So Ive got the clear corners on my RD1, I wanna paint the chrome on the inside of the light. I know the whole oven shpeil for the headlights to get the lense separated from the housing, done it before, easy as pie. But I've never done it with the clear corners before. I examined the unit and it looks possible but it seems to be put together differently than the headlight. There's tabs I think that I need to pop out. I'm worried about breaking the thing, and I heard a long time ago that it was hard to get them apart, but I forget who. I know someone's done it, I think Nightshark maybe? I dunno, someone lead me in the right direction before I mess them up, lol.

 

i dont know if on the RD1 is different but me and SOCKS did them on our RD2s. It's fairly easy as the headlights, but the glue is a little more tough to take them appart.

After you warm up the glue enough just prye it slowly and carefully, i wasnt very careful and i cracked mine on the process. Just make sure you warm up the glue enough for it to come off in one piece.

Again, i did this on my RD2 and dont know if the RD1 corners are made different.

 

yeah I think they may be different. Mine have a rubber thing all around them, but it's easy to take off. Just gotta get some clear silicone or something to put it back together.

 

ours have the same little rubber edging that i think you are talking about.

for mine i just put in the oven until the glue became tacky, then pried apart a lil, then put back in. you want to do this VERY slowly or prying hard will end up breaking the lens, like both of mine. owned.gif and before you paint them, please sand them, or itll peel from the heat and smooth surface, also like mine.. owned.gif X2

 

And don't heat them up too much either, I did and the plastic got a little too soft when I started prying owned.gif Didn't crack it all the way, but it had a little rounded crack on the edge. And do sand it before painting, do a proper job in there!

 

The RD1 and RD2 corners look different, but for this process it is essentially the same. (I've done both).

Same as the headlight lense removal but with much more caution on the time they are in the oven, and prying force.

Don't worry if the black rubber around the corner comes off, it'll go back on. You CAN remove the lense without removing the black rubber from the base of the corner light by the way.

and I never sanded by RD1 corners the first time I did it, no cracking. I dunno I must have anti-freeze running to my corner lamps or something... smile.gif Might as well sand them if you have the time, or just primer and paint.

Personally, I wish the RD1 corners came with the RD2 lenses (smooth)... but then the RD1 headlights would need to be smooth in front of the high beam seciton as well... Oh well :keeps dreaming: ...

 

it is easy enough.. but be VERY careful as the plastic of the corners is a LOT more brittle than that of the headlights and it WILL crack if you try and force it. The trick is to make sure the glue is properly warmed up and to use a pair of flat head screw drivers to gently pry it out of the housing. Just a little bit at a time

 

cool, thanks guys. I'm using metalcast as a base, which is meant for smooth chromelike surfaces, and duplicolor wheel paint on top f that. So, it should hold up well. It has so far in the headlights.

 

^^^What's the purpose of the wheel paint? That stuff is meant to resist rock chips. It's going to be inside a housing.

Also, metalcast isn't a base. It's a color coat. Unless you're talking about the metalcast basecoat which requires sanding first.

 

shes probbably using the wheel paint for obvious reasons, its probably one of the closest rattle can colors to her car.. assuming she is using the graphite color.

i wouldn't bother with the metal cast tho, i would just sand it with some 320 paper, and then put on the wheel paint.