refinishing headlights

[SaleenGT2001]

just finished refinishing my pass side headlight. it had some light pitting but was bad enough to really bother me.

anyways i wanted to share my experiance so others can give it a shot.

i didnt buy one of those kits that are suppose to remove oxidation. all you need is 2 packs of sand paper, 1000 grit and 1500 grit, and a bottle of meguires plastx polish.

remove your headlights and use the 1000 grit to remove the major pitting. you can use it dry or wetsand it. make sure to sand everything evenly for the best results. after sanding with the 1000 grit paper just switch to the 1500 grit and wetsand the entire assembly. dry the headlight off and look to see that it is completely smooth all the way across. them you simply use the plastx polish to remove the light scratches left behind by the sanding.

thats it. just reinstall your lights and enjoy

 

[hotmustang331]

SWEET ill give that a try Thanks for the info...mine arent looking too hot

 

[RedDaemon]

if you can find 2000/3000 grit it will make them look even better. 1500 leaves a bit of a "haze" when compared to a brand new unit

 

[whyask]

wow does that work for the third tail light on the trunk ..???

 

[DTNODYA]

if you can find 2000/3000 grit it will make them look even better. 1500 leaves a bit of a "haze" when compared to a brand new unit

What chu know about restorin' headlights?

 

[RedDaemon]

not as much as you

i was going to reference you but i wasnt sure if it WAS you or not who gave me all of the info on how to do it

DTNODYA = god

DTNODYA for SN Admin!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111

Thread i made regarding hte 3rd brake light:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=701921

 

[DTNODYA]

not as much as you

i was going to reference you but i wasnt sure if it WAS you or not who gave me all of the info on how to do it

DTNODYA = god

DTNODYA for SN Admin!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111

Thread i made regarding hte 3rd brake light:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=701921

I was just bustin ya chops. Did you end up using 2k or 3k grit on the taillight? I've never tried using that fine (tried 2000) but never tried 3000. I bet that would make them look perfect if you went through the stages to 3000. Prolly look perfect!

 

[RedDaemon]

i couldnt find any 3000 grit anywhere. there is one R/C Specialty shop that MIGHT have 3000 grit. If they dont have it ill have to go to whats called "A.C. Moore" thats basically the Walmart of arts and crafts. They might have it too but its a lot further away than this R/C place.

However im not at home right now so i cant check

 

[DTNODYA]

i couldnt find any 3000 grit anywhere. there is one R/C Specialty shop that MIGHT have 3000 grit. If they dont have it ill have to go to whats called "A.C. Moore" thats basically the Walmart of arts and crafts. They might have it too but its a lot further away than this R/C place.

However im not at home right now so i cant check

Another thing is (don't know if you recall) but when I told you about doing aluminum basically the same way, I feel sure that finishing with 3000 would make it look like a perfect mirror finish. I didn't know that A.C. Moore sold wet sanding paper ... I'll have to go by there. I'm sure an automotive paint store would have it but meh .. Random and probably useless info to you but it made me think about that. Another interesting thing I found is that FLITZ metal polish works really well with plexiglass. I recently made a few football display cases, out of acrylic and polycarbonate (lexan) and I had some FLITZ that I use on my stainless handguns. It said that it woks on plexiglass (and plastic I think) but I've never seen anything like how it worked on that plexi. Pretty amazing resuls... Another random FWIW....


For those wanting to refinish your headlights, it should be noted that you should NEVER USE WAX on them. Always use something like the thread-starter mentioned (plastic polish, mild abrasive rubbing compound followed by a polish, most polishes would work fine) .. Just don't use wax.