BUILD THREAD 87 Cutlass EFI build: 9/13/23..NEW STUFF!

Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
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Louisville, KY
The wife left me home alone for awhile but threw out a honey-do list before she left. I knocked that s%*@ out real quick and got outside lol!
My gas blower string snapped on me a couple weeks ago and welped the heck out of my finger....got that switched out real fast and got to the taillight resto.
I tried and tried to get the housings separated, but that sealant is solid. I threw in the towel to avoid breaking them, new ones are $$$$ if found. So i let them dry all the way, then started on the driver side light to test it out.
As suggested by Hafrod's how to, i wet sanded it with a 1500 grit sponge, cleaned and dried it. Rubbed on some mother's, and buffed it out by hand.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the results so far....all of the surface scratches are gone, but there are some deep scratches within the layers of the lens that can't be touched. They are far from done as i have to modify the emblems as well as the surround piece, but it looks WAY better than it did.
20170610_132138.jpg
 
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Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
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Passenger side done for now!

After sanding....
20170610_145828.jpg


After polishing....
20170610_151735.jpg


The pass side is in rougher shape, but it looks better than it did.
 
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TURNA

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
Jul 24, 2009
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Looking gooooooood!
 
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Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
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They look like they cleaned up pretty nice Scott...nice work!
Thanks Kevin! I will take the credit for the elbow grease....but the shout out goes to HAFROD for doing the "taillight how-to" recently! I woulda never thought to use wheel polish on them, but it worked great!

Once i modify the rest of the assembly, i will give them another round or two of polishing for good measure.
 
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Texas82GP

Just-a-worm
Apr 3, 2015
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They look good Scott. My brother used a Mother's Power Ball on his taillights on his daily. He wet sanded like you, then used rubbing compound followed by polishing compound. It really brought them back to life.
 
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Longroof79

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
Oct 14, 2008
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When I polished up my taillight lenses, I used Lexol Vinylex afterward..they really brought out a shine...plus they help protect the plastic.
Lookin' good, Scott..
 
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Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
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Louisville, KY
When I polished up my taillight lenses, I used Lexol Vinylex afterward..they really brought out a shine...plus they help protect the plastic.
Lookin' good, Scott..
Thanks Jack! I will do a search for that stuff and see if i can find it. It's nice to see them polished, but i would like to protect them as well!
 
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Longroof79

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
Oct 14, 2008
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Yeah, it's not cheap, but it's good stuff and has been around for awhile. I use it on my dash and plastic parts as well. It's not greasy like Armor All. Which reminds me...I need to pick up more myself. Most stores don't carry it, but I thin Pep Boys stocks it.

Lexol leather conditioner has been around for ages.

I guess you're going to split the lenses to put LED circuit boards in?
 
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