[BamZipPow]

Both of my T-100 trucks had fogged up headlights. I got them clear without a whole lot of fuss with some simple tools and little effort. You can do it without power tools and use a sander block and a microfiber towel...you'll be proud of yer handy work but you'll be pretty tired and maybe some blisters on yer hands/fingers.

I have some wet/dry sandpaper (1000, 1500, and 2000 grit) which I attached to my palm sander. The key is to use some soapy water in a spray bottle to keep the sander from melting the plastic (which isn't good) and making a big mess. Keep the sandpaper wet with solution as you work it gently over the headlight. You might want to mask off the grill with some cereal box cardboard or tape depending on how crazy you git with the sander. The headlight should be pretty smooth and almost clear. I have some Plast-X plastic polish and a Mother's PowerBall on my power drill. A little polish on the ball and start off at a slow speed. Eventually build up the speed and work it over the headlight. In no time at all, yer headlight should be nice and smooth and almost like new again.

You'll git more light on the road to see with! Just touch up the headlights once a month with some plastic polish and a microfiber towel and you'll be able git the max light out of yer headlights everytime.

 

[epe]

I used the plastic polish on mine to get most out.. I always wetsand by hand, never used a sander to wetsand... Never thought to use it on the headlights.. I have a problem with polishing anything aluminum... :headbang: from streetbike frame to dirtbike swingarm... Any good pointers on getting rust off on the rear chrome bumper? Chrome polish is not cutting it..

 

[BamZipPow]

You can see how fogged they were before in this picture...

After the 1000 grit sanding and the Plast-X polishing...

 

[djmr]

fogged

Mine is all on the inside so shouldnt I just replace them. I have Silverstar Ultra bulbs in these ones and they barely light up the road, I cant wait to get them in clear lenses.

 

[BamZipPow]

Mine is all on the inside so shouldnt I just replace them. I have Silverstar Ultra bulbs in these ones and they barely light up the road, I cant wait to get them in clear lenses.

Give them a shot at polishing. Sanding in progression with the fine wet/dry sandpaper is the key along with the soap solution. You can use a hand sander block but it makes fer a long process compared to a palm sander. But use what you have or can afford. You can even wrap the sandpaper around some rags if that's all you have. You'll just have to tape off the grill so you don't sand that, too.

If you already bought some new ones, I'll take those off yer hands fer shipping since yer gonna probably be throwing them away...

 

[zigzagg321]

cheapo toothpaste works great. not kidding.

 

[BamZipPow]

Thinking about sealing up the surface with some clear coat paint from Krylon. It's UV-resistant so it might work out quite nicely. Gonna source some out later today and see how well it works.

 

[BamZipPow]

 

[BamZipPow]

There's also Glassylite...which is supposed to be "the restore kit" to have...

Should cost about $30 and you might be able to do 2 headlight sets...

 

[dj99]

I'm wondering if metal polish like "brasso" or "tarnite" would work. It's kind of like the toothpaste with gentle abrasives. I have used tarnite to polish scratched CDs and DVDs back to health.

 

[BamZipPow]

I guess you could use that stuff...the key would be to seal up the plastic after you got done polishing it...

 

[Hartzog]

I'm wondering if metal polish like "brasso" or "tarnite" would work. It's kind of like the toothpaste with gentle abrasives. I have used tarnite to polish scratched CDs and DVDs back to health.

actually, brasso and a buffer wheel works pretty dang good, i bet if you done the sanding then brasso, it might come out looking nice

 

[dj99]

I do like the idea of the clearcoat with UV protection. It may be the last time you would have to mess with them.

 

[BamZipPow]

Couldn't find anyone with the UV resistant clear coat in stock...so I just re-polished the headlights before I sprayed them with some clear coat. Waited a full 24hrs before I polished the clear coat with the plastic polish and drill/buffer ball. Looks fantastic now...I just hope it holds up over time.

 

[Zuke76]

I bought this kit at my local autozone for $8.
Link
It worked well. It comes with 4 levels of wet sandpaper and a polishing compound.

 

[BamZipPow]

Remember...it's not the polishing that you need to worry about...it's the sealing of the plastic after you've polished it. If you don't yer gonna be doing this polishing thing fer a long time...

 

[Zuke76]

Remember...it's not the polishing that you need to worry about...it's the sealing of the plastic after you've polished it. If you don't yer gonna be doing this polishing thing fer a long time...

Any cheap/easy suggestions?

 

[BamZipPow]

Any cheap/easy suggestions?

Try reading the thread...

 

[BamZipPow]

Polished my headlights again tonight...they were gitting a bit foggy again. Not sure what I want to use to seal the lens this time around. Found the UV resistant clear coat and sprayed that on last time. Didn't like how it turned out overall.

I do have the Glassylite kit and might try to use that. Not sure on that product either. But no guts...no glory.

 

[96Wolf]

Bam see what a quick google search will tell ya. I found a random thread that talked about this. I didn't save it but it did have a nice grease with follow up. I believe the guy did a ford or Chevy car like a crown Vic or similar. But he used like a poly urethane. Like for furniture.
Anyway if you find that, that would bE great. I'm on my cell now so it's harder to search.