Custom Headlight Build

Hi, everyone. This is my first post in tacomaworld (i think) and i need advice. Over the course of this winter, i would like to buy and tweak new headlight housings for my tacoma. I’m trying to be different in a way, and make a custom housing. First, i wanted to do a black housing assembly, now i want to replace the black housing part with the color of my tacoma (gray). So my questions for anyone reading this is: should i buy a stock housing to modify or an already black housing to modify? - maybe a black housing would be easier to paint. Also, where can i buy clear side reflectors and other headlight hardware like that?

 

Buy OEM and paint. You'll get the best quality parts and lenses. Buff and polish the lense, then I'd recommend putting some sort of PPF over the lense to protect it from road debris. I know there are some sites for clear reflector lenses but they are stupid expensive.

 

thanks for the tips @Kidwidataco! Love your setup btw!

 

Thanks!

 

If you're going to paint them anyway, stay with OEM. Way less hasstle and you know they're going to fit and work correctly. Here's my color matched setup.

 

Wish mine looked that good. The inside of the lenses hazed up after a few weeks

 

eBay housings

 

You gotta insert some dessicant silica bags in there and make sure you seal it real good before you call it good. I went with these massive bags sold at Ace by the brand Concrobium, they are called Moisture Grabbers. They fit great in there and they suck out moisture mega fast.

 

I’m not talking moisture. I’m saying they like hazed up like the inside of the lenses have a film inside from the paint de fuming.

 

Thats weird. Did you not wait long enough to put them back together?

What sort of paint did you use and how did you prep the bowls for paint?

 

Stripped all the chrome. Painted with Krylon fusion plastic paint. They set open for probably 3 weeks before I had time to finish them.
I’m thinking it’s the eBay houses and lenses. I’m probably gonna retro my stock lights next

 

I don't like Krylon paint, but I'm not thinking that is the issue at all.. I would probably say the temp you baked them at is more the issue. How hot did you bake them for? I set mine at 200* for 3:30 before pulling them off to disassemble and reassemble. That was after a 2 minute pre heat of the oven.

 

210 for 4 minutes pulled them out and pressed them together. They didn’t haze up until weeks later. Looked great for a few weeks

 

That's so weird. I'm sorry to hear about that... Hey look at it this way though, you are pro at ripping apart the headlights now.

 

How did you clean the inside of the headlight lens before re-sealing them? What did you use to strip the chrome bowls?

 

Sanded the chrome off. And cleaned the lenses with windex

 

Use Easyoff Oven cleaner. Spray on, let it sit for a few minutes, rinse it off with a hose. It may take more than once to get it all, but it's super easy and won't damage the plastic. I've done it both ways, and the oven cleaner is definitely the easiest way to get it done.