making fibreglass headlights

[Flattiesteve]

Gday guys

I like the A &J headlights (football shape) - a guy here in Oz is repoppin em out of Aluminium - beeeyudiful - but theyre $600 a pair!
Ha s anyone any ideas how I could make a fibreglass mould without access to an original?


Steve

[RocketDaemon]

from an football? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

and it's E&J

[Phil1934]

You might want to look at Lime Works' $30 hood blisters. A pair would make a 6" dia. x 18" long light. Use a small 4-1/2" or 5" sealed beam instead of the $175/pair E&J lenses.
It would have a longer tapered tail, but would keep everyone guessing. I'm sure someone on here knows of a small sealed beam that has a chrome trim ring.

[Nappy]

Make em out of paper mache. You could fill them with candy, too. If you ever got in an accident kids would run out on the street to get the loot.

Actually, there was an E&J post on here about a week ago. A HAMBer owns the copyrights and is re-popping NICE ones. I'm too hungover to do a search and post the link now, though.
~ Rob

[4t64rd]

Get some of that expanding insulating foam in a can, spray a half a (roughly)football shaped blob on a piece of glass. Wahit till it cures and flip it over, spray the other half a football. use a bread knife to carve into a smooth shape. if you have access to a lathe, or something you could spin it on, make it round using 36 grit sandpaper.

Speedway's new catalog has these:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/eCCStoreFront/smi/product_images/medium/91061008.jpg
if you just like the look, but want them bright. here's the link to the page HID Lights (http://www.speedwaymotors.com/xq/asp/strBase_List./hilt./source.2192/base_no.91061008/str_base_no.000%2DCATALOG+STREET%2C3403034%2C54007 5%2DCROSS%2C540075%2DEYES%2C540075%2DFEET%2C751A13 130SS%2C751CHP13125%2C91050025%2C91061000%2C910610 02%2C91061004%2C91061008%2C91061010%2C91061015%2C9 1061018%2C91061030%2C91064051%2C91064054%2C9106415 0%2C91064199%2C/header_title.Street+Rod+Products%2DHeadlights/page_name.prod%5Flist%5Fdisplay%2Easp/search_type.L2%7E431/search_option./deptsearch./deptSearch_id.225/dept_id.L2%7E431/dept_id_p./dept_name./dept_name_p.Street+Rod+Products/ShowImages.yes/sq.0/cont.1/intPgNo.1/redirect./qx/product.htm) or you could use some other kind of lights, cowl, motorcycle, etc. the Speedway lights are $348, go to a junkyard and find a BMW or Lexus.

Make the light end fit whatever light assembly you use.

Skim coat the whole thing with bondo, sand smooth. prime. carefully cut the football in half again, scoring the bondo so it doesn't chip. Paint the halves shiny as possible. Wax them about 10 times with carnuba wax then coat it good with beeswax. Stick them both to the piece of glass you used earlier.

Spray the boobies or half footballs with 3 or 4 coats of gelcoat, making sure to get it all over the glass. then do 4 or 4 coats of fiberglass matting (the swirly fibers kind) using small strips to minimize air bubbles. make sure that there will be a good flange by extending the matting a few inches around each part. let it cure and pop out your football halves. wax up the insides and make up a set for yourself and an extra set to GIVE to you old pal 4t64rd. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Then destroy the mold.

Or you could just buy them from the HAMBer who has the rights and save a whole bunch of work.

[Big A]

[ QUOTE ]
Or you could just buy them from the HAMBer who has the rights

[/ QUOTE ]

That would be Framedragger.

[Phil1934]

As you can see from the lens cost, the case is not the big expense, it's lens, reflector, and trim. The problem with building a case is the details. You would have to have a lip to hold the retainer ring, although esy enough to saw in fiberglass. You need a mounting cup. Superior offers fiberglass buckets for GM's. Better if you like the smaller lights is to buy some 5" KC Daylighters and cut the back of the case off and shape something you like. They are quartz bulbs so you should be able to find a hi/low bulb to replace them. Here's the Lime Works blisters.

[4t64rd]

Framedraggers website (http://www.e-n-j.com/index.html) probably cheaper in the long run.