StormVY
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- May 6, 2009
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- Members Ride
- VY Storm Ute
It's been done before here and here. I followed this tutorial from streetwagons. With those links and my pics you should be sweet.
First remove the bumper...
Whenever dealing with cars I like to chock the wheels to make sure it cant roll anywhere. Try and use non-living things to do this, take my word for it.
She's fine, just seeing what I was doing and trying to help out by pushing at the wheel. She's usually more useful by stealing screwdrivers and licking my face when I have hands covered in oil and grit.
Unscrew these screws.
These screws had to be destroyed by me as they are plastic and threaded. I had some spare similar ones around to replace. Good luck getting them out if they don't screw out.
You should be able to pop off the sides of the bumper now and it will just come away. It just a few clips that are holding it in. I was quite forceful to pop the sides. Be careful though, dont want to snap it! Also be careful if you have fog lights as the cables wont let the bumper touch the ground. Instead of disconnecting them I just put the bumper on a platform to raise it a bit.
Unscrew the lights...
Pinch the sides of the plug at the back to get it off.
Now you have to unscrew the single black screw at the back of the headlight.
I tried using a hair dryer as I didnt want to bake my lights but they glue went hard to quickly. I put the oven on low fan and the weakest temperature (it started at 100C so I put it just under that).
After it was at the temp I put it in on top of a upside down tray so the plastic wasnt resting on thin hot metal rods. Left it for about 2-3mins.
When you take it out of the oven it is a MAJOR pain to get it off, not only do you have to deal with glue and a hot headlight you have to get these clips undone. I bent and stuffed up a lot of the plastic around the clips using a sharp flathead to get right between the seal to lift the clip up and prying the gap apart at the same time.
Look carefully at the areas around the clips and noticed they are bent up.
As soon as you remove the two halves you have to tidy up the glue so that it sets the right way so when you want to put it back the mountain/valley fitting that is used can slot right in. ie, dont let stray glue strands solidify everywhere.
I stopped taking photos here as I was over it and very frustrated from the glue situation.
Unscrew the 3 screws in the head light. Slowly take out the chrome fitting. Its fragile. You will have to manouver it around a bit, it may take a while but it should come out ok.
Pop out the indicator lens and tape it up the front of it then put it back in so it fits snug. This is so you can spray the lens and not behind it as you want that to stay silver.
I used 2000 wet dry sandpaper. Super fine stuff. Sand all chrome surfaces so they are all dull. This is so that the spray can hold onto something.
I used matt black enamel spray. Matt black will match the SS style better. Any spray that adheres to plastic will work.
I sprayed around 5-6 light coats. The first coats will not cover all the chrome, this is ok. Hold the can around 30-40cm from the target and give it a mist, will be spotty but as you put more coats on it will become uniform. Spray from all directions. Spray in a wind and dust free environment. If something lands on your wet spray job you are stuffed. Do not spray inside the round hole that the parkers sit in. You will not be able to see in it when the cover goes back on and it will reflect better if it is still silver.
Wait to dry and CAREFULLY remove the indicator lens. Remove the tape and put it back in CAREFULLY. I was not and chipped a small part off the black. May not have happened if I left it to fully dry. Who knows.
Put it back in the shell and screw in. The backing should go about half way back in if your glue is ok. I chucked it back in the oven to get the initial push in and then used a hair dryer to work around and get the clips back on. I heated up the clips and the plastic around it heaps so I could mould back the twisted plastic from the screwdriver and it came back to shape fairly well. I used some silicon seal around the clips so ensure a waterproof seal. This is optional.
Walked outside and saw this...
Like an average chick with no makeup hey. Put the right parts on the face and wallah.. sexy.
End result...
So yeah nothing amazing as stacks of other Commodores have lights like this but it's something to do if you get bored.
A few notes:
All the best guys!
First remove the bumper...
Whenever dealing with cars I like to chock the wheels to make sure it cant roll anywhere. Try and use non-living things to do this, take my word for it.
