how to restore your headlights

[dan04gt]

Well after trying unsuccessfully to polish them out and have it last, I went looking for a solution. The most important fact I was unaware of was that

"The fogginess of your car's lens is actually a clear coat that is applied to the plastic,
to retard the UV rays from damaging the plastic. Once that clear coat is burnt from the solar rays,
it becomes foggy"


I found a great thread on another forum ,this guy has found a cheap and effective way to do it. I thought I would share it.

The thread has grown to 50 pages but is well worth reading through.

Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

 

[Boomer182]

I just did my foxes lights. I am going to do my f150 lights too. I have tried the wet sanding and polishing and it works, but goes back in a few months. What I have found to be the best is to buy blue magic headlight restorer and a polishing wheel for your drill. Take you lights out and go to work. I did mine twice and they look brand new again.

 

[SnkBit]

I just clearcoated mine. Same concept and works great, last a long time, and easy to maintain (wax them just like you would your car), not to mention, it gives them more shine so they look better. Did my brothers smoked lenses on his fox too. They hold up 10x better.

 

[Tlightning]

Did you take them to a body shop or do it yourself.

 

[SnkBit]

I did it myself

 

[dan04gt]

I just clearcoated mine. Same concept and works great, last a long time, and easy to maintain (wax them just like you would your car), not to mention, it gives them more shine so they look better. Did my brothers smoked lenses on his fox too. They hold up 10x better.

What did you use for the clear coat?

 

[SnkBit]

I used automotive urethane clear. Nothing expensive, just the cheap stuff from NAPA.

I post some pictures and a step-by-step how-to when I get to my desk in a little bit.

 

[SnkBit]

Here is a BASIC step by step on clear coating your headlights and taillights. Im not going into depth on spraying technique and paint mixing, thats another write up on its own.

If you are starting with new lenses, then grab a grey (fine) 3M scuff pad and scuff the lenses to "scratch" them up a bit. Remember * you're not sanding them, you're scuffing them, just to give the clear something to "bite" to.

If you are refinishing old lenses, wet sand them with 1500 grit paper until they are smooth. You may have to step up to 1200 or 1000 to get them smooth depending on how bad the existing plastic coating is. But if you have to step up the grit in sandpaper, be sure to step back down before clearing the lenses. They need to be finish wet sanded with at least 1500 to get a nice finished product without seeing sanding scratches.

After you have them sanded and ready to go, tape off any unwanted areas you dont want cleared. IE. The black trim around the turn signals, over the light sockets, etc.

Find something to hold the lenses during the paint process. Below you can see I used some old pieces of 2x4 (clean them tho, you dont want trash to blow around and land in your clear coat).

FoxRodStang's smoked lenses

After you get them laid out the way you want them where you can easily get around them with the spray gun, take an air blower and blow all the dust and trash away from the lenses and your work area. Then wipe them down with an automotive paint surface prep (also know as grease and wax remover). Just make sure its meant for automotive paint use. This will ensure the lenses are free from any residue that will cause adhesion problems due to finger prints, wax, etc.

Now you are ready to spray. Spray them with 2 - 3 coats of clear. Be sure to allow proper flash time in between coats. Once they are dry, you can either sand and buff them like you would any other painted body part, or if you are happy with the results, leave them as they are. Note* if you are planning to sand and buff them, apply one extra coat of clear so you still have the same amount of clear on the finished product.

Here are a couple pics of my black beauty headlights for my 97 Cobra. *Before*

*After*

FoxRodStang's Smoked lenses
*After*

The "after" pics were taken approx 30 minutes after the final coat was applied. No sanding or buffing.

On a side note, you can mix a little black paint in with clear and tint your taillights. Heres the before and after pics of FoxRodStang's taillight and 3rd brake light lenses.

*Before*

*After*

Not a difficult project at all really, only takes a couple hours of work. Just remember to let your lenses sit for a while before throwing them back on your car. You want the clear to be completely cured before driving. Otherwise small rocks and sand will become embedded in the finish, ruining all your hard work. I recommend letting them sit for 48 hours before resuming to normal use. Good luck :beer: