Attempted Tail Light Repair Part ll,
After letting the super glue set up , I started trying to clean up the inside of the lens where super glue had wicked into unintended areas, namely the sides of the lens that had a frosted appearance. I feared this would be challenging, but it turned out to be an easy fix, using acetone and Q-tips, I had it cleaned up in a jiffy.
Then on to the outside of the lens, the glue had penetrated the crack so well that it actually made its way onto the exterior. I used a headlight repair kit, that I already had. Progressively sanding the repair from 800 to 2000 grit, then buffing it with a plastic polisher. My first attempt, I could still see scratches from the sandpaper, so I sanded it again with only the finest grit, then polished it again, then after cleaning it, I sealed it with Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic spray. ( I’m gonna give that stuff a plug here. If you’ve never used it, prepare to be amazed )
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So after I was happy with the appearance, I ran a bead of super glue around the perimeter and rubber banded the two half’s together and left it overnight.
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The next day, I reassembled the tail light and installed it.
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Then I ran to the hardware store and picked up some grade 8 bolts and lock nuts and put the rack back on. And just for overkill, I put red locktite on the nuts!
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So all in all, I’m pretty happy with the results. I was able to save the tail light and save myself $350 in the process. If you get within inches of it and look real hard, you can see a couple of small flaws.
But I’m gonna go with Mikey on this and call ‘er good!