headlight advice

[Nazz]

  Hi guys, i added some clear headlight lenses to one side of this grill. i am not sure it made things better. Which side of this grill looks better to you. 

 

Any input is much appreciated, 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Jerry

[Shark]

Sometimes with the molded in chrome headlights, I brush some pearl white finger nail polish on them, a little heavier around the edges.

[espo]

Might try a gloss or semi-gloss clear paint to see if that gives you the effect you are wanting. 

[Swamp Dog]

right side..

[meechum68]

68 Cutlass!!!!!! Is this the Resin version from MCW?  (I have 2 of these in my stash, building one box stock, and the other will be a nice fat hotrod version, I have pics of my 68 so gonna base it loosely off what I had.) 

Keep us posted on the resolution of this, because I am gonna steal this resolution for mine. 

[NOBLNG]

The pictures are a bit blurry, but I think the passenger side looks more realistic.

[HankinWisconsin]

Passenger side...concur.

[Nazz]

Adding a couple of pics. hopefully better quality. 

[Russell C]

If you have the clear lenses already, why not go two extra steps by drilling out the 'chrome lights' and then adding a convex shape reflector made from thick aluminum foil? Our MCM member "89AKurt" had a short tutorial on that here, but when I made my own foil reflectors for my '29 Ford 'Red Baron', I pressed the foil into some scrap aluminum tubing with my finger, rather than use a large drill to make a convex shape in a block.

With the concave foil reflector shape, the light coming out of it looks like 1:1 headlights, while the convex shape of a chromed lens will reflect light basically in the opposite way no matter what you put over it or how you paint translucent colors onto it.

Edited yesterday at 05:10 AM by Russell C

[peteski]

Transparent headlight lenses are the ultimate way to achieve realism in your model, but as mentioned (if the lens openings are drilled out), they also need a reflector behind them to make them look like 1:1 headlights (which have parabolic reflectors).  An alternative for making your own reflector is to glue some inexpensive rhinestones behind  the lens.  These have facets and also mirrored back which nicely simulates a reflector behind the lens.  Round rhinestones in  various diameters are available in craft stores. Choose one with the diameter close to the lens diameter

When locating them behind the clear lens it is best to glue them from the back (so the adhesive does not affect the rhinestone's faceted surface)

Edited 15 hours ago by peteski

[maxwell48098]

I've Tamiya white pearl paint for covering chromed headlights for probably 10 years. There's just enough white in it to allow some of the chrome to show through as silvery background.  And it dries glossy.

 

 

[Chariots of Fire]

Agree with Peteski.  When drilling out you can also use a chrome pen to color the back side of the lens after it is in place.  The one thing NOT to do, however, is get glue on the lens, either inside or outside because it will ruin the effect.  If you can make a backing first, so much the better.  I avoid the glue issue by using two-part epoxy sparingly around the edges..

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 12/6/2025 at 4:29 PM, NOBLNG said:

The pictures are a bit blurry, but I think the passenger side looks more realistic.

I agree.

 

 

Steve

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

18 hours ago, Russell C said:

If you have the clear lenses already, why not go two extra steps by drilling out the 'chrome lights' and then adding a convex shape reflector made from thick aluminum foil? Our MCM member "89AKurt" had a short tutorial on that here, but when I made my own foil reflectors for my '29 Ford 'Red Baron', I pressed the foil into some scrap aluminum tubing with my finger, rather than use a large drill to make a convex shape in a block.

With the concave foil reflector shape, the light coming out of it looks like 1:1 headlights, while the convex shape of a chromed lens will reflect light basically in the opposite way no matter what you put over it or how you paint translucent colors onto it.

I agree with this also.

It’s one of the first thing that I do with kits with molded in lenses, and it’s become a necessity for me.

I usually drill out the chrome lenses prior to re-plating, and then I’ll use whatever I can find for reflectors and just paint them with Alclad chrome.

I cut out a set of reflectors from a Moebius ‘61 Pontiac to create reflectors for my ‘64 Bonneville.

I didn’t have to paint them because they were already plated.

I think they look very realistic.

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited 8 hours ago by StevenGuthmiller

[MR. Macabre]

The passenger side gets my vote. Is that '68 OLDS a Cutlass or a 442? I owned a '68 442 from '80 until '88 packing a '70 W30 455 under the hood. It was an NHRA Stock eliminator car before I acquired it from it's original owner. It was a blast to drive. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, MR. Macabre said:

The passenger side gets my vote. Is that '68 OLDS a Cutlass or a 442? I owned a '68 442 from '80 until '88 packing a '70 W30 455 under the hood. It was an NHRA Stock eliminator car before I acquired it from it's original owner. It was a blast to drive. 

Looks like it’s a 442 grille modified to resemble a standard cutlass.

The ‘68 442 didn’t have the vertical members, and a regular cutlass kit was never produced.

Johan was the only one to ever do a ‘68 442 in plastic, and it was just a regular 442.

I modified one of the Johan kits to represent a W-30 package using the applicable parts from an MPC ‘69 442.

By the way, the headlights on this build were also drilled out and replaced.

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited 6 hours ago by StevenGuthmiller

[Nazz]

 Thanks guys for all your input . I am not sure what I will do as I am concerned  if I drill out the existing head lights and it goes sideways then the project is lost as I do not have another grill to replace this one. You have given me lots to think about. 

 

Much appreciated,

 

Jerry

[89AKurt]

Searching this forum is a pain, but I see many related OTs.  Mine is just about the reflector part: Headlight foil reflector

[Bainford]

54 minutes ago, Nazz said:

 Thanks guys for all your input . I am not sure what I will do as I am concerned  if I drill out the existing head lights and it goes sideways then the project is lost as I do not have another grill to replace this one. You have given me lots to think about. 

 

Much appreciated,

 

Jerry

If you give this technique a try, definitely do it on a scrap grill or two first. 'Centre-punch' the headlight lens with a heated needle. Use a smaller drill bit such as 1/16" or so to make a pilot hole. If your pilot hole is a little off-centre, that's ok. Select a larger drill bit that will remove most of the remaining lens and drill through the pilot hole, being sure to 'break through' gently to avoid tearing a chunk out of your grill. Then use a round jewellers' file or small fine rat-tail file to clean up the hole, sneak up carefully on the edges of the lens, and correct any off-centre deviation. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, Bainford said:

If you give this technique a try, definitely do it on a scrap grill or two first. 'Centre-punch' the headlight lens with a heated needle. Use a smaller drill bit such as 1/16" or so to make a pilot hole. If your pilot hole is a little off-centre, that's ok. Select a larger drill bit that will remove most of the remaining lens and drill through the pilot hole, being sure to 'break through' gently to avoid tearing a chunk out of your grill. Then use a round jewellers' file or small fine rat-tail file to clean up the hole, sneak up carefully on the edges of the lens, and correct any off-centre deviation. 

I only use a drill bit to drill a pilot hole.

I then use a variable speed Dremel on low speed with a variety of reamer bits to get close to the opening size and then finish up with round files.

Of course you have to be careful and steady with the Dremel, but I always worried about breakage with a drill bit, especially with grilles where you have very little “meat” surrounding the headlight opening like on my ‘64 Bonneville.

You really have to be careful not to force anything in some instances.

 

 

 

Steve 

Edited 1 hour ago by StevenGuthmiller