[Thumper]

Let's what can be done to these. *Grins*

Over the following days, more pictures to come.

(And yes, the Australian i30 headlights are a pain in the you know what to open up!)

Any suggestions?  <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt="" title="Razz" />

[TheBunyip]

Hi Thumper,

Sorry I do not have the time to Google this one. It looks an interesting challenge.

Headlight dismantling and reassembly seems to be something of a popular project for lots of Mazda 3 Owners.

If you browse http://www.mazda3forums.co.uk/. you should find some well photographed projects (Angel Eyes, Daylight running addition) on the Mazda 3 headlights. Baking them in the Kitchen oven to soften and reset the assembly glue seems to be the way to do it for the Mazda 3. I am fairly certain that I have seen discussion of similar projects on American Mazda 3 forums too.

Is the "plastic technology" used in the Hyundai and Mazda headlights similar? Would it help on the i30 headlights???. I haven't a clue.

Good luck with your Project. I will look out for your results.

[nizzkid]

I opened the head lights on my old Soarer.
Just had to stick them in the oven and pry them appart. Pretty easy.

Best to go slow though...i have seen pics from people who had the heat on too high! lol

[Thumper]

Bunyip, normally the assembly is held together with black 'goop' (Want of a better word) and is very easy to pull apart once heated. (Be it an oven or hairdryer)

Issue here is, these lamps are held together with a grey bonding agent that does NOT soften with heat. (It's a bugger to work with)

I have some ideas that will require some interesting changes that do NOT involve LED's.

[TheBunyip]

Hi Thumper,

So it looks as if a "solvent/releasing agent" that will not attack the "Plastic Headlight components" may be required to release that "Grey Goop"

Do we have any i30 Owners who are Chemists who could help identify a "safe solvent"??

[bumpkin]

I am a chemistry tech, however I suspect that anything chemical which attacks the grey glue will also be corrosive enough to attack the plastic.  Most organic solvents have the ability to melt plastic which is obviously no good for this.  It might be worth trying a little 100% ethanol, it does clean "normal" glues without attacking polymers (plastics), but steer clear of chloroform, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofurans.

If Thumper has a small bit of the glue, see if the glue softens in a dish with a little vodka in it.  If so then alcohol is the chappie required.

Brian

[TheBunyip]

Hi Bumpkin,

I do not know if your info will help. Hope it does. But.......

THANK YOU for the fast response anyhow.

I am glad that your Ethanol test does not require the sacrifice of even a small drop of a Single Malt.

[Thumper]

Interesting, vodka actually does soften the glue!  

Right, the oven trick does work, but patience is required. When you have a headlight that has the normal black sticky bonding glue, 60 degrees C at around 15 mins is all that's required.

This grey bonding agent requires higher temps (85-90 degrees C) for around an HOUR before it softens enough to pull apart.

The i30 lamps are one of the hardest I've worked with in regards to pulling them apart.

I was looking at painting the inside black, but that only really suits the darker colour vehicles. The chrome, well, not my cup of coffee! The Camry I have has the lights done in a gun metal grey colour, looks rather neat. So I'm looking around now for a heat proof gun metal grey paint.

I'v just finished modifying the projection cages and fitted different scatter shields (For the HiD system) I'm now looking at something completely different that I am sure hasn't been done before (When you look at the low beam projection lens, it looks like a half circle. I am looking at making the entire glass lens glow blue, like an eye, but the projected light on the road is perfect white)

Ideas......Ideas......

[Thumper]

From this:



To this:



Close up.



Just enough chrome to keep it looking factory, but with enough of a colour change to make it slightly different to all the other i30's going around. (I think the blue highlights actually turned out looking ok)

I'm still working on what to do with the indicators. (Either a Cree or Luxeon amber insert)

[Hemmi]

cool  

[grug]

Very, very nice Thumper.

You'll have to take a wider angled shot so we can see how it looks with your silver.

I'm expecting a Steel Grey, and also can't really stand the chrome or stock look.  If this wasn't too hard to do I might look at doing something similar myself.  Perhaps when you've finished everything and have a bit more time you could do a more detailed write-up for us?  

