Frosted head lamps

Callahan101

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Jul 19, 2017
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Hello everyone. Bought a '99 GT with what I thought was stone pocked headlights. So I bought a headlamp restoration kit to get rid of all the marks and make the headlight s nice and clear again. I never looked at the tail lights that close but was told the Left had water in it and was given a replacement. When I took the old one out I saw that like the head lights it too had a "Frosted" look to it. Now I wondering if the headlamps and tail lights came that way from Ford? Any guesses?
 
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Hello everyone. Bought a '99 GT with what I thought was stone pocked headlights. So I bought a headlamp restoration kit to get rid of all the marks and make the headlight s nice and clear again. I never looked at the tail lights that close but was told the Left had water in it and was given a replacement. When I took the old one out I saw that like the head lights it too had a "Frosted" look to it. Now I wondering if the headlamps and tail lights came that way from Ford? Any guesses?


No, they were crystal clear. Sounds like you need new headlights.


A nice "upgrade" are the 2001-2004 style headlights that have black trim giving the illusion they are smoked. These are factory correct replicas and will fit the 99-00 cars.

This is the original style if you choose


You can find OEM Ford NOS headlights on Ebay, but they are pricey. You can also try and locate a clean, used set as well. They are easy to swap. Pull the two pins up securing the headlight, pull the headlight out and unplug the harnesses.
 
He's right, they should be clear. As you've likely found out, pretty much all the headlight restoration kits are snake oil at best. The one I tried from Cera-Kote actually made my headlights worse. On my Roush, I was lucky enough to buy genuine Ford headlights from LMR, however these are discontinued. After searching ebay, I finally gave up and ordered aftermarket ones from LMR for $142 and they are nicer than I thought. Of course, right after I bought then, I found some US-made ones I would have rather bought on ebay, made from Original Ford Tooling for like $240.
 
He's right, they should be clear. As you've likely found out, pretty much all the headlight restoration kits are snake oil at best. The one I tried from Cera-Kote actually made my headlights worse. On my Roush, I was lucky enough to buy genuine Ford headlights from LMR, however these are discontinued. After searching ebay, I finally gave up and ordered aftermarket ones from LMR for $142 and they are nicer than I thought. Of course, right after I bought then, I found some US-made ones I would have rather bought on ebay, made from Original Ford Tooling for like $240.

I disagree, I've used the Meguiar's Heavy Duty restoration kit on several cars, and they come out looking damn good afterwards. When I got my Bullitt, it had terrible halo aftermarket headlights. I snagged a set of factory headlights from the junkyard that were pretty well clouded up. Here's a before and after:

i-ZhPPk7f-L.jpg


i-kvHQmSJ-L.jpg


I used the same kit on a set of 300C HID headlights for my Magnum/300 conversion. Before and after:

i-V5c2RSj-L.jpg


i-Zn8RHxC-L.jpg


Each headlight is about 15 minutes worth of work.
 
I just sand the surface with 1000 grit (800 if REALLY hazed), then 1500 and 2000. Then I use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. Can be polished by hand if you feel energetic, but usually use a small polishing pad on a drill or a random orbital car polisher (the cheap ones). Comes out great.
 
The UV protection is not there after the polishing process. On other brands, the clearness did not last. Meguires advertised a spray on clear cost UV protection, but I have not seen it in use.
 
I tried clear coating after sanding. It looked good at the time but it did not last. It hazed a bit as well and began peeling around the edges. Looks like crap. I would rather just re-polish periodically as needed. I have been re-polishing headlights on my vehicles for over 20 years (long before they made a kit for it). It will not last but does work.
 
Nice work in all honesty. But here’s where I think my opinion is based: my headlights weren’t terrible just cloudy on the drivers side headlight because the car sat in a carport with that side in the sun before I bought it. I never expected a miracle but the one I did exactly as per the instructions looked worse than the other one and worse than it did before I started. I’ve buffed out headlights for friends and my sons friends with a regular buffer and polishing compound for paint. It looks much better but never like new. I was after the “just like new” promised by the package. Not even close.
 
The UV protection is not there after the polishing process. On other brands, the clearness did not last. Meguires advertised a spray on clear cost UV protection, but I have not seen it in use.

The kit that I linked to in my post comes with a UV protection film that you apply when you are done. I'll snag some pics of what my headlights look like now and post them up.
 
Some of the kits may be snake oil, and all results may be short-lived, but some kits are better tan others, and there are things to know. I'm certainly not a headlight expert, but I've done a few and can say that results vary, and the process matters.

I may be wrong, but I believe most OEM headlights have a protective coating over the plastic when they are new. This coating can deteriorate. On top of that, damage from sun, water, chemicals, road hazards, sand, dirt, and more can all cause small scratches which then lead to further oxidation.

These kits in theory, and some in practice are meant to remove the oxidized plastic and allow you to polish the plastic underneath back to a clear appearance. These can work at least in the short-term, if the damage is purely on the outside of the lens. Why I say short-term is that unless you apply a good coating with a UV protectant, it seems that freshly polished lenses tend to oxidize faster.

So, if you can physically remove the oxidation with sandpaper or some type of abrasive. Polish the lenses. Then apply a sealant/protectant, and if your vehicle doesn't get much sunshine after, you may be good for some time.

I've recently restored mine, and they look much better. However, I'll be replacing the lights up front soon anyway.
He's right, they should be clear. As you've likely found out, pretty much all the headlight restoration kits are snake oil at best. The one I tried from Cera-Kote actually made my headlights worse. On my Roush, I was lucky enough to buy genuine Ford headlights from LMR, however these are discontinued. After searching ebay, I finally gave up and ordered aftermarket ones from LMR for $142 and they are nicer than I thought. Of course, right after I bought then, I found some US-made ones I would have rather bought on ebay, made from Original Ford Tooling for like $240.
 
Nice work in all honesty. But here’s where I think my opinion is based: my headlights weren’t terrible just cloudy on the drivers side headlight because the car sat in a carport with that side in the sun before I bought it. I never expected a miracle but the one I did exactly as per the instructions looked worse than the other one and worse than it did before I started. I’ve buffed out headlights for friends and my sons friends with a regular buffer and polishing compound for paint. It looks much better but never like new. I was after the “just like new” promised by the package. Not even close.
Yes, "just like new" probably isn't achievable, but many can be returned to clear and then protected and at least get some more mileage before they should be replaced.
 
The UV protection is not there after the polishing process. On other brands, the clearness did not last. Meguires advertised a spray on clear cost UV protection, but I have not seen it in use.
I've used this spray after a headlight restoration and it seems to help repel the tendency to go cloudy again for some time. It wears off and should be reapplied as needed.

Amazon product ASIN B01M4RVVX6View: https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G17804-Clear-Headlight-Coating/dp/B01M4RVVX6/
 
I disagree, I've used the Meguiar's Heavy Duty restoration kit on several cars, and they come out looking damn good afterwards. When I got my Bullitt, it had terrible halo aftermarket headlights. I snagged a set of factory headlights from the junkyard that were pretty well clouded up. Here's a before and after:

i-ZhPPk7f-L.jpg


i-kvHQmSJ-L.jpg


I used the same kit on a set of 300C HID headlights for my Magnum/300 conversion. Before and after:

i-V5c2RSj-L.jpg


i-Zn8RHxC-L.jpg


Each headlight is about 15 minutes worth of work.
The 3M heavy-duty kit is also good. I like the 3M one because it has a drill attachment that helps speed up work on heavy oxidation. I would also recommend following up with this spray. Amazon product ASIN B01M4RVVX6View: https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G17804-Clear-Headlight-Coating/dp/B01M4RVVX6/
 
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