Clear 1st Gen GS300 Headlight Lens
01-12-10, 08:19 PM
#36
hello??? the initial molding is complex and they are all hand done, so some are turn out better than others. just in dealing with the small sampling for this project i could see it was a lost cause, however, esp sales in canada where people tend to be extraordinarliy cheap and complain like hell. as you can see here.
also..I'm pretty sure i tossed in some lenses at no or reduced charge, and here those are. our shop hourly is $75 per hour how long do you think it takes to make a custom lense?
when you properly follow the instructions and fuse lense to the frame using a heat gun the "wavy" parts will totally flatten out and you are good to go. this lense is huge - 2 feet long!! granted you have to have some talent and you must be able to read.
Now the reason why the original lenses are lined is the plastic is so cruddy and cheap they had to line 'em otherwise you see all the faults in that plastic.
the lenses we did here turned out pretty nice.
also..I'm pretty sure i tossed in some lenses at no or reduced charge, and here those are. our shop hourly is $75 per hour how long do you think it takes to make a custom lense?
when you properly follow the instructions and fuse lense to the frame using a heat gun the "wavy" parts will totally flatten out and you are good to go. this lense is huge - 2 feet long!! granted you have to have some talent and you must be able to read.
Now the reason why the original lenses are lined is the plastic is so cruddy and cheap they had to line 'em otherwise you see all the faults in that plastic.
the lenses we did here turned out pretty nice.
01-12-10, 08:27 PM
#37
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One of the main reasons why I didn't place an order with garage9(i think that was the name of the company), is because I don't see how it would be possible to create a perfect seal, let alone a perfect fuse of the 2 pieces...
With regards to sanding down the lines. It took me honestly, 3 days of non-stop sanding and cursing before getting rid of all the lines. After I was done, the plastic was still not as clear as OEM lens on other cars. I wouldn't recommend sanding down the line.
I would wait until a company produces an exact replacement of the lens without the lines.
With regards to sanding down the lines. It took me honestly, 3 days of non-stop sanding and cursing before getting rid of all the lines. After I was done, the plastic was still not as clear as OEM lens on other cars. I wouldn't recommend sanding down the line.
I would wait until a company produces an exact replacement of the lens without the lines.
01-12-10, 08:45 PM
#38
no problem with the sealing - both sides are level and clean, both sides get
3M adhesive and fused under heat, it ain't coming off.
again it's custom custom one off stuff. like any hot roddin'.
the cost of the our lense development project was about $5000 including my time. I learned more about working acyrlics so that is training budget. AutoCAD the shape took 2-3 days of trials, CNC Cutting of the plastic and we don't do large molding here so we had to build the molds, modify my oven and get a vacuum source connected to existing headlights. it took a lot of work to get to the point of being able to create this shape.
so it did exist, first cut at it. who else has done it?? let's see it. No one. nada. doesn't exist and never will.
if it made no financial sense to produce a full one clear lense for the GS 5 years ago, it certainly makes no sense now. point them to this thread first!
it's a shame. that GS body is sweet.
3M adhesive and fused under heat, it ain't coming off.
again it's custom custom one off stuff. like any hot roddin'.
the cost of the our lense development project was about $5000 including my time. I learned more about working acyrlics so that is training budget. AutoCAD the shape took 2-3 days of trials, CNC Cutting of the plastic and we don't do large molding here so we had to build the molds, modify my oven and get a vacuum source connected to existing headlights. it took a lot of work to get to the point of being able to create this shape.
so it did exist, first cut at it. who else has done it?? let's see it. No one. nada. doesn't exist and never will.
if it made no financial sense to produce a full one clear lense for the GS 5 years ago, it certainly makes no sense now. point them to this thread first!
it's a shame. that GS body is sweet.
01-12-10, 10:22 PM
#40
One of the main reasons why I didn't place an order with garage9(i think that was the name of the company), is because I don't see how it would be possible to create a perfect seal, let alone a perfect fuse of the 2 pieces...
With regards to sanding down the lines. It took me honestly, 3 days of non-stop sanding and cursing before getting rid of all the lines. After I was done, the plastic was still not as clear as OEM lens on other cars. I wouldn't recommend sanding down the line.
I would wait until a company produces an exact replacement of the lens without the lines.
With regards to sanding down the lines. It took me honestly, 3 days of non-stop sanding and cursing before getting rid of all the lines. After I was done, the plastic was still not as clear as OEM lens on other cars. I wouldn't recommend sanding down the line.
I would wait until a company produces an exact replacement of the lens without the lines.
01-13-10, 09:11 AM
#41
As pointed before, I don't think anyone in the world has taken to do the duty garage9 di on building the lenses; i take my hat off to them and wish they would still sell the lenses to try it myself. Sanding is a ****** process but doable. In the end, out of the 5 cars I have seen, only 1 satisfies me and the lenses where done by Prestige Japan; the guy paid about 800 to get it done... In the end, I still think the garage9 lenses with a properly sealing technique and a clear plastic lense vinyl protector would be the best for cost effectiveness for us in the states. Damn it, i wanna try installing these lenses!!!
01-13-10, 11:28 AM
#44
Injection molding is the ideal solution and maybe the boyz in Alberta have an inside track on that. I figure after talking with some engineers back east, if you can get injection molds done for less than $10,000 each you're doing well. it's a big mold about 23" by 7" x8" - and there is risk of quality being off etc.
So lets budget $20,000 at qty 200 = $100 cost + production costs = $300-400 retail each.
v.s. modify orginal part at $75 each + a couple of hours labour.
So lets budget $20,000 at qty 200 = $100 cost + production costs = $300-400 retail each.
v.s. modify orginal part at $75 each + a couple of hours labour.
