32. Double check your work
Dust cap removed
All bulbs removed
Wiring harness removed
5 screws that fasten the lens to the housing removed

33. Use running water to soak the cardboard thoroughly on both sides.

34. Lay the housing o its inside edge diagonally across the cardboard

35. Place the cardboard and headlight inside the oven, shut the door and set the timer for 10 minutes. The headlight goes in / fits easier if lying diagonally.

36. While first headlight is baking, prep the other by removing the 5 screws, the halogen bulbs and wiring harness. Replace the amber with chromed bulb.

37. Moisten the hand towels / gloves and make sure you have a place to set the hot headlight after pulling it from the oven. Use towel on the work surface with the wiring harness, bulbs and screws out of the way.

38. Have the second towel folded once and ready to place on your lap as a heat shield.

39. When the timer is up, use your moistened towels / gloves to pull headlight out set it on your work surface.

40. REMOVE THE CARDBOARD FROM THE OVEN and close the oven door. Leave the oven at 250.

41. Place the headlight, upside down in your lap (protected with a folded and clean towel) with the lens facing to your left.

42. Pull the tabs along the edge back just enough so the matching bumps will clear. If you break a tab, don’t sweat it, keep going.

43. Grip the bottom of the lens with your left hand and the tab where the lowest mounting bolt goes with your right and begin pulling the two pieces apart while applying slow steady force.

44. As the lens begins to separate from the housing the sealant will get stringy. STOP pulling and use the razor blade / utility knife to cut the strands. These can land on the chromed pieces inside or on the lens if too long before they part. Cutting them as soon as possible avoids this. Press them back down into the original beads as you go.



NOTE: If you end up with sealant where it should not be, do NOT use acetone or nail polish remover to try cleaning the sealant off. I tried this and the results were not good. Alcohol may work better but I’m not positive. The key is to work carefully.

45. Slide your left hand along the bottom edge of the lens and use the second mounting tab as leverage for your right. Continue pulling the two pieces apart cutting the sealant strands as you go. Spreading your legs apart slowly while working will allow the two pieces to separate yet still be supported.

46. When the 2 pieces are apart, place the lens face down on a soft clean surface and the housing face up nearby. If you are in a particularly dusty environment, you should cover the housing. Do not touch anything inside the housing.

47. Retrieve the lens. Remove the two screws and pull out the chromed trim piece. It is easier to remove by working from the top down. There is a guide post at the bottom, make sure you lift if off from there without breaking the post.



Bottom guide post



48. Once the chromed trim piece is out, put your finger through the hole at the top and pop the amber diffuser out.



49. Install the clear diffuser in the same place. Put the little tab at the very bottom into the matching hole first and then work your way up to the top. Bend the diffuser slightly so the top tab will line up with the matching slot. Ensure the bottom, middle and top tabs are all in place.

50. Check for any debris on the chromed piece and inside the lens. Wipe off with a soft dry cloth if you find anything and then reassemble the two pieces using the two screws. It’s easier to put the trim piece in from the bottom first using the guide post and hole.

51. Place the lens back onto the housing. It is easier to line up the top first and work down. NOTE: The top edge of the lens slides in horizontally more than vertically. Because the sealant has cooled, you will not be able to get it all the way in. That’s ok; you will be able to push it all the way in after reheating in the oven. Do your best to slide it in as far as possible for now.

52. Press the edges together all the way around paying particular attention to the inside edge. Notice the flat smooth area along the inside edge. This edge is visible when the headlight is mounted on the car and the hood is open. Ensure no sealant is on this surface. If it is, work it back under so it will not come out later during re-heating and re-assembly.

53. Use the tabs and bumps along the edges as references to get the two pieces aligned as closely as possible. Again, because the sealant has cooled, the edges will probably not come together as tightly as they were before. Get them as close together as you can and proceed.

54. Double check / inspect your work. Check for fibers from the towel, check for any debris or finger prints inside. If everything looks good, proceed. If not, pull back apart and correct.

55. Re-soak the cardboard

56. Place the re-assembled headlight on the cardboard and into the oven which should still be at 250. Close the door and set the timer for 10 minutes.

57. Refold or replace your towel so that a new surface is available. This is important. There is bound to be sealant or sealant residue, even though you can’t see it, on the towel from working with the housing while it was hot. This will end up on the lens when you are putting the screws back in if you don’t change to an unused clean surface.

58. When the timer is done remove the housing from the oven, REMOVE THE CARDBOARD and close the oven door. Leave the oven at 250.

59. Starting at the top, push the edges of the lens and the housing together so that they look the same as when pulled off the car. The top section will require an “in” push more than a “down” push because of the shape of the housing. There is a vertical tab on the top edge of the lens; this should be right up against the edge of the housing and will fit into a corner shape of the housing edge.

60. Work your way down along the edge pressing the two pieces together. USE THE TABS AS GUIDES. They may not stay in their original position but that’s not critical, just use them to make sure the two edges are properly aligned and all the way together. The bumps and tabs along the edge should match up. If a tab will not match up right, push / pull until it does.

61. Once you have made it all the way around all the edges, put the 5 screws back in.

62. You can now try to press and hold the edge tabs back into position as the plastic is cooling. With the sealant and the screws, I don’t see this as critical but it can’t hurt.

63. Re-soak the cardboard

64. Place your second headlight on the cardboard, laying it on inside edge diagonally, put everything into the oven, close the door and set the timer for 10 minutes.

65. Place the halogen bulbs back into the first headlight and secure them with the clips.

66. Feed the wiring harness connectors through the hole in the bottom of the housing, fish them through the gaps inside and reconnect them to the halogen bulbs.

67. Replace the grey dust cover. Align the tabs on the cover with the notches around the hole, press it in and turn it 1 /8 turn clockwise. Double check to ensure the gasket is seated all the way around. Sometimes it bulges out.

68. Push the wiring harness weather seal back into place.

69. Re-route the wiring harness and snap the other bulbs into place as you go.

70. Double check your work
Edges lined up as before
All 5 screws in tight
Halogen bulbs secured and connected
All other bulbs snapped in
Wiring harness in place and weather seal in place
Dust cover in place and gasket properly seated

Your first headlight is done.

Proceed to part 3 - https://my350z.com/forum/body-interior-exterior-and-lighting-diy/360321-amber-removal-for-03-05-front-end-part-3-a.html