the headlight lenses on my 87 t- bird look really dull and foggy.ne body know how I could clear them up.
This has been brought up many times, just do a search.
220 through 1000 grit sandpaper wetsanding, rubbing compound, polish, and wax on the outside of the lenses will clear them right up
starting with 120 grit will cut through the fogginess quicker and will give a better result, but will take a lot longer to get the scratches out. Using an electric sander (both to drysand and wetsand), it took me a good 4 hours or so to clean up my lenses
thanks alot. sounds like a good project to start on my new t-bird
actually you'll need to clean inside of it as well, I was the previous owner of that car, so all you need to do is clean the inside really well. There are ways you can do that, I heard dishsoap works well but i;ve never tried it. as for outside do what seek said. Also remember to buff it out really GOOD, and the result will turn out great.
eh, I got some horrible replacements from a junkyard and I left the inside alone after having my originals get worse after cleaning the inner side of the lens. Just rinsing with dish soap MAY help a little if moisture has gotten inside (meaning you should reseal them with silicone).
lenses I buffed outside and cleaned inside:
(http://home.comcast.net/~s.g.s/tbird/old.jpg)
lenses I only buffed outside
(http://home.comcast.net/~s.g.s/tbird/new.jpg)
oh, and what the replacements looked like before I worked on them
left was buffed, right was what they looked like when I grabbed them
(http://home.comcast.net/~s.g.s/tbird/hlens.jpg)
Something that may peek peoples interest. I've found that Eagle One tire cleaner has an excellent cleaning effect on the lenses. I found this out one day when washing my car and wondering what would happen if I sprayed the stuff on my light lenses. Needless to say, a lot of dirt and grime started emulsifying off of the lenses. I then rinses the lenses off and viola (wal-la) slightly clearer lenses. Now it obviously didn't last long, but i figure that for someone looking to clean up there's and polish them, this would be a good first step for inside and out out the headlights. Just some food for thought!
I have some Eagle One wire wheel cleaner left over, and I decided to try that today. I tried it first on the '88's passenger headlight. Looks like a significant improvement. So I decided to try it on the headlights of my mother's '98 ZX2. Its headlights seemed especially cloudy to me for a 6-7 year old car. Well, here's a before-and-after of putting just one treatment on, and *lightly* scrubbing it with the same brush I use on my interior. (since that pic I have done both lights twice, and they look MUCH better) If you do this, though, make sure you rinse it VERY well afterword.. after all, this is hydrofluoric (sp.?) acid.
heh, a family member has a 99 escort thats foggier than my tbird's lights have ever been. It looks pathetic really. You'd think that they would IMPROVE the materials they use, not skimp on price more
trying some polished aluminum tape as a reflector in a spare headlight. Its near impossible to get the contour right without getting wrinkles though
now if only I could get my spare lens clear (its scratched up badly) to go test it out
:grinno: If thats what new headlights look like, I've been missing out. My spare is a passenger so I plugged it into the driver's side and compared side to side on the garage door. The one currently on there appeared yellow on both high and low beam while the modded reflector was bright white with an even/bright beam pattern. The lens on the car is completely clear while the modded one still has a ton of scratches, but its semi-transparent.
The seams between each piece of tape aren't very easy to see (the only one being on the inner portion - where it meets with the inner marker light so I'll have to start there (to push the seam back) next time. This and it being a thin, yet tough piece of aluminum (slightly thicker than foil?), it should hold up to age and can be polished in seconds whenever it dulls. Not bad for $3
Also appears so very slightly more reflective than the stock reflector's paint. I'm guessing I'm seeing around 80% reflectivity right now, where quality aluminum polishes up above 90% and real chrome is supposedly like 99%
edit:
here's a picture. Most of it doesn't appear very reflective at the angle the picture was taken but look around the bulb socket (especially just below it) or the roll of tape. You can see the actual texture of the tape below the foil. The roll is how it appears before being polished, where afterwards I can see myself clearly in the reflection. When I redo my actual lights, I'll apply the tape differently to minimize bubbles and wrinkles so only the edges of the tape will be visible
Plus, you can then make the upper part of the reflector reflective also :D (not recommended on the bottom since it'll shine more light upwards than should be, possibly blinding other drivers)
(http://home.comcast.net/~s.g.s/tbird/alut.jpg)
I love the stuff
tape on sheetmetal
(http://home.comcast.net/~s.g.s/tbird/alutr.jpg)
mothers BILLET metal polish (NOT to be confused with their aluminum and mag polish) is BY FAR the BEST polish i have ever used. my freeride/dh bike has a polished aluminum finnish and i polish it every once in awhile. when im finnished with it it looks better than it did when it came directly from Santa Cruz (http://www.santacruzmtb.com/) brand new. ive used them all and this stuff id fricken amazing. polishes aluminum to the point of looking like fresh chrome with no effort. its almost rub on then rub off. any other pollish i would have to buff and polish with my cordless drill attatchments and then hand buff and pollish to finnish. it never looked as good as when i use the billet. its a little pricey ($13-$14 for 4oz) but is so worth it.
