Ive got some taillight and running light lenses for my 1950 Dodge That are foggy/sun burnt. I was wondering if there was a way to "polish" the plastic (yes, they are plastic) to get them back to being clear. Or is there something else I can do to get them back to their former glory???
If they are just foggy and not scratched you can wet sand them with 1000 1500, 2000 then buff just like you would with paint
Post pics of them. As long as they aren't too bad,you MIGHT get away with Rubbing compound then Plastic polish and finish them off with paste wax. Do you have a buffing wheel that runs on a low speed?
Sorry guys but the cameras dead, the one I really want to save is the round parking lights, one is fine but the other is close to completely milky white on the outside.
There's a plastic polish called Novus that'll do the trick too. I used the stuff for old plastic radios and the like. It works real well. http://www.novuspolish.com/
They are selling headlight lens polishing kits for the Mustangs and rice rockets. I bought a plastic polishing kit from one of the buffing supplies vendors.
I've used Simichrome and Mother's polishes on plastic lenses for 30 years. Worked great. Might not help if yours are really bad. But worth a try.
color sand them with 1000 grit and then clear them(ive done it with a few sets theyve all turned out fine)
Another vote for the Mothers metal polish. If the lenses are discolored from UV exposure, you're probably screwed. If it's just surface wear, this will take care of it. Polish it by hand, and use a light touch and go by feel until you get the results you want.
the 3M guy came by our shop and demonstrated a proses they have for repairing that problem, and that's how they did it. I had him do a P T Cruiser and they looked like brand new.
Meguiars Scratch X, I just use on my 60yr old radio plastic face. I was really surprized by the results.
I just used "SoftScrub" on the headlight lenses on my wife's car. It took a while but the results were good. SoftScrub has a VERY fine abrasive in it.
I too have used the 3M kit. it was on my wife's Passat. The lenses were REALLY bad. I avoided the kits that used only a polish because of how far gone they were. It was awesome, worked perfectly. It starts with 500 grit dry, 800 grit dry, 1500 grit dry, 3000 grit wet, then a polishing compound. All you need is a drill (preferably cordless) and the blue painters tape to protect the grill/paint (trust me you want to put plenty on....don't ask me why). Oh yeah, and a couple beers Take your time, make sure to completely eliminate the 500 scratches when you switch to the 800, completely eliminate the 800 scratches when you switch to the 1500, etc. etc. It took me a couple hours, and I saved at least $300 (VW parts are nasty expensive) Official 3M tutorial video on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t1RBw0IGXA Hope this helps
Yup, all it is is a fine rubbing compound. If you have some, try it on an old piece of plastic. Works great on bakelite radio cases too.
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