December 17th, 2022 - LHD Glass Headlight Replacement (Part 3)

December 17th, 2022 - LHD Glass Headlight Replacement (Part 3)

With my CR-X heading into the body shop in the new year for proper fitment of the Mugen Pro.2 replica bumper, I thought it should be time for me to sort out the headlights. The shop would have to adjust the fitment of the bumper for the JDM headlights, which would eventually be swapped out for the glass EDM LHD ones, so naturally the time was right.

I began looking for shops who could do this for me since my better half was not comfortable with me attempting this in the oven that we cook dinner in, and also I wanted the job to be done right, so someone with experience would be a must. The shop that I'd originally planned to use closed its doors back in 2018 so I had to start my search all over again.

To recap the saga so far...

RHD Headlight Marking
Note the arrow pointing to the right under the E code designation

Since Canada is a right-hand traffic country, RHD headlight beams are angled incorrectly for North America traffic patterns. I wanted to swap in LHD headlights to make sure I was more legally compliant with Canadian laws/regulations. 

LHD Headlight Marking
Note the lack of any arrows under the E code designation

From Daniel Stern Lighting's webpage:
How to read the ECE codes

I bought a pair of New In Box LHD headlights from my old friend Rick back in the day, but one of the reflectors was damaged inside. So I bought a replacement (used) headlight from eBay, with the intention of someday swapping the reflector, but the seller sent the incorrect side. The seller offered to return the incorrect one, and send me another but I'd have to re-pack, ship and insure the returned light. Rather than sent the incorrect headlight back at my expense, I just asked him to sell me the other side so he did. 

Now, with 2 used and 2 new LHD headlights, I attempted to install the used pair onto my EF8, but the adjuster motor came into contact with the front bulkhead since the opening on the EF8 wasn't wide enough. I removed the motors and attempted to make my own manual adjuster, but that didn't work. Since it's the actual glass that determines headlight beam angle, I ordered 2 used RHD glass headlights from the UK. My plan was to swap the glass from the LHD lights onto the RHD plastic backing. 

In the meantime I inspected the lights I have. The RHD lights were filthy and no matter who worked on them, a shop or myself, they'd need to be cleaned. Grabbed some brake clean, some Simple Green, couple pairs of rubber gloves, two rolls of paper towels, an old toothbrush as well as a wire brush, and got to work while watching Hockey Night in Canada. 

The metal threads in the housings were quite rusted and needed to be cleaned up with a tap and some rust breaker penetrating fluid, but once finished, the threads were perfect and the metal, while still a little rusty, was in much better shape. The entire feel of the headlights was different. They now looked like something I wasn't embarassed to take into a shop, let alone have installed on the CR-X.
 

The aftermath...

I located a shop that could dis-assemble, clean up and re-assemble the lights for me. Called Evolution (Evol) Motorsports, and the shop is about an hour and a half north of Calgary, so a bit of a drive but not too bad. I called and made arrangements to drop them off on a Saturday and took all 4 lights for a road-trip. 

About a week or two later, I received an update and a couple of pictures showing how bad the corrosion/oxidation was inside the reflector of the used lights. Even after cherry-picking the components in the best overall condition from both sets, it was still a fair amount of work to get them in great condition, but he did a fantastic job!

Corrosion/oxidation on the old internals

After the restoration

He advised me that he didn't have any gray butyl sealant for these older headlights and asked me if it would be alright if he resealed them using the black butyl he uses for the newer, more modern lights that he works on. I said it should be fine, not realizing just how visible the sealant would be once the lights were reassembled. He sent me the following photo and although I felt like a proper doorknob for having to ask him to take them apart and redo them, I knew I wouldn't be happy with them if I didn't. I explained that it was my error, not his, and that I acknowledge that this will add cost to the job, and he didn't mind having to redo them, and advised it would be a week or so to get the gray butyl from his supplier and I was fine to wait. 

The shop asked me if they could seal the headlights in black butyl.

As good as his word, a couple weeks later, he reached out to let me know that the lights were finished and ready for pick-up. Much improved look with the gray butyl sealant, and I'm so happy that I spoke up and asked him to reseal them. Evol's work is top-drawer and I recommend them. The lights look almost new after the restoration.

It should also be noted that the shape of the glass headlights are a little different than the JDM plastic ones. The point on the headlight where it meets the bumper is more of a point on the JDM headlight. The result is a bit of a gap between them. It doesn't bother me at all but some folks may be bothered by it. Not a huge deal, just something to note.