02 LS clearing headlights

[tlaprade]

New to the board here. I've been reading the posts about clearing out the headlights and am just looking for a direct answer to my situation. All I want to do is take out the amber piece in the headlight. I read the instructions at http://www.lincolndde.com/lincolnfinal.doc and feel comfortable doing that. So before I go and ruin my headlights, just need this answered: I just take them out of the car, put them in the oven, that will warm the sealant, pull them apart, and then just dislocate the amber piece. Then warm the sealant back up and put them back together? It's that simple? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[GrayGhost1]

What will happen when you pull the headlights apart is that the black bezel will be inside the clear part of the headlight. The black bezel is what holds the amber lens in place. Once you take the black bezel out I would highly recommend that you clean out the inside of the clear portion of the headlight assembly. When you clean it just use regular window cleaner and definitely use a Microfiber towel (which is lint free) to wipe away any residue. This will give you the best results for a clean headlight.

Good luck!

 

[tlaprade]

What will happen when you pull the headlights apart is that the black bezel will be inside the clear part of the headlight. The black bezel is what holds the amber lens in place. Once you take the black bezel out I would highly recommend that you clean out the inside of the clear portion of the headlight assembly. When you clean it just use regular window cleaner and definitely use a Microfiber towel (which is lint free) to wipe away any residue. This will give you the best results for a clean headlight.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tip. What's the deal with the sealant color and not being able to do it with certain sealants.

 

[GrayGhost1]

In the early model LS's the headlights had a grey sealant. This was determined later that this was causing fogging or condensation build up inside the headlights once the grey sealant got heated up from the elements. This greay sealant broke down and was allowing moisture to get inside the headlight. Lincoln went back to the manufacturer of the headlights and told them to change the sealant and they did. The manufacturer of the headlights changed the sealant to black which was much more resistant to heat. So, if you get a set of LS headlights that have the black sealant you might as well not even think about trying to open them.

 

[tlaprade]

Ken,
Everything worked out and I did it this weekend. Very easy to do actually. The headlights look great now. Just wondering two more mods I want to try and do myself. I'm looking to get rid of the orange side markers and either get clear ones or smoked ones. I see that you have the clear ones for $75, just wondering if there's a cheaper route to these. Would it be possible to buy light-housing spray paint and just paint them a smoked color, or would that not be possible on top of the orange?
My other question is regarding the chrome on the top of the grill and on top of the bumpers. I'm looking to get rid of that and just have black there. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[GrayGhost1]

Ken,
Everything worked out and I did it this weekend. Very easy to do actually. The headlights look great now. Just wondering two more mods I want to try and do myself. I'm looking to get rid of the orange side markers and either get clear ones or smoked ones. I see that you have the clear ones for $75, just wondering if there's a cheaper route to these. Would it be possible to buy light-housing spray paint and just paint them a smoked color, or would that not be possible on top of the orange?
My other question is regarding the chrome on the top of the grill and on top of the bumpers. I'm looking to get rid of that and just have black there. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Glad to hear you were successful in clearing your headlights. You are right it's a very easy Do-It-Yourself project. As for the side marker lenses, I've seen several members here just spray their side marker lenses with a tint spray or just paint them all black. Of course, I plan to offer the side maker lenses in a smoke tint sometime within the next couple of months.

The chrome strip you have on your car is held on but numerous clips underneath the bumper. You can take it off but it will leave an indention that the chrome strip sits in. My suggestion is to have the chrome strips painted or replace the bumper with a sport version.

 

[tlaprade]

Glad to hear you were successful in clearing your headlights. You are right it's a very easy Do-It-Yourself project. As for the side marker lenses, I've seen several members here just spray their side marker lenses with a tint spray or just paint them all black. Of course, I plan to offer the side maker lenses in a smoke tint sometime within the next couple of months.

The chrome strip you have on your car is held on but numerous clips underneath the bumper. You can take it off but it will leave an indention that the chrome strip sits in. My suggestion is to have the chrome strips painted or replace the bumper with a sport version.

