I love red and black (Blackout headlight project)

[Glassnpowder98]

So, this weekend I embarked on a journey full of painting and not having long enough or the right size torx bits. Currently, my headlights are apart but painted and I'm waiting for the paint to dry. Here are a few pics...









And to show off my MS paint skillllllzzzz here is a preview of what it will look like (but hopefully better)


And finally a preview of next weekend's project if my awe quad exhaust ships this week. Already got the s4 valence painted by the dealership.



DONE... With the bumper partially on because it's too dark to see all the nuts and screws...




Allllllll Black


Completely Finished...




And since this thread came back from the dead, here is a more recent/better quality picture.

[Bryan]

wahahah~~~ your MS photo paint skill is SO nice !!! whahahha~~
nice car !!

[Glassnpowder98]

Thanks... I got lessons from Auditude2.0T. He pretty much turned me into a pro!!! haha

[Auditude2.0T]

Thanks... I got lessons from Auditude2.0T. He pretty much turned me into a pro!!! haha

im glad you enjoyed the tutorials turned out well. My DVD Is coming soon.


Auditude2.0T's: How to Photoshop like a Pro with Paint for Dummy's.

[Glassnpowder98]

HAHAHAHAHAHA I love it! If you need someone to promote your book/dvd I'm all over it.

[Bryan]

I can't afford it .... too expensive ..

[Auditude2.0T]

Here is my photoshop, as a mentor i feel it is necessary to show you the full ability of my DVD/Book. This one took me 5 minutes.

[Doctor]

hahahahaha you guys are pathetic...

GlassNpowder, these photos of yours, look familiar to me...Wow it was tough work but definately worth it...Waiting for results :)

[Turn10]

Yeah post some finished pictures please when you are done.

[Glassnpowder98]

I'll definitely post pics when I'm done. I just want to make sure all of the paint is fully dry before putting things back together. I should have everything finished in the morning and will take pics as soon as I can.

Does anyone think the red rings will be ricey? I was going for contrast on the grille. Hopefully I didn't take it too far...

[Turn10]

Personally, I would get a straight black grill to give the contrast btw the two. I think it would look better since the stock has never been my cup of tea. Also nix the chrome if you buy an aftermarket just straight black.

A site I use a lot...
http://www.ecstuning.com/

[Glassnpowder98]

yeah, a new grille is definitely on the list but I'm holding out until someone makes an rs4 grille for non s-line. I love the rs4 honeycomb so I might just have to buy one and cut it...

[Turn10]

www.ecstuning.com

[Sharkfin]

so how did you choose to open the headlight and did you just tape off the parts you didnt want to paint?

[Glassnpowder98]

so how did you choose to open the headlight and did you just tape off the parts you didnt want to paint?

Baked them at 175 for 5 minutes. Just used a screw driver to get it started and they came apart real easy. The right headlight gave me problems and started getting condensation in it when I brought it outside. It seemed like the factory didn't put much sealer on the top part of the light from the get go. So I reheated and resealed with a clear silicone sealer. It seems to be holding well now.

There was no need to tape anything off... EVERYTHING got black out (besides my xenons). Sorry for the smudges and dead bugs, she's getting a wash tomorrow and then I'll take more pics. Also, more pics in the original post above.

[whitevdub]

looks good from what i see so far...post some more shots

[Turn10]

Good shit.

[stephengraham]

Does anyone think the red rings will be ricey? I was going for contrast on the grille. Hopefully I didn't take it too far...

I think high gloss black rings on the flat black grille would be a decent alternative to the red/black contrast. It may compliment the look of the clean, clear headlight lenses over the flat black casing.

[EuroA4]

See there is lots of things to do on a rainy day! Looks cool...I like to see a different approach!!

[toothysaw2]

looks amazing so far. i'm excited to see the red rings. not ready to say i think it's a good idea, but i do think it could be pretty sweet and nobody i've seen has done that yet. rock on.

[Glassnpowder98]

Finally done and the hurricane/tropical storm is gone! One other pic in the original post... I'll try and do a little photoshoot this afternoon, but for now I gotta watch my buddy play his first game with the Seahawks!

[akasch]

I just clear cornered my headlights this weekend also! Funny story we didn't even heat up the headlights to take them apart! we were able to open them by just taking the clips off and using a flat head to pry them apart. looks good but now it seems the yellow fogs are out of place with the black and red theme. nice work!

[Allan T]

It looks good with the black headlights on a red car. But don't like the yellow fogs or the red audi rings.

[MOFSTEEL]

Dont like the headlights, rings, yellow fogs, and your grille looks like you spray painted the surrounding trim but left the center gray.
All of the above make your car look cheap.
Sorry but thats my true opinion.

[MOFSTEEL]

I just clear cornered my headlights this weekend also! Funny story we didn't even heat up the headlights to take them apart! we were able to open them by just taking the clips off and using a flat head to pry them apart. looks good but now it seems the yellow fogs are out of place with the black and red theme. nice work!

The point of heating them up is to moisten the epoxy used to seal them. If you remove the amber lens quickly you can reassemble the headlights and not worry about condensation because when the epoxy cools it will reseal. I hope you didn't just clip them back together and reinstall.

[Sly Raskal]

Not a fan of the red rings, but it's your car and you should do what you like regardless of what others think.

Also, is it just me or did you paint the reflector for the DRL as well?

[ItsThat2.0T]

I don't like that at all.

[SEXICÄN]

sweet ride, not sure i'm a huge fan of the red rings in the front of the car...

[EMAXX]

I love the headlights, but the grill, not a fan. The red rings just look really weird.

[akasch]

The point of heating them up is to moisten the epoxy used to seal them. If you remove the amber lens quickly you can reassemble the headlights and not worry about condensation because when the epoxy cools it will reseal. I hope you didn't just clip them back together and reinstall.

No we heated them back up nice and hot and then stuck them back together. We washed the car and sprayed a lot of water on there to make sure and no condensation yet! I have extra silicon in case tho.

[Sanjman]

Completely Finished...

yikes not my cup of tea... originality gets a though

[viperdsa]

Don't mind the red rings but the yellow fogs have to go.

[Glassnpowder98]

Thanks for the comments. I'm still undecided about the rings. I was definitely trying for something different to bring some contrast to the grille because I am not really a fan of black rings on the dark grille.

To answer a question earlier, yes I painted the drls because I wanted everything black and never use them anyways.

I never really considered how the yellow fogs would look after blacking out the headlights, but I'm with you guys and will probably get rid of them and replace them with a smoked film.

As for the rings, they will be staying on there for a while because I'm not going to be pulling my bumper again anytime soon... I guess I'll just have to learn to like them and I'll try not to post many pics on here of my front end haha.

Also Mofsteel, the grille hasn't been painted but I did use vinyl on it as well as my window trim to black out the brushed aluminum. Maybe you all can help me lobby a company to come out with an rs4 grille for non s-line to help clean up my front end and give me a reason to pull the bumper and repaint the rings!

[Turn10]

Good stuff, I would now in my opinion get a different grill. I like the headlights to most though.

[TooLow2.0T]

Hmmm...I can't say the headlights or rings are really my style. Thanks for sharing though!

[Bryson]

hey man! glad they turned out good! looks like you got the right paint afterall, looks nice and clean. and one up for being unique with the ALL-BLACK setup. did you use the sealant i told you about?

[Bryson]

as for the grille..it would be tight if you did a thin red stripe around the border of the grille! maybe not but i would try it. you know...like time attacks..

[Bryson]

hey man! glad they turned out good! looks like you got the right paint afterall, looks nice and clean. and one up for being unique with the ALL-BLACK setup. did you use the sealant i told you about?

actually im an idiot you mentioned the sealant

[Hyphy]

I swear these forums are annoying sometimes..

When one person posts a negative comment such as about the red rings..everyone else seems to follow..Noone likes to be different..

It's a red car aka you follow the red theme...Also, for a DIY project, I think you did great. Prolly a lot better then most of what these guys can do (including me)..

Anyway..for spraying the trunk rings, what did you use to put them back on the car? Or did u buy another set of rings that haven't been on a car yet?

[Glassnpowder98]

I actually purchased the black ring from a member on here, avantnoir. They came with fresh adhesive on them. They were kind of expensive but he did real quality work. Since I had just spent a lot of money on some mods I decided to do the front rings on my own. The front rings held up real well to normal driving but recently I went on a snowboard trip with my buddy and we were blasting through back roads. Apparently WV thought it was a good idea to use rocks instead of sand or salt. So, 90mph following someone kicking up rocks took it's toll on the rings and my bumper... This spring I'll be getting a new grille and will respray the rings as well while my bumper is off