How-To Make Clear Corners for Cheap

[94SubieSVX]

I'm finally getting around to making a how-to for clear corners.

Tools needed:
1. Putty knife
2. Razor blades/knife
3. Caulk gun/ Silicone glue
4. A pair of dykes
5. Oven(not really a tool)
6. Oven Mitt - if you don't want the wife/mom to get mad then just use a rag.
7. Painter's tape
8. Chrome spray paint
9. Invisible Glass cleaner
10. Bungee cord or strong rubber bands


Preparation:

1.Before you bake the housing clean it up a little bit. Just get the road grime/dirt (if any) off of the housing and take the two rubber pieces off from the backside of the housing.

2. Heat the oven to 275 degrees F.

3. Place the housing on a cookie tray rightside up. It should lay like it does when it's in the car.

4. Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 8-10 mins.

5. Once its baked for the right time take it out of the oven.
***BE CAREFUL IT WILL BE EXTREMELY HOT***


Taking it Apart:

1. Using the oven mitt hold the housing and using the putty knife pry the outer lens from the housing, starting at the corner.

2. Slide the putty knife along the edge of the housing to get the lens off without cracking or bending it.

3. When the lens is apart from the housing pull the inner lens out. This one has the amber reflector attached to it.

4. Before it cools down scrape as much of the old glue off as you can. Be careful with this because the glue is HOT and it WILL BURN YOU if it stays on your skin


Taking the Amber Reflector Off:

1. Using the dykes just cut the amber reflector off from the clear part of the lens. I cut it flush against the clear lens.


Painting the Housing:

1. Lightly sand the area where the amber reflector. I used 220 grit.

2. Take the metal piece off from where the bulb sits in the housing. There's two screws you need to remove.

3. Tape up the black parts and around the outside of the housing with the painter's tape.

4. Using the spray paint, paint the inside area of the housing, then let the paint cure before touching it or putting it back together.


Assembly:

1. Remove the tape from the housing and put the metal piece back in around the bulb area.

2. Polish up the inner clear lens with the invisible glass cleaner.

3. Using the silicone glue put some in the three holes that the inner lens sits in and place the lens in the holes. Apply pressure for a few minutes to get it to set.

4. After the inner lens is glued in and cured polish it one last time before glueing the outer lens on.

5. Polish the inside of the outer lens with the invisible glass. You don't have to worry about the outside since you will be touching it alot.

6. Place a bead of silicone along the bottom side of the housing. Use enough to hold the lens in place.

7. While holding the lens in the housing, place a bead of silicone all around the top and sides of the housing. Don't use too much or else it will go inside the housing and look like crap.

8. Use your finger to smooth out the excess silicone from the top, bottom, and sides.

9. Place a bungee cord around the housing to keep pressure on the lens so it can set and cure.

10. Put the housing in a safe place away from animals or children and let it cure for a day.

11. Once it has cured you can take the bungee cord off and put the two rubber pieces back on the back of it.

12. Plug the bulb back in the housing and place back in the car.

13. Polish the outside of the lens with invisible glass or whatever you use to clean your lenses.

I didn't do it yet but you can do the wet sand with 2000 or better grit sandpaper to make it clearer. I think it looks fine when its polished up and clean.

I hope this helped clear up some questions some of you have had about making clear corners with your stock lights. If there's any questions PM me and I can help you as much as I can.

***Pics***

[94SubieSVX]

I thought I took a pic of them on the car but I guess not. Oh well, it's dark now and I won't be back on here until Thursday so I'll post more pics then.

[redsvx]

94SubieSVX.
Awesome idea! Great write up and pics ...

I'm going to do that this week for sure !!!

[Guyver280z]

Great info.

Did you polished the inside of the lens to get rid of the lines on the plastic?? Or just left them the way they are??

[Kelvin]

He's missing the pic of the final, assembled product. That's why there aren't any lines.

[Merz]

Can you post pictures of them finished and on the car? Anyone else done this yet? thanks

[It's Just Eric]

Looks to me like you already had smallcar's clear corners. I never did like the way they looked, but with the amber removed, and the chrome tamed to a silver, they look much much better. Thanks for the write-up

[Kelvin]

We still need the finished pics. He doesn't have the lense on the last few pics.

[94SubieSVX]

Sorry about taking so long everybody, I was up in NY state for vacation this week. As far as Guyver says, the lines on the inner lens are kinda notched into the lens itself so i couldn't polish them out. But I dont think it had the small car clear kit because the amber lens was in there originally( and the guy i bought it from didn't seem like a svx fanatic). Sorry about not having finished pics on the car, but I will have them tomorrow after I wash and wax. Thanks for the feedback on it, maybe it can get put in the How-To forum.

[redsvx]

maybe it can get put in the How-To forum.

I vote to put it in! Great ideas need to be preserved and shared!

[Kelvin]

Except this idea isn't finished. He never shows finished pics. He shows pics of the lenses apart without the final lense part installed, nor are they on the car!

ie, FINISH THE PICTURES!

[It's Just Eric]

But I dont think it had the small car clear kit because the amber lens was in there originally

I dunno man, your first pic shows the corners with clear, un-scalloped lenses that appear to have silicone globs around them. Either way, they dont look quite stock to begin with

...I think Im going to use your guidelines and try a bit of an experiment myself. Whatever the case may be, your corners look awesome

[Merz]

Yea, the lenses you started with do not appear to be stock lenses. On the stock lenses, the amber part is sort of molded into the outer lense, you can feel it from the outside. I wanted to try this also. Not sure it will work now..

[It's Just Eric]

Worse case scenario...you know how to make smallcar's clear lense kit look proper

[94SubieSVX]

I dunno man, your first pic shows the corners with clear, un-scalloped lenses that appear to have silicone globs around them. Either way, they dont look quite stock to begin with

Well they were taken apart at some time before because it was in a accident with a deer back in '99. I can't be sure though. But since Merz is so anxious for pics i took some a few mins ago, and it's 12:45 am so they don't look too good. I'm uploading them now