Well here we go, I got up the balls, and split open my expensive HID headlights. Everyones been talking about it, so I figured Id jump in. Steps and pics follow..

1. Remove the headlights..bumper first then 3 -10mm bolts
2. Unplug the main harness and remove the blinker bulb.
3. Remove all bulbs..Definitely dont forget the the HID one!!!!
4. Take the three small screws out of the back which help to secure the lens to the housing. Youll see them

4. Preheat oven to 220 degrees ( I tested a few, this was the magic number) tuck up all wires, lie down some aluminum foil and place the headlight in there for 6-8 minutes. Dont worry about the Ballast, It took the heat without an issue..I did a lot of research on this first
5. Take the light out and slide a butter knife around the edges, working the silicone and prying a little, but obviously not too much to crack anything
6.Keep repeating heating and opening the edges, and eventually youll get the lens off the front. (Much easier than I expected.)
7.Dissasemble the light into the parts shown

8. I used adhesive promoter, matched car paint, then gloss. When its all set, reassemble, and fit the lens back over the housing

9. Line it up as best as you can and put back in the oven at the same temp. 6-8 minutes in squeeze the lens and housing together creating a good seal again.This actually worked great.

10. Run some silicone to MAKE SURE theres no moisture getting it

Well here ya go..Day pics will follow. HIDs still work great..def the best mod Ive attempted so far!!

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1019.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1020.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1021.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1022.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1023.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1024.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1025.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1026.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1027.jpg

End result is great I think... I decided to keep the reflectors, for inspections and everything and to keep bulb brightness. Some pics look awkward because of the reflector shining with the flash...so keep posted for daytime pics!!!! Let me know what you think

pretty cool! let us know how they keep up in the weather

so far so good, its pouring outside and not a drop in there..I sealed those things up with silicone better than Mazda did I think

haha very nice! id like to see it with the other one on it too...

imo i woulda painted the silver accents black.. i think that woulda looked nastyyyy

When I had the White 8 I always wanted to do that. I think the silver painted in black would have been the hit. Looking good!

it looks real good. i might want to experiment with mine paint them winning blue.

honestly..they look amazing on the car. I just came back from the bar and checked them out walking by again... I just have to do the other one tommorrow, I figured Id try one first and see if the ballast or anything could deal with the heat which it did without a problem.

You have some balls man.

Yeah paint the grey part black and it should look amazing.

You have some balls man.

big freakin cojones fo sho. theyre somethin crazy like $600 right? wow.

ooh i really like that.

Looks great man! I, unfortunately, do not have the balls to attempt this myself.

congrats. it looks a lil weird to me, but well done. nice DIY there too. i so need to attempt this.

pretty sweet, sounds like I need to tap my bodyshop connection and see if I can score me an extra set to experiment, wonder what matching headlight/taillights would look like? lol

probably good, but you cant bake the taillight open..the plastics fused. BTW I have some better pics, i ended up painting the gray pieces white which made them flow together pretty well

^ You can crack them open... How else would people be able to remove the water and moisture that builds up in there?

i haven't seen anybody crack open the taillight successfully.

you get water out by taking off the light from the car and tilting it... thus draining it through the bulb socket openings.

amazing. awesome job

nice work, u have done what no other man has done before!

great job, looks pretty good!

Ngo: when are we doing this to your car???

hahah, open it up to spray those parts black. :rofl:

when i get a spare, we'll try it and paint the reflectors too! that'll look sick as hell!

moar pics plz

http://people.cs.vt.edu/wchiang/images/clockwork_orange_eye.jpghttp://medias.ados.fr/people/6/6/669/Marilyn-Manson/photos/410-marilyn-manson.jpg

Looks nice, but will anyone notice it?

i honestly done like the white color but it does look awesome! great job!!! i would prefer just straight black. but thats just me, still, looks great!

i was thinking Marilyn Manson as well... but i kinda like it :naughty:

looks AMAZING! i may have to do this, this summer. Where can i get VR spray paint at??? mazda dealership??

I might have to try this. You should swap out the projectors while you're in there.

I might have to try this. You should swap out the projectors while you're in there.

any reccomendations? :eyetwitch

i think u missed the bezel of the parking light.

that looks sweet, may have to try this once i get some time.

Interesting... if I was mechanically inclined I'd do it.

I keep getting PMs about doing this for people.. Id probably be willing to do it for cheap if you supplied the paint, but Id be worried about something happening and by some chance, a light cracking. Im fine doing it on my own lights, but Id hate to slip and suddenly I owe someone a 500 dollar light.

I still have one more light to do on mine, if everything goes smoothly again, which im sure it will, ill try and figure out a way to help some people out with theirs.

You got some marbles to pull this off! but it looks good. If i can find a spare set of head lights i would try em out too.

u should put custom angel eyes in there as well, ive seen them somewhere on a forum. looks really good

Next step might eventually be angel eyes.
UPDATED PICS- FINISHED!

