CF'ers,

My 79 came with the pop-ups long gone and fixed buckets installed. The PO had made a crude attempt at covering the buckets with plexiglass shields. I opted to turn it up a notch and made some myself after gagging at Eckler's offering. Here, for you viewing pleasure , is a stepwise look at the procedure:

I initially laid a piece of craft paper over the opening and traced the edges with a marker/crayon to create a template. I went one step further and asked the guy at a local Vette shop if he had a pop-up I could trace...he did so a template was in hand. I used the shield template to create a mounting flange template by tracing the edge and adding ~3/4" in either direction



The shields themselves were cut from plexiglass (acrylic), 0.22" thick. This is a tad tricky because using a fine tooth blade on a scroll or circular saw cuts well but the new cut is too hot and fuses behind the blade (ie melts back together). No good! This was solved by tracing the template onto the plexi, covering the tracing with masking tape on the front and back, then re-tracing and cutting. The masking tape acts as a heat sink and the cut is perfecto. Less important with drilling...just go slow and clean as you go.

The mount was made from 0.093" thick Lexan...this stuff, with it's protective wrapping still on, cuts and drills just like wood...go nuts. This is a shot of lexan being cut on a scroll saw.



I used some 100 grit sandpaper to clean up all of the edges then stepped down to a 150. Be sure to support the pieces and all is well... no cracks or splinters, reasonably smooth edge. I know some folks flame the edge with a torch to make it crystal clear. Since the cut edge is tucked below the opening I saw no need.

The mount was attached to the underside of the light opening using clear silicone sealant/adhesive. The mounting frame was fit into the opening and a thick bead of silicone was traced around the outer edge. The cut mount will bend to slip into the opening and there is then enough clearance to apply the silicone while it is in place in the bucket. Clamps in the center locked it in position until set (~30'). I spread a bead of silicone with my finger to fully fill the gap, wiped off the excess and let it cure. A thin skin is OK to leave behind....it will clean off following curing.



After curing use a real sharp hobby knife to cut away and peel off the excess silicone...





Clean up any residue with a mild detergent and a clean, soft wipe. Friction is your friend here...just rub it back and forth a bit and all of the excess will cleanly come away.

Insert blind nuts into each of the openings in the mount and push up to seat. I used 1/4" stainless blind nuts with a 1/4" opening and they grabbed just enough to lock into position and stayed in place during subsequent addition of the shield.



All the hardware was purchased at Ace, ~$13 total, stainless. I used 6 sets per shield, 2 top, 2 bottom, 1 each per side. Choose whatever size works for you...I used 10 x 24, 3/4" with the appropriate blind nuts and finishing washers.



With the mount finished, lay the cut shield on top of the mount and use a permanent marker to mark the 2 side holes for drilling. Use a 9/32" bit to drill these 2 holes. Attach the shield to the mount and mark the remaining holes and drill. If all goes well the exposed end of the blind nut will fit cleanly into the drilled openings in the shields.



Attach with the finishing washers and screws. I used 1/8" allen head screws for a cool look and neat finish.





Best of luck. Hope this helps someone on their quest to improve their vette at minimum cost.

Enjoy and Happy Fathers Day to all those vette dads (took my daughter on a nice 95 degree cruise this afternoon...nothin better!)

Steve

 

fyi
there are drill bits for acrylic that have a perpindicular biting surface...... regular bits cut the material...acrylic bits scrap the material..

also, theres cast acrylic and extruded acrylic

usually extruded acrylic is the shyt that gums up because it has a lower melt temp..... i usually stay away from extruded if i can

you can also go to a clear polycarbonate (lexan) for the covers to help reduce breaks.....

good work


b

 

steve
great work

 

Nice job Bro'. Great pics too.

 

Sweet! Thanks for sharing!!

 

excellent job. i know what u mean about ecklers price, i gagged also. i did mine a lil different, made a template & brought it to a boat windsheild place and had them cut em, cost me $80 but a far cry from ecklers. i like the silicone idea, i used foam, yer idea is better.

 

I think that those would look really cool if you took them to a window tinting shop and had them tinted dark. It should blend in nicely, especially with Wuttin's car, since it's black.

 

would look but wouldnt help night time driving

 

you know what would be really cool would be to make them out of the light sensitive plastic they use to make the funky sunglasses that darken when exposed to the sun...super dark in the day (cool), clear for night driving (safe).

uh...invention in the works...don't tell anyone...

 

Great job,i had the same headlights a few years back before i switched the L-88 design and also made my own covers,but yours came out way better.

 

You can buy plaxiglass in various shades and colors...

Great work...