Splitting the headlights

[Spencer54]

Bear with me here I'm thinking of fitting some led running lights but what I want to do is put them inside the headlight. From the refurb I did on the lights it looks as though they are held together with a rubber adhesive of sorts has anyone split the lights before?

[Gasy]

Think some on here have split them by warming them up and pulling them apart

[the laird]

Send stuc a post he's done stuff to his lamps

[dave_aber]

The lenses have a tounge & groove fitting into the shells, and this is filled with really sticky 'stuff'. You might get them apart with heat, but you will need a lot of patience!

[Spencer54]

Contemplating buying a second hand one and having a fiddle with it and see whats possible.

[philpdr]

This might help.
http://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/view ... s&start=15

[Spencer54]

Thats it exactly, not sure about drilling the lights though.
I'm going to split the lens and fit them so they look like this.

[ELZE]

Send stuc a post he's done stuff to his lamps

I concur Stuc and I discussed this last year but as always Stuc always the action man tackled it recently. I figure a hairdryer and dental floss will split them but Stu will know.

[Spencer54]

Yeah Stuc has done it by heating the headlights and prising them apart.

Flexible LEDs on their way.

[stuc]

Sorry chaps, just spotted this. I heated mine in the spraybooth 30 mins at 65 degrees C, then just prise the lugs over the retaining bits and pull apart slowly. I have spoke to some lads that did them in the home oven on very low. If you pull slowly, the black stuff, a bit like Dum Dum(anyone remember this) just stays in situ so when you come to reassemble them just warm them up again and put back together and they stick and are sealed still. I want to put some led's inside as well so will keep an eye on these.











Before

[stuc]

Yeah Stuc has done it by heating the headlights and prising them apart.

Flexible LEDs on their way.

Have you a link to the led's you are going to use, they look good.

[Spencer54]

Hi Stuc,

This is what I've ordered - for £4 its worth a punt I thought.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250943608154

I'll do some pics and let you know how I get on

[stuc]

I had them on my last Bongo, they were good but didn't last that long, may be ok inside the lights. I've also got them on the back as foglamps.

[billymansell]

Having seen stuc's lights I did mine earlier this year.

I placed mine in a low oven until everything was warmed through and the mastic malleable and then with a bit of brute force was able to prise them apart. I blackened mine with sections of vinyl wrap rather than painting them although the wrap did eventually creep a little in the hot weather. Also, when I de-ambered the indicators I fitted chrome indicator bulbs.

I did reheat the two parts when rejoining them but it clearly wasn't providing as good a seal as before as eventually I got condensation inside the lights that wouldn't go away. I took them apart again, cleaned out the channel and applied fresh sealant and haven't had any condensation since.

I also polished the lenses as they were decidedly tired and reducing light output. They initially looked great and worked much better but I did find after a few months that they began to fog or bloom. I polished them again and applied some surface sealant from glasspolishshop.com and haven't had any further problems.

[Spencer54]

Yep all done

I have upgraded the whole set up now, with led sidelights, Osram night breakers and the led drls have gone inside the headlamps nicely.

Just need to think of a way to wire up the drls, either to the sidelights or do I put them on a separate switch that's the decision.

I'll stick up some pics when done.