Can the headlight reflector be removed from the headlight assembly? (1 Viewer)

[toadshade]

My reflectors are shot. I am thinking about re-chroming my headlight reflector but before I go through the trouble of removing the headlight, I wanted to know if disassembly is even possible. I cannot find any OEM or aftermarket reflectors. Only upgrade kits. Which are fine if I have to go that way, but I want to look into this option first. And has anyone ever tried Cosmichrome? Looks like an interesting product but before I contact them I want to know if I can even get them the part. BTW this is the '92 with the single glass, not the dual/separate bulb option like the 60's

 

[Kernal]

Good question. AFAIK you can remove the small clips around the edge of the headlamp holding the glass lens on, remove the bulbs, then heat up the headlamp assembly in an oven at ~200 degrees, enough to soften the adhesive that holds the front glass lens to the plastic body, then pry the lens off the body. Haven't done this myself so proceed at your own risk.

Others have pulled the lens off but AFAIK no one has (yet) had the reflectors renewed (they can't be replaced separately).
Best guess is the reflector coating is not a paint, more likely a vacuum deposited metal vapor process??

Here's one link from the forum (there are others IIRC):

Headlight looks dirty inside

Hi folks, I have done quite a bit of searching on this topic and haven't found any info. on it. Inside the headlight lens it looks as if it is dirty. From a distance, lens looks grey or smoky inside. Any ideas on cleaning it? Should I replace the lens? It doesn't appear to be cracked. I...

forum.ih8mud.com

Not specific to a Land Cruiser but FWIW one example working with a plastic lens headlamp assembly:



With time the reflectors become dull (?oxidation/deterioration) and may not reflect/focus light as well as they did when new.

 

[toadshade]

Yikes. I was afraid of that. Even if I get it off, I don't know how I would get it back on very well. But I did a little research on what the actual process was that "chromes" plastic. That is where the Cosmichrome question came from. Evidently it is the same as the OEM process they use for the reflectors. Too bad it might not be possible. Maybe I can get my hands on a cheap donor that I can try prying on.

 

[Kernal]

I picked up two junkyard headlamp assemblies for $40 (total), some of the tabs were broken but I wanted them mostly
for the glass lens (one of mine has a large spall chip) and to experiment with removing the lens by heating just haven't
gotten around to that project yet.

Apparently what some people do is try to use the same/remaining adhesive putty when they put them back together
but there are substitutes.

Here's a link to the Morimoto OEM grade headlamp sealant used in the video above (available in grey or black):

Morimoto RetroRubber Butyl Glue

Seal your headlights up like we do here at the shop with Morimoto RetroRubber Butyl Glue. Pro tools and Pro results. The Retrofit Source

www.morimotohid.com

 

[toadshade]

Great OK. Good place to start.

 

[mudgudgeon]

The adhesive used is a butyl mastic putty

If you can find something like this in a suitable size, it will reseal like the original.
It stays pliable. Softens with heat etc

https://a.co/d/70lIa28

 

[toadshade]

Great to know. I am very familiar with butyl. If that is all it is then great. I should be able to work with it. I need to find an old broken one for a few bucks that I can play with.

 

[smritte]

I've pulled a number of lens's off. Be carful how much butyl you use reassembling it. Too little or you didn't notice a small gap, you get water in your lens (ask me how I know this). Too much (to a point) isn't bad but you end up with cleaning off the excess. In this case, slightly too much is better than too little.
When you take it out of the oven gently prying with a plastic blade is good. I try not to use screw drivers. There are a few clips to remove. As you separate, the butyl may "spiderweb" across the opening. I go slow and try to capture the threads because they get all over everything.
At one time I attempted to "clean" my reflectors. All I ended up doing was removing the finish.

The last one I did, I used a heat gun. It worked but it was way easier to use the oven. I couldn't use the oven because my wife came home when I was "baking" the first one and banned me from the kitchen...again.
At least she didn't catch me cleaning parts in the dishwasher. Commercial detergent and "sanitize" mode rocks.

 

[toadshade]

Ha! Great advice thanks. Yeah, my wife never found out that I completely sanded and reglassed my whole paddleboard in the kitchen when she went out of town for the week. But this is encouraging. Looking forward to giving it a try. Mine are completely shot. The process I mentioned above called Cosmichrome is supposed to be the OEM equivalent of the chrome deposition method for plastic. My goal is to redo them to factory spec. Then add some nice LED's. I was against LED bulbs. I am a big Halogen fan, but it looks like the new LED's are finally worth a try. But I still need a good reflector to make them work.

 

[Kernal]

Seems like the the original headlamp reflector coating was either done by electroplating or vacuum deposition (silver/nickel on metal, aluminum on plastic??).

Wondering if anyone on the forum has had this (professionally) done to an 80 Series (or any other) headlamp reflector?

 

[toadshade]

I looked around before starting this thread (heaven forbid asking a duplicate question). I haven't found any info on it here at least. I was actually pretty surprised it hasn't come up before.