KillerG

Broskis;

I want to clear my headlights but I want to put clear reflectors instead of just removing the ambers.

If anyone who has cleared their headlights would be willing to ship me their ambers I would really appreciate it!

I cant promise that I will be successful in fabricating clear reflectors, nor can i guarantee that they wont be damaged while I attempt to create the clears, but if I am successful I will make a DIY and a few sets while I can over winter break.

Willing to paypal the shipping costs/whatever you are valuing your ambers at!!

ssjoeboe9

I find this very interesting. I might be up for it. They have been just sitting in my closet for a 2 years

BobbyC

If you come take mine out, you can have em. Lol

opboarding

These were my exact plans. Make a mold and then make a few sets and sell them off to pay for the materials. $100 later, I all I have to show for it is this(untrimmed):

Good luck.

KillerG

^ can I ask what process you went by in your attempts?

Might as well start by avoiding the same pitfalls. I just want to try and make 1 or 2, I will attempt over my 2 weeks december break, if not ill try to pass onto a professional. Would like to get my hands on these sometime next week this way I can plan out how I will make these D:

And for anyone who is willing to help out please PM me

BobbyC

youch.

you could try plaster...
ive seen enough episodes of "how its made" to guess how i could do it. lol

KillerG

I was gonna start with an alginate impression lol.

Maybe some polyether... have those lying around already; move onto silicon after

robpp

iTrader: (2)

FYI


http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...1236593&page=2

MC MiYoung3269

KillerG

^ got that and another DIY bookmarked

http://www.newcougar.org/forums/thread121120.html

BobbyC

i would think plaster would be easiest and the melting point of plastic is pretty low so.. shouldnt be too hard. clay would work too but that would be a pain in the ass.

you could prob use a oven to do the whole thing.

either way, let me know how it turns out.
maybe ill get brave enough to crack my headlights open.
its gonna suck to waste my laminX covers though =(

BobbyC

wow. those turned out really good!

MC MiYoung3269

I was tempted a few times to buy a used housing off ebay for $70 just to experiment with lol

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

broski, thought ed was gonna send u his?

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

the nasioc ones were easier cuz they're all flat-ish. ours is problematic cuz there's a 90 degree bend right in the middle.

KillerG

if eds still down.

I know he wants em returned and naturally ill do my best not to damage em but who knows wtf will happen while im trying to mold them.

Im hoping someone here isnt too attached to their reflectors so i dont have to risk breaking eds... if not ill go to beg ed and just be really careful

I think if I can find an easy way to separate the large unit into two it can be way more feasible to create, but that requires irreversible damage

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

yea man i thought about that too. cutting up the entire thing so that each piece is "flat" which makes the molds easier but then how do we put them back together? epoxy?

KillerG

I was thinking of cutting off the long thin arm to simplify the mold and molding it seperately and then reattaching it. The flat reflector seperate piece shouldnt be that bad and the L-shaped bulb cover may be manageable too after removing that piece

School has been all fabrication this year so im feeling adventurous

TSXKid2010

Link?

opboarding

This is the exact DIY that I followed, and materials I bought. Since the reflectors are Z shaped, you need a TON of the blue and white mold stuff. Its not cheap either, $42 for the ones pictured, and it took 1.5 sets of those for me just to get a mold for one reflector side. I think I know better now how to make a mold for them, but it will need a lot of the mold material. Part of my problem was making the mold halves too thin to try to save on material. I will take some pictures tonight of my mold and throw out some more ideas how I think it could be improved.

I really like the idea of cutting the reflector in half to make more flat pieces, then maybe using a black or chrome piece to cover up the split between them.

Not really sure how I feel about helping killerg though. Kind of a dick.

ceb

Let me jump in with a consideration - no, I'm not going to go all "legal" on you KG.

The reason for the amber markings on the front is a Federal reg put in place in 1968 to allow a driver approaching from the side to identify the front (amber) and rear(red) of the car. This has a long history and Darwin was involved.

That as background, some states (PA comes to mind on the East Coast) actively checks for amber lighting and reflectors during their (annual?) safety inspection and some local cops have been known to ticket (and impound) cars without the required lighting or reflectors.

While I understand the desire to remove the sometimes ill-places and often unsightly reflectors, ask yourself if replacing the (legal) amber reflector with a (illegal) white reflector may attract more attention than just removing the amber reflector.

OK, I can't help myself, I have to put in a legal plug.

Your insurance company may refuse coverage for an accident if they determine that the lack of reflectors may have contributed to the accident.

We all know how insurance companies love to find loopholes and it isn't that hard to tie "missing or inoperative Federally mandated safety devices" to an accident.

KillerG

do it bitch


fair warning, though i think im past the point of worrying over what insurance may or may not say in case of an accident

im pretty balls deep in mods at this point and theres quite alot of shit im sure i could be loopholed on

"Keep calm and Mod on"

BobbyC

^^ the insurance thing is a great point.
insurance companies will look for any and every reason not to pay out.

opboarding

Ceb, I have a question.

For some BMWs out there with no amber in the headlights, they put the small amber reflector in the front fender to be legal in the US. When I cleared my headlights about a year ago, I bought these flexible trailer reflectors to cut/trim and stick somewhere on my front bumper or fender. I have yet to put these on, but would these make it legal?

ssjoeboe9

Just say your reflectors got horrible sun damage and became clear. Then show them the thread titled " I need to buy orange reflectors."

TSXKid2010

I honestly don't think that an insurance company would look that in depth at stuff like that. When my engine hydrolocked, I put in my stock intake without the resonator. The adjuster looked it over, and almost wrote off the car right then and there. The dealership just had to step up and tell the dealership they could probably fix it >.>

BobbyC

you could always argue that it came that way from the dealer though that didnt work out too well with the "tints"

ceb

There is no requirement that they be incorporated in the headlighting unit. There are two requirement and both refer to "the front of the car" - the first is an amber sidemarker lamp and the second is an amber reflector. Both the bulb and reflector color are set by an SAE standard but the location is a bit squishy - the reason that BMW adds the reflector to the fron fender wheel opening.

ceb

There is a difference between a comprehensive claim and a collision claim. With a comprehensive claim you are only dealing with own insurance company while a collision claim usually involves two companies and the "at fault" company will pull out all the stops to mitigate their losses. A claim that the other driver was partially at fault because of "unsafe or missing" equipment is often one of the first things they look at.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

OK we HEARD the legaleze........


lets get down to business and get a mold MADE



I almost bought some DEPO just to get the clear part out.
still may do that, replace it with amber and get 200 back of my 330 investment by selling the depo with amber cheap.

ssjoeboe9

We have enough asians on this forum, we should be able to get this done cheap? What maybe $10 for for a couple hundred of these clear reflectors?

VortexBlueTSX

I could give you mine if i can find both of them

robpp

iTrader: (2)

lets send one amber to alibaba in china and tell them we need 500 of them.

or 50 or whatever is cost effective.


i would say a good set is worth about a HUNDO to me. just think if you try and make some how much all the material and mold stuff and time and UCHHHHHH .....i'd pay a HUNDO.

what you guys think?

opboarding

Ship some off to Mr Oto over in hong kong. I'm sure he could get them into the right hands to mass produce.

If my plan worked and my mold made a bunch I was going to sell them for $40 shipped each set.

kostantinos

iTrader: (1)

I'm sure you can sell them in no time

an amber bulb behind a clear reflector avoids any legal issues

iSeeYouTwo

I'd pay a HUNDO too, if it were as perfect as the one on NASIOC.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

yup and if you leave the chrome you have your reflector.




I can do some research later.

lets gather some amber ones to model.

ssjoeboe9

Yeah, I think about $40 sounds right to me lol

but I'm not the one who is gunna buy them either. Maybe if I hadn't cleared already.

MC MiYoung3269

Was a while back, they're not up anymore lol

kostantinos

iTrader: (1)

they sell depo headlights on ebay that have clear reflectors

If they are identical in size, and anyone has a contact over there, that would be an easier alternative as well