Eyebrows or Eyelids on the Accord

[Graymalkin]

This is something i have never done on any of my previous cars. But I paint model cars as a hoby so i thought why cant I paint some plastic parts to fit to the car.

These are the ones i bought:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JDM-BLACK-ABS-HEAD-LIGHTS-LAMPS-COVER-EYELIDS-EYEBROWS-TRIMS-98-02-HONDA-ACCORD-/390928631316?hash=item5b05298614:g:cpoAAOSw-W5UzHNr

They are from the USA. Cost around £19 including postage. I was lucky enough that no import duty was paid. The package arrived and was well packed BUT not boxed which meant the eyebrows were slightly bent when they arrived. However they were not buckled or beyond repair so what i did was prop them up with a small amount of weight on them to bend them back into shape.

They are ABS plastic so they will bend but are hard and dare i say it firm.

They come polished and if you are looking to put them on a black car they can go on the car straight from the box.

Even though my coupe is a dark colour you could see that the eyebrow was black and just didnt look quite right. If the headlight had more black on it then again the black may have worked BUT I decided to paint them. This is where I managed to double the cost of the eyelids.

First up the eyelids needed rubbing down with some 1500 grit wet and dry. This took all the shine off the eyebrows. Also took off some slight burrs on the edges.

Next i noticed they came with some 3M tape on the back BUT in my opinion not enough. SO I bought a strip of 1mm thick 3M automotive tape that was around 10mm wide. This was just £3 and really didnt use very much at all.

Then they are ready to be primed. I used some Halfords Grey plastic primer. This is £7.50 for 300ml. But you can use this for several parts and you will not use too much on this project. One thin coat of primer which was then rubbed down with 2000 grit wet and dry. Then another coat of primer again sanded down lightly with some 2000 wet and dry.

I then left them for 48 hours to dry. Around 24 hours of that was spent blutac'd to the top of a water bottle and placed on the top of a radiator to give it some warmth and help the paint cure.

I then sprayed with a can of Mystic Blue Pearl bought from CJ AEROSOLS. http://www.cjaerosols.com They are based in Milton Keynes and were very helpful.

The paint was costly. It was £30 including P&P that was for the Blue top coat and a lacquer. However, Halfords will make up the colour of your car for a lot less than this, around £13.50 Plus £7.50 for the clear lacquer.

The CJ Aerosols cans come with adjustable spray nozzels that can widen or narrow the spray pattern. Obviously these brows are long and narrow so you use less paint with a narrow spray pattern. If you were painting a bumper or wing you would want as wide a pattern as possible.

I warmed the brows and warmed the can over a warm radiator. The can needed shaking for 2 minutes then applied a very very thin first coat of the blue top coat.

The first coat was then rubbed downlightly with 2000 wet and dry. This made some of the primer show through again but thats ok. I then repeated this 4 more times. Waiting 30 minutes between coats for the paint to dry. So thats 5 thin coats of top coat rubbing down after each, even after the last coat. Because my blue is pearlescent its best to rub down the final coat just to take the shine off. But of course you need to then lacquer it which then brings out the pearl effect.

But before lacquering you need to leave the top coat for at least 2 days, in the warm of the house. Infact I left this for 4 days as I was not free to do the lacquering before that. But the longer you leave it the better really. Some would recommend leaving it a week before lacquering.

The laquer is applied in the same way as the top coat. Maybe slightly thicker coats and this time only 4 coats. Make sure you start spraying the lacquer before you aim at the brow so you sweep the spray over the brow and beyond, so you dont stop spraying until the can is no longer aiming at the brow. If you stop too early you will end up with a stippled effect or orange peel effect. However, even if you do end up with an orange peel effect its not the end of the world. Oh and I do not rub down the last lacquer coat and the lacquer needs at least 30 minutes between coats. 

Try to keep the brows dust free, but if you see anything attaching itself to the sticky surface do not attempt to remove it. Leave it then sand it out when the lacquer is touch dry.

The lacquer then needs at least 48 hours in the warm house to dry and cure. But if you can, leave it for a week.

Then you are good to go - ready to apply to the car.

 

[Graymalkin]

Applying the brows was actually suprisingly easy. What you need to realise is the 3M tape is ultra sticky so you need to line up before you place it in position.

First of all clean the headlamp lens. Get it clean clean clean. I wiped with some isopropyl alcohol, then used wome alcohol wipes then rubbed down with a clean cloth. So the lens is dry and very very clean.

Take the painted brow with the 3M tape still with its protective film on, i lined it up on the headlight with the bonnet open. I then marked with a black sharpie marker round the top of the brow, the flat surface which is actually hidden under the bonnet. I did not mark the front of the headlamp lens at all.

Once the lens is marked up I then took the brow and got a blade and lifted the edge of each piece of the film that protects the 3M tape. This was so that i could quickly remove each piece of tape without fiddling with it. I used my wifes hair dryer and warmed up the brow on the rear side, this warmed the brow and the tape. I also gave the headlight a little hot air too, if you do this in the summer you wont need to do that.

So with a warm brow remove the film from the tape as quickly as you can. Then line up the surface of the brow with the headlamp lens. I worked from the indicator end to the grill end. I did this because if i screwed it up it was more important the indicator end was lined up as there was less room for error.

Once lined up, press down and let the tape take hold. I then applied more heat from the hair dryer to the front of the brow. This should enable the tape to warm up and get more sticky. All the time pressing down on the brow with a soft cloth to get the 3M tape to adhere even better.

Then repeat on the other brow.

The next step is optional:

The thickness of the 3M tape is only about 1mm. So it doesnt lift the brow very far off the surface of the lens. But on the upper surface, under the bonnet there is a much bigger gap. What I did not want to happen here is water getting trapped between the the top of the brow and the upper surface of the lens that sits under the bonnet lip. So I got some clear non silicon sealant. The stuff that is used to fit uPVC windows etc.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Crystal-Clear-All-One/dp/B005H0XCBC

This was £5 from amazon. The good thing here is not only does it give an invisible water proof seal but it doesnt shrink with heat/cold like you get sometimes round your bath, but it also acts as a glue giving yet more adhesion supplementing the 3M tape. I only applied it to the area that is under the bonnet, not to the lower edge. If you are confident with masking and applying caulk then it would probably be a good idea to apply a thin line of it on the lower edge to stop any rain/road spray pushing up under the 1mm gap. Also if you jet wash the car it may give more protection there too.

Here are some finished pictures:

 

[hughezee]

Excellent work buddy, nice to see you making the coupe your own

[AhsyV6]

Very nice job mate and like the grille too(same one as mine?)

Have a look at V6 Performance in the US under 6th Gen. I've been a member for 6-7 yrs and I think you will get some more brilliant ideas on mods. 

 

[hughezee]

Very nice job mate and like the grille too(same one as mine?)

Have a look at V6 Performance in the US under 6th Gen. I've been a member for 6-7 yrs and I think you will get some more brilliant ideas on mods. 

 

Thanks for the plug for another forum Ahsanul  but seriously Rich if you do have a mooch your eyelids mod may seem a bit low brow by comparison

[Brett]

Great stuff and looks a great mod.

i was worried when first reading the thread that they would look like the link 

[Laird_Scooby]

That's exactly what i was thinking Brett  - you beat me to it getting the post up though!

[Mazda Man]

Brilliant.  AhsyV6, I still want the grille please, are you at Stu's anytime soon? 

[Graymalkin]

I ended up putting some of the clear caulk (filler) on the lower edge of the eyelids this week. 

Attached is a pic of the upper edge that sits under the bonnet lip.