mr moto Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Probably everybody is familiar with headlights that are molded as part of a chrome grille. Not done much anymore on new toolings but that's how it was done for a long time. I know they can be drilled out and replaced with aftermarket or spare lenses but when I don't want to go that far, is there a painting technique that will make them look realistic? I've painted them flat white or flat aluminum before just to make them stand out from the surrounding chrome and it's okay but not very real looking. Has anybody found something that really looks good? I guess another question would be; if there's not a good way to paint them, is there a good source for aftermarket headlight lenses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Sometimes doing a wash on them with thinned silver or pearl white helps- you want to water it down somewhat to it collects more around the outside edges. I've tried painting them entirely flat and/or semigloss silver and have never been too thrilled with the results. For molded in taillamps (like on the Revell Jeep J-10) your best bet is transparent Stop Light Red over BMF, same as for a one-piece, chromed taillight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 (edited) I like using Elmer's Glue watered down and painted over chrome headlights to make them look more realistic. It dries clear, of course, but tones down the chrome and has some depth to it like a lens. Edited June 26, 2009 by Foxer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwc43 Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 If it's an old school car you can use the amber turn signal paint and give it that yellowish tint, or thin it down to make it look like old worn out head lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopdad Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I had pretty good luck printing out real headlights and sticking them into the headlight holes... Good luck, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I had pretty good luck printing out real headlights and sticking them into the headlight holes... Good luck, John Dang ... those DO look good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr moto Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 Great suggestions, guys! Printing out real lights is kind of brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caine440 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Wow The printed head lights look great. Can I ask how you did that? Did you print them on to decal paper? Simply a great idea. Caine 440 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopdad Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Wow The printed head lights look great. Can I ask how you did that? Did you print them on to decal paper? Simply a great idea. Caine 440 Caine and others, I originally did print them onto decal paper but because it is so thin I just left them on the paper. You could probably print them on any paper but would think the best detail would come fom that glossy, high end photo paper. I found the photo of the lights in Google images. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr moto Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 I plan to try doing some as decals. It'll probably be a while before I get around to it but when I do I'll post some photos. It's surprising how many styles of headlights you can find on the net and that's just plain round ones. I've built up a little library of headlight images to choose from: modern singles, old Ford, quads, Cibie, etc. This is a great tip! I really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I tried to print out standard headlights, but they just didn't look right. I think it can be done (obviously! The Ford pickup headlights up above look great!) but I need to experiment some more. If I had a better printer may help, and a higher DPI. The ones below were scanned from a picture of a cars front end. I wonder if a photo (close-up) of an actual headlight may look better? I too have also done the different colored washes over the chrome light. The only difference is I went around the inner edge of the trim ring with an fine tip drafting type pen. It gives the headlight some depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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