In This DIY I Will Explain How To Paint Your Headlamps In A 3rd Gen Dodge Ram Pre 06'.



Now, There Are Many Ways To Do This Project - In This Install I Will Show You My Method.
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Tools Required:

A Good Assortment of Hand Tools are Recommended, Required Hand tools Are As Followed:

[ul][*]Phillips & Flat Head Screwdriver[*]10MM Socket W/ Long Extension[*]Razor Blade[*]Oven Room[*]Freezer Room[*]Scotch Brite Pad[*]Light Adhesive Painting Tape
[/ul]What You Need To Get:
[ul][*] Low Temp RTV (Black or Clear)[*] Bondo[*] Spray Paint
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Onto The Tear Down
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Start By Removing The Headlamps

[*] Unscrew The Plastic Screw Holding The Rubber Trim In Place, Pop The Clip Out[*] Removed The 2 - 10mm Bolts On The Inside Of Each Headlamp[*] Remove The 10mm Bolt On The Bottom Side of Your Headlamp (Extension Needed)[*] Grab The Outside Lip Of The Headlamp (Right By The reflector) And Pull The Headlamp Out of Its Clip. Pull Straight Forward.[*] With The Headlamp Removed From The Vehicle, Un clip The Plugs To The Turn Signal/Running Lamps, and To Your High/Low Beams. (Also Remove The Bulbs and Set Them Aside To Prevent Damage)[*] Remove The Rubber Trim On The Inside Of The Headlamps, Set Aside.
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Headlamp Disassembly
[ul][*] Pre Heat Your Oven To Around 225 Degrees[*] With All Rubber, Bulbs Removed - Place Headlamps In Oven For 5-10 Minutes at A Time (If It Cools Before You Remove The Cover, Use The Oven To Reheat)[*] Remove From Oven - The Goal Is To Separate The Clear Plastic From The Black - First Start Separating One Side To The Other, Gently Prying Up Clips and Using A Screwdriver To Separate RTV. Be Careful Not To Break Clips. Use A Razor Blade To Cut The Goo as It Strings.[*] Separate The Chrome Lens From The Clear Lens Cover.


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Removing The Amber Reflector (if Wanted)

Study How The Reflector Is Held On - You Will Notice It Is Held Together by 4 Prongs Melted To The Backside Of The Chrome Housing.

[ul][*] Remove The reflector By Breaking The 4 Melted Prongs, From The Backside - The Lens Should Now Fall Out

**There Will Be 4 Holes In Where The Reflector Was Attached[*] Using A Scotch Brite Pad - Scuff The Area Surrounding The Holes (Removing The Chrome)[*] Using Bondo, Fill The 4 Holes, Apply In Thin Layers (Let Set For Required Time)

[*] Sand To Create A Smooth Finish.



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Preparing For Painting & Painting
[ul][*] Using The LIGHT Adhesive Tape - Mask Off Section You Want To Remain Chrome. (Take Your Time And BE CAREFUL - Removing The Tape While Warm May Cause Chrome To Pull Off)

(This Is Tape Before I Decided To Remove The Amber Reflector)
[*] After Done Masking Off, Use The Scotch Brite Pad To Removed The Remaining Chrome (Section That Will Be Painted)

[*] When Done Sanding - Be Sure To Wash The Surface With A Clean Cloth and Alcohol
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** You Are Now Ready To Paint **
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Post Painting & Tape Removal

After Following You Paints Painting Procedure - Allow Proper Time To Dry.

*** Read Carefully! ***
After Your Paint Is Dry-
[ul][*] Place You Headlamps In The Freezer For 20-30 Minutes - This Will Allow The Adhesive In The Tape To Separate Better From The Chrome, Failure To Do So May Result In Chrome Pealing Off With The Tape.[*] Take The Assembly Out of The Freezer And Remove The Tape - And Inspect







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Re-Assembly
[ul][*] Clip The Freshly Painted Panel Back Into The Clear Lense.

[*] Trim Any Access RTV Off Of The Housing.[*] Place The Back Housing Back Into Oven on A Low Heat Setting[*] While Warming Up - Place A Liberal Amount of NEW RTV On The Edge Of The Clear Lens[*] Remove The Housing From The Oven[*] Press The Clear Lens & The Warm Housing Together (Press and Hold With Ratchet Straps) . If Needed Add RTV To The Outside Of The Seam

[*] Let Sit For Required Time On RTV Directions.

You Can Now Re-Install The Bulbs and Assembly Back Into Your Truck.

Enjoy! [/ul]
Ram3rdGen