it was a lot of work but i managed to take apart a set of lightly used 2006 Bi-Xenon headlights and paint them satin black for my 2004 Z. On a difficulty scale out of 10 , I would say doing this is a 7.5..

It took me 4 days to complete here is what I did:

* start with one light then do the other one later * This will really help you figure out how to put back stuff lol..

1. remove all the bulbs and the ballast from the headlights
2. remove the 5 screws that hold the lens to the body of the light
3. preheat oven to 250 degrees, bake for 7 mins
4. I used a butter knife and slowly pried the lens apart with hands
5. unscrewed more stuff that I wanted to paint.. it will be obvious
6. I scoffed up the reflectors with some 100 grit sandpaper
7. the plastic cover for the 4 leds on top were impossible to remove, so I taped them with masking tape.
8. applied one coat primer, 2 coats satin black, dry overnight
9. put everything back together in the reverse order that i took it apart. I also removed the 2 clear plastic bits on top of the light. I felt it improved the look of the light. Leave out the bulbs and balast for now.
10. preheat oven to 250 degrees, bake for 3 mins.. this will soften the silicon and allow you to slide the lens back in all the way.
11. apply more silicon to the gaps to insure that condensation won't get in.
12. If you have a 2003 - 2005 350z, cut the parking light/signal blinker bulb as follows.. If you do not do this the yellow bulb will always be illuminated when the lights are on.. not a big deal but i think it looks better if it were to only turn on when signalling or hazards are pressed:

12. replace the bulbs and ballast.

DONE! now do the other side

 

Installing in car, I found a shortcut to avoid removing the whole bumper.. Removing the old headlights and installing the new ones took me about 1.5 hours. all I needed was a flat blade screwdriver and a 10mm socket with extensions.

1. remove the 6 plastic clips on top of the bumper.
2. turn the wheel all the way towards passenger side
3. pull open the plastic driver side wheel well splash guard just enough to get a 10mm socket in.
4. undo the two bolts holding the bumper on driver side
5. turn the wheel all the way towards driver side
6. pull open the plastic passenger side wheel well splash guard just enought to get a 10mm socket in.
7. undo the two bolts holding the bumper on passenger side

8. the bumper can now be pressed down enough to get the two bolts underneath the headlights.
9. unscrew the two bolts on each headlight and also the one on top
10. pull headlight half way out and unhook the electrical connection using a flat blade screwdriver.

11. put new lights in , *TEST*
12. reassemble everything in reverse order. The 06 headlights bolt right up to my 2004 without any issues

here's the finished product
lights off


lights on


lights off


lights off


parking lights on.

 

Nice!

 

nice write up. Looks good.

 

Damn looks great Mike. Awesome write up

Chris

 

looking good...especially on the TA side since they match nicely

 

Damn Mike, incredibly, the car just keeps getting better and better... and without sponsors!

What's next? Is there anything left? LOL. Maybe the headliner?

 

Looks badass. I sent my lights off to have it done because I didn't want to risk messing anything up. As for the indicator lights, I agree they look better if they only flash or if you cleared the 03-05 reflectors out, getting hyperwhite/ LED bulbs to match the hue of the headlights looks sick (what I did)

 

LoL, you beat me to it.. but my car will have these same things in a few wks.. A little diff though.. Good job Mike!

 

Thanks guys I love doing DIYs.. a lot my car is a DIY.. it's a very satifying feeling to complete a project like this.. ARC Radiator is next .. then maybe a sunroof and then she goes away for the winter This summer went by QUICK!

--mike

 

Looks badass man!

 

Mike, are you going to keep your Z forever?

 

I Love the new lights

 

Looks very good. Nice pictures too.

 

any night shots?

 

subtle change, but it looks soo much better.

 

Hopefully not TOO far OT, but that is simply one of the ABSOLUTE nicest looking Z's I've seen to date, bar none. Wow.

Good work man, regards.

 

hotness

 

Thnaks guys!

forever is a long time lol... but come this January, it will be the longest time I've ever kept any car... 4 years..

 

Looks very nice. Good job on the DIY, turned out looking great! I've wondered what the 06+ painted lights would look like on a redline and I guess I know now.

Are these headlights still going for over $1000 for a pair?