I finally got round to doing my balck eye conversion on my xenon headlights on the st and thought I would take a good few pictures and post a bit of a guide to how I did it. I searched on stdrivers and also looked on fordwiki to see what step by step guides were out there and there are a few but none which seem to have many illustrations so thought I would put this on for anyone considering converting there own halogen/xenon lights.
First step: Remove the headlights from the car which for once Ford has made extremely easy, open the bonnet and first you need to remove the front grill by undoing the two turn clips on top of the grill where it is fixed to the slam panel and then gently the grill will slide towards you out of the retainers located under it ( it may take some tweaking to slide it out taking care not to force it and break any of the hidden clips )
View attachment 18398
Once removed you will be able to access the retaining rods which hold the headlights in place, two each side which will simply pull up and out to free up the light (sometimes you may need to put a bit of oil/wd40 down the rod to raelease it foe easier removal). Once all four are removed the headlights can be carefully slid forwards leaving room behind them to undo the electrcal plug before lifting the units free of the car.
View attachment 18400
Ford have made this nice and simple and should take just a few minutes to have everything off.
View attachment 18396
Step two: Undo the clips and the rubber wether strip where it attaches to the main unit ( the rubber weather strip does not need to be completely removed from the lens section you just need to unclip any parts of it which connect the lens and the rear unit ). Once all clips have been undone you need to heat all around the seam where the lens is attached to the main unit to soften the glue which holds them together. A hair dryer is perfect for the job as it doesn't require extreme heat to soften the glue ( a heat gun would also be fine for the task but with extra care due to the more more intense heat they produce). Starting at the top work all the way round the light with the heat to soften the entire seam then using i large faced flat screw driver or a rounded knife start to gently separate the edge at the top frequently stopping to apply more heat. Work your way along the top edge and down the sides, once they have separated enough to fit the end of the screw driver between the lense and the main unit reapply heat all the way around then gently pull them apart. The glue will be sticky and stringy so take care not to get any on the chrome and bezels and surrounds.
View attachment 18401
Step three: When you have separated both units you need to remove the reflective section which is going to be painted, this is held in by two screws which need to be undone to release it.
The first screw is located in the top left/right of the unit and the second is behind the side light clear lense. Remove the rear cover behind the sidelight bulb and then twist and pull out the side light, then you can use your screw driver to flick the clips on the back of the lens and release it to gain access for the second screw.
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Once both are undone the reflective section will slide out of its guide towards you and its ready to prep for paint.
Step four: I used a piece of scotch but fine wet flatting paper or very fine sandpaper would be fine, rub over the entire inside of the unit until the finish is dull and has a good key for the paint.
View attachment 18406
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Once pieces are prepared using a panel wipe or similar clean all the dust and potential grease off them and lay them down on there backs (easiest way to make sure you cover all the ares if there facing up.
The paint I used was satin black and firstly prior to this you need to apply a plastic primer/adhesion promoter (I use UPOL Grip $ which is perfectly adequate for this). One or two coats of the plastic primer (it comes out clear and you don't need to go mad with it just two nice even coats will be fine), takes approx 15-20 mins to dry then on with the black (2-3 coats leaving 10-15 mins between coats).
Leave to dry then it is time to reassemble the lights.
Step five: Prior to reassembly ensure the inside on the lens is cleaned and free of fingerprints or strands of glue. Firstly you need to replace the newly painted piece on each light taking care to line it up correctly in its guide runners and once in secure back with the two screws. Next slot back in the side light bulb and click its lens back in place. Now its time to put back on the main lens, using the hairdryer again heat round both seperate edges to make the glue pliable again and once achieved gently slot the two units back together taking care not to gat any glue on the section you have just painted. Push the units tightly together and then leave to cool and glue to harden back up.
When the glue has gone solid apply a small line of clear silicone all the way around the seem and leave overnight to go off.
View attachment 18408
Finally once the silicone has dried clip back on the rubber weather strip, wipe over the lens and they are ready to refit to your car.
The pictures I used were when I did my xenens however the process is exactly the same with standard halogen lights.
