The "How to Make GT Headlights" Guide
11-03-2009, 11:07 PM
#1
The "How to Make GT Headlights" Guide
Credit for this guide goes to Crunchie57 (hi Dave) who first started mucking round with ideas to make the lights and went ahead and showed me what he learnt. The results are really impressive - like something you would normally buy. This is also my first guide so any comments are appreciated.
Part 1 of the guide will be making the lenses. Part 2 will be making the buckets and mounting on the car. They look great on Crunchie's car:
Materials required.
============
1 sheet clear ACRYLIC* (we used 600mmx900mm)
1 kilo of sand (or thereabouts)
1 soft pillow case
1 924 headlight assembly
1 can spray adhesive
1 sq metre non acrylic felt (has to be able to resist heat)
Tools required.
==========
Jigsaw or dremel to cut the acrylic sheet
Fan forced electric oven
Heat gun
Oven safe bowl or container
Marker pens, rulers etc
*It should be mentioned that it has to be 100% acrylic, perspex and other similar materials will colour or warp in the melting process.
1) Take apart your 924 headlight and remove the part that normally sits flush with the bonnet when the lights are down - ill call this the light cover. The light cover will be the template and forming piece for the lense. Put the light cover painted side down on a sheet of card and trace around it. Make sure you tilt the cover up as you get to the curved bit, and try to keep it all in the same spot. You will end up with a tracing like so:
2) Using the template, mark the light cover shape on your piece of acrylic (make sure ther protective plastic covering is left on) with a fat tip marker. Cut out the lense from the acrylic sheet using the OUTSIDE of the marker line as your guide, this will allow for shrinkage when the acrlylic is heated.
3) Using the same template, roughly mark out the same shape on a piece of felt and cut it out, this time cut a few inches outside the line. Stick the felt to your 924 headlight using some contact adhesive. If you are planning to use the light cover again, youll need to use some kind of removeable glue instead of normal spray adhesive. Pre heat your oven to 150 centigrade or 300 farenheit for the yanks. Steps 2 and 3 should look like so:
4) Put the felt-covered light cover on top of a heat reistant bowl or container of some sort (we used a large coffee can at Dave's) so that the top of the felt is steady. Remove the plastic covering sheets from both sides of the cut out acrylic lense and place it on top of the light cover so that it is all lined up with a slight bit of overhang all around.
5) Put the bowl, light cover and lense in the oven being carefuly not to move the lense on top of the cover. Fill your pillowcase partially up with sand so that when you put it down on a flat surface, the sand would cover the lense with overhang. Now turn the oven up to 180 degrees (~350 farenheit) and watch the lense
6) After a few minutes you will see a curve creep across the front of the shape. Turn the heat up a tiny bit more and keep watching the acrylic melt slowly. Once the front of the lense has sagged an inch or more down and is taking the curve of the light cover, wait 1 minute and remove it from the oven. Place the sand filled pillow case on top of the lense being sure not to move it around. Distribute the sand in the bag so that its covering the whole lense consistently and so there is plenty of weight over the main curve.
the acrylic will be cool and hard. Remove the pillow case, take the lense off the cover and admire the handywork.
9) Repeat for the otherside, turning the template upside down and using the light cover from the other side for steps 4-8. Next guide will be mounting and making the headlight buckets.
I found on a 924 forum same applies to 944 headlights same steps
Part 1 of the guide will be making the lenses. Part 2 will be making the buckets and mounting on the car. They look great on Crunchie's car:
Materials required.
============
1 sheet clear ACRYLIC* (we used 600mmx900mm)
1 kilo of sand (or thereabouts)
1 soft pillow case
1 924 headlight assembly
1 can spray adhesive
1 sq metre non acrylic felt (has to be able to resist heat)
Tools required.
==========
Jigsaw or dremel to cut the acrylic sheet
Fan forced electric oven
Heat gun
Oven safe bowl or container
Marker pens, rulers etc
*It should be mentioned that it has to be 100% acrylic, perspex and other similar materials will colour or warp in the melting process.
1) Take apart your 924 headlight and remove the part that normally sits flush with the bonnet when the lights are down - ill call this the light cover. The light cover will be the template and forming piece for the lense. Put the light cover painted side down on a sheet of card and trace around it. Make sure you tilt the cover up as you get to the curved bit, and try to keep it all in the same spot. You will end up with a tracing like so:
2) Using the template, mark the light cover shape on your piece of acrylic (make sure ther protective plastic covering is left on) with a fat tip marker. Cut out the lense from the acrylic sheet using the OUTSIDE of the marker line as your guide, this will allow for shrinkage when the acrlylic is heated.
3) Using the same template, roughly mark out the same shape on a piece of felt and cut it out, this time cut a few inches outside the line. Stick the felt to your 924 headlight using some contact adhesive. If you are planning to use the light cover again, youll need to use some kind of removeable glue instead of normal spray adhesive. Pre heat your oven to 150 centigrade or 300 farenheit for the yanks. Steps 2 and 3 should look like so:
4) Put the felt-covered light cover on top of a heat reistant bowl or container of some sort (we used a large coffee can at Dave's) so that the top of the felt is steady. Remove the plastic covering sheets from both sides of the cut out acrylic lense and place it on top of the light cover so that it is all lined up with a slight bit of overhang all around.
