Lexan headlight cover how-to

[bbjsw10]

I made some Lexan headlight covers and am going to tell how to do it. These will help FE for us with the older style "bucket" headlights, with a lower cost than replacement composite headlights.

You will first have to make a template of your surround. I used poster board and made the template by laying it over the surround and cutting to the outside edge of surround.

Once you have the template take to a plastic company in your area. A sign/graphics place is a good place to start, or glass shop's normally carry it also.

The lexan I used is roughly 1/16 inch thick you don't want any thicker or it will not bend to form.

You will need to heat the lexan with a heatgun (not a hair-dryer) to give it a bowl shape first.(This enables the lexan to curve away from headlight not suck in towards it) Do this by heating the front outside face in the center, while holding by one edge. You will see it deform into a bowl shape. Do this very slowly while moving heatgun in large circles. Do not sit in one area move fast, or it WILL warp the material. You don't need alot of curve only a little. Like a foam Dixie plate. Only takes a few seconds to accomplish this. The curve will go away when cool, but remains in the plastics "memory" so make sure you make the outside somehow like using a piece of masking tape.

Some more steps are explained in pictures.

Here are some pics enjoy.

[azraelswrd]

Is that trim tape 2-sided?

[bbjsw10]

Originally Posted by azraelswrd

Is that trim tape 2-sided?

Yeah. Same thing they use to apply factory side trim and emblems.

[RacerX]

Originally Posted by bbjsw10

Yeah. Same thing they use to apply factory side trim and emblems.

AAAA YES, 3M double sided tape....The Best stuff since....Durabond large panel adhesive (which is 3m now) and 3M masking tape and 3M.......... Nice job on the covers

[TomO]

That is a sweet how-to! I'm sure the other metro drivers will jump on this real quick.

[metroschultz]

I used screws to hold mine together.
I like your idea better
See if I can get some more buckets and re-do them with your technique.
S.

[COMP]

[cfg83]

bbjsw10 -

Thank you. I know it takes a lot of work composing a really good DIY.

CarloSW2

[bbjsw10]

Originally Posted by cfg83

bbjsw10 -

Thank you. I know it takes a lot of work composing a really good DIY.

CarloSW2

Yeah especially when I suck at Photoshop. I am still playing with it right now.

Originally Posted by TomO

That is a sweet how-to! I'm sure the other metro drivers will jump on this real quick.

This will work on any bucket if done correctly.

Originally Posted by RacerX

AAAA YES, 3M double sided tape....The Best stuff since....Durabond large panel adhesive (which is 3m now) and 3M masking tape and 3M.......... Nice job on the covers

I see you love 3M stuff too, they make the best of the sticky stuff.

[Johnny Mullet]

I will be doing mine soon.

[MetroMPG]

NICE DIY. Thanks for posting - I bet this one will get read a lot.

Silly question time: will this hamper changing a burned out headlight?

[bbjsw10]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

NICE DIY. Thanks for posting - I bet this one will get read a lot.

Silly question time: will this hamper changing a burned out headlight?

Not on my metro I have to remove bucket to get 1 screw anyways, tested before I did it. It does hamper aiming of the light though, but how often do you need to aim your lights.

[Johnny Mullet]

Originally Posted by bbjsw10

but how often do you need to aim your lights.

You damn Ohio people with your un-aimed headlights

You can aim them with the bucket removed...............

[bbjsw10]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

You damn Ohio people with your un-aimed headlights

I need something to hunt with...... Deer, racoons, groundhogs, old people,,, can't hit em if you can't see them.

[DoctorP82]

How much was the cost of the lexan? I'm curious if perhaps the same could be done with a poster frame cover. Probably not as scratch resistant though, but there are sratch fillers to get.

[bbjsw10]

I have about $10 in the lexan, you don't need thick stuff only about 1/16 inch. Alot of sign/glass places will have that much laying around in scrap bins, and sell it by pound pretty cheap. I would just use the lexan and not have to redo it that way. The tape is no fun to get back off.

[achang1]

1 thing is to make sure your lexan is UV coated.
you dont want it to get cloudy in the sun.
with lexan only 1 side is uv protection coated, make sure that side is outside.

[lunarhighway]

why did these metro's have these silly straight lamps to begin with in the us, Clearly the car was not designed to have them, so i can only assume some old regulation or cost considderations could be at the heart of this.

however the cover makes it really look outstanding! if you wanted to add some custom look to it perhaps you could install two small round lights per side. this could give it a certain retro-modern, alfa-bmw-lexus look... this look just fine of course, but it proves the "looks" of a car don't have to stand in the way of good aero, like it does to often these days

[cfg83]

lunarhighway -

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

why did these metro's have these silly straight lamps to begin with in the us, Clearly the car was not designed to have them, so i can only assume some old regulation or cost considderations could be at the heart of this.

however the cover makes it really look outstanding! if you wanted to add some custom look to it perhaps you could install two small round lights per side. this could give it a certain retro-modern, alfa-bmw-lexus look... this look just fine of course, but it proves the "looks" of a car don't have to stand in the way of good aero, like it does to often these days

I think cost is the main issue for a Geo Metro, but recessed lights are also a normal design choice :



And, wouldn't vertically oriented headlights have less light refraction issues?

CarloSW2

[solarguy]

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

why did these metro's have these silly straight lamps to begin with in the us, Clearly the car was not designed to have them, so i can only assume some old regulation or cost considderations could be at the heart of this.

I think to differentiate themselves from the original suzuki product, or the pontiac Firefly (canadian version). If you're lucky, you might score some of the non-recessed "original" parts and convert it back to what it _should_ be.

Or, maybe it was to make them look cheap and chintzy so the metro sales wouldn't totally humiliate the more expensive/larger GM cars. GM has never had much love for the small efficient automobile.

Finest regards,

troy