Bad modification day

[atlas]

Okay... no more mods today Or, should I say, no more attempts at mods today.

I tried taking my 2001 headlights apart for removing the amber reflector, but discovered that I was way over my head... and was afraid that I wouldn't be able to put the headlights back together again. And, if I could, was worried that they would leak and moisture would get trapped inside. So half-way through the mod I stopped and put everything back together. :(

Then, I decided to take my v-tec taillight covers off, so I could put black electrical tape around the edges and block the light that escapes. There has been some talk about this before, and a lot of people were afraid they would create stress-fractures in the clear coat if they tried to pry them off. I thought I was a genious, thinking, "hey I could heat the double-sided 3M tape and it would just easily peel off". But, apparently, when using a hairdryer to heat the tape, you also heat the plastic on the taillight covers, and they warp. Luckily, I discovered that by heating the covers alone without touching them, they return to their original shape.

Thats it for today... no more mods, I'm cursed, I'm afraid to literally touch my car now for something will fall off for sure! :(

[Cat88Extreme]

Moving to Cosmetic forum as the topic of discusion is cosmetic in nature.

[CGburns]

haha ah man thats just some bad luck...just remember to take your time with mods, if you try to rush things you're bound to screw up somewhere....and as for the headlights...it really isn't all that hard, just like stated above, TAKE YOUR TIME....and if you're still worried about messin things up, maybe see if you can get some people in your chapter to help you out...later on
mark

[RigaTony00]

Hey bud, sorry to hear about your day. I might be able to help though. For the tailight covers, just take the whole tailight off the car, and then tape around the edges. Thats what I did, and it worked great. When you put the tailight back in, you cant see the tape either. This way, you don't have to worry about ruinning the covers, and the problem is solved. Hope this helps. If you have any questions, send me a PM.




Tony

[DeejayRuckus]

its all a learning experience

[atlas]

thats a good idea RigaTony... I'm gonna try that (maybe tomorrow though) :)

maybe I will try the headlight thing some other time... I did learn a lot though just by taking half of it apart. Maybe next time I'll do the whole thing :)

and yes, your right, its all a learning experience. I never did get upset or mad at anything, I just thought it was funny... usually mods don't go this bad for me :)

[Kaioshin]

Originally posted by: atlas
thats a good idea RigaTony... I'm gonna try that (maybe tomorrow though) :)

maybe I will try the headlight thing some other time... I did learn a lot though just by taking half of it apart. Maybe next time I'll do the whole thing :)

and yes, your right, its all a learning experience. I never did get upset or mad at anything, I just thought it was funny... usually mods don't go this bad for me :)

How far did you get with the headlights? had you started to cut the silicone yet?

-shin

[RigaTony00]

Glad I could finally help someone out. :) It feels good to return the favors.



Tony

[99CouGSweetRide]

how could you possibly ruin the taillight covers??? If they've been on for a long time chances are the paint is cured and if you heat them up nothing should happen..when cars are in 100+ degree weather in the sunlight nothing happens to the paint...I use the key to open the trunk with my covers on, and push the key in really hard so it will turn and the covers don't even get scratched... i don't see how a hairdryer would mess them up.

Mike

[ChenZhen]

I have taken my taillight covers off a few times you just gotta go real slow...and I suppose it would depend on how goood a job you did putin em on there....in retrospect it pays to do it right the first time...

[atlas]

Originally posted by: 99CouGSweetRide
how could you possibly ruin the taillight covers??? If they've been on for a long time chances are the paint is cured and if you heat them up nothing should happen..when cars are in 100+ degree weather in the sunlight nothing happens to the paint...I use the key to open the trunk with my covers on, and push the key in really hard so it will turn and the covers don't even get scratched... i don't see how a hairdryer would mess them up.

Mike

Well, I never just used a "normal" hairdryer, I used an industrial hairdryer. Trust me, that thing gets HOT. I melted the plastic easy. Things were going well until I noticed the plastic warping under my fingers where I was prying it back. But when I re-heated it without prying the plastic, it went back to its normal position. Maybe if I used a normal hairdryer it wouldn't of done that.


How far did you get with the headlights? had you started to cut the silicone yet?

-shin

I started taking the rubber sealant strip, and started to notice how I would have to literally pry the two pieces apart. Guess I just got a little scared :) (I'm secure in my manly-hood, I can say that) :) I wish I had some local Cougar members to help me with it, but theres only two others from my area and they aren't much into modding there Cougars much. (sucks.)

Thanks for the continued support guys!