5) Put the bowl, light cover and lense in the oven being carefuly not to move the lense on top of the cover. Fill your pillowcase partially up with sand so that when you put it down on a flat surface, the sand would cover the lense with overhang. Now turn the oven up to 180 degrees (~350 farenheit) and watch the lense
6) After a few minutes you will see a curve creep across the front of the shape. Turn the heat up a tiny bit more and keep watching the acrylic melt slowly. Once the front of the lense has sagged an inch or more down and is taking the curve of the light cover, wait 1 minute and remove it from the oven. Place the sand filled pillow case on top of the lense being sure not to move it around. Distribute the sand in the bag so that its covering the whole lense consistently and so there is plenty of weight over the main curve.
the acrylic will be cool and hard. Remove the pillow case, take the lense off the cover and admire the handywork.
9) Repeat for the otherside, turning the template upside down and using the light cover from the other side for steps 4-8. Next guide will be mounting and making the headlight buckets.
I found on a 924 forum same applies to 944 headlights same steps
Last edited by mike10562004; 11-03-2009 at 11:36 PM.
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vacuumnoise (11-08-2021)
11-03-2009, 11:35 PM
#5
Part 2 of the guide is finally here. This part is alot more open ended, there are probably heaps of ways to do this part, this is how I did it rather than a definitive guide. Definite room for improvement. On with the show.
Materials requied.
=================
1 pair GT Lenses made from part 1 of the guide
1 pair headlights (Narva 165x100mm H4 Halogen)
800mmx900mx1mm Aluminium sheet
20x Small stainless self tapping metal screws
16x Larger nuts and bolts with rounded heads
2m 2mm black vacuum hose
1 can matt black spray paint
Rubber glue
Tools required.
==============
Good tin snips or a dremel if you are patient
Pliers
Heat Gun
Vice or clamps
Screwdrivers etc
A couple of good lengths of wood for the jaws of the vice
A few pieces of natural felt again for the vice
Marking pen and cardboard
Sharp scissors or a razorblade
Here are the headlights I used, im sure there are plenty of other suitable brands and types. I probably wouldnt go much higher than 100mm though because you would start getting clearance issues.
1) Using a piece of cardboard and the cavity for the normal popup headlights, draw out a mask for a U shaped light bucket. Each car is different (even each side of mine was different) so you will have to spend a few minutes getting this part right. My shape and resulting bucket template was roughly as follows (diagram and real):
2) Once the shape is correct and snug to the metal all around, trace the template onto the aluminum sheet and cut out using tinsnips or dremel. Then bend into shape and check your fit to the car by drilling holes for the self tapping screws and screwing down. I had to have a few cracks at this part to get it right (final version last picture):
3) Make some ear brackets for the lights so they sit securely in the bucket piece. Again this will depend on the headlight you have chosen and your own car. You can't go wrong with a carboard mockup and then transfer to the metal to cut and bend - just make sure you are mocking the brackets up with the bucket piece attached to the car. Make the higher pair of bolt holes elipses so you can adjust the lights up and down after they are in the car. Use the smooth headed bolts facing out of the bucket so they are easier to squeeze into the cavity when installing.
4) Attach the ears to the bucket and test fit once again. The reason for using 1mm aluminium is because it is flexible enough to take the shape of the curvy headlight cavities and also because it so easy to work with. You can see my completed bucket here looks all wonky but when its screwed down to the car its fine.
5) Sit the lense in place and sand down or dremel off any areas that need it so the lense fits in. Close the bonnet and mark the line of the bonnet on the lense. Take the two lengths of wood and wrap them in felt, and clamp the lense along the line that was just marked. Use the heat gun to heat up the acrylic just along the fold line. Hold the gun about 10cm above the acrylic and move back and forth across the line quickly while applying gentle pressure with the top of the lense with your other hand. In about one minute you will feel it soften and you will be able to make then bend. I couldnt get any good pics of this because the camera does not capture the acrylic. In the end results you can just see the bend of the lense over the end.
6) A quick coat of black paint smartens the whole lot up nicely. I like the black on red for my car, I know Crunchie left his silver which works well with a white car. Attach the lights to the brackets.
7) Take the vacuum tubing and run a sharp blade down one side to split the tubing. This will for the seal of the bucket to the car and the lense. Dab on some rubber glue round the outside of the bucket and push the tubing on around so the split goes either side of the metal.
Now to make the lense mountings. Cut some thin strips of aluminium and drill holes to take the self tapping screws. Bend the strips in the middle to form a right angle. Refit the buckets to the car with these little mounts in between the screwhead and the bucket.
9) Put the lense in position and mark and drill the holes for the mounts. When drilling the holes for the self tapping screws, go up one size in drillbit because it is easy to crack the acrylic when putting in the screws. Underneath where the holes are drilled, stick some self adhesive foam ti stop the lenses rattling and cracking.
