It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 6:00 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 90 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:17 pm 
Offline
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:08 pm
Posts: 7671
Location: Midland, Michigan
Year and Trim: 2002 SE
This method has been in testing for a few years now on autogeek, figured I would give it a try. Real world testing shows up to two years of durability before hazing again vs. Three to six months with polishing or wetsanding and polishing alone.

You will need
wet sandpaper - 400, 600, 1000, 2000, and 2500 if you can find it but not absolutely necessary, 2500 was not used here.
Minwax Helmsman Spar urethane clear gloss, yes it is for wood, but it has UV protection.
Odorless mineral spirits.
Foam staining brush.

All said and done, this cost maybe $35 - $40 and is easy to do, have enough left to do probably 100 more headlights :lol:

Start with a nasty looking headlight
Image

Wetsand starting with the coarsest grit, working to the finest.
Image

Mix the urethane and mineral spirits 50/50 and apply with the foam brush in quick strokes, careful to not apply too thick to avoid runs.
Image

Let it set for a couple hours and enjoy your new looking headlights :)

Image

Image

Image

Image

_________________
Ryan
Image
2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

MattStrike wrote:
It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!


Last edited by crash93ssei on Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:36 am, edited 2 times in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:21 pm 
Offline
Administrator
Administrator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:04 pm
Posts: 25871
Location: Browerville, MN
Year and Trim: 2004 GXP - plus a handful of other Bonnevilles
Hard to tell in the pics... but can you see any of the micro scratches from sanding? If I already have the polisher, would it make it look better if I polished it before applying the urethane.

Looks awesome, great technique! I have about a dozen headlights to do this too!

_________________
Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited
Image
2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
1997 Corvette | 55k | Silver Metallic | Z06 wheels | Date-night Hauler/Parts runner
2014 Town & Country Limited | Cashmere Pearl | 95k | Family Hauler
2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Sport | Black| 260k | Official Bonneville Hauler


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:53 pm 
Offline
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:08 pm
Posts: 7671
Location: Midland, Michigan
Year and Trim: 2002 SE
You can polish before applying, but it was found on autogeek to basically have the same turnout either way so people just skip the polishing step.

I didn't notice any sanding micro scratches and I was looking pretty close so if they are there you would really have to be actually looking specifically for them to see if they are even there or not. I can tell you this much, I have polished many headlights before and I will never go back to the old way of doing it!

It will be going on the SE I just picked up tomorrow then I will check to see how it holds up to all the salt on the roads, I don't foresee any issues though as there are members on autogeek that do this exact process with a one year or an 18 month warranty.... just polishing or wetsanding and polishing alone would only last a few months at best.

_________________
Ryan
Image
2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

MattStrike wrote:
It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:35 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:51 pm
Posts: 7391
Location: Toronto, Canada
Year and Trim: 09 G8 GT
crash93ssei wrote:
just polishing or wetsanding and polishing alone would only last a few months at best.

The job we did last May on my GXP barely made it through the summer :sadeyz: The top half hazed over pretty quickly.

I actually have stock, non-GXP headlights on my car now due to waiting on shipping for a failed HID bulb, so I'll try this on both sets! :beerchug:

_________________
Image
Jerry /// Past: 95 SSEi (June 2010 COTM) -- 04 GXP (July 2011 COTM)
91 Honda Civic Wagon DX 2WD (fuelly) -- 208,000km -- 92hp -- Autocross Warrior
09 Lexus LS460 AWD -- 94,000km -- Daily Driver
09 White Hot G8 GT -- 155,000km (fuelly) -- LS3 Cam -- GM LS3 CNC Ported Heads -- Kooks 1 3/4" Long Tube Headers -- Solo Catback Midsection -- Hooker Maxflow Mufflers -- Pat G Tune -- Rotofab Intake -- Tein S-Tech Springs -- GXP FE3 Dampers -- BMR Subframe Cradle Inserts -- BMR Subframe Connectors -- Forgestar F14 Gold 18x9 +40 -- Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/45/18 -- Maverick Man Carbon Fiber Spoiler


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:47 pm 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:14 pm
Posts: 3967
Location: St Cloud, MN
Year and Trim: 06 Grand Prix LS4
Is light output affected at all? Restored my headlights this last August, and they look just as bad if not worse already...

