diy headlight covers?

[Gforcefd]

Find someone that has a heated vacuum table, might be called something else, but basically you put the head light under the sheet of 1/16" plastic, you turn it on the plastic gets hot and then sucks tight around the head light, then just use a dremmel to cut away the excess plastic, and you have your self a set of perfect fit headlight covers.

[Jimmy]

We made our own vaccuum chamber for the bodywork on out FSAE car when I was in college.

A particle-board box with a pegboard base, a big square funnel going to a shop vac hose, a space heater or heat gun held above. Worked like a charm.

Just make sure you get thermoplastic sheeting not thermoset - thermoset won't deform with heat which is the whole idea.

And make extra sets and sell me one.

[Gforcefd]

The only problem with this idea is the heat that is generated from the headlight its self, being on? I know they can get pretty toasty, but maybe if you made it with some buffer space between it would be fine.

[monkeyracing]

Headlights get warm, but probably not warm enough to re-melt the plastics. As long as direct contact is not being made with the bulb, it's pretty safe.

[Pocket_Rocket]

Weird, I didn't get any answer from CWS too, so I went looking for some clear covers from GTS, and they're still listed for the Festiva... Anyways, do you really want the round headlights behind clear cover conversion? I'm working on that project too (although I work on the cheap using old miata pop-up frames bolted to the radiator support to hold the sealed beams, and to keep the adjustment screws) but figured that if I can't find clear covers, I'll make fiberglass covers with a round hole for the sealed beam, a la VW GTI...It would be way easier to work than plexiglass or lexan...

[monkeyracing]

Cheap? Just use the Festiva backing plates, and fit in the VW Rabbit headlight buckets. Not that much trimming to do. Heck, it'd probably cost more for spray paint than for the parts.

As for the covers, VW Jetta headlight covers can be adapted easily enough. If I can figure out that part, anyone can.

(BTW: thanks to Ian for the goods. He gave me the conversion bits already adapted.)

Jim

[Pocket_Rocket]

I was actually planning to use miata pop up frames just because my buddy did a fixed headlight conversion on his and gave me his old pop-ups...As for the Rabbit parts, they should be hard to find don't you think? Would a GTI headlight bucket do instead?

[Sleeper]

Some here may remember the pics I posted about a year ago with my old festiva with the fisrt documented halo headlight conversion........

I was able to get a set to CWS headlight covers from cam....no longer avalible........dont be sad.....they sucked!

They did not fit and were slapped togeather......this summer or fall I will take my old covers to a glass shop in town and will see if I can make some good versions with brackets....If I can i'll start to sell them...I still can't beleve I paid $150 for that crap!

[Sleeper]

Here is the link to my headlight conversion.....

Injoy!

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5109&highlight=

[darkdan]

https://www.lamin-x.com

That's the stuff I install a little bit of from time to time.





Comes in blue, yellow, and a few shades of charcoal/grey. The new lightly tinted 7% just came out. Subtle.

[packrat427]

Buddy of mine at work has yellow on his heads and fogs , on his WRX , it really looks good !!

[darkdan]

The only problem is it's not a removal and replaceable protect. If you take it off, it has to be thrown away. Unlike covers that you can take off every night.


But keep in mind kids. ANYTHING you do to your headlights is illegal. Short of changing the bulbs with DOT approved bulbs and adjusting them properly....you can't do diddly to it legally.

[monkeyracing]

As for the Rabbit parts, they should be hard to find don't you think?

I looked around at the wreckers today, and it appears there are other vehicles that used round headlights the parts could be scavenged from. Old Chev and Ford trucks or stuff like that will work.

Headlight modifications are a jurisdictional thing, as far as legality goes. Rules are much tighter when it comes to bulb wattages and types, but you can get away with more in some jurisdictions.

Jim