Headlight covers bond em or button head bolt?

[jschwartz]

Looking for input from those who have cars on the road, wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are? Buttom heads, bonding, double face tape. I'm leaning toward bonding. What about moisture build up, etc?

[GTRCLIVE]

Defiantly drill 3 or 4 holes about 5mm Dia. At the bottom of the Black Fibre glass, so as that they will not be seen when you put the cover on but do not get covered buy the sealer. I was told by an Aston Marton Engineer that if you put a Hole in the top and pipe it to a low pressure area they will not mist up. I wish I had known that before. Mine mist up all the time in the rain, but the lights seem to still work very well, it just looks crap. Put at least 1” of black primer all round the outside of the back of the covers, to cover up seeing any of the stuff you don’t want to see when finished. I would personally next time not bond them on I would fit them with countersink screws, and some form of sealing foam.
Good luck.

[USCANAM]

Jeff
I've been thinking about the same thing, and am leaning towards the bolt routine. Altho we have all kinds of hardware here at the airport, I'm going to check out the boat hardware in my area for chrome fastenings since I live by the ocean. You should have a good supply of outlets also on Lake Michigan.
One other source might be Brad Z since they do aircraft instrument panels for aircraft.
If you do go the bolt way, make sure you use plate nuts rather than rivnuts which will come loose.
This would be a good topic to exchange ideas on
Jack
p.s.
I suddenly love thongs!!!!!

[ultiman]

Gents
For once this is something l know about having seen what others have done. Clive is right, his really do mist up especially when he washes the car having arrived early at a Pistonheads meeting. Dead give away mate.
Trouble with bolts is that the polycarb is not rigid enough and flexes up and away from the seating, leaving open areas for water to be forced in. No easy answer sadly unless you can bond with an easily removable sealant AND vent the area to a low pressure area as Clive suggests.

[Sieze]

One of our's mists up when I wash the car or it rains. The bonding must be leaking round the light as it mists up within 60 secons of pouring water on it. The other headlight is fine. I am intending to try and touch up the bonding at some stage. Unfortunately the rear headlight cover is rubbing on the wheel and now leaking as well.

[GTRCLIVE]

Sieze said: One of our's mists up when I wash the car or it rains. The bonding must be leaking round the light as it mists up within 60 secons of pouring water on it. The other headlight is fine. I am intending to try and touch up the bonding at some stage. Unfortunately the rear headlight cover is rubbing on the wheel and now leaking as well.

I think you will find it's not the water getting in from the front cover, but mist/spray or vapour getting in from the back. My car was all right until I drove it in the rain a couple of times. If I remove the lights, and clean out the unit and dry it with a Hair dryer, it then fine for a couple of weeks.
Didn't make my self clear on the last Post, two solutions to prob:-
1. Make removable. ie like GT40 replicas.
2. Introduce air flow, with holes and vent.

[stig]

Try wiping the inside of the polycarbonate with neat washing up liquid and then rubbing clear.

It works well for helmet visors so I don't see why the same principle shouldn't apply.

[k wright]

I've bolted mine on. I used the spacing shown on the factory website on a yellow Sports. The perspex is sealed with a 1/16 x 3/8 strip of single sided adhesive tape that I got from Tom Brown (vendor of insulation tapes) and I will source some nylon coated nuts from Plastic nuts & bolts.com. The tape fits perfectly in the outer groove of the light cluster and is thin enough to keep the cover inline with the fender. It is water proof sitting in the garage. The edge of the cover is painted black to conceal the hardware.

I think that you guys are right, condensation is likely to come from the rear cover. To that end I'll use weather stripping to seal that also.

Couldn't bring myself to bond these covers on knowing that they would take rock strikes on a regular basis.

ken

>> Edited by k wright on Wednesday 12th February 20:02

[ultimaandy]

The moisture must be comming from the back as mine are 100% sealed at the front.

I recon I could get them off but the perspex would have to be destroyed to prevent body damage.

Were do you think the best place to place the pipe to get air flow as I want to try this option, as mine are also sealed at the back and it doesn't stop the misting up.

[Steve_D]

Clive said drill some holes in the bottom and a hole in the top with a pipe attached. I recon if you took that pipe up the underside of the clip and through the GRP just inside the top of the air scoop that should do it.
Steve