15 - 17 Tri Bar DRL Install/Upgrade (heat gun and cutting method)

[V8_MOTOR]

Hey guys

Since i have been getting a lot of requests on this, i have updated things with new videos. Both heat gun method and cutting method. I would recommend watching both videos for a complete understanding of the task at hand.

Any questions please ask. The heatgun method would work on the facelift mustang as well and to be honest any brand of headlights if you want to open them up.

HEAT GUN METHOD



CUTTING METHOD

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[emericA243]

Good instructional videos. I however disagree with some of your techniques and can provide some more tips.

First it's probably beneficial to explain some of the products and I reasons to go along with whats happening here. There are two main types of ways that headlights are sealed. The older and mostly still jdm method is using butyl glue. This is the easiest way to separate a light. It takes 10 minutes in the oven at 225 and the whole front lens come off like nothing. No tools needed, just a pair of gloves.

This is where I disagree with your first comment. I'm not sure what you don't like about the oven but it provides an even all around warming of the headlight housing and every piece of glue that's being used. unlike a heat gun where you do not have an even temperature around the entire headlamp at the same time as you're going around and around. This leaves colder parts and warmer parts which creates tension which can easily cause issues and cracking lenses.
The heat gun is a working method however it just takes longer. Which brings me to my second point about the more modernamodern hated type of sealant called perma seal. Unlike butyl which is very pliable and gets very liquidy when warmed up permaseal is a very very hard rubber that does not really turn into liquid. Therefore even at 225 in the oven for 10 minutes it does not just slowly pull apart and get all stringy like I mentioned prior with butyl.

To put it in perspective you can open a bottle headlight in about 2 minutes after it has been in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. With permacill even after baking it in the oven from anywhere between 225 to 245 for anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes or even multiple oven cycles You're still looking at 10 minutes to 30 minutes to get a headlight open. Sometimes even longer I've had headlights that take almost an hour apiece. Granted the goal here is you are not destroying the headlight and you are leaving it in a shape that is just about unmistakably noticed that it was even altered.

That brings me to my next point where you just start jamming tools in the channel and ripping it apart. Patience is key and any destruction you do during the opening phase is just more work you need to do before you reseal to try to prevent moisture and poor craftsman ship results.

my advice to anyone using the heat gun or oven would be to get a set of cold glue tools which are specifically made to open permaseal headlights. The technique and utilizing them is made so the channels are unaltered not pryed up not destroyed and looks like the headlight was never even opened.

again patience is key here slow and steady wins the race multiple heat cycles plus breaking down the permaseal I'm starting to get pliable is key. there's also other liquid chemicals like permatrator which may just be a mixture of some sort of gasoline and other chemicals that do break down and accelerate the breakdown of the permaseal much quicker. You can simply apply the liquid in the channel with a syringe.

Now onto the cutting method, this is not exactly what I expected to see when you start a cutting open or more so melting open the back of the headlight. I totally disagree with this nothing as my opinion it's sloppy craftsmanship has a huge margin for issues as well as you're fighting in such a small space to accomplish something that would better a lot easier than if cut open properly. When I say cut open properly I mean using a dremel or more appropriately an ultrasonic cutter or oscillating tool. This is where you cleanly caught right behind the channel and take the whole front lens and channel of the headlight off. This way you're not messing with perma seal You have a clean cut and a clean way to join the headlight halves back together.

Lastly a very common and beneficial sealant when refilling lights would be using butyl that you can buy for about $15. it's enough for more than two pairs of lights, It's not messy very easy to work with and allows you for easily reopening of the lights if needed to again.

With that being said great videos and instructional footage.

 

[V8_MOTOR]

I have done 6 headlights with the heat gun method and 8 lights with the cutting method with zero issues after years of use and I do it for fun.

There are too many stories of people not setting the tempurature right or leaving their headlight in the oven a little too long or even the light simply doesn't fit in the oven or accidently touches the sides. If people wish to use that method, good for them but they would still have to work on the light bit by bit.

The cutting method is super easy. It may look sloppy but it works and it's quick. I don't recommend a blade simply because it would mean contamination of the headlights with fine offcut/plastic dust which would then be impossible to remove. I did what you say to do a lense swap on my taillights (clear to red). It was a contaminated disaster in there and took forever to clean. With regards to making things look pretty, wait 24 hours and sanding things off and then painting black will get them looking close to oem but that's up to the person. You won't even notice the incision but as its made on the underside, no one will ever see it.

The idea for this cutting method being that some people daily drive their mustangs and don't have a lot of time. The cutting method disturbs little to nothing and allows the mod to be completed within a few hours. Me and my buddy did 2 cars in 3 hours for fun. Yes, it's a small gap but as you say take your time and there is plenty of room. This is a scalpel approach rather than a sledge hammer.

I originally used Butyl to seal my lights back up and didn't like it. I knew I wasn't going to be going in there again so used 552 to ensure no water ingress.

The videos offer a very basic methodology which allows people to build on it by adding their own quirks etc.

Thanks for watching the videos, as they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[josephstef]

The cutting method is super easy. It may look sloppy but it works and it's quick. I don't recommend a blade simply because it would mean contamination of the headlights with fine offcut/plastic dust which would then be impossible to remove. I did what you say to do a lense swap on my taillights (clear to red). It was a contaminated disaster in there and took forever to clean. With regards to making things look pretty, wait 24 hours and sanding things off and then painting black will get them looking close to oem but that's up to the person. You won't even notice the incision but as its made on the underside, no one will ever see it.
.

