Clear amber lenses

Subject: Clear amber lenses Sat Mar 27, 2010 1:07 am

I am doing a follow up to one of the other posts here. Has anyone managed to find clear amber lenses for the front end yet? Or way to clear them?

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sat Mar 27, 2010 3:13 am

KillaKeninaRiv wrote:

I am doing a follow up to one of the other posts here. Has anyone managed to find clear amber lenses for the front end yet? Or way to clear them?

Do you mean Clear Turn Signal Lenses for the front of the car.
The ones in the corner of the front bumper.?
They cannot be both Clear and Amber at the same time, unless one half of the lens is Clear and the other half is Amber.!!!!!!!!
If someone knows where to get these I'd be interested as well.

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:49 am

KillaKeninaRiv wrote:

I am doing a follow up to one of the other posts here. Has anyone managed to find clear amber lenses for the front end yet? Or way to clear them?

No and no.

The closest you'd probably get would be to get a couple junkyard ambers, separate the lenses, make up plexiglas inserts and fit them with a heat gun and clear epoxy filler.

The problem will then become dulling and yellowing of the plexiglas over time.

It occurs to me that maybe the acrylic flat lenses for grid ceiling lights might work in this application - the clear translucent (as opposed to white translucent) one with diamond diffusing pattern molded in. You probably have to mount them diamond side in to the lenses so they don't hold dirt and car wax and stuff. TO do that you could grind an 1/8" flat chamfer at the edge so they will epoxy onto the turn signal reflector housings and fit back in the factory spots. I've never tried this, so you're on your own with it. The ICL brand of diffusers have good UV stabilizers in them and shouls not yellow out as fast as others, although I imagine they will yellow too over time.

I think what we'd *really* want to know is who made the Riv headlights. They are the first plastic headlights I've seen that did not get dull and yellow over the years. How they did that I don't know, although I have my suspiciions.

Albertj

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:41 pm

That 50/50 might not look bad either. Maybe I'll get creative and cut two in half and try to solder it together. I dont know...

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sun Mar 28, 2010 6:17 am

albertj wrote:

I think what we'd *really* want to know is who made the Riv headlights. They are the first plastic headlights I've seen that did not get dull and yellow over the years. How they did that I don't know, although I have my suspiciions. Albertj

Alright, you got me to bite on this potential conspiracy;
Just what are your suspicions or conclusions.?

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sun Mar 28, 2010 8:05 am

Rickw wrote:

albertj wrote:

I think what we'd *really* want to know is who made the Riv headlights. They are the first plastic headlights I've seen that did not get dull and yellow over the years. How they did that I don't know, although I have my suspiciions. Albertj

Alright, you got me to bite on this potential conspiracy;
Just what are your suspicions or conclusions.?

And WHY didn't they make the cornering lamp housings from the same materiel???

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sun Mar 28, 2010 8:26 am

So they could get you to keep coming back to buy more and more of the corners at $75 apiece???

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sun Mar 28, 2010 9:53 am

I thought the headlights were made of glass which is why they haven't discolored??

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Sun Mar 28, 2010 9:57 am

They're plastic, but it's a type that does not break down from exposure to UV light.

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Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:09 am

I don't know who made the Riv headlights. I do know that various companies making polycarbonate resin ("Lexan" that used to be made by GE for instance) had been trying to make polycarbonate windshields for some time. The realities of plastics are against them - not sure people want "disposable' windshields and as thin as the glass is in many of them I'm not certain there is even much of a weight advantage. Plus the ability of the glass windshield to absorb energy in a collision (it fractures instead of fracturing your head, up to a point) is useful. Plus IIRC they never did solve the windshield scratching problem. You can make the plastic stand up to a rubber wiper but not to random abrasive atmospheric dust.

That said, the point is that on the way to trying to make windshields, someone had to have solved the UV deterioration problem. I am *really* impressed that it was done so well on the Riv. Those headlights, from a polymer chemistry standpoint, are a nice piece of work.

And no, I don't know why they did not make the corners out of the same stuff but I guess it had something to do with bean counting.

Albertj

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:57 pm

I just went and got the amber lenses and the taillight, spoiler third brake light and the red corner lights laminated to match the tinted windows. So the car is all black and white now. I'll take some pics today. Man, its looks good! And I waxed it.

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:06 pm

In your Sig, you have multiple cars listed. Which one did you put the spoiler on and had the tinting done to that you've mentioned above.?

If some of those other cars are gone for good could you delete them or make reference to the fact that you don't own them any more.
Sure would be easier for us to understand.
I can't remember who owns what at time's without looking at the sig.

This is just as bad as not putting a sig in there with info about your car.
Do you know what I mean.

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:20 pm

They were listed in chronological order, however, by the time you had posted this I had already deleted them, since I was updating my sig. It was getting rather cluttered!

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:23 pm

Anyone every figure this out? I'm currently emailing back and forth with Tap Plastics about a material I can use to make my own that will stand up to the elements. Right now its between water-clear polyester resin and Epoxy resin (Which I know will not stand up to the elements).

Just wanted to know if anyone else had already done this a better way. Right now, not counting mold materials, looks like I can get enough plastic to make both front and both rear (red and amber) lenses for around $40.

Subject: Re: Clear amber lenses Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:28 pm

Actually, only $31 for the material. $9 for a "special" catalyst dropper.

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Clear amber lenses

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