A better way to mount headlite covers

[RacerX]

I just saw a 240Z in the parking lot a while ago and noticed it had headlight covers. I went over to admire the car and I realized that I never liked the way the headlight covers were mounted. The "L" brackets that are screwed to the headlight bezel - readily seen - to me - diminish the visual appeal.

 

Are the headlight cover kits offered today mounted any differently?

 

I'd like to ask all of you for a cleaner method of installing the clear headlight covers - your ideas please?

 

Thanks,

 

RacerX

[veritech-z]

I don't have much to add, except that my headlight covers came with the L-brackets. I'm not happy with the way they mount, because it was difficult to get them to line up exactly right, and the rubber sealing strip doesn't always like to stay in properly.

[cygnusx1]

MY OFFICIAL POST # 1 0 0 0

 

It takes some finesse to get them right. I lay down a strip of clear "stone gaurd" tape in the general location of the bracket. Then I use epoxy or JB Weld to glue the brackets onto the tape. I set them back from the edge about 1/4" so that I have the ability to "pull" the headlight cover in with the screws to get the right depth for proper alignment.

 

No drilling and to remove the brackets, you can peel off the "stone gaurd" tape. It saves the paint too.

[veritech-z]

So are we talking about something like 3m double stick mounting tape? I'm not familiar with stone guard tape...

[cygnusx1]

You are close. It it made by 3M but it is really tough and it sticks like glue.

 

http://www.xpel.com/products/bulk.asp

 

I use this stuff on my lower front fenders, on the front of the rear flare, and on part of the rockers. It is clear, damn near invisible and stops chips.

 

Buy it in bulk. Cut it to fit. Stick it on.

 

Basically you make some 2" x 1" patches of it and stick it on the headlight buckets in three spots where you would normally drill mount the L-brackets. Then you glue the L brackets on top of this tape. That way you are not drilling into the car and you are not gluing the L-brackets onto your paint. Use JB Weld to glue the L-brackets onto the tape patches. You can move them around to get the location perfect before the JB Weld hardens.

[spotfitz]

Thank you cygnusx1. I was considering getting covers, but didn't because I was not going to drill holes in my buckets. This is an excellent solution!

[qwik240z]

You are close. It it made by 3M but it is really tough and it sticks like glue.

 

http://www.xpel.com/products/bulk.asp

 

I use this stuff on my lower front fenders, on the front of the rear flare, and on part of the rockers. It is clear, damn near invisible and stops chips.

 

Buy it in bulk. Cut it to fit. Stick it on.

 

Basically you make some 2" x 1" patches of it and stick it on the headlight buckets in three spots where you would normally drill mount the L-brackets. Then you glue the L brackets on top of this tape. That way you are not drilling into the car and you are not gluing the L-brackets onto your paint. Use JB Weld to glue the L-brackets onto the tape patches. You can move them around to get the location perfect before the JB Weld hardens.

 

 

I also didn't want to drill into the buckets. Any chance of seeing a closeup of the L brackets mounted?

 

Thanks!

[veritech-z]

Ah-HA! I am familiar with this product, just not by name! My friend had that done on his Cooper S when he bought it. Not a bad idea at all..too bad I already drilled mine out.

[cygnusx1]

Lemme see if I can pull up a closeup from some old photos. If not, I will take a photo tonight.

[cygnusx1]

See Attached:

[240hoke]

I mounted mine with hte supplied sticker tape from MSA to see if I liked how the covers looked. I let it set over night and they fell off lol, so you definitly cant mount them that way.

 

I really liked 'em, so I ended up perminently mounting them using the screws MSA provided, I do have fiberglass buckets though.

 

Anyhow I thought the raw aluminum brackets were to flashy and caught your eye, I powdercoated mine satin black and they are pretty unobtrusive....

 

Had I thought about it before I stuck them on with tape, I would have cutt off hte wings and just had the small L bracket piece.

 

 

[Oldestzguy]

I think the covers themselves really add a lot to the front of a Z. However, the many ways of fastening them are atrocious and take away from the look so much they end up overiding the improvement to an overal negative result. Not to mention, all the moisture that gets under them when you wash the car. etc. Soap that is not rinsed off does leave stains and shadows, etc. Very frustrating.

[veritech-z]

I got the smoked ones, and I think they help keep the fasteners from really getting in the way. I know not everyone likes the smoke though, but if it works with your color, it's something to think about.

[phantaz]

I agree with the smoked comment... my brothers white z has them tinted along with a mild black out kit on his trim so it works but my blue z looked horrible with the tinted covers on it.

[veritech-z]

I think you'll see in these pictures that when your car is black, it's hard to tell if the covers are even smoked at all. I have never been pulled over in my z even though it's loud as all get out, and my tail lights are lightly sprayed black, but what you have to understand is that I might have put 2000 miles on this car since I've owned it. I don't want it to seem like I'm on the road all the time and not getting messed with, I just don't drive it much. The smoke ISN'T all that dark, it's not like the old "blackouts" that used to be popular. Something else to keep in mind, the stock Z headlights SUCK big time, and these don't help. They are good enough to be seen by other motorists, but if you are on a road at night with no streetlights, you HAVE keep your eyes on the reflectors, and hope you don't have any close encounters of the deer kind (very common, moreso on the outskirts of Tampa. wild pigs too.) I even went so far as to do the 9004 halogen conversion from the sealed beams, but anything short of HIDs is a waste of time and effort in my experience. If I stumbled across some projectors to do this, I'd do it right now. Anyway, on to the pics (and yes, I'm excruciatingly aware that I don't have the best looking car on Hybridz, but it's a work in progress ):

[SSflyer]

A little off the subject.... I got a set of the clear covers, and the fit is horrible. There's at least a half inch gap on both sides. I've read all the posts about heating them etc. but nothing helps. I've even shaved the "long' ends, but they still look pretty bad. I'm really wondering if I have a bent headlight piece. Please tell me I'm not the only one who's too ignorant to figure this out!!

[veritech-z]

You may have the wrong ones, do you have an S130 and are trying to fit S30 covers on it, or vice versa? The headlight buckets on the S130 (280zx) are a bit longer than the S30 (240/60/80z). Other than that, I see 240hoke doesn't have any kind of gasket on his, but mine came with a little rubber sealing strip. Maybe there are two kinds, and you have the ones that SHOULD have a strip, but don't?

[cygnusx1]

I run the gaskets because it hides the uneven gap. I like them without the gaskets also. I gues because the aluminum brackets are silver and my car is silver, they don't bother me....so...paint yours to match.

 

As far as the legal aspects. How do the cops know that they didn't come with factory headlight covers? Last time I got pulled over the cop had no idea what a Datsun was!!

[olie05]

The stock glass nissan ones are the sex. I think they provide the classiest looking way of mounting headlight covers, not to mention the shape is a little better than the acrylic ones, IMO.

[veritech-z]

I've never actually seen the glass ones in person...I bet they would look good if you could do whatever that treatment was that Oakley used to do to their sunglasses back in the day? Like this: