License plate light rebuild?

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Witchboard

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So, I was messing around the 64 Barracuda's trunk and noticed the license plate light was just a single bulb with no guard. I guess what had actually happened is a previous owner just got a light socket and glued it into the hole that originally had the wire and grommet for the original license plate light and left the original on without a bulb.

Any tips on how to get this thing apart without cracking the plastic or breaking a tab so I can clean it up? Wasn't sure if it was something more than, "Be gentle".

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If it were me I’d clean all that paint of it first with some lacquer thinner to expose anything hiding under it. I think theirs a foam gasket under the lens. It may be disintegrated or hard as a rock if it’s still there. Either way theirs only one way to do it. Gently bend up the tabs and slowly work something between the lens and housing perimeter. I’d try a razor blade first. Good luck.
 
I might be tempted to use my little cutoff wheel and remove all six of those tabs. Then use a couple of small self-tapping screws through the holes in the ends of the lens to reattach it.
 
mopardude62 said:
I might be tempted to use my little cutoff wheel and remove all six of those tabs. Then use a couple of small self-tapping screws through the holes in the ends of the lens to reattach it.
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Good idea right here. I might see if a tab brakes off first. I don’t think they’ll break off but you never know. Options.
 
Don't use anything too strong on that lens. You may melt it. Acetone will for sure, lacquer thinner might too. The paint might come off with soap, a scotchbrite, and a little elbow grease. Something else I find works good on most plastics is the Turtle Wax Chrome polish. You should be able to gently bend those tabs open enough to get the lens out. I'd then glass bead blast that housing and repaint with some good Rustoleum Professional aluminum color rattle can paint.
 
cudamark said:
Don't use anything too strong on that lens. You may melt it. Acetone will for sure, lacquer thinner might too. The paint might come off with soap, a scotchbrite, and a little elbow grease. Something else I find works good on most plastics is the Turtle Wax Chrome polish. You should be able to gently bend those tabs open enough to get the lens out. I'd then glass bead blast that housing and repaint with some good Rustoleum Professional aluminum color rattle can paint.
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Well, the tabs on the edges snapped, but the middle one is still good. I only did one side and slid the lens out. I haven't started cleaning anything up yet, but will posts results when done. Thanks again!
 
Look up plastic headlight restoration online. It's pretty much the same thing. Some 1000-2000 sandpaper will take that paint off.
Like mentioned above, don't use any solvents because they will start dissolving the plastic.
Good luck!
 
Figured I'd do a quick update. I tried Motsenbocker's Lift Off 4 and it did haze the plastic. I had it wrapped in paper towels to keep it wet. It's almost went white like it transferred the white paper towel to the plastic. Figured there wasn't anything left to lose, so I had a left over 3M lens restoration kit and used the Trizact refining disc and it removed the white, but it was still hazy. I then used some Novus and hand polished it. Not a bad save from such a bad screw up. I didn't concentrate efforts where the lens meets the metal so you can see some of the affects of the Lift Off.

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