Word of advice on this DIY, spray over your matched paint with high temp clear engine paint (5.99 at autozone) I was having a problem with the paint melting a tiny bit inside the bezels, and leaving a layer of paint fumes on the inside of the lens. This 500 degree gloss solved that problem...and theyre watertight, they sat out in a rainstorm last night
enjoy

I definitely need to get stealth bulbs now huh

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1049.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1050.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/dralla99/IMG_1051.jpg

interesting idea... but i wouldnt do that to mine. it just doesnt look right..

i like, but i think you shoulda just painted the bottom part white,

interesting idea... but i wouldnt do that to mine. it just doesnt look right..

i think because the kit is soooo off it makes it look weird too

Props! I like it a lot! :yesnod:

looks great! I have seen it done on a WB, and it just did not look right but I love it on the WWP and the MS kit.

Props!

i think it cheapens it. i thought the idea sounded good but not a fan of the end result.

i think it looks awesome, i wanna do it to mine but i dont have the balls :(

looks awesome. like the corvette lights.

i think because the kit is soooo off it makes it look weird too

because the kit is sooooo off???
Im lost there, if you mean the line where it meets the hood, those 4 bolts arnt in yet, i just finished putting the lights back in and layed the bumper on there to get some pics.

thanks for the comments everyone though, i love it, im not going to lie...i think it looks great with the WWP

looks great man thanks for the DIY

because the kit is sooooo off???
Im lost there, if you mean the line where it meets the hood, those 4 bolts arnt in yet, i just finished putting the lights back in and layed the bumper on there to get some pics.

thanks for the comments everyone though, i love it, im not going to lie...i think it looks great with the WWP

yes, that's what I mean. I think it would look better with the bolts in :) It was just distracting to me. lol.

I wonder how this would look if you did it in black instead of white.

Remember this..............it was on that crazy camo car from NZ! :Eyecrazy:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?p=2072025#poststop

This starts at the point where we finally got some pictures, so look at the above link and work your way down. These were blue if interested.

AND..................then he crashed it!

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=128832


Dave

yea he gave me the idea from that thread.. It was easier to get the nerve up once I knew how they came apart from his pics

I like it a lot. I dont think it looks bad, just different. Everyone here is so used to all black with a tad bit of silver then we see our light in all white......on a white 8......so much white......lol, I like it though, good job

nice work man yea i did that mod last year but i crashed my 8 before i got around to installing the headlight, but i just gave my painted headlight to my panel beater to install the headlights i will take pictures next week

here is the picture of my painted headlights
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t290/yushinrt/?start=40

about the tail light you can't crack them open ay you have to cut the tail lights apart here is some picture of me doing it
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t290/yushinrt/?start=80
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t290/yushinrt/?start=60

yea man your pics gave me the idea to do it... about the taillights, thats crazy, it looks like you cut the lens off the front?? Or did you cut the back off and access it from there..ive been thinking about doing it, I just wasnt sure of a solid process.

nice work man yea i did that mod last year but i crashed my 8 before i got around to installing the headlight, but i just gave my painted headlight to my panel beater to install the headlights i will take pictures next week

here is the picture of my painted headlights
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t290/yushinrt/?start=40

about the tail light you can't crack them open ay you have to cut the tail lights apart here is some picture of me doing it
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t290/yushinrt/?start=80
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t290/yushinrt/?start=60

you are crazy...lawlz. lets see some finished pics :)

yea i made will post some picture next week

any reccomendations? :eyetwitch

I just got my custom projector lenses in the mail. I'm going to swap them out this weekend.

I just got my custom projector lenses in the mail. I'm going to swap them out this weekend.

Post pics when they arrive! I am very eager to see how they turn out. How much were they and where did you get them?

I installed the lenses this morning. They look incredible against the wall in my garage. I'll start a thread tomorrow with pictures.

damn i like it, you wanna do mine

Rasp im growing impatient! LOL. Please post some pics I am dying to see what this looks like.

i will try get picture tomorow from my panel beaters

shakeyourbrakes, nice job, I will be doing mine within the next couple weeks (all black obviously). Done lots of my previous cars. Sux gettin the glue apart!

shakeyourbrakes, nice job, I will be doing mine within the next couple weeks (all black obviously). Done lots of my previous cars. Sux gettin the glue apart!

Nice good luck, just a word of advice, make sure to take out the tiny screws that also hold the two parts together (lens and housing) on this headlight..theres 5 around the outside on the back if i remember right. When you seperate them, go slow because the plastic ring around the projector lens is connected to the headlight housing. PM me if you have any issues, cant wait to see the pics.