(http://store1.yimg.com/I/rodi_1838_39648273)
automotive stores?
auto zone had some. thats where i bought my 3rd one. i ordered my first 2 online.
tested it out tonight with one headlight taped up and the other stock (with some faded reflector) and I must say, the difference is huge. Only thing I don't like is the 45watt lowbeams in standard 9004 bulbs. Anyone know of a product thats more along the lines of 55-65/65 (to keep it within spec for the wiring)? I don't see how having a higher wattage low-beam bulb in these things is even close to people's projectors (which I hate SO much at night)
edit:
what about these "Wagner BriteLite Xenon" bulbs? 55watt low beam and I think standard 65w high...do they still sell them? Not having any luck finding many sources
edit2:
NAPA, for some reason, has wagner's product names listed (but Britelight is spelled "brightlight"...Lazerblue is Lazerblue though) but under their own brand name.
SEEK...convinced me to buff mine this weekend. Those are sharp and well worth the effort. I am working Sunday-Friday nights next week and don't have much of a weekend to plan anything big. I saw a set at the junk yard last weekend but was called to work when I went back to the car for my tools. Think I'll pick them up Saturday morn and leave them at work to play with all next week. In my spare time, of course. :rolleyes:
The best i've found is to use some duplicolor CHROME paint on the inside on the reflector and then use 0000 steel wool on the outside. Then i coat it with tire wet. Also use the tire wet on the black trim it also makes it look good black not fadded looking dull gray.
true sounds like some pretty solid advice u guys layed down, how does the order of actually clearing those lights go cause i poped mine of to clear it and kind of got stuck. also how would one take apart the side blinker light and put it back together to remove the yellow reflector? does anyone know casue that shiznit is stuck together at least 8x as well as the other two lights. any info would be usefull
thanx
http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=2178
fine tipped screwdriver (I just used that to break through an area so I could chisel the rest of the way around with a thicker one). Worked well
I put the orange reflector back on the car though
I just stated using that stuff on my 10 holes and I must say that it works better than almost every metal polish I've tried AND I don't have to scrub/polish. Spray, wait, wipe. Makes me wonder what its done to my liver since I touched the stuff :rollin:
The best bulbs i've found are the sylvainya Silverstar. They give you the look of HID but they go right into your stock bulb location. They are kinda pricy $20ea. I put some of the sealed beams in my 94 Chrokee and they were twice as birght. These are by far the best light bulbs i've used. I was so impressed with them i bought 2 of the lower beams for my 84 T/C. At night they give off this blue like tint but throw more light out and its more like daylight. They make the silverstar bulbs in just about every size and shape. I've only use the head light's seeing how they still want $20 for to tail light bulbs.
I use Meguiars "PlastX"....works great on all smooth plastic finishes.
4000 kelvin is far from blue and supposedly silverstars are 55/60 instead of other bulbs' 45/65 so yes, they'd be brighter on lowbeams but a little poorer with high
I will add that the 4000k "brightlight" bulbs that I got (for $22/pair instead of $16) don't seem any brighter/whiter than the standard sylvania, although they supposedly have a wider beam pattern and just under 10% more light output
Just becareful with those HID bulbs because the higher the "K" the more blue tint it will give off and it will be harder to see at night. Yea i agree, silverstars are probably the best i've seen so far.
hey aight i desparately need an answer to this now, what is the order of sanding polish etc for cleaning lightcases? my bulbs just poped and i need to replace them and i dont want to do that till i ahve this shiznit clean so how do i do it
as stated in the thread...there's chemicals you can use or you can just go with sanding off the top layer and polishing it up (which I prefer and you can also sand off the text so doesn't get stuck in there anymore, such as wax)
I just rubbed polishing compound on the lights of my '88 a few weeks back, (and washed it off) and I think it made a significant difference. More difference than what I tried last time.
IS THIS THE ORDER?!
220 through 1000 grit sandpaper wetsanding, rubbing compound, polish, and wax on the outside of the lenses will clear them right up
in exact placement of whic to do first n so on
sounds right to me the way u described it
yeah, that'll work. I started with 60 (I think) grit and it took FOREVER to get all the scratches out but gave me a perfect lens in the end (with no more print or casting marks [the 3 lumps]). Not recommended since it took so long. Now I just use a dremel to get rid of the high points and sand from there
edit:
120 grit isn't too bad to get cleared up and will quickly cut down past the yellowed layer as I did it with my marker lights. With a new sheet of 220, it only took probably 15 minutes before I had every deep scratch out which made it easy to follow up with the other sandpapers (5 minutes)
what kind of rubbing compound, polish and wax should i use?
can i just take a peice of sandpaper n do it by hand or must it be wet sanded
it doesn't need to be wetsanded but its easier and makes sandpaper meant for it last longer
I just used the 3M rubbing compound found in pretty much every automotive store. Any rubbing compound will do. Stick with a medium or heavy cut grade since light doesn't work too well with plastic ("scratch remover"). Polishing compound isn't needed if everything's sanded and cleaned up with rubbing compound but I do it anyways just to make it look so little better. I used what little "Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze" I had left for polish and "Meguiars #26 Hi-Tech Liquid Wax" for the wax (the same items I use on the car's paint). I'm only hoping the wax will keep the lenses from clouding up again and for ease of cleaning
takes awhile to get used to using rubbing compound properly/at a decent pace but once you catch on, you use less and going over it once or twice is all thats needed. Also makes newly sprayed clearcoat look excellent (overspray) :D
I have to disagree with some of the methods you guys are using.
