Black housing job using a heatgun

Ric Rock · Mar 10, 2008

im about to take apart my oem headlights and blackhouse em myself since my aftermarkets head lights dont fit properly and condensation is getting worse and worse each time i wash my car.

has anyone in here used a heatgun instead of using an oven...baking a headlamp in my oven doesnt seem like the route i wanna go for on my black housing project.

can anyone recommend a particular heatgun? what temp should i set it at? thanks

honda_dude · Mar 10, 2008

no need for a heat gun

i was worried about putting my headlight in the oven tooo

putting it in th oven is really easy, set the oven for 250 degrees and wen it gets to 250, turn the oven off and put the headlight in for 5 minutes

Ric Rock · Mar 10, 2008

honda_dude said:
no need for a heat gun

i was worried about putting my headlight in the oven tooo

putting it in th oven is really easy, set the oven for 250 degrees and wen it gets to 250, turn the oven off and put the headlight in for 5 minutes

sounds iffy tho... 250 degrees?? then stick the headlight in and let it chill for 5 minutes?? im scraed of ****in up the headlight by doing that...sounds like the headlight would get warped or somethin...

ryan s · Mar 10, 2008

heatgun ftw!

if your condensation is getting worse, it may not be an issue of moisture getting in, but moisture getting out. make sure the little vent things are clear, or you could try and drill a small hole in the bottom of each housing (3/16" or so).

pyaarawala · Mar 11, 2008

Yeah a heat gun is much better.

Russianred · Mar 11, 2008

I recently did my blackhousing for the first time...

1) Oven FTW. Don't turn it to 250 though! It may get really hot, and the mounting tabs will get soft! Tune the oven to 200-225. This will also permit you to leave it in there longer. I recommend 7 minutes.

2) To solve the condensation problem, see if you can find a packet of silica, the stuff that comes in your shoes when you buy them new, or a leather jacket, or some fabric item. Even some food had them. They absorb moisture, and I taped some packets under the reflector for the moisture. I never had a problem with condensation, but that may also have been due to sealing them really well. I used clear industrial quick dry silicone from AST company.

I took the silica packet idea from someone else on this forum, credit goes to them, whoever it was.

To add to that idea, why don't you do the operation on your aftermarket lights to test the experience.. who knows, you may seal them well and won't have that problem again! And on the other hand, if you mess up, then you will have a second chance with your real OEM lights. Although I must say, unless you break any plastic which is part of your headlight, it's really really hard to mess up..

I hope this helps you in your endeavor! :thumbsup:

Ric Rock · Mar 11, 2008

Russianred said:
I recently did my blackhousing for the first time...

1) Oven FTW. Don't turn it to 250 though! It may get really hot, and the mounting tabs will get soft! Tune the oven to 200-225. This will also permit you to leave it in there longer. I recommend 7 minutes.

2) To solve the condensation problem, see if you can find a packet of silica, the stuff that comes in your shoes when you buy them new, or a leather jacket, or some fabric item. Even some food had them. They absorb moisture, and I taped some packets under the reflector for the moisture. I never had a problem with condensation, but that may also have been due to sealing them really well. I used clear industrial quick dry silicone from AST company.

I took the silica packet idea from someone else on this forum, credit goes to them, whoever it was.

To add to that idea, why don't you do the operation on your aftermarket lights to test the experience.. who knows, you may seal them well and won't have that problem again! And on the other hand, if you mess up, then you will have a second chance with your real OEM lights. Although I must say, unless you break any plastic which is part of your headlight, it's really really hard to mess up..

I hope this helps you in your endeavor!

Thanks a lot for that...very informative...good tips bro.

i really wanna black house my oems tho because my aftermarkets dont fit perfectly...i may just take one day and do one of my aftermarkets to get a feel...

heat gun still sounds more convenient than baking imo

Russianred · Mar 11, 2008

Ric Rock said:
Thanks a lot for that...very informative...good tips bro.

No prob!!

heat gun still sounds more convenient than baking imo

It depends on what you want to do in those 7-10 minutes.. fondle a light fixture with a heat gun, or chill out and smoke one while your light is in there for 7 mins. To each his own, but if you're oven is big enough, I'd go with that. Don't be so skeptical about it - I could bake my hand in the oven at 200 degrees and enjoy the warmth. You realize that the purpose is to loosen the seal, not to heat the plastic. The seal loosens within minutes and you can pry it with a knife. When you start turning the degrees >220 the plastic itself starts becoming hot and around 250 or higher it can even give way and mess up your mounting tabs. Set the oven properly.

Yeah, basically my $0.50, LOL. Do what you're more comfortable with though.

I'm sure it will come out just fine

6genaccord · Mar 11, 2008

There have been so many threads about this, but nonetheless...

Oven is the way to go unless you have 8 hours to do this project. Depending on how handy you are it could even take longer if you choose to use a heat gun.

Most obvious reason being - you can't apply heat evenly throughout the headlight and all seals... If you can't seperate the seal 100%... it will just re-seal itself.

Also, the temperature varies from oven to oven, just like microwave ovens are different. Just like in cooking, believe it or not, convection vs standard makes a difference. I set my oven to 300. Preheated and THEN put the lights in for 15 minutes and STILL had to really pry and pull to get them open. My lights didn't melt, no silicone sealant dripped onto my oven and there was no mess. Your lights can resist more heat then you might thing. The only thing I can say I did was put a pan down for the light to sit on and I put the light lens down, because that part of the light can sustain the most heat. (Think about how hot your high beams and head lights can get on a 2 hour drive at night... I'd bet they get somewhere in the range of 300 degrees.)

Good luck and post pics when you're done!

nexTOme · Mar 11, 2008

you can always put wet towels under headlight....

Black housing job using a heatgun

Ric Rock

Well-Known Member

honda_dude

Well-Known Member

Ric Rock

Well-Known Member

ryan s

they dont think it

pyaarawala

Well-Known Member

Russianred

Snail Spools You!

Ric Rock

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Russianred

Snail Spools You!

6genaccord

Well-Known Member

nexTOme

Well-Known Member

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