Ha its funny i did this on my last car and made it black to git rid of the chrome. I think if i did this in VR I would look like a C6 wanna be. The last car was a black miata I re did the housings in semi gloss black. So much better then chrome. I also never never had a problem with moisture in the last three years. Also I did that repaint in five different steps.

Dude, you are a GOD, this is amazing. I am prolly gonna attempt to do this but it seems like every time i try to do a project like this it turns out looking HORRIBLE. Oh well, imma try anyway. Any tips on things i should NOT do? Also, what do you guys think about me painting it velocity red? Can you buy VR in a rattle can?

Casanova

Pretty cool. I like it. I wouldn't try it, but I like it.

...it seems like every time i try to do a project like this it turns out looking HORRIBLE. Oh well, imma try anyway. Any tips on things i should NOT do?

Casanova

Yea, NOT forget about the headlights in the oven.

Lawl

got the front end apart and headlights out..... whata PITA.... the fun part ill be doin in a few mins.... BAKING AND PRYING..... ugh

bump from the dead; has anybody tried painting the chrome around the turn signal lights? Would it just look wierd with the only chrome being behind the high-beams?

Those lights look awesome! I've been looking on ebay for blacked out headlight assemblies with no luck. I bought some for my last ride ('04 Dodge Ram) and they still look great today. Then guys on the Dodge forum started doing thier own like you did in the oven. I never could figure out why because I sold my stock lights on ebay for almost as much as I paid for the black ones.

its fairly easy once you tackle the project, and you can customize them however you want once theyre open...i think thats why most people go for it. So far i havnt heard any horror stories from people baking them open, only from people who sealed them too soon and had the insides fog over. No HID issues though

the only reason i don't do this is because you have to leave some chrome chillin unless you want your highbeams to be dead.

Yeah thats the only thing that turns me off about it as well. Oh well, I bought all the paint and will be blacking out my headlight housing this weekend. Ill post pics when its done :D:

please do then maybe you can help me with mine lol ive wanted to do it for so long just chicked out every time

For sure man, Im praying that everything goes ok :lol:

Ok I got the headlights open and apart and they are in step 2 of operation blackout (paint)

Updates should be up tomorrow (im hoping to finish)

Awesome idea, great results! Cheers

lets get some pics, rossy

None yet; Im having a terrible time trying to paint. Anybody here a paint guru lol? The paint is spidering/bubbling almost instantly after i spray. Ive sanded down all the surfaces. Im shaking the can for a minute and spray 6 inches away only a light spray. Oh well ill give it another go in the morning.

what paint are you using? did you sand and then primer?

Yeah i sanded it down, sprayed primer, and then this happens. Maybe its oil from my hands? lol.

Ill resand it again in the morning with gloves on :dunno:

Yeah i sanded it down, sprayed primer, and then this happens. Maybe its oil from my hands? lol.

Ill resand it again in the morning with gloves on :dunno:


This sounds like static charge build-up on the surface of the part. Plastics can be a real pain to spray paint due to this. Krylon offers the Fusion line of paints specifically for plastic. Avoid wiping the surface with a dry cloth before painting.

oh ok thanks man; ill see if i can find that paint

yeah that's what i was gonna suggest. you can find it in walmart, home depot, michael's craft store. that stuff you dont even have to prime. thats what blackmobile used inside his lights when he did em. its what i used for my emblems too. dont be too far away and thin with the coats or the shit gets really powdery.

Damn I was just at home depot and didnt see it... ill try walmart

yeah sometimes not home depot depends on your specific one. in my experience you cant go wrong with walmart. and if youre looking for a flat black and they dont have it in the fusion paint, the camo series paint is also made with the fusion technology so you can use that.

I prefer stock, but I liked your painted look before you did the rest of the bezels.

might want to hit some good primer on there too after cleaning them completely with rubbing alcohol or something

Update:

Finished painting one housing. Still waiting on the other one to quit being a bitch (I have to resand it again and start over lol). In the morning Im going to clean the headlight covers really well then reapply silicone and seal it off. I'll hopefully have some daytime pics up tomorrow afternoon. I have mixed feelings on the result so far but I'll make my final decision tomorrow. So far its been too much work for results lol :lol:

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/joeltross/DSCN1604.jpg

i think it looks good. make sure you let the paint cure enough before closing them back up. what paint did you wind up using in the end?

I ended up just trying again with the stuff i had ( Duplicolor all adhesive something like that) in Gloss black. Followed by clear coat then by high temp engine spray

cmon ross are you drivin around without headlights or are you sittin around scratchin your balls all day gettin high on fumes waitin for paint to dry ahahaha

:lol: yah the front bumper is off and no lights lol. I try not to but the fumes smell sooo gooood!!!

yea those will def look good

you should of paint them pink inside with glitter

Dude I seriously considered that :suspect:

Nobody has hot pink headlights :evil_laug

Update: Both housing are finished painting. I will be putting them back together today but one side still needs to air out for a few more hours. Ill post pics tomorrow of the finished product :D:

IT'S FINISHED!!

