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So I decided to remove the amber reflectors from my 08 SC. Checked with the transportation safety act to ensure it's all kosher.. [paraphrased quote] "...as long as front turn signals or marker lights are white or amber, you're golden. Likewise for the rear being amber or red..." Check.
I suppose we may as well take a look at a before and after comparisson. See if you want to read further.
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Nice?
Alright, I will warn you all now, I did this mod several months ago, but never got around to documenting, thus I'm doing this by memory, so forgive me for anything I miss.. and I'm not going to go into things covered elsewhere. Removing the bumper should be second nature to someone doing a mod like this.
I take the plunge, clear my schedule for the day, and remove the front bumper assemby. Directions are everywhere. Assistance helps. Headlight assemblies come out. the bolts to remove them were easy enough to find. I won't go into how to remove them, because... I forgot how. It was pretty straight forward though. just a bit fiddly.
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Look close at 1:30, 6:15 and 10:00 and you'll notice where the bolts were holding the assemby in place. I think.
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Into the oven (carefully) at 200°F. you want them to warm, not cook. Had a cup of coffee while it was warming. Got my wierd scaper-y thing (
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) and began work of prying the lens off. There were clips around the outside, but I didn't take pictures of them. That's because I'm awesome. pry them loose, work the lens off slowly so as not to bruise the plastic. The black adhesive is crazy. I decide at this point that it's strong enough to reuse. Eventually it's open.
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The individual pieces inside the assembly are pretty easy to disassemble. I got the amber lens out, took it outside and started with my dremel. I love that thing.. Once I had it cut the way I wanted it, I sanded the crap out of it (to hide my misses with the cutting wheel) and cleaned 'er real good with some alcohol. Get ready with the spray bombs.
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(don't look too close at this one, please. I'm not the steadiest hand with the dremel, but it dissapears once it's reinstalled)
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I decided to spray the surrounds black as well. it was almost there already, but I figured if I can ruin it further, why not?
Once it was dry(ish), I took it all back inside, and reassembled.
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Hmm.. seems I missed a photo. Let's see if anyone notices...
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All back together, I pressed the lense back on, but gently. Popped it back into the oven to warm the adhesive again..
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I decided that with the paint, I wanted it a bit cooler. Don't know if it helped. Now's a good time for another cup of coffee. Feel free to ignore the chrome. I wonder if that's where I draw my inspiration?
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Press the lenses back on firmly, resnap all the clips around it.
This would be a good time to replace the amber bulbs (behind amber lenses, go figure) with clear white ones. I didn't like the look with the amber bulbs, it killed the effect.
Reinstall the assembies into the front of your car, replace the bumper, and step back in pride at your newfound awesomeness.
I suppose we may as well take a look at a before and after comparisson. See if you want to read further.
Nice?
Alright, I will warn you all now, I did this mod several months ago, but never got around to documenting, thus I'm doing this by memory, so forgive me for anything I miss.. and I'm not going to go into things covered elsewhere. Removing the bumper should be second nature to someone doing a mod like this.
I take the plunge, clear my schedule for the day, and remove the front bumper assemby. Directions are everywhere. Assistance helps. Headlight assemblies come out. the bolts to remove them were easy enough to find. I won't go into how to remove them, because... I forgot how. It was pretty straight forward though. just a bit fiddly.
Look close at 1:30, 6:15 and 10:00 and you'll notice where the bolts were holding the assemby in place. I think.
Into the oven (carefully) at 200°F. you want them to warm, not cook. Had a cup of coffee while it was warming. Got my wierd scaper-y thing (
) and began work of prying the lens off. There were clips around the outside, but I didn't take pictures of them. That's because I'm awesome. pry them loose, work the lens off slowly so as not to bruise the plastic. The black adhesive is crazy. I decide at this point that it's strong enough to reuse. Eventually it's open.
The individual pieces inside the assembly are pretty easy to disassemble. I got the amber lens out, took it outside and started with my dremel. I love that thing.. Once I had it cut the way I wanted it, I sanded the crap out of it (to hide my misses with the cutting wheel) and cleaned 'er real good with some alcohol. Get ready with the spray bombs.
(don't look too close at this one, please. I'm not the steadiest hand with the dremel, but it dissapears once it's reinstalled)
I decided to spray the surrounds black as well. it was almost there already, but I figured if I can ruin it further, why not?
Once it was dry(ish), I took it all back inside, and reassembled.
Hmm.. seems I missed a photo. Let's see if anyone notices...
All back together, I pressed the lense back on, but gently. Popped it back into the oven to warm the adhesive again..
I decided that with the paint, I wanted it a bit cooler. Don't know if it helped. Now's a good time for another cup of coffee. Feel free to ignore the chrome. I wonder if that's where I draw my inspiration?
Press the lenses back on firmly, resnap all the clips around it.
This would be a good time to replace the amber bulbs (behind amber lenses, go figure) with clear white ones. I didn't like the look with the amber bulbs, it killed the effect.
Reinstall the assembies into the front of your car, replace the bumper, and step back in pride at your newfound awesomeness.
