bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

I've done a search but couldn't come up with anything as specific as I was looking for. I'm only 19, in college, without the right tools and guts to remove my bumper, take out the headlights, bake them in an oven, break some piece of plastic, silicone some piece of this and piece of that, and reheat the headlights then putting the bumper back on. So I decided to take an alternative route and "black out" the amber turn signals with the darkest tint film for headlights, like this WDP TL from ronjonwheels.com has done, except I have a NBP.



The catch-22 is that I do not know how to cut the headlight film to the contours of the HID bulb and the amber turn signal. Also, with what tool and how would I keep the cut straight? Here is an illustration.



Has anyone done this? How do I know how much curvature to cut with? Feedback appreciated

I would use the headlight tint film provided here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ACURA...spagenameZWDVW

I think I'd be better off with an easy, reversible procedure than the hassle of removing my headlights then clearing then painting.

datmrman

IMO it seems straight forward:
1) Buy the headlight film from eBay or our trusted vendor RockBlocker
2) Place the film on the headlight and use a marker (dry erase) to mark the curvature.
3) Use an exacto knife to trim the film
4) Apply

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

Not so easy when the headlight bends from the amber to the bulb; simply placing it over wouldn't be accurate cause marking it before applying it, then applying it would shift the original markings.

Jesstzn

I did mine by cutting a carboard template using the film as a guide then putting the template against the headlight I used a pencil to draw the arc.

I went threw a few templates before I got what I wanted .. I also didn't want to cut off too much side light that lights the side of the road.

I used the cheap static film last year and it worked well with few issues, I have since ordered the bulk 20% and will use the template to cut what I need.



The link you posted from e-bay is the same stuff I originally used.

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

um, why don't you want to do the whole light?

Jesstzn

My reason is that I didn't get HIDs to reduce the output .

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

and also cause this is an alternative route for "clearing then blacking out" the TURN SIGNALS. idk why anyone would wanna reduce light output.

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

I'd say leave it stock then. I'm definately not a fan of it cut like that. To each their own......but it looks halfassed to me.

Desert_TL

I think the tinted turn signal looks slightly better than stock, but you can still clearly see the cheese. Fully removing the cheese (by way of the "oven" method) looks MUCH better, IMHO.

Slammed_JDM

i have the whole headlight tinted with the rockblocker and it doesnt reduce light output or nothing.. And its defenitly not illegal if it is a tint. I got stopped the other day and the officer goes man what the hell did you do to ur headlights. He said i blinded him with the HID's and when i passed him he noticed they were smoked by noticing the part of the fogs (fogs were off at the moment). He had never seen them tinted. He said that if you spray them its illegal but this is totally legal since its original purpose is To block rocks... RockBLocker. Heres a pik of my whole headlamp tinted.

sorry its the only pik i have that has the front of the car.

Eoanou

It looks nice, but my friend who did the same said light output was reduced.

ayethetiense

doesnt the partial tinting make it look weird from certain angles? cause you can still see inside the headlight and even get a view from behind the tint.

this might work if there was no room between the clear lens and the actual headlight assembly but there is.

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

yeah i was thinking the same exact thing, which is my only qualm about doing it.

RJANACONDA

iTrader: (1)

how about tinting one complety with some cheap autozone tint or something it dosent have to be exact just close to same darkness and cover one light at night and try to see how much of a differance if any there is tthat way you can compare if its worth the exrtra trouble or if you want to do it at all

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

i think your new headlights are better. post some pics

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

ahahaha will do.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

I have had my Rockblockers headlight tint sitting here since November as I sit here still debating in the same boat as you bforbrian. My initial plan was to do exactly as you planned. I thought maybe nobody had thought of this until I came across a couple pics on the board after an exhaustive search. I studied these pics and after thinking it over I came to the exact conclusion that ayethetiense came down to. It will be also very hard to replicate on both sides even with a template. You may only accidentally get it perfect. It doesn't matter for some people but I guess I'm too much of a perfectionist. I overanalyze my mods before attempting. I experimented with quite enough tacky mods on my cars in my early days....

Also as said you will still see the orange behind the tint. My plan was to clear the lights as well. (I posted a thread awhile back if anyone has tried this before. I got 0 replies so I assume it hasn't been attempted. I thought OK cool, I wanted to be the first.)

But now I shot down the idea of the half-filmed look. I have seen quite a number of cleared/blacked out headlights. Some done better than others so I am starting to get an idea how I'm going to do mine.

I haven't totally ruled out using the Rockblockers however. Initially I would have never considered putting them over the headlight portion thinking of reduced output and legality. At the Chicago meet last Sat. one of our members had them and they seem to cut output minimally and he hasn't had problems getting pulled over. (If only headlight Rockblockers were made 10% instead of 20%). So maybe I'll use them at full length over cleared headlights or not at all and black out the headlights. Question is if I clear and then I put the film, would it turn out too dark to notice the headlights have been cleared? I plan to find out after I clear my headlights and experiment to see what looks best.

The best methods to cut are just as said above, with templates and an Exacto. You could trim the film before you put it on but I think it will come out closer to perfect once the film is on the car. But if you do that, just remember once you trim with that Exacto there will be a permanent etch on your headlight in case you decide to ever remove it.

If you decide to film the signals post the pics. Or if anyone else has done this, post some pics. (I would post the pics I have of the half filmed signals but they are of other member's cars and I wouldn't want to post without permission.) I'm still in a brainstorming phase myself.

aznbo187

iTrader: (1)

It sounds like you want to do this mod just for the meantime until you can do it with the oven method? If that's the case...I would just wait until you can do it correctly. Just move on to a different mod first.

cM3go

I have my tails and sidemarkers rockblockered. I HAD my headlights rockblockered. I personally liked the look, I think I did a pretty good job getting them close to looking the same. You couldn't notice a difference unless you had OCD. I had to get a new headlight cause someone backed into me, and when I got the new headlight, I ended up removing the other side. I never got around to ordering a new set. I've been thinking about it though...

Jesstzn

The headlights are an exact reverse duplicate of each other and I used thin brown wrapping paper taped over the headlight and then the side of a pencil lead to trace around the light. When I cut then I undercut by a 1/16" top and bottom and I have a french curve to get the arc cut I needed.

They are exact and identical on both sides. I used stock 35% material ( darker ) from Rockblocker. A 9" x 18" sheet did me and you can't see the orange behind it.

The signal light shows as a dark yellow when flashing. So I reatian the required yellow for signals.

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

i actually just did the blacking out corners in the oven method.
check out the photograph gallery i posted a "psuedo diy"

darksom1

^ LOL! Getting everybody going on this and then you did the oven! LOL! I thought that was you and someone else doing that in another thread! The tint stuff looks like crap to me! Either you go all out and get the "oven" or just leave it alone. That tint stuff starts coming off and it really looks ricer! Anybody questioning that do a search to see what I mean.

aznbo187

iTrader: (1)

oh well, better for me...less people with the same mod!

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

Never heard of rockblocker coming off? I've had it on for over a year no problems, where others have had it for a longer time no problems.

Do you have experience with these coming off? Or are you trying to make a point that clearing/blacking is better?

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

well pretty much the blacking using the oven is a lotttttttt better
it's just riskier

3rdGenHybrid

i just tinted my corners today....its not bad....you can kinda see orange from certain angles...but it looks nice too....and i ended up using the excess tint to black out the reverse lights....ill post pics tomorrow after everything dries up i can wipe down some of film....