Corvette C6 GTR Carbon-Fiber Headlamps - Illuminating Project

Let's be clear about this from the start: The project outlined in this story won't increase the top speed of your C6; nor will it improve its lateral acceleration. It won't shave half a second from its quarter-mile acceleration, and don't bother writing to ask about the impact on downforce at 120 mph.

This is a story about aesthetics. It's about personalization. And it's about a do-it-yourself project that, provided you can tell a straight-slot screwdriver from a Phillips, you can perform at home and achieve excellent results.

We're talking about a set of GTR carbon-fiber headlamps and stainless-steel-accented taillights from Specter Werkes/Sports. In the simplest sense, they replace the stock lamps and lenses, but there's more to the project than that. They transform an otherwise stock-appearing car into something more distinctive, but in a way that doesn't impact driveability or reliability.

Both the headlamps and taillights are the same as the ones used on Specter's GTR supercar. The headlamps dramatically alter the front-end appearance of the car, replacing the body-color lamp assemblies with units draped in real carbon fiber beneath the lens cover. As for the taillights, they've got blacked-out outer-edge styling and a stainless-steel center trim ring, yielding a more detailed look than the stock lenses.

The Specter GTR headlamps...        read full caption The Specter GTR headlamps feature real carbon-fiber bezels in a ready-to-install assembly-including the factory-spec projector-beam lamps. They're direct replacements for the stock lamps.	Like the headlamps, the GTR...        read full caption Like the headlamps, the GTR taillights simply swap out with the stock lenses. Their distinctive look comes from the blacked-out perimeters and stainless-steel inner trim rings.	Installing the headlamps requires...        read full caption Installing the headlamps requires the removal of the front fenders. The process starts with removing the front wheels to provide access to the inner fender liners.
The fender liners are held...        read full caption The fender liners are held in place mostly with plastic push pins. While a flat-blade screwdriver will do the trick, the best method of removing the pins is to invest a few dollars in a purpose-specific tool like the one shown here. They're available at most auto-parts stores and auto-body-supply outlets.	The liner pulls out of the...        read full caption The liner pulls out of the body easily, but care must be taken to ensure that all of the plastic fasteners have been removed. Working in the dark recesses of the inner fender, it's easy to miss a pin or two.	A separate liner is located...        read full caption A separate liner is located at the rear of the inner fender area; its removal process is the same as the one used for the front liner section.
The most important reason...        read full caption The most important reason for removing the rear liner is to provide access to a fender bolt that's buried deep within the body. A couple of long extensions on a ratchet and a 7mm socket are needed to remove this bolt.	This photo shows the location...        read full caption This photo shows the location of the fender fastener with the fender removed. Note the angle of the fastener location (arrow). It's accessed by sliding the long extensions up through the body where the rearward fender liner was removed.	While the rest of the fender...        read full caption While the rest of the fender fasteners are easy to reach, a couple of them are located on the inside of the fender, where they secure the front fascia.