She's fine, just seeing what I was doing and trying to help out by pushing at the wheel. She's usually more useful by stealing screwdrivers and licking my face when I have hands covered in oil and grit.
Unscrew these screws.
These screws had to be destroyed by me as they are plastic and threaded. I had some spare similar ones around to replace. Good luck getting them out if they don't screw out.
You should be able to pop off the sides of the bumper now and it will just come away. It just a few clips that are holding it in. I was quite forceful to pop the sides. Be careful though, dont want to snap it! Also be careful if you have fog lights as the cables wont let the bumper touch the ground. Instead of disconnecting them I just put the bumper on a platform to raise it a bit.
Unscrew the lights...
Pinch the sides of the plug at the back to get it off.
Now you have to unscrew the single black screw at the back of the headlight.
I tried using a hair dryer as I didnt want to bake my lights but they glue went hard to quickly. I put the oven on low fan and the weakest temperature (it started at 100C so I put it just under that).
After it was at the temp I put it in on top of a upside down tray so the plastic wasnt resting on thin hot metal rods. Left it for about 2-3mins.
When you take it out of the oven it is a MAJOR pain to get it off, not only do you have to deal with glue and a hot headlight you have to get these clips undone. I bent and stuffed up a lot of the plastic around the clips using a sharp flathead to get right between the seal to lift the clip up and prying the gap apart at the same time.
Look carefully at the areas around the clips and noticed they are bent up.
As soon as you remove the two halves you have to tidy up the glue so that it sets the right way so when you want to put it back the mountain/valley fitting that is used can slot right in. ie, dont let stray glue strands solidify everywhere.
I stopped taking photos here as I was over it and very frustrated from the glue situation.
Unscrew the 3 screws in the head light. Slowly take out the chrome fitting. Its fragile. You will have to manouver it around a bit, it may take a while but it should come out ok.
Pop out the indicator lens and tape it up the front of it then put it back in so it fits snug. This is so you can spray the lens and not behind it as you want that to stay silver.
I used 2000 wet dry sandpaper. Super fine stuff. Sand all chrome surfaces so they are all dull. This is so that the spray can hold onto something.
I used matt black enamel spray. Matt black will match the SS style better. Any spray that adheres to plastic will work.
I sprayed around 5-6 light coats. The first coats will not cover all the chrome, this is ok. Hold the can around 30-40cm from the target and give it a mist, will be spotty but as you put more coats on it will become uniform. Spray from all directions. Spray in a wind and dust free environment. If something lands on your wet spray job you are stuffed. Do not spray inside the round hole that the parkers sit in. You will not be able to see in it when the cover goes back on and it will reflect better if it is still silver.
Wait to dry and CAREFULLY remove the indicator lens. Remove the tape and put it back in CAREFULLY. I was not and chipped a small part off the black. May not have happened if I left it to fully dry. Who knows.
Put it back in the shell and screw in. The backing should go about half way back in if your glue is ok. I chucked it back in the oven to get the initial push in and then used a hair dryer to work around and get the clips back on. I heated up the clips and the plastic around it heaps so I could mould back the twisted plastic from the screwdriver and it came back to shape fairly well. I used some silicon seal around the clips so ensure a waterproof seal. This is optional.
Walked outside and saw this...
Like an average chick with no makeup hey. Put the right parts on the face and wallah.. sexy.
End result...
So yeah nothing amazing as stacks of other Commodores have lights like this but it's something to do if you get bored.
A few notes:
- This will take hours to do, make sure the weather is ok and you start early in the morning.
- Your headlights may not be waterproof after this.
- You may damage your headlights doing this
- Work in a wind and dust free environment. Your headlights are currently sealed from the outside world, for a reason.
- Taking the glue off is not easy. The 2nd light I did took me half the time. Hopefully with this you wont do as much damage to my lights as what I did.
2 years later update: - Ensure the inside of the enclosure is clean and completely free of water or moisture before you seal it back up. I have mild fogging on the inside of my lights now.
All the best guys!
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