I finally finished the Dome Light Lens restoration this afternoon. I spent several hours wet sanding with the finer grits and then I finally had to drop down to a 220 grit wet sandpaper to get the plastic down to something I could live with. (I removed as much of the crazing and yellowing as I could with the 220 grit then I progressively worked my way back up to 400, 500, 1000, then 2000 grit to finish up.) I must admit, the toothpaste on the back of the sink started to look good as did the Old Dutch cleanser on the floor, so I used them as well during this long process. They seemed to help, or maybe it just felt like they helped. Did I mention there are no small projects, just the ones you think are small then take hours to finish. As you can see from the pictures below, I think the lens turned out nice though. It always feels good to preserve something original on this old truck.
Oh yeah, I finished up with the Meguiare’s compound and polish that Stan recommended and they worked out great using a Dremel tool and polishing attachment. I did not use the clear coat since the dome light is in the interior and I do not plan to leave the truck outside much.
As always, I appreciate everyone’s helpful suggestions. Who knows, maybe this will help someone else one day that decides to preserve one of these old plastic lenses.
Thanks
Cruisin' in the Passing Lane Former owner of a 1954 3100 w/Hydra-Matic "To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge." - Confucius
