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'87 Taillight restoration

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    '87 Taillight restoration

    Since the taillights on my 323 were almost useless (30 years of dirt and water), and I didn't want to waste time looking for new ones, I decided to restore the original ones. Unfortunately I don't have proper before pictures, but they did come out very well and so I thought I'd share some pictures here.

    To remove the lenses, I had the assembly in an oven just below 100 Celcius for about 15-20 minutes. After removing the lenses:



    Taped up and ready for painting:



    After painting:



    After painting the assembly I loosely assembled everything just to check before sealing it:


    Finally, sealing everything with RTV:


    I couldn't get all the lenses back in completely, but since they were already coming out I decided to just leave them like that. At least the cars behind me will now see my taillights clearly. I started this late afternoon, and had both lights back in by late morning.
    '87 Mazda 323 SL - daily driver, backup show car (being restored as I get time)
    '82 BMW 518i (E12/8) with 32/34 Weber and Simota cone - old show car (stolen)
    '70 VW 411L Auto - show/restoration project to replace 518i - sold
    '99 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster - show project

    #2
    what paint did you use?
    ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

    1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




    I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
    he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

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      #3
      I just used a couple layers of cheap "mirror chrome" spray paint that I had laying around. And I didn't even put that much effort into it, since it would be covered by the lenses.

      Basically it doesn't have to be very shiny, it just needs to reflect the light better than the black plastic.

      By the way, how is the FE3 in a 323? From my research that should be what my father's '93 Telstar has, and it seems like a very nice engine. Also, I see we had FE3-based BF 323s in the early 90's. EDIT: According to Wikipedia it's a FS.
      Last edited by JKuhn; 01-15-2017, 12:47 PM.
      '87 Mazda 323 SL - daily driver, backup show car (being restored as I get time)
      '82 BMW 518i (E12/8) with 32/34 Weber and Simota cone - old show car (stolen)
      '70 VW 411L Auto - show/restoration project to replace 518i - sold
      '99 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster - show project

      Comment


        #4
        its been good fun, i'll have some updates posted in my thread upcoming in a week or so
        ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

        1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




        I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
        he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

        Comment


          #5
          I'll have to check it out then.
          '87 Mazda 323 SL - daily driver, backup show car (being restored as I get time)
          '82 BMW 518i (E12/8) with 32/34 Weber and Simota cone - old show car (stolen)
          '70 VW 411L Auto - show/restoration project to replace 518i - sold
          '99 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster - show project

          Comment


            #6
            This is great info as I just recently bought a pair of 86-87 GTX rear tail lights ( that you kindly provided feedback on ) and was thinking about doing the same thing as they are a little ' musty '.

            What did you use to clean the actual lenses if at all ? And did you clean them inside and out ? They look like they came out really really well !

            I think the only thing I would do differently is also paint the black on the housing to complete the freshened up lOOk.

            Comment


              #7
              Basically you just need to wipe any dirt off the lenses and diffusers (behind the actual lenses, you'll see them after taking everything apart) with a wet cloth, wait for it to dry while you paint the housings, and then put everything back together. Just make sure to seal the lenses properly, otherwise you'll get water and dust inside leading to you having to do it all again. And yes, wipe them inside as well. On such old lenses you're sure to have a fair bit of dust inside, and that blocks the light from coming out.

              Personally I just wax the black parts before shows (normal carnauba paste).

              Oh, and as a final note, it's best to re-use the old glue (easier to remove the lenses for future cleaning, heat the unit and then press the lenses in while hot). But if you can't, try to get as much of it out as possible before you put RTV in.
              '87 Mazda 323 SL - daily driver, backup show car (being restored as I get time)
              '82 BMW 518i (E12/8) with 32/34 Weber and Simota cone - old show car (stolen)
              '70 VW 411L Auto - show/restoration project to replace 518i - sold
              '99 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster - show project

              Comment

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