I fall in this category, I've opened a set of headlights before using the Oven method (it was butyl) but seeing the problems with perma-seal im going to go the cutting route. If the cutting route wasn't an option i would have never tried to attempt this mod.

 

[emericA243]

Not sure whats so difficult or dirty mess about properly cutting open lights. Its called compressed air. Again, your approach of cutting them open was not really cutting them open. You melted a chunk out of the bottom headlight to replace a specific part and fought the small hole the whole time with difficult to reach locations and connectors. You even said it your self. Thats like the equivalent of trying to change a brake pad with the wheel still on fighting the obvious battle of it being in the way the whole time. Do it right and take the wheel off.

This is properly cutting open a permasealed light, and as mentioned, the mustang permaseal isnt even the bad kind you can bake it open cleanly in 30 minutes.

 

[V8_MOTOR]

Not sure whats so difficult or dirty mess about properly cutting open lights. Its called compressed air. Again, your approach of cutting them open was not really cutting them open. You melted a chunk out of the bottom headlight to replace a specific part and fought the small hole the whole time with difficult to reach locations and connectors. You even said it your self. Thats like the equivalent of trying to change a brake pad with the wheel still on fighting the obvious battle of it being in the way the whole time. Do it right and take the wheel off.

This is properly cutting open a permasealed light, and as mentioned, the mustang permaseal isnt even the bad kind you can bake it open cleanly in 30 minutes.

 

[snake bite]

Good instructional videos. I however disagree with some of your techniques and can provide some more tips.

First it's probably beneficial to explain some of the products and I reasons to go along with whats happening here. There are two main types of ways that headlights are sealed. The older and mostly still jdm method is using butyl glue. This is the easiest way to separate a light. It takes 10 minutes in the oven at 225 and the whole front lens come off like nothing. No tools needed, just a pair of gloves.

This is where I disagree with your first comment. I'm not sure what you don't like about the oven but it provides an even all around warming of the headlight housing and every piece of glue that's being used. unlike a heat gun where you do not have an even temperature around the entire headlamp at the same time as you're going around and around. This leaves colder parts and warmer parts which creates tension which can easily cause issues and cracking lenses.
The heat gun is a working method however it just takes longer. Which brings me to my second point about the more modernamodern hated type of sealant called perma seal. Unlike butyl which is very pliable and gets very liquidy when warmed up permaseal is a very very hard rubber that does not really turn into liquid. Therefore even at 225 in the oven for 10 minutes it does not just slowly pull apart and get all stringy like I mentioned prior with butyl.

To put it in perspective you can open a bottle headlight in about 2 minutes after it has been in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. With permacill even after baking it in the oven from anywhere between 225 to 245 for anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes or even multiple oven cycles You're still looking at 10 minutes to 30 minutes to get a headlight open. Sometimes even longer I've had headlights that take almost an hour apiece. Granted the goal here is you are not destroying the headlight and you are leaving it in a shape that is just about unmistakably noticed that it was even altered.

That brings me to my next point where you just start jamming tools in the channel and ripping it apart. Patience is key and any destruction you do during the opening phase is just more work you need to do before you reseal to try to prevent moisture and poor craftsman ship results.

my advice to anyone using the heat gun or oven would be to get a set of cold glue tools which are specifically made to open permaseal headlights. The technique and utilizing them is made so the channels are unaltered not pryed up not destroyed and looks like the headlight was never even opened.

again patience is key here slow and steady wins the race multiple heat cycles plus breaking down the permaseal I'm starting to get pliable is key. there's also other liquid chemicals like permatrator which may just be a mixture of some sort of gasoline and other chemicals that do break down and accelerate the breakdown of the permaseal much quicker. You can simply apply the liquid in the channel with a syringe.

Now onto the cutting method, this is not exactly what I expected to see when you start a cutting open or more so melting open the back of the headlight. I totally disagree with this nothing as my opinion it's sloppy craftsmanship has a huge margin for issues as well as you're fighting in such a small space to accomplish something that would better a lot easier than if cut open properly. When I say cut open properly I mean using a dremel or more appropriately an ultrasonic cutter or oscillating tool. This is where you cleanly caught right behind the channel and take the whole front lens and channel of the headlight off. This way you're not messing with perma seal You have a clean cut and a clean way to join the headlight halves back together.

Lastly a very common and beneficial sealant when refilling lights would be using butyl that you can buy for about $15. it's enough for more than two pairs of lights, It's not messy very easy to work with and allows you for easily reopening of the lights if needed to again.

With that being said great videos and instructional footage.

Some good points. I've been doing heaps of research on how to do this and still trying to decide if its actually something I want to attack at all. The thing is I can get a specialist light company to remove and install the diode dynamics kit without worrying, however its about $1200. Or I can do it for about $350 myself. Anyway can you tell me where you get cold glue tools and what they look like as I've done a google search and got everything but. Cheers

 

[emericA243]

Some good points. I've been doing heaps of research on how to do this and still trying to decide if its actually something I want to attack at all. The thing is I can get a specialist light company to remove and install the diode dynamics kit without worrying, however its about $1200. Or I can do it for about $350 myself. Anyway can you tell me where you get cold glue tools and what they look like as I've done a google search and got everything but. Cheers

https://lightwerkz.net/products/cold-glue-tool-set?_pos=1&_sid=a5dff5f68&_ss=r

Lightwerkz is the most knowledgeable in the business

 

[snake bite]

https://lightwerkz.net/products/cold-glue-tool-set?_pos=1&_sid=a5dff5f68&_ss=r

Lightwerkz is the most knowledgeable in the business

Thanks mate appreciate it. Would you happen to know the dimensions of the front lights. I've got a small ovan and trying to work out if they would fit in it

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