R32: About to butcher my indicators... step by step report

[funkymonkey]

OK so I have this hankering for clear indicators, and I really don't like the D Speed ones. I wanna do em myself, and I know I can do it.

But I lied, I'm not gonna clear MY indicators persay, but... a spare set that have been donated by me by someone who is very confident that I will botch them up and then he will be able to poke fun at me for doing so.

Pics will follow soon.

[funkymonkey]

[funkymonkey]

Oh and lest i forget, a list of shit you'll need:

Bucket (made of a durable plastic that dosen't warp while holding high temperature liquids)

Kettle

Sharpish straight edge screwdriver

Sandpaper of the following Grit: 40, 80, 180, 400, 600, 1000, something higher than 1500

Glass polishing compound

Lots o calories to burn

[doxximus]

or this effort, for something that cant make the world a better place

[funkymonkey]

Place the indicator in a bucket, and make sure the long handle bit points upwards for ease of use when in hot water (as you tend to scald yourself in 100 degree water).

Submerge the indicator underwater for about 10-15 mins, make sure all the bubbles are out, if you put the indicator with the stalk up, then all air will naturally flow out of the holes as you submerge it.

Take the indicator out and drain the water, but don't hold it out of the water for too long as it'll start cooling straight away. The goo is only pliable at around 80 degrees.

This is the easiest place to start and possibly where there's the least goo and the indicator is strongest. Slide the screwdriver in and pushing upward wedge it between the plastic and the housing and push the lens out.

[funkymonkey]

Don't push too much, by now your indicator is probably too cold, wedge something in the gap you've created and start heating the edges of the gap with a hairdryer, progressively wedging and pushing with the screwdriver. A note witht he top end, always wedge the screwdriver as close as possible to the tabs on the top, its very weak in the other places and you'll hear slight creaking noises as the plastic stresses. If you do hear this then stop immediately, heat and try at a stonger point.

Once its off, this is what you'll see.

This is the goo when you heat it with the hairdryer

here are the plastic joints that have been made by meting the plastic guides over the holes that the go thru, to make the inner parts stay on the housing. Basically heat these with a heatgun/hairdryer. I used a 500W beast with a nozzle, so it heats up pretty fast. Once the plastic butts are heated, apply a bit of pressure from the back of the small parts and the butt should snap off with no damage.

[funkymonkey]

Here's ringo with just the lens cover off

Here's the aftermath... Unfortunately tragedy befell Bob, as he was sat on by my mate when he came over on a social visit, which gave him a distinctive crack mark.

Luckily for me, the cracks in a place that dosent matter, and half of Bob's lens will be chopped off to make for a Cold Air Induction inlet. Phew... tragedy averted.

Stay tuned for sanding polishing pics to finish off this guide.

[NS2500]

Nice...love the diagrams. Something for the DIY section perhaps?

[Horus]

good work funkey

you have such nice hands, you must moisturize

[skylineakt]

Great insight in the life of Bob and Ringo hehe!

Well done funky, keep the pictures and the progress coming

[funkymonkey]

I'll move it once the project is complete. hate how the DIY section is set up with moderation right now.

[lwells]

Here's the aftermath... Unfortunately tragedy befell Bob, as he was sat on by my mate when he came over on a social visit, which gave him a distinctive crack mark.

LOL.

Definately keeping an eye on this thread. BTW Shan, what do you use for the nice arrows?

LW.

[Dahtone Racing]

good work man heaps better than my attempt lol

did the same thing to my indicators a while ago but cracked the shit out of my lenses lol

got DSPEEDs now anyway

[funkymonkey]

Arrows = Photoshop -> Custom Shape Tool -> Arrow Shape -> drag to draw one to the desired dimensions.

Right now I'm trying to source a dremel with 40grit bits lol as it'll make my job a WHOLE lot easier.

[GDZ1LA]

haha all that efford to change to aftermarket lenses, i will use this process to change a damaged lens to a good lense (good lens has broke mounts) hopefully i dont crack anything

[GDZ1LA]

its done cheers guys i tried prying the tabs thinking there was no glue just as well i checked on fourms

im confused whats sandpaper for?

can i use to smooth down my scratch plastic indicators or willl it make it worse?

[predator]

um, this is nice.. but what are you actually doing??

its a bit hard to tell in the photos, but what makes them glow orange, is that like those orange bubbles?

[saff_cossie]

I did this on one of my sierras.

Predator - the thing that makes the clear bulb glow orange is the bubble thing you refer to, kind of an internal case. As the case omits an orange glow alone, the external cover can be changed from orange to clear.

On some of the older cars the clear bulb doesnt have that orange bubble case thing and relies on just the plastic of the lens. That is why on some older holdens and fords the rear lights come accross as white/clear instead of red or orange.

[funkymonkey]

GDZ1LA, i used the sandpaper to sand the diffusers out of the inside of the indicator. then buffed it like crazy to get a completely clear indicator.

pred, yeah the orange bubbles make em glow orange. some guys prefer to smash it out using a screwdriver thru the hole, but this way's a lot cleaner.

[daler32]

mines and 89 model 32 and the indicators are already clear. has this been done by sumone in japan or are the first models just like that??