As promised: DIY Plexiglass Headlight CLEAR Lenses
05-05-11, 06:17 PM
#1
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As promised: DIY Plexiglass Headlight CLEAR Lenses
Okay, so I will pre-empt this by saying this is an incredibly difficult and time consuming mod. This is much less technical, and much more artistic. So I will not recommend this mod to people who cannot get a good grasp of how to form plastic. Also, there is a lot of dremeling involved, and a lot of plastic bits flying all over the place. The cutting of the plastic alone is very, very dangerous. You can lose a finger. No kidding.
WEAR PROPER EYE PROTECTION!
WEAR PROPER HAND PROTECTION!
Okay, so I have warned you. If you still plan to proceed with this mod, it is at your own risk.
So here it goes... These are my headlights. This is what it should look like when YOU'RE done.
WEAR PROPER EYE PROTECTION!
WEAR PROPER HAND PROTECTION!
Okay, so I have warned you. If you still plan to proceed with this mod, it is at your own risk.
So here it goes... These are my headlights. This is what it should look like when YOU'RE done.
Last edited by Mike552; 05-05-11 at 06:39 PM.
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sc300nah (06-13-21)
05-05-11, 06:18 PM
#2
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Step 1:
1a: Go to the hardware store and buy some plexiglass. It is available at Home Depot, as well as other smaller hardware stores. If you live in a small town chances are the local hardware store will have some. The price for a sheet of 24x48 should be about $10-$12. (You want a thickness around .100 or .093, something like that.)
1b: Cut the plexiglass. (I am not going to get into how best to cut it, but it is easy. Do a google search on this.) You're going to want to cut it to slightly larger than the headlight itself. 2 inches or so extra in each direction.
1c: Bake your headlight so that you remove the stock lens. Info on this can be found on this forum. I think the bake time to open housings is 8-10 minutes at 225F. Double-check this though as I am not sure. Place lens face up, within reach of oven, as you'll want it close by when the plexiglass comes out of the oven.
1d: Now that the Plexiglass has been cut, put it in the oven at 250 Degrees Fahrenheit, for approximately 10 minutes. Though the temperature is set, ovens may vary so it may need to be there a little longer, maybe 12 minutes. Put it onto some kind of cookie sheet or similar. (See picture.)
1e: Once it comes out of the oven, you must immediately, within a time span of very few seconds, handle it and place it onto your original lens, which is sitting ready next to the oven. PRESS AS HARD AS YOU CAN AND FORM THE PLEXIGLASS TO TAKE THE SAME SHAPE AS YOUR LENS. Be careful, plexiglass will be EXTREMELY HOT to the touch. Using cloth gloves for this is a must! Don't worry if you screw this up the first time, as you can put the plexiglass back in the oven and try the step again. Your plexiglass should now look similar to the second picture, below.
1a: Go to the hardware store and buy some plexiglass. It is available at Home Depot, as well as other smaller hardware stores. If you live in a small town chances are the local hardware store will have some. The price for a sheet of 24x48 should be about $10-$12. (You want a thickness around .100 or .093, something like that.)
1b: Cut the plexiglass. (I am not going to get into how best to cut it, but it is easy. Do a google search on this.) You're going to want to cut it to slightly larger than the headlight itself. 2 inches or so extra in each direction.
1c: Bake your headlight so that you remove the stock lens. Info on this can be found on this forum. I think the bake time to open housings is 8-10 minutes at 225F. Double-check this though as I am not sure. Place lens face up, within reach of oven, as you'll want it close by when the plexiglass comes out of the oven.
1d: Now that the Plexiglass has been cut, put it in the oven at 250 Degrees Fahrenheit, for approximately 10 minutes. Though the temperature is set, ovens may vary so it may need to be there a little longer, maybe 12 minutes. Put it onto some kind of cookie sheet or similar. (See picture.)
1e: Once it comes out of the oven, you must immediately, within a time span of very few seconds, handle it and place it onto your original lens, which is sitting ready next to the oven. PRESS AS HARD AS YOU CAN AND FORM THE PLEXIGLASS TO TAKE THE SAME SHAPE AS YOUR LENS. Be careful, plexiglass will be EXTREMELY HOT to the touch. Using cloth gloves for this is a must! Don't worry if you screw this up the first time, as you can put the plexiglass back in the oven and try the step again. Your plexiglass should now look similar to the second picture, below.
Last edited by Mike552; 05-06-11 at 08:21 PM.
05-05-11, 06:18 PM
#3
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Step 2:
2a: Okay, now that you've created a rough mold of your headlight, you are going to trace a line onto it with a marker of some sort. You are going to do this while it's resting on the original/OEM lens.
2b: Use a Dremel and plastic cutting wheel to cut along the line. Be very careful here. Don't rush the process as Plexiglass, like real glass, can crack quite easily on its plane. You should end up with something similar to the first and second picture, below.
