Faded Trans Am tail lights.. Anyone ever pull them apart to repair them?
02-08-2011, 09:51 AM
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Faded Trans Am tail lights.. Anyone ever pull them apart to repair them? Hey there. The tail lights on my Formula have some de-lamination going on. The black part of the Tetris-scheme is faded in some areas and whatnot. From my understanding this is a common problem. Is there any way to pull them apart and somehow adhere the tetris piece? Any help would be appreciated. I am too cheap to buy other tail lights for $200+. Thanks! 
PS I searched and did not find what I was looking for, thanks.
PS I searched and did not find what I was looking for, thanks.
Last edited by 1badzee; 02-08-2011 at 10:59 AM.
02-08-2011, 11:39 AM
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Gotcha.. Hmm. I was thinking maybe if I separated the outer lens/cover, I would somehow remove the black plastic/tetris piece and clean the outer lens, then somehow glue the black piece back on it using a thin uniform film of clear glue or something of the sort..
03-04-2014, 10:30 AM
#6
Old Topic but thought it was worth mentioning that I managed to trash my lenses trying to get them off.
Tried acetone, tried heat and cold, tried being gentle.
The big problem is the curve towards the outside of the lamp gets very stressed while prying and attempting to separate the lens from the checker/honeycomb. The lens also is seated below where the reflector strip goes and that also makes separating the epoxy very difficult because you can't even get in there with a credit card or shim or anything.
I would think by now reproduction lights would start being made for these cars. Nobody has them from what I can see and all the how-tos don't issue the root problem of the delamination. I have seen some suggestions about drilling drain holes but it would be nice to really be able to reseat and reglue the lens to the rest of the assembly.
For the time being, I am still waiting for a guy to ship a set I bought on eBay but in the future I would be very interested in a set of repro's.
The only other option I considered was trying to see if one of those companies that does 3D printing could make some new ABS plastic lenses. Its far-fetched but hey, who knows?
Tried acetone, tried heat and cold, tried being gentle.
The big problem is the curve towards the outside of the lamp gets very stressed while prying and attempting to separate the lens from the checker/honeycomb. The lens also is seated below where the reflector strip goes and that also makes separating the epoxy very difficult because you can't even get in there with a credit card or shim or anything.
I would think by now reproduction lights would start being made for these cars. Nobody has them from what I can see and all the how-tos don't issue the root problem of the delamination. I have seen some suggestions about drilling drain holes but it would be nice to really be able to reseat and reglue the lens to the rest of the assembly.
For the time being, I am still waiting for a guy to ship a set I bought on eBay but in the future I would be very interested in a set of repro's.
The only other option I considered was trying to see if one of those companies that does 3D printing could make some new ABS plastic lenses. Its far-fetched but hey, who knows?
03-04-2014, 10:48 AM
#7
Old Topic but thought it was worth mentioning that I managed to trash my lenses trying to get them off.
Tried acetone, tried heat and cold, tried being gentle.
The big problem is the curve towards the outside of the lamp gets very stressed while prying and attempting to separate the lens from the checker/honeycomb. The lens also is seated below where the reflector strip goes and that also makes separating the epoxy very difficult because you can't even get in there with a credit card or shim or anything.
I would think by now reproduction lights would start being made for these cars. Nobody has them from what I can see and all the how-tos don't issue the root problem of the delamination. I have seen some suggestions about drilling drain holes but it would be nice to really be able to reseat and reglue the lens to the rest of the assembly.
For the time being, I am still waiting for a guy to ship a set I bought on eBay but in the future I would be very interested in a set of repro's.
The only other option I considered was trying to see if one of those companies that does 3D printing could make some new ABS plastic lenses. Its far-fetched but hey, who knows?
Tried acetone, tried heat and cold, tried being gentle.
The big problem is the curve towards the outside of the lamp gets very stressed while prying and attempting to separate the lens from the checker/honeycomb. The lens also is seated below where the reflector strip goes and that also makes separating the epoxy very difficult because you can't even get in there with a credit card or shim or anything.
I would think by now reproduction lights would start being made for these cars. Nobody has them from what I can see and all the how-tos don't issue the root problem of the delamination. I have seen some suggestions about drilling drain holes but it would be nice to really be able to reseat and reglue the lens to the rest of the assembly.
For the time being, I am still waiting for a guy to ship a set I bought on eBay but in the future I would be very interested in a set of repro's.
The only other option I considered was trying to see if one of those companies that does 3D printing could make some new ABS plastic lenses. Its far-fetched but hey, who knows?
Which makes little sense...who out there in there right mind is restoring V6 models?!?! That, and they are expensive as hell $439 a pop 
http://www.classicindustries.com/199...rts/g6204.html
Mine too are delaminated in spots, I went the cheap route and just put some blackout covers on them....they look much better than the stock ones in poor condition IMO...and far cheaper: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sh.../firebird.html
You can still see my brake lights just fine through them by the way. I put another pair on my Firehawk because I hate the honeycomb tail lights, and they look even better on a black car....very stealthy and sinister looking
