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Headlight lens?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by Yotacoma92, Apr 16, 2012.

  1. Apr 16, 2012 at 12:46 AM
    #1
    Yotacoma92

    Yotacoma92 [OP] TacoLover

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    Westin brush guard, smitty built nerf bars, roll bar, K&N air filter, Helo 17" Rims with 285-65-17 BFG KM2's, OME 2in lift springs, 0-2.5 lift Bilstein 5100 struts, OME 3in lift leaf springs, 5125 bilstein rear shocks, Projector HID headlights, Blacked corner lamps.
    Does anyone know how to remove the plastic cover off of the headlight assembly? mine are yellowed so im goin to try and clean them.
     
  2. Apr 16, 2012 at 1:01 AM
    #2
    ColtsTRD

    ColtsTRD Well-Known Member

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    Search BHLM...(black headlight mod)!

    You have to remove a few screws, remove all rubber pieces and then bake them in an oven that's preheated at 300 for 7 minutes! The glue will soften and then you can pull them apart!
     
  3. Apr 16, 2012 at 1:03 AM
    #3
    ColtsTRD

    ColtsTRD Well-Known Member

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    Just get a orbital buffer and some rain-x yellow headlight removal stuff and got nuts lol...much easier
     
  4. Apr 16, 2012 at 1:03 AM
    #4
    01Tac0ma

    01Tac0ma Bash Fabriction & Off-Road

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    Look at build!
    The yellow is on the front of the lns most likely, just get a headlight restoration kit available to you via your nearest auto parts store :D
     
  5. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:07 AM
    #5
    JdevTac

    JdevTac Bawnjourno

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    What everyone else said with the restoration. I just got the Turtle Wax kit and it worked just fine. I only ended up having to use a little of the provided lens compound, and rubbed it in real good then buffed it out, and applied the sealant wipe or whatever it is and my headlights looked 90% better! They weren't crystal clear but what can I say about the shitty plastic material they used.

    On a side note I haven't seen any 1st gens do the BHLM. I think it was because of the headlight design being absolutely different from second gens, in that majority of the space inside the 1st gen light is a designated reflector whereas there is a lot of useless plastic surface in 2nd gens that can be blacked out. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
     
  6. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:29 AM
    #6
    puckstopper55

    puckstopper55 Well-Known Member

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    My first gen ('95.5) had a 1 piece head light .. not just the bulb, but the entire light had to be replaced. I would imagine that is why you haven't seen any 1st gen BLHM
     
  7. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:38 AM
    #7
    k9cop

    k9cop if your not the lead dog, the view never changes

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    i used cutter bug spray w/ the pump and an orbital. depending on how bad it is it will make them look new again.
     
  8. Apr 16, 2012 at 3:26 PM
    #8
    Yotacoma92

    Yotacoma92 [OP] TacoLover

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    the oxidation is on the inside of the lens, ive cleaned the outside with the restoration kit. it helped alittle bit but not enough
     
  9. Apr 16, 2012 at 3:28 PM
    #9
    saundern

    saundern Swerve for nothing

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    time to buy some new ones
     
  10. Apr 16, 2012 at 3:30 PM
    #10
    boshak

    boshak Well-Known Member

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    Are you 100% sure its inside?

    I thought the same but tried the HF kit twice. The second time I used a cord drill that spins way faster than my cordless. I even talked to the owner of the kit... he told me to try again and be heavy and patient on the sanding and polishing. Lights look brand new now.
     
