first i will explain what each thing is...or atleast a quick explanation. From left to right. The black boxes are for the xenons, the bigger one being the ballast. To the right of that is the chrome housing, its the reflector housing that projects the light outwards (this part wouldnt be painted, it needs to stay reflective). the black plastic part is the backing plate of the entire assembly, you can see it on the inside of your hood. Underneath that is the chrome housing (the part you would paint) still connected to the outer lense. And lastly on the right end side is the chrome surround which goes on top of the lense via clips which is easily removable(and can be purchased separately.

Now....using those names, i will explain how things go together (as far as i know).

-The reflector housings plug into the back of the chrome housing (the bulbs go into the reflector housings).

-The chrome housing is sealed to the clear lense via a liquid sealant. The sealant is the part that you have to heat up in order to remove. There are some people who have stated that there are clips also associated with this connection.

-This combo of reflectors,chrome housing, and lense are all placed into the black plastic backing. By what means, i dont know. I wish it was just screws, but i highly doubt it. It almost looks like it was cut off in that pic....but i dont know

-The ballast and igniter for the xenons then attach to the black plastic backing plate on the outside.

-The chrome surround clips onto the lense hiding the connecting points for all the other parts.

-The entire unit is held on the car via some screws (nothing hard interms of this removal

This is discussing the 02-04 xenon housing pictured above. A lot of the connection methods are unkown. I am using knowledge of other car headlights and various pictures i have seen to SPECULATE about some of the above information. I may be wrong.

 

more pics to entice people.....check out the carbon fiber in the first pic

 

So sexy. I bet HB would look sweet like that.

 

wow I just drooled on my keyboard

-Josh

 

man, i wana try it with mine now.....

i dont know what color i want tho, painting them DS doesnt seem like much of a jump from chrome, lol

 

You could paint them white to match the roof, mirror caps, and bonnet stripes.

 

that seems like it would be quite a jump....

i would have to paint my grille white then too, lol

 

Just giving you options. I am thinking about painting mine black. If I ever get the nerve to take them apart.

 

how about the carbonfibre? How do I do it?

 

Well assuming you can get them apart the steps would be as follows.

rough up the chrome with some sandpaper. Make sure its rather textured. Apply a thin layer of your choice of resin. Lay down a layer of carbon fiber fabric on the area and make sure its absolutely flat and tight. Brush on a bit more resin, Allow to cure. Sand with finer and finer grit sandpaper. Cover in some sort of UV protectant (pro's differ on choice here). Trim all the edges so they are the same as the actual housing. Admire your work.

That is a very abridged version of the process. And most people are unable to make a successful overlay on their first attempt. You can have lots of problems between bubbles, discoloration, and uneven surfaces...all dependent on the above processes. I would like anyone attempting to do this to do way more reading. I'm just putting this out there to give a little glimpse into the process.

 

And if you did the inlay with CF, you'd have to do the chrome surrounds with CF too... right?

 

haha yes its fully necessary then

 

Hmmm... we have an extra '03 Xenon headlight (w/ broken lens from a re-tread) in the attic... this looks like a good Winter project.

 

Yes it is

I ask that anyone who does this please take pictures for the rest of the community. This will be one of my many winter projects this year (and maybe some academic work will be done too ). I will take comprehensive notes and write up a how-to....even if it doesnt work as expected i will let you guys now . I have some other secret plans for the headlight as well

 

I can't believe that I'm even considering doing this!!!!

 

I cant wait to do mine
I hope some people do some color coded headlights and not just flat black

 

I wonder if I should paint the projector housing or leave it chrome I was also thinking that it would probably look cool if it was a satin aluminum color

 

This mod will make a dramatic change to the front end for sure. Lets see those pics from the pioneer's soon !

 

I would do this in chili red for my wife if she wanted to. I'm not scared of it. Just scared the dealer would void the warranty, since she has had one headlight replaced already.

 

It has been almost four months since the last mention of this....has anyone tried to do it as their winter project yet? RallyMINI???

 

I know of atleast 2 people. 2 of my M|U Teammates just managed to get a great deal on some headlights on ebay.....they are now working to get them open. Pictures and a how-to will be available if they are sucessful.......

I encourage anyone to try and let us know how it goes.....i really wanna open it up and see what i can do. I have some plans

 

I still have that headlight up for grabs if anyone wants to buy it.

 

There is a guy here in are utah mini club that has done this, he is going to help me get mine apart, he said he had to break around some tinny bolts, not sure how bad but he said you cant see it and it went back togeather with no problem he said now the has done one, the second one will be very easy to do! I think that electic blue in the head light would look sweet!!

 

I'm looking for a pair or even just one side of the 05 xenon headlamps.
If you guys know of any for a really good deal, please email me at jonsibal@***.net. Thanks

 

Jonsibal,
Is this the start of a painting and angel eye project for you?
If so keep me posted.