The Machine

Looks like white is winning so far. That's actually the way I was leaning but wasn't sure if it was too "skull eye" looking.

Rok

Secret to the Black chrome look? Please! I am gonna do a H1 retrofit on mine eventually.

fuqua

Hawt

The Machine

huh?

The Machine

The secret is..... <drumroll>.... VINYL! I first came across the 3m & Avery vehicle vinyl several years back and have been wrapping everything since. Most of the black on my truck is vinyl, I've wrapped phone cases, computers, I've got a side venture I am starting up with a buddy doing snowboard decks and now headlights.

I've done the research prior to tackling this project as I didn't want to have it melt or anything in my headlights and was surprised to see that the vinyl will outperform most of the paint others are using in almost every aspect. Unless your using a high heat paint for your buckets, most rattle cans are rated up to 120 degrees which is fine because the interior of the headlight assembly on hid's only gets to about 90-100 degrees (housings, not bulbs obviously). The vinyl is rated up to 200-215 degrees. The national brands of vinyl also warranty their products for 5-7 years (and thats on the exterior of the vehicle which is exposed to sand, salt, rain, dirt, etc) It is also treated to resist uv light so that it wont fade. Lets see the rattle cans give you that kind of performance. I also used a special surface primer to ensure that the vinyl will stay in place permanently.

In the case of these headlights, it is way easier to paint, but paint cannot deliver the same finishes that I can do with vinyl (chrome, carbon fiber, camo, brushed metal, etc). There are some limitations though, this stuff can be heated and shaped to fit most surfaces or complex curves but because it is still a sheet product, it is necessary in some applications to have seams, however, it seams pretty nicely and they can usually be hidden in corners/angles. I also had to fill and sand the "ribs" on the outer sides of the buckets as the vinyl was just a little too thick to conform to all those ridges in that tight of an area, it just didn't look right. All in all, this was definitely one of the hardest things I have wrapped but again, you cant get this look with paint.

Here's a sneak peak at the blue chrome, this would look sweet on the blue f150's for sure! I was thinking about offering my services for 2-3 retro's/month for anyone that was interested. Ill keep you guys posted when I get around to making that thread.

The Machine

Ive got some red chrome on the way, the sample I have of it looks really sweet!

Rok

Wow vinyl. Never would have guessed. What brand and color code is that if you don't mind me asking.

The Machine

I'll check tonight, most chrome vinyl is more like foil than vinyl, this stuff that I use is a lot more pliable and easier to work with. You have any experience with working with it?

Rok

No experience. I have plan to try my hand at interior pieces first.

The Machine

I decided to go with the white bezels for this retro and went deep into my bag of tricks for some unique effects. I took a few photo's last night when I was testing the various components. Let me know what you think!





I blacked out a portion of the panamera windows and the interior of the round windows, then used some paint on the inside of them used to frost glass so I would get a more uniform light dispersion, and then used some night shades on the outside of the ring to give it an all black look when the halos are off.







The completed halo look!





Last minute add on, I cut the opening where the side marker bulb is behind the reflector a bit bigger, placed on some temporary vinyl letters, sprayed the whole reflector gloss black, took off the letters and added some nightshades to the backside behind the lettering.





I plan to clean everything tonight and get these sealed back up, Ill post some final photos soon.