Could you point me in the right direction for the paint that could cover the orange side markers, as well as good paint that could go over the chrome? Thanks

 

[GrayGhost1]

Could you point me in the right direction for the paint that could cover the orange side markers, as well as good paint that could go over the chrome? Thanks

If I'm not mistaken but the members on here that used the tint spray just got it at their local automotive store. As for painting the chrome strips, go to www.paintscratch.com to get the supplies you need to paint your chrome strips. They can send you the paint in an aerosol can that matches your car. I did a How To on painting the front grille and rear license surround on my website. Just click on my website below and go to the Gallery section. There you'll find a tech article on painting the grille and surround.

 

[tlaprade]

If I'm not mistaken but the members on here that used the tint spray just got it at their local automotive store. As for painting the chrome strips, go to www.paintscratch.com to get the supplies you need to paint your chrome strips. They can send you the paint in an aerosol can that matches your car. I did a How To on painting the front grille and rear license surround on my website. Just click on my website below and go to the Gallery section. There you'll find a tech article on painting the grille and surround.

Last question Ken,
As for the chrome on the bumpers, would you suggest taking them off the bumper before painting them, if that's even possible, and if so, do you know the best way to take them off with hopes of putting them back on cleanly. Thanks once again.

 

[GrayGhost1]

Last question Ken,
As for the chrome on the bumpers, would you suggest taking them off the bumper before painting them, if that's even possible, and if so, do you know the best way to take them off with hopes of putting them back on cleanly. Thanks once again.

Well, when I converted my bumpers from the non-sport to the sport over 2 years ago I noticed that the clips on the chrome strips are on very good. I would highly recommend that you do not attempt to take the chrome strips off with the bumper still on the car. You'll regret the outcome by either scratching your bumper or killing the chrome strip. The only effective way to take the chrome strips off is to take the bumper off and if you are going to do that you'd be better contacting www.bumpers.com and getting a factory reject bumper. It is very possible to paint the chrome strips with the bumper still on the car. Just mask off the areas, protect the rest of the car with plastic and paint! However, if you're not comfortable with painting I'm sure a local paint and body shop can do it at a reasonable fee.

 

[MonsterMark]

When you clean it just use regular window cleaner and definitely use a Microfiber towel (which is lint free) to wipe away any residue.

Ammonia + plexiglass(lexan) = hazy lens. The window cleaner should be ammonia free. The ammonia attacks over time and causes hazing. Just an FYI and a IMHO.

 

[tlaprade]

Well, when I converted my bumpers from the non-sport to the sport over 2 years ago I noticed that the clips on the chrome strips are on very good. I would highly recommend that you do not attempt to take the chrome strips off with the bumper still on the car. You'll regret the outcome by either scratching your bumper or killing the chrome strip. The only effective way to take the chrome strips off is to take the bumper off and if you are going to do that you'd be better contacting www.bumpers.com and getting a factory reject bumper. It is very possible to paint the chrome strips with the bumper still on the car. Just mask off the areas, protect the rest of the car with plastic and paint! However, if you're not comfortable with painting I'm sure a local paint and body shop can do it at a reasonable fee.

And if the strips are painted with the bumpers on, I can still just follow your same sanding steps as for the grill and license plate area?

 

[GrayGhost1]

Ammonia + plexiglass(lexan) = hazy lens. The window cleaner should be ammonia free. The ammonia attacks over time and causes hazing. Just an FYI and a IMHO.

That's why I use the microfiber towel clean it further and to remove the lint. You won't believe what is inside these headlights after they have set for any length of time.

 

[GrayGhost1]

And if the strips are painted with the bumpers on, I can still just follow your same sanding steps as for the grill and license plate area?

Yes. If you follow that you should be good to go. Also, if you buy from paintscratch.com get the adhesive promoter too. This will help the paint adhere better.