Making Clear J-Spec Side Repeaters |
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| This page has a short write-up of how I
modified a set of j-spec side repeaters so they had a clear flush lense rather than the ugly orange toblerones. Hopefully this page will assist anyone else who wishes to have a go. Note that I forgot to take photos of every stage but most are covered Below are the tools and paints I used. Tools:
Paints:
Parts Used:
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| Here's a shot of the car
with the orange repeaters and one of the clusters I
chopped up to make the clear lenses. They were off some ugly old citroen I found in a scrap yard. |
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| Here is the lens after
they were cut down using the hacksaw and following
planing to tidy the edge up.I managed to snap one as they're very brittle but I glued it back together and it isnt really noticeable. The edges of the strip were rounded by dragging the edge of a stanley knife along the edge at 90 degrees. The finish of the edges could be improved by careful sanding. |
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| Next was the process of
cutting the amber section off the original side
repeaters. I cut it off with a small saw and used a stanley knife to remove most of the orange that was left. I didn't need to remove all of it as I was painting it silver later. The body strip on the side repeaters were originally black. |
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| The reflective part of the
indicator was painted in silver and any edges which
needed tidying up using black. I used humbrol enamel paints, they're little pots of modelling paint which I paid a pound each for. Due to the lens being flush with the side strip it was necessary to recess the bulb holder. This was achieved by making a small tube with a mounting for the bulb holder at one end. This is made from a piece of plastic plumbing tubing and a piece of polysytrene card which had the appropriate hole cut in it. These were glued together and then to the back of the indicator using epoxy resin. |
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| Below are images of test
fitting before gluing the lens and painting the side
strip. To get the lens to fit flush with the side strip it was necessary to raise the top edge by gluing a thin strip of the polstyrene card behind it. This was then painted silver and the lense was attached using clear silicon sealant. |
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| The clear bulb that was
originally inside the unit was replaced with an amber
bulb. They are now completed and the side strip was primed with halfords grey plastic primer. Fine grade wet and dry was used to smooth the finish and then toyota spray paint and the associated laquer was used to finish off the paint. The images below are of the unit flashing with an orange bulb, I think a more orangey bulb would look better. |
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| Completed photos of the drivers side repeater | ||||
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| Passenger side | ||||
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