YELLOW HEADLIGHTS... Repair or Replace?

[SHOMA]

Hello all, I have a 95 MTX, car looks awesome, all except for the somewhat discolored headlights. Is there a solvent that can be used to bring it back to its orig. color, or is aftermarket a better option? The crystal clear headlights is what I want for it, but I know they are hard to come by, as it is a kit, I believe.... Please let me know my options, I appreciate it! [email protected]

 

[smcallis]

I agree dude. Car looks great...Sorry no advice. Think I heard the fish tanks are pretty expensive.

 

[Jersey Fred]

Same problem here. I priced new headlight lenses from a couple of sources and found the cheapest ($119.99 each) from:

mailto:[email protected][email protected]</a>

 

[95SHOATX]

Same problem with my 95 SHO. I have tried using the following: mixture of white vinegar and salt mixing it into a paste and cleaning the outside of the lenses, also plain Crest toothpaste and doing the same. There is also a plastic polish that I puchased at Home Depot (pinkish can, can't remember the name) that I used after applying the above mixtures.
It did clean some of the yellow residue from the lense. If there is residue inside of the lenses then your best bet would be to replace with new or used lense covers.
Good luck.

 

[jcostantino]

You can buy 3rd party headlights at:

http://store.yahoo.com/dpstore/dp-h01510.html for $85 each. They aren't genuine Ford or DOT certified so they don't have quite as bad a beam pattern as stock.

OR, you can buy some NuLite and recoat your headlights.. I did that to mine almost a year ago and they're still going strong. Check:
http://www.stangparts.com/products/list.cfm?TypeID=6 for ordering.

Others have used various epoxy glazes from Home Depot that have UV resistance but for an all in one kit that only needs some water added, the NuLite is the best bang for the buck.

Jeff

 

[whfla1]

a little bleach on a paper towel works wonders !!

 

[Hubes]

i have used the pink cna stuff works pretty good a lot of yellow crap coems off. i have also used castrol super clean on it too whic h takes soem off and also Gunk engine bright. i will try bleach next. we need to figure out how to clean the insides

 

[RI-SHO]

Aftermarket parts tend not to fit well, I learned the hard way with aftermarket turn signal assemblies, there was a pretty decent gap where the rubber seal meats the paint compared to stock assemblies.

 

[SHOMA]

I located aftermarket lights for the SHO listing at $227, yet the same lights off of a *cough* sable *cough* list for only $112, which would bring me down to less than $80 with the 30% off i can get.... ANY crystal clear lenses AVAILABLE anywhere? Yellow headlights dont go well with a silver SHO! THANKS ALL, I am goig to try the suggestions you have given me, and see my results..
Kevin

 

[jcostantino]

The ones in the link I posted above for the Sable work good (but there's some trimming that has to be done for the fishtanks to mount correctly). $85 each isn't too bad for brand new units...

There are no crystal lens's for the SHO (or 9005/9007 bulbs for that matter) that work right. The bulb NEEDS the refractive surface to make its beam pattern. Even if you get all the yellow off, chances are that there are microscopic cracks within the polycarb lens that will reflect light away from the road (like in my lens's, even with the NuLite).

For best bang for the buck, spend $25 on the NuLite and a half hour applying it... it really helped my headlights even if it didn't make them %100 it sure helped a lot.. After putting it on, it helped more than my 80/100 w bulbs and upgraded harness..

Jeff

 

[Hubes]

how much crud came off you headlights with the nu lite?

 

[jcostantino]

Well, I can tell you that it's a weird process to put it on.. You scour the lens with a Scotch Brite pad and water (sort of a wet sanding) and then apply a clear glaze over the lens.. the kit has really good detailed instructions. You might want to remove the lens's and remove the aiming bumps (useless) and then sand from 300 grit down to at least 800 grit to really remove all the crap in the plastic. My lens's wern't too bad so I just did the Scotch Brite pad with water on them.

I wish I had a good picture of the lens's before cleaning them.. They were pretty bad looking before but they were much better after the NuLite and now (did them in October) they still look good.

Jeff

 

[DeaconBlue]

I replaced both the head lamps and turn signal assemblies with aftermarket units. They may not fit perfectly but for $225 total, they look a heck of a lot better than the yellowed stock ones.

 

[FAST4DR]

New front lights only cost me $50....My insurance company replaced both of mine for me. I hit a deer last year and it busted the lights and the plastic bar that holds the lights. My insurance company paid $236 each for the front lights. So go out and hit a deer!

 

[Markus]

jcostantino:
You can buy 3rd party headlights at:

http://store.yahoo.com/dpstore/dp-h01510.html for $85 each. They aren't genuine Ford or DOT certified so they don't have quite as bad a beam pattern as stock.

OR, you can buy some NuLite and recoat your headlights.. I did that to mine almost a year ago and they're still going strong. Check:
http://www.stangparts.com/products/list.cfm?TypeID=6 for ordering.

Others have used various epoxy glazes from Home Depot that have UV resistance but for an all in one kit that only needs some water added, the NuLite is the best bang for the buck.

Jeff

Anybody know where I can get NuLite in Canada?

Mark

 

[Dave Ladely]

To keep the headlights from getting yellow, I used some DuraTuff polyurethane clear marine coating, spraying two coats of it on, which has LOTS of ultraviolet protectants in it. Its often used to protect clear epoxy coatings from deterioration from sunlight. By the way, epoxy doe NOT resist sunlight very well, it yellows, so don't use it. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure in this case.
dave

 

[jcostantino]

The DuraTuff stuff sounds good! Really the biggest thing NuLite has going for it is that it's all in one box and you just have to add 2 oz of water to it.

If someone were to use say... from 80 or 100 grit up to at least 500 grit and then sprayed on a few coats of DuraTuff it would probably do the same job (or better as NuLite) NuLite's only major problem is that you have to sponge on the coating which doesn't look visually appealing because it's not smooth.

Jeff

 

[Jayman]

Some great info here. What I did was wet sand the lights but a highly recommend NOT using 80 or 100 grit as it is far to abrasive. I started out with 1000 grit, then 1500 and finally 2000 for a smooth finish. I used a fine polish afterwards to bring back the shine much like polishing wheels. I would recommend sanding this way in conjunction with the Nulite and or especially the DuraTuff as it will seal and protect your work.
Good Luck

 

[Dave Ladely]

I also sprayed a few coats of DuraTuff on my new light; you cant even see that it has been coated, and you cant feel any difference either. Great protection, cheap (though a pint of DuraTuff is like about $18.00, but it will do a LOT of lights!). Imron clear works great, too.
dave

 

[Markus]

I used Turtle Wax Polishing Compound. Comes in a green tub and works great.