I've also read on here that the jdm headlights aren't aimed in the same direction as the usdm ones obviously because of the sides of the road that we both drive on. Basically what that means is that the headlights aren't pointed "straight" ahead, but are aimed several degrees in the other direction as to not blind oncoming traffic.

 

Can someone explain to me what the appeal is of blacked headlights? Do they shine brighter at night, have better structural strength, or is it simply for looks?

I'm asking because I don't understand and I'm trying to get clarification.

 

Look and look like jdm.

 

For looks. My chromed OEM ones look terrible with my flat black paint. It's really an eye sore.

I'm all about function, but this just looks strange how it sits now. I may do the air duct on the driver's side for cold air to the intake.

 

Yeah mostly appearance because it gives the whole front end a different, some describe it as more aggressive. I honestly like it, but it has to be done right.

On the topic of JDM lights, if it is true JDM than the projectors would have to be modified or swapped with USDM projectors because the cutoff that shields oncoming traffic from the light is opposite. Think of it this way, the USDM model lights are shaped like this ____/------ where the left side is lower in order to keep from blinding oncoming traffic on the left, where the JDM ones are ------\_____ like this because they drive on the opposite side of the road. In other words it would blind oncoming traffic in the US because the higher side of the light is on the side where oncoming traffic drives. That in itself poses a problem, unless you really don't give a crap about other drivers. IMO it isn't safe, so it's more practical to have them painted black inside to get the desired JDM look. It's safer, and when it's done right is impossible to tell the difference.

 

I just put mine back together last night. I ended up using Krylon Fusion satin black, less than a can for both housings, and I sprayed multiple coats. The only prep work that I did was I used some small alcohol prep pads on the surface that I painted. There is no need to scuff up the surface, unless you want the scrapes and scratches to show up when you paint it, because that paint adheres to plastic flawlessly

I didn't feel any need to use anything extra to reseal them because 90% of the factory adhesive was still indented in the grooves of the headlight, and the rest was on the outside edge of the lens. I just used the heatgun and made several passes around the adhesive to heat it up. Just put everything back together quickly but correctly. After I hand pressed all the edges as hard as I could, I made some more passes around the edges with the heat gun again, and pressed it together some more.

Honestly, the headlights were so much easier to do than the taillights. The taillight lenses are thin and fragile, but the headlight lenses aren't. Today, I'll use a 3M headlight restoration kit on the outside of the lenses to get the shine back.

 

Yeah the headlights tend to have a lot of extra glue, and the lenses are polycarbonite [however you spell that] and are meant to take the abuse of rocks hitting them at fwy speeds. So they're pretty durable.