my 88 t-bird

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my 88 t-bird

November 24, 2011, 08:20:02 PM

So the first time I signed up there was some issues in my first post... I like to say sorry to the person I said "British cigarette" to, I was pretty upset after a heated argument came up... I removed the eye soar from the dash and am in the process of fixing the cracks.

I'm adding some new custom chrome around the fender and bumper, and a little in the interior. A new V-8 emblem is on the hood.
Need to buy another Ford decal, I screwed up the other one.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #1 – November 24, 2011, 08:24:57 PM

welcome back :)

my 88 t-bird

Reply #2 – November 24, 2011, 09:01:55 PM

Very seldom on this forum are there any issues to deal with. On occasion some pop up. Roll with it and keep going. Think before you talk (that goes for anyone). It's a learning process with cars in general. If you need help, advice or whatever, just ask. Good to see you're still working on it.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #3 – November 24, 2011, 10:30:37 PM

Quote from: lionman;373793

Perhaps centering the emblem, and if it's plastic, heating it carefully and bending it slightly so it will fit to match the crease down the center of the hood.

My honest opinion: leave the emblem off, strip, lightly sand, and then paint the grille body color, and probably try to not add chrome in a gaudy fashion. Also, wheel covers are not "rims"..they are just that; wheel covers.

I'm not trying to insult you, don't take it as anything but constructive criticism. For that matter, you can have a jab at me: my car hasn't even ran in 6 months because I'm too stupid to swap (again) a dash harness..

Anyway, if you need or want a driver side inner marker light I may have one around here I'd let ya have cheap....let me know :)

my 88 t-bird

Reply #4 – November 25, 2011, 07:30:05 AM

Yea, had a little trouble with centering the emblem. I might see what I can do Saturday. I'd like to have that inner marker light. Is there anyway of getting the light lenses cleaned? I've tried a cheap way of using tooth paste but didn't do much. Still don't like to spend $15 on a headlight cleaning kit.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #5 – November 25, 2011, 08:26:33 AM

simple 3 stage process.. but it's going to cost more than $15 bucks.. those stupid cheap kits aren't worth a .. you need 1500 and 2000 grit 'wet or dry' sand paper, a bucket of water, microfiber or soft towel/rags and PLASTIC polish.. doing it by hand sucks, but if it's a 1-time thing, there's no point in spending money on a good mini buffer.. step 1: wet sand with the 1500 grit, make sure you keep the paper AND lense nice and wet.. sand until all or most of the discoloring is gone. step 2: repeat step 1, but with the 2000 grit this time.. step 3: start buffing with the plastic polish until you're satisfied with the clarity of the lense.. doing it by hand will take a while, but the end result is worth it

my 88 t-bird

Reply #6 – November 25, 2011, 09:21:41 AM

X2 on the sanding, just did a spare set of lights and they look much better.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #7 – November 25, 2011, 12:57:13 PM

Quote from: Shadow;373812

simple 3 stage process.. but it's going to cost more than $15 bucks.. those stupid cheap kits aren't worth a .. you need 1500 and 2000 grit 'wet or dry' sand paper, a bucket of water, microfiber or soft towel/rags and PLASTIC polish.. doing it by hand sucks, but if it's a 1-time thing, there's no point in spending money on a good mini buffer.. step 1: wet sand with the 1500 grit, make sure you keep the paper AND lense nice and wet.. sand until all or most of the discoloring is gone. step 2: repeat step 1, but with the 2000 grit this time.. step 3: start buffing with the plastic polish until you're satisfied with the clarity of the lense.. doing it by hand will take a while, but the end result is worth it

While I agree with the directions you gave .....
I do have a question,, what exactly do you think those kits consist of ? The ones I have seen have had abrasive pads and plastic polish :)

my 88 t-bird

Reply #8 – November 25, 2011, 01:16:16 PM

Quote from: hypostang;373822

While I agree with the directions you gave .....
I do have a question,, what exactly do you think those kits consist of ? The ones I have seen have had abrasive pads and plastic polish :)

I agree with what you're getting at....

There's a Turtle Wax brand kit that comes with 3 different stages of sanding blocks, plastic polish, latex gloves, clearcoat and a little spray bottle to wet sand with said blocks that costs about 7 bucks at Wal Mart. It works just as good as the sandpaper method but it's a whole lot cheaper. It's basically giving you everything you need to do the sandpaper method but with just enough to do the all the front lights twice.

Theres also this stuff that BlueMagic makes and all you need is a rag, it works awesome for cleaning the lights, a lot better than I thought it would. But, unless you clearcoat it, you be be re-doing it again in a few months.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #9 – November 25, 2011, 10:47:23 PM

i don't like those kids.. i use the meguiar's plastic polish and it's second to none.. i haven't used anything turtle wax in years, as i hate dealing with it, it's not that great in my opinion

my 88 t-bird

Reply #10 – November 25, 2011, 10:53:33 PM

Quote from: Shadow;373855

i don't like those kids.. i use the meguiar's plastic polish and it's second to none.. i haven't used anything turtle wax in years, as i hate dealing with it, it's not that great in my opinion

Just because you don't like them it doesn't take away from the fact that they actually work..... some great for that matter. I actually liked the Turtle Wax one the best. I've used sandpaper and Meguiars, and it does work great, but it's very time consuming and a real PITA, not to mention the costs of the sandpaper, plastic polish, and clearcoat. You get the same results with some of the kits, with less time and cost. You can't beat that.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #11 – November 25, 2011, 11:11:05 PM

i beg to differ but to each his own.. all i will say is, no matter what you use, without a buffer, it's a real PITA to get them crystal clear

my 88 t-bird

Reply #12 – November 26, 2011, 01:09:15 PM

Its worthless anyway when they are usually fogged on the inside too! The kits do help though.

my 88 t-bird

Reply #13 – November 26, 2011, 02:31:10 PM

i've only ever had 1 set that was fogged on the inside, because the lense seal was wasted.. but you can do inside the lense as well, it's just a real pain in the arse

my 88 t-bird

Reply #14 – November 26, 2011, 03:46:39 PM

I removed the lenses from the housings. I started with 320 grit to remove all the yellowing, and moved up to 600 wet 800 wet 1000 wet and then 1500 wet. I then machine polished them with two grits of polishing compounds, and finally a hand glaze. Came out pretty good.:D