Polished my new headlights... pics inside

I just bought REL3RD's old cobra headlight off of him as he upgraded to a new set. He told me these lights needed some TLC before I bought them, and I spent the better part of today working on them. Bob bought them used and the previous owner sprayed them with clear coat and it was beginning to peal off. I never worked with plastic before so I was worried about even touching them, but I saw "TRUCKS!" today and they were talking about wet sanding. I figured if it didn't hurt paint then the plastic my be OK too. I started in one corner where if it didn't work out it wouldn't be well seen. Well... it worked, the results were AMAZING! I used 2000 grit sandpaper and wet sanded the headlight until I removed all the clear coat, then I hit it with a buffing wheel with Blue Magic's Plastic and Plexiglass remover. I can't get over how well it turned out. Here is a before and after pic...

Before:


After:


It took forever to sand the clear coat off, so on the second light I started with 1500, then moved to 2000, and then buffed it with the plastic polish and it cut the time in half. All I can say is the results were so amazing that I plan to do all of my vehicles now... as soon as the mustang is put back together!

Eddie, I don't have any "good" pics. It was very hard to photo the before and after, and the ones I put up are the best, but I can assure you they look BRAND NEW with no haze at all.

Jake, that's a good question. I'm getting kind of frustrated, but my wheels entailed a little more work than most since my skinnies are going to be a custom one-off set. They were in the final assembly stage on friday. I hope to hear something tomorrow. I got my zoop seal on saturday so I'm ready for them when they get here. My car should look pretty different this year with the new wheels, headlights, tail lights, S351 wing, etc. I can't wait to get all these new parts on the car. I will be sure to put up picks when i get them.

Brian, I took a plastic cup filled with tap water and cut the sandpaper into little 3"X3" squares. I dipped the paper into the water and then started sanding in one direction as to not create swirls. I'd sand it a while, then wipe it clean with a paper towel. Once I was done wet sanding, I dropped some of the plastic polish on the lens and smeared it around with my finger, then I took a ~8-10" SOFT buffer wheel attached to a multispeed electric drill and started going back and forth on the lens with fairly light pressure. I then used a polsihing cloth to wipe it clean. Lastly I put a coat of wax on them. That's it. I too thought sure it would make it worse, but to my surprise it made it look brand new. Like I said I used 2000grit, and I continually dipped the paper into the water to keep it wet. After wet sanding the plastic is definitely scratched and hazed over, but as soon as you hit it with the plastic polish it comes right back to being completely clear. The plastic polish has a Stock # of 750 on the bottle on the back to the right of the bar code.

Here's the drill/buff wheel I used. Its really soft...



I got the polish at Auto Zone. I started it by hand but the buffer did a much better job. I also did my turn signals and they came out good as well. I did my tail lights last night by hand and they came out good except I took some of the paint off, I didn't wet sand them though. This polish and Krylon paint didn't mix too well...

Here's a pic of the polish. I heard Meguiar's makes a good plastic polsih too, and I was actually a little skeptical of using the one I bought, but the results speak for themselves.



Snoozer- I got an extra set and painted them black a few weeks ago, but they were used and the lenses were REALLY scratched, so I decided to work on them first... the lenses look a lot better now, but the paint lost its shine and looks flat black in spots. I bought these so I can drill them to accept a "PUSH OFF" battery disconnect switch, I didn't want to drill my factory ones.

Zero- yeh, I had the same experience with them as you did. I never used them either until recently when I went on a polishing spree and did my front calipers, alternator, and inlet elbow. My basement is a MESS. But in using this wheel on my headlights it didn't make a mess at all, but I applied the product directly to the plastic then hit it with the wheel. It splattered somewhat, but nothing too bad.

Viperos- I used like 10 year old eagle one "WET" wax. I couldn't find my Meguiars GOLD CLASS last night, but when I do today its getting redone with that. I applied it with a soft sponge applicator since they do not scratch anything.

INTALEX- I noticed my windshield is starting to show signs of its age. Mothers makes a chrome/glass polish and the few times I have used it I was very impressed. Its been a long time since I did it though. I also heard of using a product called Bartenders friend, it come in like an Ajax can and you "sprinkle" it out of the top. Its semi-abrasive I think though, but its supposed to do wonders on glass. I saw it on Two Guys Garage a LONG time ago and bought some. I don't think I ever got around to using it as you have to do it when you are washing the car so you can rinse it all off as to not scratch the paint.

Rob- you crack me up with all these pics you find!!! I figured I better represent the Xenon bodied members of the board and work on the looks department a little this year, wheels turned into tail lights, tail lights turned into a wing, and then the headlights came into the picture!!! And to think, all i wanted to do over winter was make some changes to shoot for the 11NA... that got put on hold, but its not forgotten!!! Those changes are still in the works!!!

Thanks everyone for the compliments!!!