I think 220 grit is WAY too harsh for the plastic, and wet-sanding is a VERY good idea.
I wet-sanded the headlights on my '96 with 1500 grit only. By the time I was done, the sink water was tinged yellow.
I then followed up with several hand applications of a mild polishing compound.
Use this method before you drop to a harsher grit sandpaper, and don't sand them dry.
How long does the lens stay clear after you've buffed out the cloudiness?
Five months and they're still clear, but I wax 'em each time I wash the car.
I don't know...it might depend on the extent of the damage. My other lenses I started with 220 and moved up to 2000grit, and polished. They still had a yellow tint in areas (where the plastic is thicker to spread the light out) so I went with 60 dry but *soft*, 120 dry then wet starting pushing hard, then soft, and 220 wet on up which finally got me a perfect lens. Like I said though, starting with rougher sandpaper makes it take FOREVER to get all the scratches out. I don't know what 220grit you're looking at but my 3M wet/dry 220grit isn't that harsh and 320 barely leaves a mark.
You sure its the same plastic as on that car? I know the lenses on my bird are a lot harder than that on a family member's 99 escort.
I just don't believe 220 is too harsh to start with and really, stopping at 320 would leave with a nearly smooth lens in my experience (only waiting for rubbing compound to clear up). 600+ I had to put all my weight into to make it do anything
(http://home.comcast.net/~s.g.s/tbird/front.jpg)
I just thought of another refector material. It's a little pricy but will should work great. Bare Metal Foil. It is made for models to give the real chrome look. Its made of real metal and you can polish it to look just like chrome. Here are some pics sorry if they aren't the best it's hard to get good pics of a model the sixe of a bic lighter. Any how I did the bottom chrome trim & the lers.
getting big pieces to stick is the hard part though...which is why I went with aluminum-foil like tape. Doesn't look as good as the stock reflector from a foot to two away, but now my lowbeams are as bright as my highs were before I put it on
People have thrown around the idea of foil for awhile (which could also be used to give you tinted headlights if you wanted) but finding a good way to keep it flat, while getting it to stick is tough. I'm more curious about how long it stays reflective with the bulb's heat
Short of getting a reflector cast from metal, I don't think we have many choices that'll last. Even if we could just get a metal insert that'd fit with the curves, we'd be set. I'm surprised the stock reflectors lasted as much as they did being that they're somehow painted on
As long at the housings are sealed, the reflective coating should last. Its when mosture gets inside that it starts to deteriorate. That is why drilling holes to let the housings "breathe" is also not a good idea.
I found a product called blue magic that takes all the oxidation of clear plastic, i used it on the outside of my lenses and they got pretty close to new all i got to do now is clean the inside and seal it
I don't think its 100% moisture (the missing reflective surface is, where it becomes more pearlescent), but any darkening would just be from heat. I've seen both, but yes, the moisture thing is the common issue.
Last time I took my lenses apart, I had problems. I don't think I used normal silicone, but whatever it was, it held on a bit too much. The underside of the lens' lip actually cracked off due to the strength when I tried removing it. Wish I knew what I used because it sealed well, yet held a LOT better than the silicone I used before (which lasted a couple months)
Nope i'm not talking foil.I'm talking a product called Bare Metal Foil http://www.bare-metal.com/ It is made for models. Sopposed to conform to any surface. It basically foil with stick shiznit on one side. That is what my pics are of. you can polish it out to chrome.
Bringing this thread up again, does anyone have different beam patterns on their 2 headlamps? I thought buying completely new headlights would fix it, but my "problem" still exists. The driverside headlight has a thin, wide beam, while the passenger side seems to have 3 bright beams. Driving down the road, its really noticeable with the passenger side of the road being lit up more. Both lights have ~14.3v at the plug and both are pushed in as far as they'll go.
Is this just a common thing?
Could be any number of things..... Youv'e checked the obvious (voltage and fitment) Did you swap the bulbs to see what happened?
Same no matter which bulb is in which socket. Put my old passenger lens on the driver side and it appeared to have the same beam pattern as the other passenger lens, although dimmer (older lens). Just doesn't seem right as to how the driver side lens has a lot of light loss, for no apparent reason. Its not like its more focused in a different pattern, its just "missing" light that should be there
I'll check the grounding on the driverside lamp and retighten it tomorrow. If I remember right though, it was dimmer/smaller than the passenger side even before the relay was installed.