Big props to shakeyourbrakes; if it wasnt for his DIY this never would have happened.

Blacked Out Headlights:

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/joeltross/DSCN1607.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/joeltross/DSCN1608.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/joeltross/DSCN1609.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/joeltross/DSCN1610.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/joeltross/DSCN1611.jpg

It looks 10x better in person so I'll get some less glarey pics tomorrow morning mmmkay

All in all I think this project was well worth it. I was sick of all the chrome on the car so along with this I blacked out all the badges. Took about 13 hours total.

wow, i love how the blacked out headlights look on a black 8...real good job man, thats how they shouldve came from the factory

wow those blacked out headlights look awesome,
those white ones defiantly need a two tone look to them i think or at least the eye lids back on

mine arnt white anymore, those are old pics, that lasted about a month then i switched to a dark gunmetal/black similar to his....

Thanks guys!!

I painted everything black except for the super reflective parts. I did paint part of the Hi-Beam section (the lower part with all the ridges) It was a matte chrome so I knew it didnt really do much anyway.

I think coupled with the stealth turn signal bulbs the lights really pop now :D:

nice job dude. they definitely look different than i had anticipated. maybe its just the pictures, but the painted stuff looks kinda metallic. not a negative comment tho.

if my nuts get as big as you and shakes, i'd love to do mine.

Its not quite metallic. I used gloss black but honestly it looks more semi/matte than anything else up close. I still need to get those non glarey pics lol

I painted the whole inside black... everything, I used the fusion paint(good for plastics)... Highbeams are basically useless, the turn signals still show up.. but yeah its a good look... but not very useful.

got pics? I was going to do that but then I thought nahh, if I ever wanted to sell the car I want it to look somewhat stock lol

i know im late here, but for those of you that painted your headlights completely black on the inside, does it affect your light output? or are the lights just as bright?

Lights are just as bright, the housing is independent from the bulb.

thanks!

I have not yet installed these- but I had to try this in Velocity Red. As seen I installed the Oracle Halos while they were open.

I cant wait to see those installed! Good job.

The light output isnt effected, the projectors are seperated from the area that gets painted, though if you do what i dod, and spray every other section then the high beams become useless.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/163472_190870550939871_100000507828603_668247_4558 31_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/168037_194020097291583_100000507828603_688887_5544 81_n.jpg

This was a great DIY- I airbrushed the tricoat, and went with high temp clear. The Oracle Halos look awesome.

This was a great DIY- I airbrushed the tricoat, and went with high temp clear. The Oracle Halos look awesome.

Two things what paint did you use and also do you have a picture from far out so you can see the whole front of the car, and how it looks with the red housing

thanks!

The paint is the factory 27A paint code Velocity Red Mica, a tricoat. It was...a challenge. Using the factory paint this way on something so small and getting it right just took a lot of time, patience, and money. I had to mix the paint very thin to run through my airbrush, and apply several very fine coats first of the base, then the top. As stated I did not use auto clear, I used High temp clear.( and it orange peeled slightly) For anyone else trying to do this I recommend setting up several mix batches and finding a similar surface to paint on well before ever taking the light apart. Both layers require proper thinner and activator ratios to cure properly. (you have to know what you are doing) I have a local auto paint shop who will mix me small batches- some shops have the ability to pre-mix and put these in aerosol cans if you talk them into it.

I keep the car garaged, but the next time I have it out and clean I will grab a few "far back" pics.

Great writeup might be my next project, Ross Dawg the black definitely looks good.

two things what paint did you use and also do you have a picture from far out so you can see the whole front of the car, and how it looks with the red housing

thanks!

175332

175333

Nice. I like the hood as well, what brand is it?

Nice. I like the hood as well, what brand is it?

This is the vented "Chaser IS" style. fiberglass. There are differences in the high edge molding around either the vents or the rotor shape in the center of the hood.

http://www.shop4bodykits.com/0407-mazda-rx8-chaser-fiberglass-hood-p-65279.html

i want hid lights. do you have a link where i can get the right hid kit? for all lights if possible. please and thanks.

i want hid lights. do you have a link where i can get the right hid kit? for all lights if possible. please and thanks

so you want an HID kit for the write side of the car then?

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g377/jessrx8/IMAG0218.jpg

Sorry for the size for some reason it just feels too red for me. I reccon would be way better like like lil gato
What do you guys think

should'a painted the rings black.

Not the wright side of the hid but the right fit for the rx8. Every car has a different model. I'm just trying to find a link to buy rx8 hid lights.

Not the wright side of the hid but the right fit for the rx8. Every car has a different model. I'm just trying to find a link to buy rx8 hid lights.


O ok! Good luck.