[Thumper]

Had some ideas today, so have been experimenting with projection optics for the orange indicator light.

I've noticed that the Korean's are use multiple stacked arrays of LED's for the indicators. Looks good, but they are now becoming very common.

I thought I'd do something a little different. (Free air projection into a dispersion lens) Surprisingly most of the equipment is already inside the headlamp.  8-)

Heck, if someone with a steel grey i30 likes my lights, I'm more than happy to swap them over, and start again on the mods.  

[Dazzler]

Hi Thumper,

Don't make her look too much better you won't want to sell her...

[Thumper]

Darryl, the great thing about these mods is, they can easily be swapped over to another vehicle, and mine put back to standard.

Oh, yeah, I asked around for black/grey/colour coded headlights from overseas, they only come in LHD versions.

I might corner the market for colour coded headlights for the i30 in Australia for RHD. (With whatever personal touches you wish)

Oh, by the way, the fog lights are a PITA to open up. (Third trip to the oven to get them open)

[EymaTeapot]

Looks good Thumper,
Look forward to see how it looks back on the car

[tiny]

they look really nice, i want to see how they look on the car

[Waja]

looks awesome thumper! really looking forward to when you install the lights back on your car and take some awesome shots! and also loving the idea about how you are willing to sell your services! Alot of us will be interested after we see what you have done!

[Dazzler]

Would like some all around pix soon please Thumper (think we've only seen the new tail lights from the back so far)

[Thumper]

Getting there, getting there. (Yeah, I haven't shown a full photo of my vehicle, yet!)

There is only one person on here that's seen and heard my little beast, thus far.

Once I've done these lights, I'll do a full photo shoot. Promise.  <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" />

Here are some of the 'in-between' photos that you rarely see with my mods.

The taping of the fog lights.

Fog light out and opened up (Clear cover removed)



Rough taping of the housing. (Will tidy the rough edges tomorrow when there is sunlight about)



Next, the painting. (Obviously where the tape covers there will be no paint.)

If the lights don't look good on a light silver i30 like mine, then I'll sell them to someone with a darker colour i30. (Issue is, they are modded to accept HiD bulbs. Reduced glare and I have eliminated all light output above the cut off line. Not an easy job. This itself has taken me the longest time to perform.)

If anyone is interested, all paint used is engine enamel that is heat proof to 540 degrees C, heat cured for a day before any assembly.

[Thumper]

Drivers side has been done, the passenger side is still stock chrome. Thought I'd show you all the difference.







The extra modifications to the low beam projection screen has resulted in 0% of light projecting upwards. It has also resulted in a brighter, whiter light. (5 hours worth of work on the projection cage itself helped with this, also a new modification that I've been designing for months now)

The indicator lights have been heavily modified with three very high powered LED modules (1w each module) that point forward into the original lighting cluster lens. Works rather well! (Too bloody bright to look directly into)

Still working on the fog lights.

What do you all think?

[teamgeorge]

i think it looks great thumper.

people could argue the passenger stock initially looks better but if you think about it thats just glare around the lights where the modded version have direct light in the areas needed for better vision? i want pictures on a pitch black night looking down a country road before i make my assessment.  

[YOSOYPEPO]

really very great job

[Dazzler]

Hi Thumper,

In the photo with the lights off it looks brilliant. I'll wait for a long shot &/or night shot to judge the "light on" comparison...

[Hemmi]

that looks great!  

[grug]

Looks brilliant.  You really should go into business Thumper.

[Thumper]

More pictures:









Camera still can't get the colour/light levels correct with the HiD yellow.

Time to do the other side.  <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cool.gif" alt="8-)" title="Cool" />

[EymaTeapot]

One Word...
Brilliant

[Dazzler]

Careful.... The Koreans will start posting pix from our site on theirs if you're not careful  

The dark reflector does look better (with light colours anyway)

[YOSOYPEPO]

Careful.... The Koreans will start posting pix from our site on theirs if you're not careful  

The dark reflector does look better (with light colours anyway)

yes. he can put a water mark in photos

[Dazzler]

yes. he can put a water mark in photos

   I don't think that will be necessary (just meant they will be impressed with Thumper's work, like we are impressed with theirs)