Reproduction tail lights - how to get them made?

Arizona · Jul 10, 2018

Does anyone have experience with getting repop parts made? I am interested in getting 65 Dart tail light lenses made....

Jim

Dana67Dart · Jul 10, 2018

I saw a car show where they made some lenses using a latex mold and formed one from a good used one. Not sure of the specifics but they formed it with a red plastic and polished it after and it looked good on TV.

unrelated to tv show but youtube on how to do it.

toolmanmike · Jul 10, 2018

Talk to one of our sponsors. http://www.laysons.com/Catalog.cfm?nCatID=307&nModelID=5&nModelYear=1965

Arizona · Jul 11, 2018

Dana67Dart said:
I saw a car show where they made some lenses using a latex mold and formed one from a good used one. Not sure of the specifics but they formed it with a red plastic and polished it after and it looked good on TV.

unrelated to tv show but youtube on how to do it.

I found Smooth-On easily. Looks like just the thing. But, way more of a project in itself than I had in mind. I am thinking of who would do that for me. Thanks.

Arizona · Jul 11, 2018

toolmanmike said:
Talk to one of our sponsors. http://www.laysons.com/Catalog.cfm?nCatID=307&nModelID=5&nModelYear=1965

Thanks for the link. They have the lenses. . . . . for $500 . . . maybe for Christmas. Mine are Arizona toast. The car has been outside for decades.

Dana67Dart · Jul 11, 2018

Arizona said:
way more of a project in itself than I had in mind

I understand. I drew up and 3D printed some small plastic parts for my dart. They worked OK but need to be injection molded, that's where the cost comes in and with a very small market for one year only parts there's not enough base to spread the one time costs per part.

BTW there are clear hard 3D materials that can be printed and you can have things 3D scanned. perhaps that is a way to go. might cut your cost for 2 lenses in half. I would be tempted to have a few made as alot of 3d materials don't hold up to the whether well.

I assume you have looked for NOS and good used online.

Arizona · Jul 11, 2018

Dana67Dart said:
I understand. I drew up and 3D printed some small plastic parts for my dart. They worked OK but need to be injection molded, that's where the cost comes in and with a very small market for one year only parts there's not enough base to spread the one time costs per part.

BTW there are clear hard 3D materials that can be printed and you can have things 3D scanned. perhaps that is a way to go. might cut your cost for 2 lenses in half. I would be tempted to have a few made as alot of 3d materials don't hold up to the whether well.

I assume you have looked for NOS and good used online.

Yes, I keep an eye out for good lenses and also thought about 3D printing. I doubt the quality would be very good, but probably worth a try.

Dana67Dart · Jul 11, 2018

This is the quality that can be achieved with 3D printing.

Arizona · Jul 11, 2018

My concern is if the plastic would be hard like injection molding, hold up to UV, and properly translucent. They wouldn't have to be the same quality for a car that isn't out in the sun a lot so maybe...

Dana67Dart said:
This is the quality that can be achieved with 3D printing.

View attachment 1715197472

Dana67Dart · Jul 11, 2018

The plastic in my photo is hard like a lens is. I cant speak to the UV resistance but if it were cheap enough and looked good you could have a few made and replace as needed.

66Dvert · Jul 12, 2018

Arizona said:
I found Smooth-On easily. Looks like just the thing. But, way more of a project in itself than I had in mind. I am thinking of who would do that for me. Thanks.

I'm working (slowly since I have wayyyyyy too many irons in the fire) on a bezel/lens setup for my 66. I'm thinking of an all red lens and bezel molded from an existing lens and bezel. this was my first foray into molding 6 years ago. since then I've made many finds about what not to do! this was one of them.