I’m going to attempt to restore my JDM one pieces by cleaning them from the inside out. Drivers side headlight is yellow compared to passengers side headlight which is clear and it doesn’t look good at all. Looks like an eye infection. After I take the lights apart(which I’m going to do with a hair dryer) and clean them, how do I put them back together? Is my question. Would the clips hold them together? Is the rubber stuff going to be useless after I take them apart? What do I do after I’ve cleaned them and am ready to put them back together? Special sealant I need for this process before I begin the mini project?
You need sealant… Iv heard shoegoo works…
Thank you. 
What I got in front of me is Loctite extra time epoxy for wood, metal, glass, ceramics, plastic and tiles. And, Liquid Nails for small clear projects that bonds to wood, concrete, fiberglass, and painted surfaces. Would any of these work?
ttt
up:up:
p.s. I deleted the red lines off my 92-93 bumper lights. The red I painted looked awful since I messed up and sprayed it with a solid red. No worries, I returned them to stock untill I find the right paint.
I say sand them with 400 grit and clear them like you would a car. I wish I had better pics of mine, but I just cleared mine today and they look brand new. I have pics on my phone, but I’ll hopefully be able to post some. Either that or just buff the plastic.
I say sand them with 400 grit and clear them like you would a car. I wish I had better pics of mine, but I just cleared mine today and they look brand new. I have pics on my phone, but I’ll hopefully be able to post some. Either that or just buff the plastic.
Yeaaaaah but doesn’t the yellowing come from the residue/water leakage internally?
I see some clear coat coming off so sanding and buffing doesn’t sound bad, but the yellow stuff is inside no?
Yeaaaaah but doesn’t the yellowing come from the residue/water leakage internally?
I see some clear coat coming off so sanding and buffing doesn’t sound bad, but the yellow stuff is inside no?
The one piece-ers are made of a type of plastic (type escapes me at the moment) that yellows due to ultra-violet exposure (sunlight). You weren’t clear that the yellowing was due to rust!
The one piece-ers are made of a type of plastic (type escapes me at the moment) that yellows due to ultra-violet exposure (sunlight). You weren’t clear that the yellowing was due to rust!
Shit I didnt know that. Now that I know, I have no idea as to what kind of yellow it is.:mad: Due to sunlight exposure, won’t both lights have the same reaction to it? It is the drivers side and there are a lot more liquid compartments on that side of the engine so It’s most likely internal? Any help with this would be appreciated. Seems so simple at first but there’s so many factors to it. 
Well if it is in the inside then you will have to take them apart, but if they are yellowing on the outside then you can just sand them smooth and buff\clear. Both lights might not yellow at the same time. You could always try a buffing compound and see if it is the outside or try some of the headlight renew stuff they have at the store. But I cleared mine and also cleared the seam so water couldn’t get in, so the rubber is no longer needed. Silicone sucks when it gets old and it looks sloppy sometimes.
Yeah, if the yellow is inside the housing, taking out the external top coat will do you no good. Taking it apart and cleaning it from the inside might be your only option.
Yeah, if the yellow is inside the housing, taking out the external top coat will do you no good. Taking it apart and cleaning it from the inside might be your only option. The thing is after cleaning the crud out, make sure the housing is moisture-sealed otherwise the problem would recur.
i will give you advice from personal experience: the yellowing you see is on the outside of the lense. i HIGHLY doubt that it is on the inside.
these lights are extremely difficult to take apart, due to them being 15+ years old. they may crack easily, which we all know is an expensive mistake. plus, a hairdryer will not work, you need to put them in an oven to get an even heating of the gray glue. even using a high temp heat gun wont work that well. you can easily melt the lense. 
just for ha ha’s, do the Teg Tips headlight renewal FIRST. IT WORKS. i bought all the stuff the tips say to buy, did it exactly how it says to do it, and , presto! new lookin headlights.
if that still does not get them cleared out, then takiing them apart should be your last resort. again, i am speaking from experience here, and dont want anyone to ruin their JDM’s. not trying to have the final word or anything.
I was just thinking: can’t you clean the crud inside the assembly from the bulb hole using a probe (like a long Q-tip) dunked in cleaning solution (whatever that is)? If this works, maybe you might not have to take the thing apart. Of course, you’ll have to find the leak source so you don’t have to do this again.
Just me thinking out loud.
lowntegra: Thx for the info through experience. I will attempt the teg tip restoration before doing any heating and disassembly. Thx again, appreciate the feed back.
torralba: You know what? I was thinking of the same concept. Maybe the process everyone’s been using for clearing out the pink lines in their taillights withought taking them apart will work for the yellowing on the inside of our headlights??? Without taking them apart, but removing the bulbs you know? Flush, in-n-out.
I took a closer look at the headlight and I’m more confident in saying that it does look to be from the outside. The clearcoat is chipping and when I move around and look deep inside, the mirror plates seem to be chrome and in good shape but the lens changes colors from normal clear to off yellow. Seems to be from the outside. Restoration will take place when I get my hands on the equipment needed. Thx for reading/looking.
-Suren.
sounds good you should take pics. I personally say reclear them if you know someone that will, but buffing the plastic or restoring them is just as good.
I’ll take pics tomorrow and let you guys see what’s up so maybe I can get a better opinion of what’s going on before I start doing anything to the light. I just don’t know if the camera will show the yellowing, I’ll try my best to get the pix to look the same way as if I’m looking at them from an angle. It’s when I look at them from the front passenger side about 5 feet away from the car is when the difference is unsightly.