Hey, this past weekend I cleared a set of 92-93 tails using the oven method. I decided to do a write up, step by step for you.
First, you want to remove the vents, harnesses and bulbs from the housing. To remove the vent take out the 3 screw and to remove the harnesses just turn them and they pop out.
Second, put in the light or lights depending on the size of your oven and set to 200 F. Once preheated to 200 F, leave them in for 5-10 minutes. Take them out after that time and begin prying off the lense with a flathead screwdriver. It’s good to have a cloth around the head of the screwdriver to help not put dents into the plastic as much. It will happen, but I can’t think of a better tool to use. Slowly pry and be patient, after a few minutes of prying its good to put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes to get the glue soft again. Prying with the glue hard will either crack them or make it so they don’t come off at all.
Next, once the lense is off or close you can remove the amber and 2 clear plastic pieces from inside the light. They are just sitting in there and aren’t attached in any way. Here is a picture of how they are lined up inside the light.
Now, you want to clean the inside of the lense to get out any dirt or handmarks. Over 10-12 years little bits of dirt and water spots build up on the inside. Use windex and something simple to clean it.
Finally, you want to push the lense back over the housing the best you can, and then put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes to get the glue soft again. Take them out and push them back together using your hands or holding it with a cloth. Now put the vents, harnesses and bulbs back on and install it on your car. Make sure all your bulbs are working and tighten down the lights. Here are some pictures of the final product. Overall it took 4-5 hrs to do the whole job and took lots of patience. A few warnings are not to turn the oven over 200 F, or keep them in much longer than 10 minutes. I melted my lense a little on the inside so now its a bit wavy, but its barely noticable. Good luck.
awesome post, very useful. I’ve heard that reattaching them with the original glue will not create a strong seal, so silicone should be used… do you have any leaks? I can’t tell very good from the pics, but in the last pic are they cloudy?
yeah its probably good to use silicone to seal them but i didn’t. I’m not sure yet if they will leak cause i haven’t washed it since. The last pic is my old 90-91 lights, and the pic with the trunk open is just bright, they are not cloudy at all, very clear.
looks good , i have clears painted red on the bottom but the fit isnt like oem , i dont know i have the patience , but i might try that someday great post
ya i siliconed the hell out of my headlights so i didnt have to go through this whole process again. i wonder if there is a better, maybe stiffer adhesive we can use- something closer to the stock one? getting silicone on a visible spot can get messy…
