUR BABY BACK TOGETHER!

A lot of members have said that you should test the housing in a steamy bathroom to make sure its all sealed up. The only problem is you have to tape up all the holes and can't really be sure if you've taped it up all the way. It's a good idea so if you like you can do that before starting to put it all back together.

This next part should be pretty self explanatory. Just reverse the instructions to put the car back together. Make sure you remember to reconnect all the bulbs in the Headlight Housing, put all the snap-clips back in, and put all the bolts back in. I've done this a couple times and almost always forget about the bolts in the wheel well infront of the tires. Make sure someone is around to help you put the bumper back on as well. I did it by myself but trust me, its much easier with an extra set of hands.

So I hope this helps anyone who is thinking about doing this mod. I debated for a long time if I was going to do it, and the results are amazing! I love the way it looks:

BEFORE


AFTER


It just takes some time and patience to get the results you want:


All the glue that came out of the housings!

jaysizzlecity

Nice work.....

DK Type S

iTrader: (1)

Wondeful write-up. I'll be doing this at some point in the near future.

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Here is the write up. Enjoy!
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196883

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, i really like the black and silver. Once I do the grille I will pretty happy with the way she looks until I get under the hood!

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Where you asking me or <bhurlbut> about the brakes and wheels?

VIPCLS

U, you said in the pics ur bro did the suspension while u did the brakes. Just wanted to know what brakes u went with since u have them 19's. U should upgrade from the stock brakes if ur runnin that big of wheels correct?

JLTSX07

First of all, nice ride dude! By the way, I saw your car at the Walmart in Antioch on Monday night around 11:45 p.m. I noticed your plate and the rims. Anyway's, it looks pretty sweet, keep up the good work! :thumbsup:

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

I was confused by your first post. I didn't upgrade the brakes yet. The bigger wheels don't effect the braking at all. I actually have new brakes sitting in the basement waiting to go on. But there is a good amount of life left in the stock ones so i'm gonna wait to put them in. I've got slotted and drilled rotors with performance pads waiting to go on. The new brakes should grab a lot harder (great for all my highway drivin) and will look hot through the big rims.

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

Thanks bro, yeah i'm usually there a couple times a week. What you drivin? I'll have to keep an eye for ya. I'm always on the look out for other CL's in the area but there aren't too many. Every now and then I'll see one cruisn down Grand, but usually its some older person. I've only seen one other nice CL, I saw him a couple months ago. It was Silver and he was rollin on some sick chromies. I was in my g/f's car at the time so I would've looked like an idiot yellin out at him, "Nice car!"