  11. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:14 PM
    #11
    Madjik_Man

    Madjik_Man The Rembrandt of Rattle Can

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    if it's that bad just buy new headlight assemblies and save yourself the hassle
     
  12. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:24 PM
    #12
    Yotacoma92

    Yotacoma92 [OP] TacoLover

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    Zack
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    Westin brush guard, smitty built nerf bars, roll bar, K&N air filter, Helo 17" Rims with 285-65-17 BFG KM2's, OME 2in lift springs, 0-2.5 lift Bilstein 5100 struts, OME 3in lift leaf springs, 5125 bilstein rear shocks, Projector HID headlights, Blacked corner lamps.
    If i had the cash id get some black projector lights but thats expensive and my budget sucks
     
  13. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:27 PM
    #13
    Yotacoma92

    Yotacoma92 [OP] TacoLover

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    Westin brush guard, smitty built nerf bars, roll bar, K&N air filter, Helo 17" Rims with 285-65-17 BFG KM2's, OME 2in lift springs, 0-2.5 lift Bilstein 5100 struts, OME 3in lift leaf springs, 5125 bilstein rear shocks, Projector HID headlights, Blacked corner lamps.
    like these

    $(KGrHqJHJEIE88cr2ofbBPVYdhEeiw~~60_58.jpg
     
  14. Apr 16, 2012 at 6:36 PM
    #14
    186000mps

    186000mps ..Slingin' up mud and we're scarying off bunnies..

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    I'll be doing a 1st gen HID BHLM this week. I'll satin black the reflector area and keep the shrouds "chrome". I've seen a few on here. Will post some picts when done.
     
  15. Apr 16, 2012 at 8:15 PM
    #15
    Yotacoma92

    Yotacoma92 [OP] TacoLover

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    Westin brush guard, smitty built nerf bars, roll bar, K&N air filter, Helo 17" Rims with 285-65-17 BFG KM2's, OME 2in lift springs, 0-2.5 lift Bilstein 5100 struts, OME 3in lift leaf springs, 5125 bilstein rear shocks, Projector HID headlights, Blacked corner lamps.
    thanks ill wait for pics
     
  16. May 18, 2018 at 11:02 AM
    #16
    Toyota 4 Life

    Toyota 4 Life I do what I can & learn as I go

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  17. May 18, 2018 at 12:51 PM
    #17
    Luv my yota

    Luv my yota Well-Known Member

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    I like sanding them with 600 grit wet then 1000 then 2000 then buff with high speed orbital with wool pad bearing 3M cutting compound. After they buff out hit them with glaze then wax and they'll look better than any ebay lights for ten more years, body shops like the one my friend owns do this and have for many years, people think they replaced the lights.
     
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  18. May 18, 2018 at 1:55 PM
    #18
    jbrandt

    jbrandt Made you look

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    If you’re going to cleam them, don’t bother removing the lens, it will likely leak when you put it back on.

    IMHO, those refurbish kits are not worth it. The damage from uv light can go much deeper than any amount of sanding and polishing will take out.

    I tried polishing mine 2x before, and while it looked good at first, it faded back after a few months, and I never noticed an improvement in the light output (the cutoff beam was still extremely smeared to the point there was no cutoff).

    Just get yourself either OEM housings, or a much better value are CAPA certified housings. Pretty much all he aftermarket “cool looking” housing are just that, cool looking but stop before getting to the function part, as thry typically don’t fit well, need to be modified to fit, leak, or most importantly don’t have a well desined light pattern.

    I have the capa housings from rockauto, they are a perfect match for oem. They fit perfectly and are indistinguishable from oem. The cut off matches what these truck had as new. It’s not quite as good as the newest projector technologies, but it’s damn good.

    There are several threads on upgradin headlights, just search “proper headlightt upgrade” in the 1st gen section. There’s another thread, something about “not leds, not hids” that is a really good read, too.
     
    Ridgerunner likes this.
  19. May 18, 2018 at 2:09 PM
    #19
    Ridgerunner

    Ridgerunner Well-Known Member

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    To those of you that responded to the yellowing, I stated in another thread that on mine, the yellowing is happening INSIDE the lenses, which I think the OP is experiencing as well. Mine are clear on the outside, except they are "crazing" along the top portions and there's nothing you can do about that. jbrandt said it best as usual-get new ones. That's my next move.
     
  20. May 18, 2018 at 2:57 PM
    #20
    jbrandt

    jbrandt Made you look

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    It’s not inside the lens. It’s *throughout* the lens. The uv damage doesn’t skip the middle, and only damage the outside and inside surfaces.

    You’re going to need new housings to actually fix it. See my above post.
     

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