How to: Chrome delete and blackout grill

OK, update:

My car has been through quite a bit lately, which is why it has taken me so long to post back. Long story short, I was rearended 2 months ago, and my car sat in the body shop for almost an entire month before it was finished. While it was in the shop, I joeymodded the headlights, and got the front grill as well as all the inserts painted gloss black.

rundown on the Joey Mod--I won't go into all the details, there are numerous detailed DIY's out there. Basically, if you don't do it right, you can ruin your headlights. Also, it is very easy to mess up the inside of the lens; if you do this mod, make sure to completely clean the inside surfaces with windex. I used satin black high heat barbeque/grill paint with a slight texture to it, and it was amazing. It looked perfect. I would only suggest doing this mod if you are very comfortable using tools and a spray can, and you should be prepared to spend money on new headlights if you mess up yours. I know I sound discouraging...don't get me wrong, I would suggest this mod for competent enthusiasts on a budget. But it is still very easy to get wrong.


Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago, I rearended somebody else (minor accident, nobody hurt, but it destroyed my bumper and grill). I just got my car back again this past Friday. I also upgraded my headlights to FK angel eyes with black housings. Soooo, here are the latest pictures. Basically the same look I was already going for, but quite a bit of time and history in the process. I know that the VW emblem in the front is missing...the body shop misplaced it, and had to order a second one and paint it. It will be black though when I get it.

F250, do you have a link to those headlights.
How do you like the output compared to stock? I assume they are halogen?

Turbine Suburban said:

F250, do you have a link to those headlights.
How do you like the output compared to stock? I assume they are halogen?

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yeah man, they are from TM Tuning:

main website...
http://www.tmtuning.com/vw/

http://www.tmtuning.com/HOME/catalog/product_detail.php?default_product=2302


They are halogen projectors. Personally, I am quite pleased with the output, and like it better than stock. However, I don't think that I could say it is better than stock (as in xenon vs. halogen "better"), it is just different. Basically, the output is very similar, possibly slightly brighter. They are very easy to adjust, which is a major plus. The cutoff is amazing...quite sharp, and sometimes I can even see the cutoff off to the side of the road against trees. I would say that the beam pattern maybe very slightly longer than stock, but it is much wider, and you can see a whole lot more to both sides of road ahead of you. For light fanatics, there are some hot spots and dim areas in the beam pattern which you might find annoying. I don't mind them, and am willing to live with them for the better overall visibility and improved cutoff. Again, like I said, they are not necessarily brighter than stock, but I find that I have better overall visibility, and I love the sharp cutoff. I can take some pics of the beam pattern and cutoff tomorrow, if you would like.

Oh, do a search on vortex for FK angel eyes. They tend to be disliked as a general rule on Vortex , but many people have installed some higher quality HID drop in kits with them, and are quite happy with them. Very cheap option for HID's, and not dangerous like doing a drop in kit with reflectors.

Looks good F250 JR. Will the body shop remove the chrome from the VW emblem before paint? Just wondering because when I did mine I just roughed it up and painted it and now rock chips show up very easy as compared to the rest where I peeled the chrome off. Also, might look cool with the little covers painted black below the headlights like on my car. Gives it that sorta war paint under the eyes look. Sorry to hear about the car, hope no more accidents for ya.

Spoolin, the body shop will not remove the trim the way i did earlier in the thread. All they will do is use an etching primer before they paint it. Not necessarily ideal, but I am happy with it for now. Honestly, I have several different setups I would go for instead of the Jetta bumper and grill given enough money and time, so I am not worried about this paint job lasting for 10 years. I wouldn't be surprised if this setup started chipping eventually, but it is painted with the same clearcoat that is on the car...it will be more durable than rattle can job like the one I did myself.




Oh, and believe me, I plan for an accident-free future for both me and my car!

I deleted more chrome in the fall, so this is kinda an older update. These are the stock wheels painted black. Car looks great in my opinion though.

F250_JR said:

yeah man, they are from TM Tuning:

main website...
http://www.tmtuning.com/vw/

http://www.tmtuning.com/HOME/catalog/product_detail.php?default_product=2302


They are halogen projectors. Personally, I am quite pleased with the output, and like it better than stock. However, I don't think that I could say it is better than stock (as in xenon vs. halogen "better"), it is just different. Basically, the output is very similar, possibly slightly brighter. They are very easy to adjust, which is a major plus. The cutoff is amazing...quite sharp, and sometimes I can even see the cutoff off to the side of the road against trees. I would say that the beam pattern maybe very slightly longer than stock, but it is much wider, and you can see a whole lot more to both sides of road ahead of you. For light fanatics, there are some hot spots and dim areas in the beam pattern which you might find annoying. I don't mind them, and am willing to live with them for the better overall visibility and improved cutoff. Again, like I said, they are not necessarily brighter than stock, but I find that I have better overall visibility, and I love the sharp cutoff. I can take some pics of the beam pattern and cutoff tomorrow, if you would like.

Oh, do a search on vortex for FK angel eyes. They tend to be disliked as a general rule on Vortex , but many people have installed some higher quality HID drop in kits with them, and are quite happy with them. Very cheap option for HID's, and not dangerous like doing a drop in kit with reflectors.

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If you do not mind, can you take few pics of the beam pattern and pic of the bulb assembly (just want to know how the bulb is hold in place).

I can take a couple of pics later tonight....bulb assembly is standard H7 bulb plug and holder (it is a little wire clip that closes over the back of the bulb).


EDIT: after having the FK's for a month or two, I wouldn't necessarily recommend them again. I still love the look, and I like the beam pattern and cutoff, but I am starting to see that they are indeed lower quality headlights. One of the angel eye rings is already starting to go dimmer than the others, and from what I've read, any fix for that would involve pulling apart the headlights.

My personal plan: source a second set of cheap used OEM or FK headlights, and then use these headlights to do a complete HID projector retrofit. If anybody's interested in exactly what that is, or how to do that, look at HIDPlanet.com. Not necessarily something most people would be willing to do, but I like the idea for my car, and with these lights.

Bottom line...FK's are not OEM quality...if you need a cheap headlight solution go for it, but they may not last longterm. If you need a headlight solution that gives you the most reliability, and without any need for retrofitting and repair, don't go with these.

Kriesel said:

I deleted more chrome in the fall, so this is kinda an older update. These are the stock wheels painted black. Car looks great in my opinion though.

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how did you get rid of the chrome around the doors? looks really nice in my opinion

turbo2467 said:

how did you get rid of the chrome around the doors? looks really nice in my opinion

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Taped off, sanded, and sprayed with krylon ultra black spray paint. Same process for the wheels and emblems.

Kriesel could you take a close up picture of your rims. I am considering something like that in the future but I thought I would get them professionally done with a gloss powercoat (black).

Thank you

BMac

turbo2467 said:

how did you get rid of the chrome around the doors? looks really nice in my opinion

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i have 3/4 of the trim for the doors... the body shop replaced the belt line trim when i had the door repaired... i never got around to doing the remainder of the trim, and then the car got totaled.

let me know if you want it. it is still boxed up from when i bought it.

BMAC said:

Kriesel could you take a close up picture of your rims. I am considering something like that in the future but I thought I would get them professionally done with a gloss powercoat (black).

Thank you

BMac

Click to expand...

I'll get some soon

how did you smoke the back vw emblem?