My version of the 993 foglight :)
02-22-2009, 02:51 PM
#1
Seared
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My version of the 993 foglight :)
A few weeks ago I decided to put down the Xenit and ‘make’ a fresh set of foglights for the 993. I've had a set of Better Bodies ducts for a year or so and just wanted a change. I sold the original foglights the day I picked up my car since it was already equipped with a nice set of turbo S ducts. In time, I sold those in favor of the simple (yet saggy) lines of the BB ducts.
So I picked up three sets of lights, one set from a Craigslist seller, another set from Chuck (csertich) and lastly a set from Bart (Bart1). The lights I received from the Craigslist seller had nearly-perfect lenses, but had broken plastic pieces. Chuck's lenses were pitted from normal use, but had sound bodies. And Bart's pieces appeared to have been used for target practice with a .50 cal., or a sledgehammer...
Using Eric’s excellent write-up (here), I took all of the complete lights apart, cleaned everything, and then pieced together two complete assemblies. Since the stock lights always seem washed-out and pale, even when new, I wanted to end up with a set of lights that worked well with Polar Silver.
Using Bart's housings, I tried a variety of different colors for the inside: black, orange, bright silver, and finally, Polar Silver (suggested by nsully). With black, the insides looked dull & muted, the orange was not close to the turn signal lenses, the bright silver looked OK, but the Polar Silver just worked (thank you, nsully!). So I cleaned & prepped a set of good housings before spraying with primer, Polar Silver, and clear. After a few days, I lightly polished the clear lacquer with a mild polishing compound. Then I bonded the good lenses in place using a bomb-proof gray gutter sealant. Once this had cured, I masked off the edge around the glass lenses, and the sprayed a Duplicolor adhesion promoter followed by Duplicolor low-gloss high temp black. I did this to set off the insides of the finished foglights, as the fluted glass surround lets some light in, contributing to the washed-out look.
To finish, I took apart the projector assemblies and cleaned the aiming lenses – these all seem to get a fogged-coating with time. I reassembled the fresh lights and installed a new set of 55w H3 Sylvania Silverstar bulbs. That’s it for now. Here are some pics of the process - the first one shows how most of these lights look today. I’ll add a pic or two once I’ve plugged the lights back in.
Enjoy:
Andreas
So I picked up three sets of lights, one set from a Craigslist seller, another set from Chuck (csertich) and lastly a set from Bart (Bart1). The lights I received from the Craigslist seller had nearly-perfect lenses, but had broken plastic pieces. Chuck's lenses were pitted from normal use, but had sound bodies. And Bart's pieces appeared to have been used for target practice with a .50 cal., or a sledgehammer...
Using Eric’s excellent write-up (here), I took all of the complete lights apart, cleaned everything, and then pieced together two complete assemblies. Since the stock lights always seem washed-out and pale, even when new, I wanted to end up with a set of lights that worked well with Polar Silver.
Using Bart's housings, I tried a variety of different colors for the inside: black, orange, bright silver, and finally, Polar Silver (suggested by nsully). With black, the insides looked dull & muted, the orange was not close to the turn signal lenses, the bright silver looked OK, but the Polar Silver just worked (thank you, nsully!). So I cleaned & prepped a set of good housings before spraying with primer, Polar Silver, and clear. After a few days, I lightly polished the clear lacquer with a mild polishing compound. Then I bonded the good lenses in place using a bomb-proof gray gutter sealant. Once this had cured, I masked off the edge around the glass lenses, and the sprayed a Duplicolor adhesion promoter followed by Duplicolor low-gloss high temp black. I did this to set off the insides of the finished foglights, as the fluted glass surround lets some light in, contributing to the washed-out look.
To finish, I took apart the projector assemblies and cleaned the aiming lenses – these all seem to get a fogged-coating with time. I reassembled the fresh lights and installed a new set of 55w H3 Sylvania Silverstar bulbs. That’s it for now. Here are some pics of the process - the first one shows how most of these lights look today. I’ll add a pic or two once I’ve plugged the lights back in.
Enjoy:
Andreas
Last edited by AOW162435; 02-22-2009 at 05:45 PM.
02-22-2009, 03:00 PM
#2
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Very nice Andreas. This area of the car, headlights included, is tough to keep looking new and crisp. Too bad you can't buy replacement fog light lenses like you can headlight lenses. I'm curious to see how the other colours you used looked. Any pics of those?
02-22-2009, 03:04 PM
#3
Seared
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Unfortunately, no. I just kept spraying and testing (by holding one of the pitted lenses in front). My first wish was to somehow mimic the color of the turn-signal assemblies in order to tie everything together. Result: Fail.
Andreas
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02-22-2009, 03:52 PM
#9
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Andreas they look sweet! Anyone know a source for just the lenses? Or is it possible to polish the lenses for clarity? Mine are as transparent as our new $837b stimulus plan.
02-22-2009, 04:12 PM
#10
Seared
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You mean, like yours? 
Tim, noted.
The lenses are not available separately, hence my multi-source solution. +1 on the last comment...
Andreas
Andreas
02-22-2009, 05:04 PM
#11
Pro
~ The Eagle ~
---------------------
'96 Polar Silver/Black C4S, manual, litronics, LED's in the positioning lights, alu/leather shifter & handbrake,
silver face gauges with alu rings, "GT" sport seats, full leather interior, motor sound airbox, stainless door sills,
front protection bar, with split rear grill and layered with Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax
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'92 Carrera 2 (Sold)
'89 Carrera 3.2 (Sold)
02-22-2009, 05:07 PM
#12
Looks good and, uh, shut your cake hole. 
. It was more like sledge hammer practice.
I like my OEM Turbo S ducts, but even with superbright LEDs, they provide no usable light. I'll remedy that eventually.
. It was more like sledge hammer practice. I like my OEM Turbo S ducts, but even with superbright LEDs, they provide no usable light. I'll remedy that eventually.
Just another project on the to do list.
