renegade10

Have an 06 vert. The headlights lenses were in very very bad shape and thought I would have to replace them. I did a lot of research on how to replace them on u tube, but it was out of my pay grade for sure. I was refereed by a friend to a guy who restored them, which was done today, and they came out like brand new after 3 hours of work, AMAZING!!! His name is Jeff Kern 239.229.4290 and is based in Ft Myers Florida. I have his permission to post this information. I'm a very happy customer.

She_Thicc

What exactly did he do? The problem with restoring the lenses is that they often look good right after they are restored but will go back to looking dull or faded in a few months to a year.

I actually am doing a full restore of my lenses this weekend so they look better at LS Fest next weekend.

My process will be wet sanding from 400 grit, 600, then 2000.

Spray with 2K Clear:
Wet sand the clear with 2000.

The 2k clear is supposed to be the ticket to long-lasting headlights. I figure I have nothing to lose. The passenger headlight is starting to look yellow and ugly. These parts cost me $40 total and some elbow grease.

Klawp

Just make sure you wear a good resp/ppe and spray the clear outside/in a very well ventilated area. Isocyanates are very, very bad for you and can enter via skin, eyes, nose, etc...

She_Thicc

Thanks, I'm all about protection when possible. Do you think a KN95 mask and science lab goggles will be enough or do you need a full-on mask with respirators/filters? Other than that, long sleeves, pants, latex gloves, a hat.

Klawp

Textbook says a full fresh air feed mask in a full suit in a well ventilated room - which i'm sure are a must if you sprayed 2k paints for a living. Just for a small application like you're doing, probably fine just using some long sleeve clothing, good resp etc..

I was going to 2k paint some parts a while back but after someone told me about the **** in 2k paints I was like, I aint got the setup or ppe for this so I scrapped it lol. I am a lot more cautious of my health now than I have been in the past so i'm sure that has something to do with it. I would advise you though just to take some time and read up on it just so you know what you're sprayin. Surprises me they sell that stuff to just about anyone to begin with.

FatsWaller

The N95 offers no protection from exposure to any chemical odors, gases or vapors that one would typically experience in a hospital or health care setting. And just do you know, KN95 masks originated in China as a counterpart to the N95 respirator and are now made in a number of countries around the world. They are intended to provide protection close to that of an N95 respirator, which is regulated by the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). So hospital setting or not, the mask is going to do squat in terms of protecting you against whatever harmful vapours are in the stuff you are going to use.

She_Thicc

Hmm, not very promising then. I am second guessing the purchase. I, too, am really cautious when it comes to exposure to harmful chemicals.

I canceled my order and was going to place a new order for a more basic type clear gloss:

However, some reviews say it will yellow over time. Not sure what to do but might hold off on repairing my lenses until I am more comfortable with the products I'm using. Thanks for the heads-up.

Rocketmanwpb

Generally the damage to the lenses is not on the surface but due to cracks in the lens which sanding will not remove. To properly restore the lenses the units have to be removed. You can buy the replacement lenses and do it yourself or send them to a restorer. I had mine done a few years ago through a Forum vendor, RLSebring.

He did an excellent job with a quick turn around.

Klawp

Don't overthink it too much, I didn't mean to cause that or anything - I was just unaware of it too before I started my paint project and when I learned about the hazards of 2K paint, it just caused me some concern and I wanted to be sure that you knew about it as well before you went out and started huffing in isocyanates unknowing of the hazards. lot differeant than getting a huff of some rustoleum or something lol.

When I stripped and sanded my headlights, I used this clear coat from 3M. It applys with a wipe and I thought it worked very well. It can run thick and leave wipe 'lines' or 'streaks', so I would maybe buy an extra pack and test on a few pieces of plastic so you know how it lays down before you lay it on a freshly polished lens.

Klawp

I had a 3m mask and some P100 filters and I still smelt fumes even with normal paint - thing with 2k which a lot of people are unaware is that you really need a fresh-feed mask as well as a proper paint suit in a proper ventilated booth to do any real work and be safe about it. Just unrealistic for someone like me or us most of the time. Maybe Thicc could do all the sanding and see if a shop could throw some clear on next time they clear a car or something?

rbwinston

Do your spraying outside in a light breeze and stand upwind. Any decent paint face respirator will do the trick in those circumstances. Wouldn't do it in the house or garage otherwise. Agree too that to do this correctly you really should replace the lenses not just try to stand and seal them. If you look closely I'll bet you see tiny cracks which sanding won't get out. You can replace the lenses yourself but it's a bit of a trick.

She_Thicc

I used to make money as a teenager running a headlight blackhousing service for Hondas. I'd have people ship their headlights to me, then I'd take them apart, paint them, and seal them. I'm not worried at all about my ability to replace the lens, just want to try something like this before spending a few hundred on new plastic lenses that will likely suffer the same fate.

Getting a little off topic, thanks for the replies.

OP - how about some pics?

renegade10

I did not watch him do the job but I do remember him telling me he started with 40 grit sandpaper. I tried restoring them myself using a method I found on u tube. Bought the recommended sandpaper pack on Amazon and spent a couple of hours wet sanding thru several of the grits, sprayed with the recommended clear coat. They looked only o.k. for about a month, then they went south. I don't know how long they will last this time of course but he knew what he was doing.

Sayfoo

You're more likely to have health problem from the covid vaccine.
Stand up wind (use a fan) and use common sense.
Don't over think it.

She_Thicc

While I appreciate your input, my common sense says I've got a lot of years of life left and would rather not risk something that is known to be highly toxic on the advice of a stranger on the internet.

kanvasman

I don't know how bad your lights are. But before I did any of this work others have described, Go buy a can of Plexus. Not cheap but really woks cleaning up clear lenses. Was developed for motorcycle windshields. Mine weren't cracked but had gotten dull and had a nasty film on them. A few hours later they came out great, and you can repeat as often as necessary.

She_Thicc

Didn't even think of that. I already have some that I use on my motorcycle. Will give it a shot, thanks!

STLC6

Agreed. If you are doing this as a profession daily, you should use all the PPE you can. I'm 45 and have been wrenching, painting and using chemicals for years with no protection. Well, besides aircraft stripper, that stuff burns. Anyway, I'm fine, except that I have grown 10 nipples.

Slojack

Take some pictures as you go. I also have an 06 and they are needing an upgrade

Jason71

Well worth the $1,500 from Vette-lights 😉