Headlight Restoration Nightmare 120 grit are you kidding ?

[Louie_Blu]

good job louie

Thanks Reggie get what you can from them dealers show them you are worth it, there is nothing wrong with trying to get top dollar for your work

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. Hopefully it all goes well for me! I'm looking to start off with small used car dealerships first.

Again thanks for your tips and feedback!!

You're welcome arhajiismael it was my pleasure, good luck with them dealerships:xyxthumbs:

 

[Louie_Blu]

great job on the lights...i had an impalla with the EXACT same looking headlights and had just as hard of a time. The passenger side came out great...but the drivers side was only so-so to me...spent about 1 1/2 hrs...dropped as low as 320 grit....but i could see dirt and on the INSIDE of the lens so it looked like some of the crap i was trying to sand off was actually located inside...thus the reason i couldnt get it to sand off!

Great job again, im off to go read those other 2 threads lol

Thank you Wills, I could tell this was all on the outside though I can feel it and see it as well, these Impala's sheesh lol

You should never have to go lower than 320 grit. When you see your sanding disc is not removing material anymore, you need to change it. If you keep sanding with the same disc you won't get much done since the abrasives in it are no longer working.

You did a great job on the headlights, however I still don't understand why people keep insisting on putting furniture varnish on headlights with products such as Opti-Coat on the market which is not expensive and easier to apply, not to mention it should last quite a while longer.

Thanks 96Lude I agree that you need to change your disc, I usually feel the disc after sanding for a bit to see how much grit is left on them but after going through 2 P500 discs to no avail I knew I was gonna have to get something stronger even though I was following my own procedure I did make that mistake, being that this car was a challenge.
As far as the Spar Urethane method goes I think its a matter of preference and opinion, it seems to work well for me and as I see a lot of other people on this forum, Check out Hot Rod's Thread he seems to like how the Spar Urethane looks better months after he started his test vs. Opti-Coat, I'm not saying that Opti-Coat isn't a good choice but just a matter of choice, If it works and does the job well why not use it

 

[Dugdug]

Wow... couldnt stop reading this thread. Inspiring! I'm gonna try this method. And thx louie for the information on how you approach the dealers.

 

[Louie_Blu]

Wow... couldnt stop reading this thread. Inspiring! I'm gonna try this method. And thx louie for the information on how you approach the dealers.

you are most welcome Dug :dblthumb2:

 

[normster]

that I did do was waste my good stuff, gotta save that for the customers that pay what I ask for, with this dealer or any other I am going to pick up some of that fine 3M Pads and try that next time after all these dealers don't pay as much and if I can get results like you did why not use it, thanks for the Link Fred:xyxthumbs:

Louie

Hi Louie, you wouldn't have been able to use the pad to get those Impala lights cleaned so don't worry too much. I have used them before and they work but on a car with much less damage or problems. It would be about the 4th step of sanding on an Impala or Monte Carlo. They are convenient sometimes, but thanks for the info on the 110. I have used 220 on Impalas and it barely touches them. I was going to go down and then work my way up but I always find that even with 220 I can't ever seem to get them as clear as I want at the end.

The Toyotas and Hondas are so soft that you can probably use the pad no problem. I have just done 1500 then 3000 on almost all of my hondas and toyotas and it works great. On the Impala you would probably need 110 then 220 then 500 then maybe the pad then probably 1500 or jump to 3000. I did use a very coarse grit sanding pad from Home Depot and it seemed to help with the Impalas but I can't remember the number and it made getting the lights clear later that much more difficult.

Thanks for all of the helpful advice you give.

 

[normster]

I just realized how old this post is so you probably figured it out by now. Sorry about that.