Okay, so there is the "bake them in the oven trick"..... but if I do this, I'd insist on finding / buying a set of new, or like new factory lights to do this on.... then if I screw them up, I'm not without lights completely. Plus, having a spare set of lights in the closet doesn't sound like such a bad thing either.

Next, is the Harley Davidson lights. Those are like $300 from Ford, right ? {ouch}

Then we have the FX4 and FX2 lights.... but I've heard some of those aren't black... but rather, dark gray. Plus, I bet from Ford, they would still be close to $300, huh ?

So then this evening, I saw the black F150 lights from Hella. They looked good, but I didn't see the amber "marker" light on the sides ? Found them for $200 though...

Any other good options ? I don't care for projector style, or Angel Eyes.....

Thanks,
Fish

 

I'd go for the Hella's. They have gotten fantastic reviews here and it's a hella lot easier than the bake option can be. The bake option can be very easy or very hard. It was a huge pain in the rear for me, but my lights were older and possibly the silicone was more fully cured than newer stuff.

 

two things.... Do you know if, in fact, the Hella's are missing the amber side marker lights ?

And two; How did your "oven baked" ones come out ? Sometimes a little pain and suffering turns out to be worth it......

Thanks,
Fish

 

I think either way you would need to bake both sets of lights. I would not trust and aftermarket lights bonding at all, I would definitely be re-siliconing it myself.

I would just do it with the stockers, unless the hellas would be cheaper than buying a used F150 headlamp set for $80 or so. The key is to be quick and ready ( yet cautious not to damage or scratch anything ) them once they are out the oven, if you wait too long them the silicone will cool and re-bond back.

 

I've got the Hellas, and they defiantly have the side marker.

They look awesome, and Hella is a quality company, I haven't seen a drop of condensation on the inside of mine.

 

If you got money to blow then go w/ hellas or Harley.
Or for $10 you can do it yourself, and then you get to feel good about it when someone asks where you bought them

 

oh ***** first time ive come across someone else with the same spelling for JASEN. your parents have good taste lol

 

i did the oven bake method and they came out great! the only problem is the inside of the clear plastic cover is beginning to get some sort of build up . i think its from the black paint baking in the sun.. but not sure.. now i plan on buying either HD or hella to replace my painted OEM

 

your lights look freaking bad-*** ! :-) I can see the amber reflectors now that I look close. Your grille looks great too. Are you considering black wheels also ? Of course, that would mean you had to finish it with all black running boards.... or make the ones you have black.

As I've recently said, I'm not really (or haven't been, up until now) a red truck type of guy.... But I've seen a few red / blacked out F150's lately... one in person, in my hometown (Fairfield, CA) and they just grab my attention and hold it !

Ya' know, it's not that I have lots of money to blow (besides $24K for the truck in the first place) but the way I see it, even if I were going to do the oven method, I'd spend at least a $100 on a set of new, or like new, factory lights to try it on, 1) So if I screwed them up, I'd still have lights, and 2) So I would have a spare set for 4 or 5 years from now, when they started to oxidize and get opaque (like these acrylic light covers always do).

So, for just $100 more, I will have my factory black lights.... AND a spare set... and no screwing around with the oven....

That said, there are a bunch of guys on this site that have done a really nice job with the oven method ! Hats off to them.

Peace,
Fish

 

Anyone know of the cheapest place to get Harley heads?

Theres some on ebay for around 400$ shipped.


Also, How is the lighyt pattern and cutoff with the hellas???? I have HID's and that is pretty important. Last, is the lens smoked a little with the blackouts?

 

Dude you need projectors. You are so worried about "light cutoff."

All of the stock F150 headlamps are NOT going to have good cutoff with HIDs, period end of story. They all have the chrome backing, they all give the same sort of cutoff. No, black ones are not better than the stock chrome ones when it comes to cutoff, they are the same (sorry shaunakadub, but this is true).

I think you will be much more satisfied with proper projectors.

to Fish:

I wouldnt do the bake in the oven method. Yes, its cheap and easy, but a lot of people from that thread complained about having condensation after a while, and California as we know it has extremely varying climates during different seasons. I just dont think its a good idea.

 

I baked and painted my own and am happy I did.
1. I save a ton of money
2. Noone offers headlights as blacked out as mine are, and the more black it is the more I like it! ( im speaking about my truck and my truck only here )
3. I get the satisfaction of learning something about my truck and of telling people I did the work myself.

 

Projectors = retrofitting and money.
by wanting black headlights, i did not mean because of the light cutoff. Just because my truck has black rims, grille, head, everything....

You can get a decent light pattern from reflector style housing. I dont want the flawless projector cutoff. Just a good even spread with not a bunch of stray light.

EXAMPLE:
Reflector style headlights with the Retro solutions HID kit ( Ford Explorer):