Does anyone know if there is a way to remove the glass lens from a headlight housing? This is on my 6000 wagon, but I would think most are similar. The glass is glued to the housing with some kind of sealant. It is like a rabbet joint so you can't just cut the sealant with a knife. The headlight brightness is pretty bad. It is because the chrome plating on the inside has flaked off to where there is barely any left, so there is nothing to reflect the light forward. I swapped in the set from my plow wagon, which are better but are starting to flake apart too. I would think any used set is going to have the same problem. And I'm not spending the money on a new set. So I have the old ones out and can work with them whenever. If I could get the glass off, I could clean up and redo the housings. The internal housing shape is a curved 4 sided pyramid. So what I would like to do is take 4 pieces of thin stainless steel shim stock, cut it to shape, polish it to a mirror finish, and attach it with a good high temp adhesive. Then reattach the lens with some high temp silicone caulk. I can do all that with scraps at work for free. I'm pretty good with details and I know it's important to match the parabolic curve and thickness as close as possible. Is there any way to get the glass off in one piece? Something to dissolve the adhesive but not the plastic? I thought about a heat gun, but I'd worry about snapping the glass. Or as a last resort, I thought about cutting the plastic all the way around as close to the glass as possible with a Dremel, then rough them up and glue them back on when done with a bead of something like Liquid Nails. Or as another last resort, I might fab up some new brackets at work and swap sealed beam halogens into it. But I'd rather fix the ones I have.
Got a pic of your headlights? I assume you're talging about composite type lamps.... There might be some A/M replacement available - get me the details on year, etc. and I'll check.
OK - checked my db - nothing A/M available. I have heard of guys opening up composite plastic assemblies, but not the ones with actual glass lenses like yours. Ae there spring clamps holding the lens to the headlamp assembly body? -------------------- You might want to start searching the JY's.........
One method I've heard of for plastic lens headlights is put them in the oven at 300-350 for 5-7 minutes +/-. Obviously you want to keep an eye on them. This is usually enough to soften the adhesive enough to be able to pry the lens from the housing. Are you sure the lens is actually glass?
I know many are plastic, but these lenses are absolutely glass. I've had one busted out by a vandal before. The housing bodies are plastic. They do have little spring clips holding the lenses on, but they were probably there for initial assembly, because there's absolutely no chance of these lenses popping off on their own. I tried carefully prying a corner with a putty knife and the lens or housing gives maybe .010" but that's it. I'll check the junkyard sometime, I know there are a few 6000s there, but it would be most likely that they would be in the same predicament as mine, or will be soon. I'd really like to open up the ones I have and give a more permanent (and cheaper) solution.
Probably going to have to cut them apart with a sharp knife, or maybe a Dremel.. I'd get a back-up set first though...
Thanks guys. That's what I figured I'd end up needing to do, cut them open. I just hoped there might be an easier way to break the adhesive first. I pretty much have a back up set, the set from the plow. That's what's in there right now, while I've got the really bad set out to tinker with. The plow has its own plow lights so the original headlights are not needed.
I did a quick search and they sell the glass lenses so there must be a way to get them off. The FSM may show how to do it. For rear view mirrors you soak them in warm water to break the adhesive loose, may work.