Hope this may come in handy as its taken me longer to write this thread than it did to do the lights!!!
First step: Remove the headlights from the car which for once Ford has made extremely easy, open the bonnet and first you need to remove the front grill by undoing the two turn clips on top of the grill where it is fixed to the slam panel and then gently the grill will slide towards you out of the retainers located under it ( it may take some tweaking to slide it out taking care not to force it and break any of the hidden clips )
View attachment 18398
Once removed you will be able to access the retaining rods which hold the headlights in place, two each side which will simply pull up and out to free up the light (sometimes you may need to put a bit of oil/wd40 down the rod to raelease it foe easier removal). Once all four are removed the headlights can be carefully slid forwards leaving room behind them to undo the electrcal plug before lifting the units free of the car.
View attachment 18400
Ford have made this nice and simple and should take just a few minutes to have everything off.
View attachment 18396
Step two: Undo the clips and the rubber wether strip where it attaches to the main unit ( the rubber weather strip does not need to be completely removed from the lens section you just need to unclip any parts of it which connect the lens and the rear unit ). Once all clips have been undone you need to heat all around the seam where the lens is attached to the main unit to soften the glue which holds them together. A hair dryer is perfect for the job as it doesn't require extreme heat to soften the glue ( a heat gun would also be fine for the task but with extra care due to the more more intense heat they produce). Starting at the top work all the way round the light with the heat to soften the entire seam then using i large faced flat screw driver or a rounded knife start to gently separate the edge at the top frequently stopping to apply more heat. Work your way along the top edge and down the sides, once they have separated enough to fit the end of the screw driver between the lense and the main unit reapply heat all the way around then gently pull them apart. The glue will be sticky and stringy so take care not to get any on the chrome and bezels and surrounds.
View attachment 18401
Step three: When you have separated both units you need to remove the reflective section which is going to be painted, this is held in by two screws which need to be undone to release it.
The first screw is located in the top left/right of the unit and the second is behind the side light clear lense. Remove the rear cover behind the sidelight bulb and then twist and pull out the side light, then you can use your screw driver to flick the clips on the back of the lens and release it to gain access for the second screw.
View attachment 18402
View attachment 18403
View attachment 18404
View attachment 18405
Once both are undone the reflective section will slide out of its guide towards you and its ready to prep for paint.
Step four: I used a piece of scotch but fine wet flatting paper or very fine sandpaper would be fine, rub over the entire inside of the unit until the finish is dull and has a good key for the paint.
View attachment 18406
View attachment 18407
Once pieces are prepared using a panel wipe or similar clean all the dust and potential grease off them and lay them down on there backs (easiest way to make sure you cover all the ares if there facing up.
The paint I used was satin black and firstly prior to this you need to apply a plastic primer/adhesion promoter (I use UPOL Grip $ which is perfectly adequate for this). One or two coats of the plastic primer (it comes out clear and you don't need to go mad with it just two nice even coats will be fine), takes approx 15-20 mins to dry then on with the black (2-3 coats leaving 10-15 mins between coats).
Leave to dry then it is time to reassemble the lights.
Step five: Prior to reassembly ensure the inside on the lens is cleaned and free of fingerprints or strands of glue. Firstly you need to replace the newly painted piece on each light taking care to line it up correctly in its guide runners and once in secure back with the two screws. Next slot back in the side light bulb and click its lens back in place. Now its time to put back on the main lens, using the hairdryer again heat round both seperate edges to make the glue pliable again and once achieved gently slot the two units back together taking care not to gat any glue on the section you have just painted. Push the units tightly together and then leave to cool and glue to harden back up.
When the glue has gone solid apply a small line of clear silicone all the way around the seem and leave overnight to go off.
View attachment 18408
Finally once the silicone has dried clip back on the rubber weather strip, wipe over the lens and they are ready to refit to your car.
The pictures I used were when I did my xenens however the process is exactly the same with standard halogen lights.
Hope this may come in handy as its taken me longer to write this thread than it did to do the lights!!!