10) Screw the lense down, insert the bulb into the light, attach the standard headlight connector plug and you are done!
Materials requied.
=================
1 pair GT Lenses made from part 1 of the guide
1 pair headlights (Narva 165x100mm H4 Halogen)
800mmx900mx1mm Aluminium sheet
20x Small stainless self tapping metal screws
16x Larger nuts and bolts with rounded heads
2m 2mm black vacuum hose
1 can matt black spray paint
Rubber glue
Tools required.
==============
Good tin snips or a dremel if you are patient
Pliers
Heat Gun
Vice or clamps
Screwdrivers etc
A couple of good lengths of wood for the jaws of the vice
A few pieces of natural felt again for the vice
Marking pen and cardboard
Sharp scissors or a razorblade
Here are the headlights I used, im sure there are plenty of other suitable brands and types. I probably wouldnt go much higher than 100mm though because you would start getting clearance issues.
1) Using a piece of cardboard and the cavity for the normal popup headlights, draw out a mask for a U shaped light bucket. Each car is different (even each side of mine was different) so you will have to spend a few minutes getting this part right. My shape and resulting bucket template was roughly as follows (diagram and real):
2) Once the shape is correct and snug to the metal all around, trace the template onto the aluminum sheet and cut out using tinsnips or dremel. Then bend into shape and check your fit to the car by drilling holes for the self tapping screws and screwing down. I had to have a few cracks at this part to get it right (final version last picture):
3) Make some ear brackets for the lights so they sit securely in the bucket piece. Again this will depend on the headlight you have chosen and your own car. You can't go wrong with a carboard mockup and then transfer to the metal to cut and bend - just make sure you are mocking the brackets up with the bucket piece attached to the car. Make the higher pair of bolt holes elipses so you can adjust the lights up and down after they are in the car. Use the smooth headed bolts facing out of the bucket so they are easier to squeeze into the cavity when installing.
4) Attach the ears to the bucket and test fit once again. The reason for using 1mm aluminium is because it is flexible enough to take the shape of the curvy headlight cavities and also because it so easy to work with. You can see my completed bucket here looks all wonky but when its screwed down to the car its fine.
5) Sit the lense in place and sand down or dremel off any areas that need it so the lense fits in. Close the bonnet and mark the line of the bonnet on the lense. Take the two lengths of wood and wrap them in felt, and clamp the lense along the line that was just marked. Use the heat gun to heat up the acrylic just along the fold line. Hold the gun about 10cm above the acrylic and move back and forth across the line quickly while applying gentle pressure with the top of the lense with your other hand. In about one minute you will feel it soften and you will be able to make then bend. I couldnt get any good pics of this because the camera does not capture the acrylic. In the end results you can just see the bend of the lense over the end.
6) A quick coat of black paint smartens the whole lot up nicely. I like the black on red for my car, I know Crunchie left his silver which works well with a white car. Attach the lights to the brackets.
7) Take the vacuum tubing and run a sharp blade down one side to split the tubing. This will for the seal of the bucket to the car and the lense. Dab on some rubber glue round the outside of the bucket and push the tubing on around so the split goes either side of the metal.
Now to make the lense mountings. Cut some thin strips of aluminium and drill holes to take the self tapping screws. Bend the strips in the middle to form a right angle. Refit the buckets to the car with these little mounts in between the screwhead and the bucket.
9) Put the lense in position and mark and drill the holes for the mounts. When drilling the holes for the self tapping screws, go up one size in drillbit because it is easy to crack the acrylic when putting in the screws. Underneath where the holes are drilled, stick some self adhesive foam ti stop the lenses rattling and cracking.
10) Screw the lense down, insert the bulb into the light, attach the standard headlight connector plug and you are done!
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vacuumnoise (11-08-2021)
Trending Topics
11-04-2009, 01:09 AM
#9
So want to do this after the swap, I'd like to try it out with hids.. Mike if you're doing this definitely let me check it out!
How much do you think all that junk taken out weighs?
How much do you think all that junk taken out weighs?
11-04-2009, 05:56 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
This write-up has been around for a while...hidden in the How-To section of 924board.org
There's a lot of good info that gets posted over there that doesn't make its way over here.
I plan on making a set this winter.
There's a lot of good info that gets posted over there that doesn't make its way over here.
I plan on making a set this winter.
11-04-2009, 09:06 AM
#12
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St Louis, Missouri, USA
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Nice project, here is another plexi-glass project for you DIY frabricators...
Personally, I think these sort of posts are are the best of forum contributions...Bruce
Personally, I think these sort of posts are are the best of forum contributions...Bruce
The following users liked this post:
vacuumnoise (11-08-2021)
11-04-2009, 01:03 PM
#15
Nice project, here is another plexi-glass project for you DIY frabricators...
Personally, I think these sort of posts are are the best of forum contributions...Bruce
Personally, I think these sort of posts are are the best of forum contributions...Bruce
