An old timer showed me many years ago to use a wooden dowel rod and coarse valve grinding compound and a drill press. Have done this many times over the years.Does anyone know a faster way to do this as this method works but it takes a great long while to accomplish.
Yeah, they're called glass & tile bits. They kind of look like spades. I've seen them with the drill bits at Home Depot. You need to go slow and take your time. If the glass gets too hot, it will crack. I submerged the lense under water while I drilled and rinsed it frequently. What I found hard was trying to get the bit started on such a smooth surface.
Not to rain on anyones parade, but remember many states they are still very illegal and you will get yourself some free invitations to the local Policemans Ball, TR
They are illegal in IL, but it depends on where you are driving and the mood of the cop. Chicago cops don't care. I got pulled over in the suburbs and the cop never mentioned them... he just wanted a closer look at the car. OTOH, I know someone who got pulled over so often with them in a ritzy suburb that he had to remove them
I did this not so long ago and worked for me. Glass and tile bits (as mentioned) and used 3 different sizes and a very slow speed. Get a squirty bottle and dribble with water whilst drilling. I don't recommend drilling something whilst its sumbersed under water unless its an air tool were talking about. Take your time, go slow,don't let it get hot. Practice on an old wine bottle first. If you manage that you should be able to do the lense. If you can get another set of lenses stick them in the boot and spin a tale if you get pulled. Good luck
I'd love to see a cop pull over an old Packard with factory blue dots, wonder where that would end up...?
I have never been pulled over for blue dots and i have ran them for years. I have even been pulled over for other stuff and my blue dots never came up. On my old 56 chevy Sedan Delivery I had the glass tail light lenses and those suckers were insanely purple!
Factory or not, they would be illegal if the law says red -amber only on the rear and amber - white only on the front. I have a pair of blue dots in my 36 sedan glass lenses that will be removed in favor of a pair of lenses without the blue dots.
Use copper tubing with valve grinding compound,its faster than a wood dowel. eleven years running blue dots on my T-roadster,and 4 years on my 47,never stopped once.
no better way to get pulled over than to have safety equiptment modification, as this...any body ever get ticket fot it??? i have....nice for show cars though.
Not if it was factory equipment. The law requires 2 taillights, but 30s-era and earlier cars can still run a single one. Law requires seatbelts, but if your car didn't come with one from the factory (i.e., most pre-65 cars), you're not required to install/wear them.
I have had blue dots on all my rods for years and have never been stopped by the cops for them. I have driven through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachussetts........many of these states really crack down on hot rods.
Get a lump of clay, stick it on your drill press table. Turn your lense so the concave side is up, toward the bit, stick it into the clay to hold it firmly. Fill the lense with water. Drill slow and steady through the water into the glass lense with a diamond core bit. Takes just a couple minutes at most. No cracking, no breakouts, a perfect hole. If you are drilling flat glass, simply build a little clay "dam" around where you want to drill the hole, and fill that with water, then proceed to drill thru the water as described. The key is having water keep the glass cool, and the clay holding the glass so it can't move. Never been stopped for blue dots.
Been running them on my cpe since 97. It's been in 30 states and 4 canadian provinces without a problem
I see so many blue dot on later cars(70-80s) that arent even close to the bulb. Its obvious that the owner didnt understand how/that they are supposed to work. They work best on most 30s and 40s cars where the bulb socket can be shimmed to position the stop filiment to the center and within an inch or so behind the bluedot lens. I've had original '40s glass dots on my '41 Pontiac for 40 years and when you hit the brakes the effect is stunning when they work right. Anybody know when they were first made?
It seems that Lynx Eye "Blue-Dot" taillamp lenses were maybe available starting in the late 30s and expired in the mid50s. The latest lenses I have seen in Lynx Eye boxes or on counter displays were 1957 Chevys. The earliest I remember on a counter display were 33-36 Ford Passenger/33-47 Pickup.
yeah, what he said.......................................................................................k
My dad has been running blue dots in his red tail lights and red dots in his amber lenses on his vintage semi for 25 years. Those get regular DOT inspections and nothing has ever been said about them. And when you get pulled over by that cop you are going to tell off- ask him how his wife and YOUR kids are- then you might get away with another warning! ... just stirrin the pot
Blue dot were originally called snow lights. because the police added them to their motor cycles. they were deemed illegal in most states. the car clubs lobbyied the state and in Oregon they are legal on pre 1959 vehicles. I've been working with glass since 1965. I still drill lenses with a 3 sided glass drill and an old egg beater style drill (I can post a photo for the youngin's out there) and go slow moving the drill handle in circlular pattern so the bit doesn't bite. I also have no trouble telling an officer that his "ass suck buttermilk". when he over re-acts to a minor infraction
I have found the truth has no place in dealing with cops - be polite and say no more than you need to - and then curse their asses to yourself as you drive away very carefully from your chickenshit ticket.
I think for the most part most cops dont give a rats ass about blue dots,How are blue dots hurting anyone or putting peoples lives in danger ? It's those stick up the ass Barney Fife types that are total dicks about that kind of thing. I cant stand chicken shit infractions, I consider it harrassment and refuse to take it. I would pay a attorney $300.00 to make it go away before I gave Barney Fife the satisfaction of harrassing me futher in court.
Rod Blagojevich did a lot of bad things while he was Governor of the state of Illinois but in December 2005 he did sign into law a bill supported by SEMA to allow blue dot tail lights on cars in Illinois. http://www.semaactionnetwork.com/main/main.aspx?id=61605
I've had blue dots for years and never got hassled by the cops. Maybe just lucky. I put them in my 36 Ford. Duct taped several layers over the glass lense and cut a round hole in the tape the approximate size of the dot. And with our bead/sand blast cabinet was able to cut right through the exposed part of the lense - go slowly. Worked for me. Another trick could be to use a metal washer with the correct size hole for the dot and tape it to the lense and use it as the pattern. And Brizo (post #26) is right. Ya gotta get the bulb right up against or near the blue dot to get the most effect! Put them in my sons '90 Chevy truck but they were not bright at all and we needed move the bulb or glue a tube on the back side of the dot and run it down against the bulb... Another project for the weekend....
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