DIY: Head Lamp Painting Pre 06'
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.
__________________________________________________ ____
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
[/ul]
__________________________________________________ ___________
Onto The Tear Down
[ul]
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.
[/ul]
__________________________________________________ _______________
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.

[/ul]
__________________________________________________ ________________
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.

[/ul]
__________________________________________________ _______________________
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
[/ul]
** You Are Now Ready To Paint **
__________________________________________________ _____________________
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



[/ul]
__________________________________________________ ____________________
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!

Now, There Are Many Ways To Do This Project - In This Install I Will Show You My Method.
__________________________________________________ ____
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
[/ul]
__________________________________________________ ___________
Onto The Tear Down
[ul]
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.
[/ul]
__________________________________________________ _______________
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.

[/ul]
__________________________________________________ ________________
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.
[/ul]
__________________________________________________ _______________________
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[/ul]
** You Are Now Ready To Paint **
__________________________________________________ _____________________
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



[/ul]
__________________________________________________ ____________________
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!
ORIGINAL: smokinjoe
very nice, i like. I don't want to sound like a jerk but i think red to match your truck would have been PIMp, but it still looks really good
very nice, i like. I don't want to sound like a jerk but i think red to match your truck would have been PIMp, but it still looks really good
Looks great...anyone have a DIY on the '07?
Or would anyone like to do the job for me?
Or anyone want to exchange their already painted '07 lights for mine?
Just a question, I'm lazy and don't have much spare time in my life.
Or would anyone like to do the job for me?
Or anyone want to exchange their already painted '07 lights for mine?
Just a question, I'm lazy and don't have much spare time in my life.
ORIGINAL: josh213corbs
Ya...I definately just threw up in my mouth and swallowed it back down...good choice with the black!
Ya...I definately just threw up in my mouth and swallowed it back down...good choice with the black!
joshcorbs: PM CRMRAM about the lights. he did it , knows how to do and can tell you how to do it. he sent me a DIY on it before...let me try and find it in my inbox.




