What products did you use on the headlights?
They look really good!
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What products did you use on the headlights?
They look really good!
Mine are looking a little aged, but it looks more internal.
Can you breakdown more what you did externally though. Sounds like a great rewarding fix to bring them back to life.
D
Quote:
Originally Posted by RRT
Shack and Dingo,Quote:
Originally Posted by Dingo
Yeah it is rewarding, must admit did not expect the result I got, even the garage thought I had gotten brand spankers.
Attachment 174449
Will preface this with yellowing against the white haze, the basics are the same just the aggressiveness of the materials used.
Yellowing and light haze
Firstly the exterior,
Get the cutting compound on the wool pad and filmish pressure in alternating strokes across and up / down. This will get you to clear lens and a pretty good result (good enough for roadworthy!) in virtually minutes and depending on the extent of the yellowing may require additional compound.
Secondly, The foam pad, medium density, apply the polish on pad and dab on multiple spots on the lens. This will take longer and will require reapplying but the same strokes and the clarity jumps up and out at you.
To do both headlights took around 30 minutes which included looking for the polish. I had the headlights off and had them sitting in a towel on a chair to polish by the way.
Heavy Haze
To do this it is recommended to go the wet and dry sandpaper route, 600 to 1500 to 3000 and a spray bottle, probably easier to take the lens out as its only a couple of screws each side. Soak the paper for about an hour and with soft to firm pad, very moderate pressure sand the lens either across or down with the 600 - I did mine above a half full laundry sink dipping the paper in often. Change to the 1500 and sand against the grain of the 600. Then repeat the process with the 3000 and you will find a pretty good result with regards clarity.
The picture below is very badly hazed headlights which came with the car done this way. It was only really then I found the internal issue of ingress of what looks like coffee!!
I will note that I am very pleased with the result of the wet and dry sanding as to where the headlights were I got the D2a, they were very weathered and the finished result re clarity after this was much better than the replacement headlights I got by the way and did with the compound and polish you have seen already.
Attachment 174450
The internal staining
Attachment 174451
The lens from here can be compounded and polished as per the light haze etc.
Re the internal - did not have enough time due to the RWC completion to go through the process of cleaning the inside but the headlight lens can be removed. After extensive searching did find a reference as to the two tabs on the underside of the headlight which can be opened and the lens prized from the casing (reputably the gluing is pathetic so gives away with a bit of effort) but as you can see the original headlights this must have been done before and the clips broken.
Attachment 174452
To make this easier have seen multiple clips on the net where the headlight is put in the oven at 160-180' for 5 to 7 minutes and WITH GLOVES, the lens will come off easily (the tabs will also be easier to move after the oven and should not break).
Then when the cleaning process on the inside of the lens is done a bead of appropriate sealant is applied and the lens reattached. It may even be easier to clean both sides of the lens when off as the headlight unit is bulky to say the least.
As I have other priorities at the moment with the D2, leaving the final restoration of the original D2a headlights to later.
As I had to change the finishing trim under the headlights over, the removal of the stud at the outer of the trim to the headlight proper - There is a small clip on this and could not remove it, again searched for the easy answer so finished dremeling off the stud and clip, if anyone has done it what is the answer???
Good Luck
This is brilliant!
Thank you for taking the time to set out how you did this, looks ace!
Providing mine doesn’t get to the garage for its head gasket to be done and they give me awful news, I’ll be taking on this project when it comes back.
Thanks again,
D
Quote:
Originally Posted by RRT
Got one side of the rocksliders on today, bit disappointed with not the quality of the rocksliders themselves but rather the fitting. 10 bolts no problem but only one hole lined up with existing holes... More work and harder to do. Got two bolts on and then drilled out the rest of the holes and fitted. As the car is PARKED could not really access the other side to do both, oh well.
Attachment 174465
Attachment 174466
Attachment 174467
Have to thank someone for the idea of locating the catch can on the firewall by making a bracket attached to the fuel cut off bracket. Simple and brilliant, Catch Can takes more room than I would have liked but easy to fit and plumb to.
Fitted the dual battery tray today as well, having got all the other items in place around the area to where we know they are going to fit, another step onto the road of completion.
The BIL gave me a surprise with some well placed holes to wire through the firewall. When he told me I thought they would be too low but no problem with this height at all and as need to wire
To Drivers side;
- EWP controller
- Coolant Alarm
- UHF (hard wired to battery)
- EGT
- Boost Gauge
- Turbo Boost Controller
Passenger side
- Two Aerials, 2.2db and 6.0db to a two way switch
- Two camera leads for Alpine Controller
- Warn Dash Winch Controller on centre console
- Driving Lights
Do not think it would have been possible without some compromise or indeed hassle, the holes below are clean and comfortable to work with.
Attachment 174468
Attachment 174469
Wiring in the relays and under bonnet items EWP FAN etc. takes a whole lot of time to do, ,must have been about six hours today, no short cuts and ohh so many wires to connect.
Really seems to be dragging on, whilst Covid Lockdown has given me the time to do this, the PIA of trying to source parts online and not getting into a store and comparing with on the shelf products has got me exasperated.
Polished the old girl. Came up quite well.
Cheers https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7fe6302fcd.jpg
How come your roof hasn't faded? [emoji16][emoji16]Quote:
Originally Posted by ozscott
Does look quite good too[emoji106]
20 years of TLC mate [emoji16]. The paint on these old girls is much thicker than the paint on a lot of modern cars (including my current model Triton). CheersQuote:
Originally Posted by SPROVER
Looks really good!
I am the same with TLC to paintwork, trims inside and out. Just started to get a little oxidisation on bonnet though so onto some cut and polish. Pleased to hear the paint is thick, always a bit worried with cut and polishing.
Sadly despite TLC I’m no mechanic so need to rely on others to keep mine mechanically in good shape.
D
Quote:
Originally Posted by ozscott
The problem isn't paint thickness it is the clearcoat becoming milky then peeling.
The reason is that in about 1980 all manufacturers went to water based paints rather than solvent based. The early European cars would shed paint if you looked at them with a hot gaze!
I sealed and painted my roof topcoat as it was becoming milky before it started to disintegrate.
I hit it with pressure pack sealer then silver pressure pack then clear and it has now lasted about 7 years with no problems, but I keep it polished.
To have OK clearcoat is exceptional and a credit to the OP for keeping it out of the sun and keeping wax on it.
Regards PhilipA
