BAP'ing Guide for DIY Black Appearance Package - Front Headlights Edition

[2023Area51]

You are a brave man.

Either brave or dumb, jury is still out on that one.

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[Maverickent]

My response to the negative comments on your project is

Im sorry but WHY? seems like an awful waste of time and effort not to mention risking voiding your warranty for the headlights anyway.

Because some of us like a mod that gives our vehicles an aggressive, stealthy, brooding look. (See smoky eyes makeup). I hated the big, reflective, cheap-looking headlights on My Mav, so one of the first things I did was treat them with smoke film. I did the same with the taillights and front side markers. It mutes the ugliness enough for now, but I'm waiting for some sick blackout aftermarket projectors to jump in. I applaud 2023Area51 and others for their motivation to improve the look of their trucks. Well done!

 

[MavTime]

To help me understand the difference in headlights, what is left after the chrome comes off, just black plastic? And from what I see it is just the chrome trim and not the reflectors, so it doesn't affect the light output?

 

[dc73pdsgt]

My response to the negative comments on your project is

Because some of us like a mod that gives our vehicles an aggressive, stealthy, brooding look. (See smoky eyes makeup). I hated the big, reflective, cheap-looking headlights on My Mav, so one of the first things I did was treat them with smoke film. I did the same with the taillights and front side markers. It mutes the ugliness enough for now, but I'm waiting for some sick blackout aftermarket projectors to jump in. I applaud 2023Area51 and others for their motivation to improve the look of their trucks. Well done!

A mod that makes the vehicle aggressive or stealthy or whatever you want to call it I can agree with and would do to make my Mav look how I want. What I wouldn’t do however is take apart an OEM part already on the truck that threatens the warranty status, which I have no doubt would be voided by basically melting the adhesive bond of the headlight casing in order to change the interior coloring of the headlights. On top of losing the waterproofing inherent with an OEM part it also can affect the ability of the headlights to operate properly. Good luck getting Ford to fix them without a cost if they do fail. But hey, you do you and if you have to get it fixed I wish you luck.

 

[Montana]

Awesome! Brave indeed. I wouldn't mind attempting one of these mods and have always considered trying, but the cost is a spare set of headlights so it's not something I have ever done. Tons of info on how to, and it doesn't look "hard" - just more time consuming and preperation is key. Like painting lol. Anyways, I love it.

What specifically did you use to reseal?

 

[Krischievous]

i might take the risk of buyting used light off ebay for a couple hundred and try this to see if I can manage it before doing it to my own lights. I love the look and mine would only be an xlt so no extra led to be concerned about! Lol

 

[2023Area51]

i might take the risk of buyting used light off ebay for a couple hundred and try this to see if I can manage it before doing it to my own lights. I love the look and mine would only be an xlt so no extra led to be concerned about! Lol

Let me know how it goes if you do!

 

[2023Area51]

Awesome! Brave indeed. I wouldn't mind attempting one of these mods and have always considered trying, but the cost is a spare set of headlights so it's not something I have ever done. Tons of info on how to, and it doesn't look "hard" - just more time consuming and preperation is key. Like painting lol. Anyways, I love it.

What specifically did you use to reseal?

I used waterproof silicone to reseal. After talking with a few people who have done this, they suggested that's your best option.

And agree it's not hard, just tedious. The end result is amazing.

 

[2023Area51]

To help me understand the difference in headlights, what is left after the chrome comes off, just black plastic? And from what I see it is just the chrome trim and not the reflectors, so it doesn't affect the light output?

Correct, the reflectors are not touched. This is why the headlight needs to be opened, so that the reflectors are not touched.

On a separate thread, I posed a few photos of one of these modified headlights vs. an unmodified headlight and there was no difference in light output. I've reposted it below.

 

[2023Area51]

My response to the negative comments on your project is

Because some of us like a mod that gives our vehicles an aggressive, stealthy, brooding look. (See smoky eyes makeup). I hated the big, reflective, cheap-looking headlights on My Mav, so one of the first things I did was treat them with smoke film. I did the same with the taillights and front side markers. It mutes the ugliness enough for now, but I'm waiting for some sick blackout aftermarket projectors to jump in. I applaud 2023Area51 and others for their motivation to improve the look of their trucks. Well done!

Thank you and thanks for the response! I love making my Maverick my own and have enjoyed seeing others do the same.

 

[volksnuts]

Some people are not concerned with warranties
Don’t get me wrong a warranty is a great thing but I never let it get in the way of my vision
I was a chicken and just bought BAP headlights for my truck…. However I have done this mod on other cars with no issue

 

[Lane]

There are people who don't like the box that the world expects them to live in and they choose to think outside of it. They're creative, expressive. They'll rip the tags off of mattresses. They'll run with scissors if they want to. I've known people like this and I aspire to be more like them. Because I think it's those types of people who don't sweat the small stuff who are able to get more out of life, and are able to accomplish more than those who have a fear of taking a chance. Someone tells them "you can't do that" and they respond with "oh yeah, just watch what I'm able to do".

Then there are others who are free to be concerned with their warranty. Why feel the need to rain on other people's parades though?

Ok, end of my rant for the day.


I'll be doing the same thing, my own Zep! BAP of the headlights. There are dozens of YouTube videos on this to learn from. What I've learned from them and would do differently - silicone works to re-seal, but if you need to take them apart again, it sounds like it's almost impossible to do so. Most people use butyl rubber to reseal the assembly because it allows it to easily come apart again with heat. I bought a roll of it off Amazon for around $13.

The videos do caution against the oven heat if you have fancy headlights with circuit boards inside them. Otherwise, the level of heat required to soften the seal adhesive is not near what's required to wreck plastics & typical internal wiring. The internals of some headlights can get as hot as the oven just from the vehicle's lights being on.

OP 2023Area51, thanks for taking the time to write about the process and share your results.

 

[jewc75]

People act like this is the very first time this has ever been done to a vehicle. Companies have built reputations by retrofitting headlights, taillights, side markers, and the list goes on. There are a few legit and very popular companies that are already coming out with kits for the Maverick. Good on you dude, i will be following suit soon. I already have the ZEP from when i did the taillights.

BTW, lol

2022 Ford Maverick Headlight Demon Eye ColorSHIFT® Kit - YouTube

 

[Maverickent]

Some people are not concerned with warranties
Don’t get me wrong a warranty is a great thing but I never let it get in the way of my vision
I was a chicken and just bought BAP headlights for my truck…. However I have done this mod on other cars with no issue

It looks great! Am I correct to assume you have a Lariat that had the signature headlights?

 

[volksnuts]

It looks great! Am I correct to assume you have a Lariat that had the signature headlights?

Correct

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