2c: Now that you've created a clear lens that is satisfactory to you, you are going to have to CUT your original lens. You will do this by placing your clear lens on top of your original lens, and marking a line around it so that you will know how much to cut. You will end up with something similar to the third and fourth pictures, below. (WARNING: Do this only if you're able to get a good mold. Once you cut your original lens, you ill not be able to mold a new plexiglass piece, and your original lens will be ruined! From this step onwards, you cannot go back, so take extra care!)
2d: Now that you have the two pieces, you're going to want to line them up together to make any necessary trim adjustments. Use your Dremel with a sanding wheel to do this. Make sure they fit somewhat right. They are not going to fit perfectly, but they will be good enough where you will make up the difference by using epoxy to fill in the gaps. Anyhow, see the 5th picture below for the two lined up pieces.
2a: Okay, now that you've created a rough mold of your headlight, you are going to trace a line onto it with a marker of some sort. You are going to do this while it's resting on the original/OEM lens.
2b: Use a Dremel and plastic cutting wheel to cut along the line. Be very careful here. Don't rush the process as Plexiglass, like real glass, can crack quite easily on its plane. You should end up with something similar to the first and second picture, below.
2c: Now that you've created a clear lens that is satisfactory to you, you are going to have to CUT your original lens. You will do this by placing your clear lens on top of your original lens, and marking a line around it so that you will know how much to cut. You will end up with something similar to the third and fourth pictures, below. (WARNING: Do this only if you're able to get a good mold. Once you cut your original lens, you ill not be able to mold a new plexiglass piece, and your original lens will be ruined! From this step onwards, you cannot go back, so take extra care!)
2d: Now that you have the two pieces, you're going to want to line them up together to make any necessary trim adjustments. Use your Dremel with a sanding wheel to do this. Make sure they fit somewhat right. They are not going to fit perfectly, but they will be good enough where you will make up the difference by using epoxy to fill in the gaps. Anyhow, see the 5th picture below for the two lined up pieces.
Last edited by Mike552; 05-06-11 at 12:38 AM.
05-05-11, 06:21 PM
#4
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Step 3:
3a: So now you've trimmed the new clear lens to a point where it fits inside the original cut out lens surround. There should be about 1mm of tolerance all the way around. It's okay if a little less or a little more. 2mm of tolerance here is acceptable. The epoxy will end up filling this space.
3b: Now, you will tape up the new clear lens on either side with tape. Trim off any excess tape so that the very edges are tape free. See first pic below.
3c: Next, line up the new clear lens with the original trim and tape them together from the outside ONLY. This is because you are going to pour epoxy from the inside to stick the lens into place. Though I used painter's tape in the pictures, I would use electrical tape if I had to do it again. It comes off easier.
3d: Now you are ready for the clear epoxy. Mix it together according to the directions on the package and apply it, carefully, in between the space of the clear lens and original trim. You are doing this from the inside of the lens. Let dry for a few hours. You are going to end up with something like pic #3 below.
3e: Now that it's sealed together, go ahead and peel back the tape that you used to hold the pieces together, but make sure to keep the tape covering the clear lens. Now you can fortify the lens even more by using epoxy on the front side of the lens.
3a: So now you've trimmed the new clear lens to a point where it fits inside the original cut out lens surround. There should be about 1mm of tolerance all the way around. It's okay if a little less or a little more. 2mm of tolerance here is acceptable. The epoxy will end up filling this space.
3b: Now, you will tape up the new clear lens on either side with tape. Trim off any excess tape so that the very edges are tape free. See first pic below.
3c: Next, line up the new clear lens with the original trim and tape them together from the outside ONLY. This is because you are going to pour epoxy from the inside to stick the lens into place. Though I used painter's tape in the pictures, I would use electrical tape if I had to do it again. It comes off easier.
3d: Now you are ready for the clear epoxy. Mix it together according to the directions on the package and apply it, carefully, in between the space of the clear lens and original trim. You are doing this from the inside of the lens. Let dry for a few hours. You are going to end up with something like pic #3 below.
3e: Now that it's sealed together, go ahead and peel back the tape that you used to hold the pieces together, but make sure to keep the tape covering the clear lens. Now you can fortify the lens even more by using epoxy on the front side of the lens.
Last edited by Mike552; 05-06-11 at 12:56 AM.
05-05-11, 06:21 PM
#5
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Step 4:
4a: Now you can remove all of the tape. You will end up with something similar to the first pic, below. The second pic is of it being test fitted onto my car, just to get a good idea of what it will look like.
4b: You are now going to want to sand down the epoxy a little, and paint the trim to get rid of the dividing line between the plexiglass and the original trim. Your finished product will look something like the third pic.
4a: Now you can remove all of the tape. You will end up with something similar to the first pic, below. The second pic is of it being test fitted onto my car, just to get a good idea of what it will look like.
4b: You are now going to want to sand down the epoxy a little, and paint the trim to get rid of the dividing line between the plexiglass and the original trim. Your finished product will look something like the third pic.
Last edited by Mike552; 05-06-11 at 01:05 AM.