_________________
*Chris*
Image
15 Nissan Altima 2.5SL/2004 Honda Shadow 750 Aero
Previous, 07 GP SE, 06 GP GXP, 97 SSE 40th, 96 LeSabre Custom, 93 SLE, 90 LeSabre Custom


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:30 pm 
Offline
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:08 pm
Posts: 7671
Location: Midland, Michigan
Year and Trim: 2002 SE
Nobody has mentioned any side effects on light output, basically it should be comparable to a brand new or fully polished headlight lens.

_________________
Ryan
Image
2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

MattStrike wrote:
It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:38 pm 
Offline
Posts like an L27
Posts like an L27

Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 10:20 pm
Posts: 609
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Year and Trim: 2002 SLE
Do you think that any other types or brands of poly would work or have they found this one is the only one that works? I have a couple of gallons of Old Masters Poly for house projects and would only need to get the some of the sand paper.

I don't think there is much difference other than quality of the stuff. My Old Masters is really expensive though so I don't know if I want to use it or buy cheaper stuff.

_________________
Image

2009 Ford Flex 63K[/u] My DD & super utilitarian vehicle that we call the White Bus.
2006 Honda Accord EX V6 Coupe 73k; Wife's hot rod & highway ride.
SOLD: 2002 Bonneville SLE; 230K, Mods: Solid hockey puck front mount, Intense FWI intake, 180 degree thermostat, Magna Flow high-flow cat, ZZP O2 emulator: Nothing major but maintenance and what it takes to keep the dash lights off and the mileage up..
2004 Bonneville SLE 201k, Pearl White (Old man's ride)


Last edited by vogie01 on Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:39 pm 
Offline
Retired Site Developer
Retired Site Developer
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 10:30 pm
Posts: 20960
Location: MN/IA
Year and Trim: '17 Silverado 1500
Varnishes are designed to fill in the scratches from sanding (you don't buff a piece of wood after sanding...), so it applies the same way.

_________________
Bye Bye:
Image
RIP sandrock
Sirius wrote:
Think about it. You’re tooling down the road in your Prius, knowing full-well that this thing being green is as big a sham as federally mandated ethanol-enriched gas, Russia pulling out of Ukraine, and Obamacare.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:41 pm 
Offline
Retired Site Developer
Retired Site Developer
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 10:30 pm
Posts: 20960
Location: MN/IA
Year and Trim: '17 Silverado 1500
vogie01 wrote:
Do you think that any other types or brands of poly would work or have they found this one is the only one that works? I have a couple of gallons of Old Masters Poly for house projects and would only need to get the some of the sand paper.

Joe, I think the key here is the UV protectant in the varnish.

_________________
Bye Bye:
Image
RIP sandrock
Sirius wrote:
Think about it. You’re tooling down the road in your Prius, knowing full-well that this thing being green is as big a sham as federally mandated ethanol-enriched gas, Russia pulling out of Ukraine, and Obamacare.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:49 pm 
Offline
Posts like an L27
Posts like an L27

Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 10:20 pm
Posts: 609
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Year and Trim: 2002 SLE
00Beast wrote:
vogie01 wrote:
Do you think that any other types or brands of poly would work or have they found this one is the only one that works? I have a couple of gallons of Old Masters Poly for house projects and would only need to get the some of the sand paper.

Joe, I think the key here is the UV protectant in the varnish.


They all have UV protectant in the urethane because that is what they are made for. This Minwax stuff is a general indoor/outdoor oil based product and what I have is a oil based, high end indoor stuff. Mine not work as well because it is indoor stuff.

