How To: Make Clear Cornering Lamps for your Turbo Regal

8UWITH6

Keepin' The Shiny Side Up
Joined
Dec 30, 2001
After a few emails about the clear corners I have made, I figured a "How To" topic would be helpful.

You will need:
Dremel tool with cutoff wheels
Super Glue and/or Hot Glue Gun
Silver Paint
Commercial Overhead Lighting Clear Plastic Cover from Hardware Store
Patients!!

I will start off by first saying that this is easier to do with the CHROME Cornering Lamps vs the BLACK Cornering Lamps. The chrome outer trim is removable from the plastic lamp where the black ones are all one piece. The black ones just have less margin for error.

You want to have a decent set of lamps to start with. Obviously remove from the headlight bezels and remove the screws. Take your dremel tool and carefully cut the tan plastic backing away from the plastic lamp. I usually cut right along the seam as from the factory there is old glue along the entire backing to keep water out. Next you want to remove the amber reflector from inside the cornering lamp. WAIT! DONT THROW THIS AWAY! I use them as the template for the clear inserts. Before cutting now is a good time to grab that silver paint and paint the tan plastic backing plate so its not ugly tan anymore. While the paint is drying cut your clear plastic insert. Luckily I have a bandsaw so this part is easy for me. You can use a dremel but I would have to say that it would probably be time consuming. You are going to want to make it a little bigger than the amber insert because you want it to wedge nicely, yet be flush with the backing so it cant break loose and move around. Once you have the fit you like I usually set the insert in place and put a small drop of superglue on each corner closest to the rear of the lamp so it doesnt fog up inside the lense. Hot glue works great as well. Just make sure its nice and hot and run a small bead on the inside edge to hold the clear insert in place. Grab your silver painted backing plate, put some superglue on a few areas that touch, and let dry. Then either run hot glue around the perimeter of the backing plate/lamp to seal, or I have used RTV in a pinch, just takes longer to dry. The trick here is to get the backing plate in the exact same place as it was before you cut otherwise it may stick out further on the headlight bezel and not look right. Dont ask me how I figured that one out:rolleyes: Seal it up, wipe your finger prints off of it and re-install on the car. DONE.

Hope this helps guys, heres some pictures in order...............
 

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Here are a few more pictures of them on my WE4. Also, Ill add pictures of clear bumper lenses as well. I couldnt find any clear 81-83 Regal bumper lenses so................... I made my own.................. been on the car for a year now, no problems. HTH
 

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Interesting. I might have to try this. Which exact store did you find that plastic and how much?
 
Can I ask what's with this trend of putting chrome trimmed-markers on a car that has all black out trim? I've seen it before on the car with HAYMAKER plates
 
First off nice post - second off i'd like to know where to find the plastic as well - i've got an idea and can probably use some - thanx

... Antagon - he's got Chrome bumpers though... not totally blacked out.
 
Its a WE4, had black bumpers before. The chrome cornering lights are because I changed it to chrome bumpers.

You can get the overhead lighting plastic at any hardware store.
 
Its a WE4, had black bumpers before. The chrome cornering lights are because I changed it to chrome bumpers.

You can get the overhead lighting plastic at any hardware store.

Makes sense, I wasn't saying anything bad, I think it's a nice touch. Great write-up btw! :cool:
 
Its a WE4, had black bumpers before. The chrome cornering lights are because I changed it to chrome bumpers.

You can get the overhead lighting plastic at any hardware store.

is it the stuff from florescent lighting fixtures?
 
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