_________________
Image

2009 Ford Flex 63K[/u] My DD & super utilitarian vehicle that we call the White Bus.
2006 Honda Accord EX V6 Coupe 73k; Wife's hot rod & highway ride.
SOLD: 2002 Bonneville SLE; 230K, Mods: Solid hockey puck front mount, Intense FWI intake, 180 degree thermostat, Magna Flow high-flow cat, ZZP O2 emulator: Nothing major but maintenance and what it takes to keep the dash lights off and the mileage up..
2004 Bonneville SLE 201k, Pearl White (Old man's ride)


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:51 pm 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:14 pm
Posts: 3967
Location: St Cloud, MN
Year and Trim: 06 Grand Prix LS4
I'm just thinking that considering the scratches are still there, they may scatter the light beams, unless the varnish perfectly filled them in, which it may, idk lol. And Joe, I have sand paper... too much of it that never gets used...

_________________
*Chris*
Image
15 Nissan Altima 2.5SL/2004 Honda Shadow 750 Aero
Previous, 07 GP SE, 06 GP GXP, 97 SSE 40th, 96 LeSabre Custom, 93 SLE, 90 LeSabre Custom


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:31 am 
Offline
Posts like an L36
Posts like an L36
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:09 am
Posts: 880
Location: Mason City, Ia
Year and Trim: 2004 GXP
I wonder if this could be done to new headlights to keep them from hazing?

_________________
Seth
ImageImage
Bonita 78,000 miles traded on a CTS4
RogueSSEi wrote:
Bet she'll stop on a dime and give you 3 pennies back!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:35 am 
Offline
Retired Site Developer
Retired Site Developer
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 10:30 pm
Posts: 20960
Location: MN/IA
Year and Trim: '17 Silverado 1500
Yeah, definitely. It will fade, then you just clean this off and start over. Or you could use Aerospace 303 protectant, which has UV protection in it as well.

_________________
Bye Bye:
Image
RIP sandrock
Sirius wrote:
Think about it. You’re tooling down the road in your Prius, knowing full-well that this thing being green is as big a sham as federally mandated ethanol-enriched gas, Russia pulling out of Ukraine, and Obamacare.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:16 am 
Offline
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:08 pm
Posts: 7671
Location: Midland, Michigan
Year and Trim: 2002 SE
I slapped it in tonight when I got home from work, still looks great in the house, but looks even better on the car. The drivers side headlight looks pretty good, but overall this one looks even better. The bright bulb in the high beam on the passenger side is very blue (one I had from the parts car, it will be replaced) that is why the dim looks so yellow / gold in a couple pics... There is also a fog / haze on the restored light, this is on the inside of the lens, not the outside, not in the urethane coating I applied. I have ran into this a couple times with these headlights, it will be cleaned up when I take the lights apart to black out the glare caps and blinker chrome. You can not see any scratches at all in the restored lens with the lights on, you can see some micro cracking on both lenses, but that is actually throughout the plastic and is not repairable.

Drivers side
Image

Passenger side / restored headlight. The camera didn't take to well to the very blue light and made it appear white while turning the white light a yellow / gold color...
Image

Passenger dim
Image

Passenger bright
Image

Driver bright
Image

Driver dim
Image

Image

_________________
Ryan
Image
2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

MattStrike wrote:
It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:16 pm 
Offline
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:08 pm
Posts: 7671
Location: Midland, Michigan
Year and Trim: 2002 SE
Looks like I am going to have to do the drivers side now too :lol:

Image

_________________
Ryan
Image
2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

MattStrike wrote:
It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:30 pm 
Offline
Posts like a Northstar
Posts like a Northstar
User avatar

Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:38 pm
Posts: 1700
Location: Cambridge, OH
Year and Trim: 95 LeSabre Custom
01 Bonneville SSEi
09 G8 GT
I am impressed!! I did my headlights this past summer, and they still look good (but wasn't 100% happy though), but I think once it warms up, I might give this method a try. The idea of not having to do this for up to 2 years is very tempting (plus the idea of having to skip the polishing step sounds nice), especially since this car is now my daily driver, and probably will be for the next few years.

_________________
- Greg | -- Project Prasinos -- |
Image
1995 LeSabre Custom: 312K Miles | Custom K&N CAI | Edelbrock SDT Muffler | Camaro Tips | 180 T-stat | LED Interior
& Exterior | 20% Tint | PA Grill & Portholes | Limited Trim | GTP Rims | Ported LIM | Plus Many More Mods | Restoration Thread
2001 Bonneville SSEi: 225K Miles | Instense FWI | Intense MPS (3.4") | 180 T-stat | ZZP Plog | Ported Rear Manifold |
ZZP 3" Downpipe | Magnaflow Cat | Retrofitted HIDs | GenV M90 | GXP Brake Upgrade | 35% Tint | Plus Many More Mods |
2005 Bonneville GXP: 101K Miles | Custom FWI
2009 G8 GT: 89K Miles | 35% Tint | Roto-Fab CAI | SOLO Mach Exhaust | BMR Tunnel Brace | BMR Sub Frames | BMR STB |
Kooks Headers | QTP Electric Cutouts | BMR Sway Bars | Elite Engineering Catch Can | Innovative Dual Wideband Kit
1984 Caprice Classic Wagon: 86K Miles | Restoration Project


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:30 pm 
Offline
Administrator
Administrator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:04 pm
Posts: 25871
Location: Browerville, MN
Year and Trim: 2004 GXP - plus a handful of other Bonnevilles
Wow, I can't even tell you how in LOVE I am with this technique!

Image
Image
Image
Image

These were just the ones on the shelf, now I have to do all 8 of our vehicles!
Image

_________________
Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited
Image
2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
1997 Corvette | 55k | Silver Metallic | Z06 wheels | Date-night Hauler/Parts runner
2014 Town & Country Limited | Cashmere Pearl | 95k | Family Hauler
2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Sport | Black| 260k | Official Bonneville Hauler


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:54 pm 
Offline
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:08 pm
Posts: 7671
Location: Midland, Michigan
Year and Trim: 2002 SE
It's the only way to do it! I am waiting for a break in the weather to take the headlights out of my Z71 to do this to.

Another good thing about this method is that the headlights do not have to come out of the vehicle. Tape off the paint around it to prevent damage from sanding, the apply the spar mix and good to go :) just can't do it in the rain or probably not the greatest to use when cold out.

_________________
Ryan
Image
2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

MattStrike wrote:
It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:51 pm 
Offline
Posts like an L36
Posts like an L36
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:38 pm
Posts: 1008
Location: Morris, IL.
Year and Trim: 2003 Bonneville SSEI
was there any reports of the urethane yellowing over time. I know on wood over time it will yellow (clear coat no staining)


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:01 pm 
Offline
Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut

Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 11:21 pm
Posts: 3975
Location: Lone Star State
Year and Trim: 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
I have used Ryan's "process" plus adding the polishing and after 18 months it still looks good. - BC

_________________
In Memory of Brad - 1/21/1977 .. 10/23/2013 ...... Aaron - 1977 .. 2017 .....
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport ..... 1992 Bonneville SSE 1SB 170 HP L27 4T60E retired/sold to MattStrike ..... 2005 Bonneville SE 1SC 205 HP L36 4T65E - retired/salvage yard ..... PBCF user 2321


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 90 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Related topics
 Topics   Author   Replies   Views   Last post 
There are no new unread posts for this topic. O2 sensor tools

Jfridge92

9

1473

Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:38 pm

RogueSSEi View the latest post

There are no new unread posts for this topic. Scanning tools and software

grey3800

4

1448

Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:59 pm

putertopia View the latest post

There are no new unread posts for this topic. Recommended scan tools

rmorton

1

1250

Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:21 am

MOTO View the latest post

There are no new unread posts for this topic. What Tools Will I need When removing the Center Console and

Blown93SSEi

2

1257

Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:35 pm

labonnevillastrangiato View the latest post

There are no new unread posts for this topic. 1990 Bonneville restoration

90Bonny

9

1942

Tue Sep 01, 2015 10:41 am

90Bonny View the latest post

 


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group


phpBB SEO