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Clearing Headlights

BlueAvy

BlueAvy

Full Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2004
Messages
379
Location
Falls Church, VA
Does anyone know how to clear out the Headlights and Turn signal lenses on an Avalanche with the Body Moldings? If you open the lenses up can you take out the orange plastic pieces in them?
 
BlueAvy said:
Does anyone know how to clear out the Headlights and Turn signal lenses on an Avalanche with the Body Moldings? If you open the lenses up can you take out the orange plastic pieces in them?
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If you heat them up and pry them the lense from the reflector you can pull out the amber/orange pieces. I saw it done on a Silverado (new front-end style) and it is pretty much the same thing for the Cladded AV. Good Luck. I plan to be taking that piece out too.
 
Do you have any other info on this like a temp to heat it up to or pics that show it being done? Any help at all would be good.
 
Anyone else ever done this? Or found them for sale? They sell the cleared headlights for the Silverados and Avalanches without body cladding. But not cladded Avys.
 
Good write up here on this....

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=95438
 
TheBeast said:
Good write up here on this....

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=95438
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Damn Beast thanks alot. Im gonna do that tomorrow with a few of my buddies. Hope it works
 
Lemme know how it turns out...considering it myself.....
 
TheBeast said:
Lemme know how it turns out...considering it myself.....
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Will do, it should be about the same as mine with the cladding since the headlights are on the bottom. ah well see what happens tomorrow.
 
Its much harder than i thought. I dunno if im doin it wrong or what but i couldnt to save my life get the clear plastic lense off of the turn signal backing. I scraped the things and tried to pry them but nothing was moving. I didnt even try the headlights im afraid im gonna ruin them.

After looking at my turn signals for a while i think the way the plastic is molding into the backing is different then the avys without cladding or the silverados. I think the directions that are on the post will work with the headlights but not with the turn signals on avys with cladding. I dont know though this is just what i think. Some help would be nice.
 
I tried again for about 2 hours and still no luck with the turn signals. I think its different then the avys with turn signals on bottom cause i cant get mine apart. I think im gonna call it quits and just wait till they come out with them cleared. Also dont want to try the headlights cause im still afraid.
 
i didi it on a 5th gen honda accord and i doubt ill ever try to pry open and reseal another factory headlight assembly
i had too many condensation problems afterwards
i do know that a number of people are successful at it though...
 
Does anyone kno if any clears are gonna come out for cladded avys?
I think im gonna try to mess with the headlights tomorrow for a little bit but if its the same deal with the turn signals then forget it.
 
I have NOT done it yet, but since I have a spare pair of assemblies, this is the procedure I am going to do this weekend:

1. Remove all rubber hoses, clamps, rubber lightbulb plug
2. Get oven up to 400 degrees and shut it off.
3. Put aluminum foil on a cookie sheet, and place assembly on sheet in oven for 10 minutes.
4. Remove and pull apart with butter knife (will be hot).

If you want to test it out, but are afraid of ruinning your headlight, try it out on a junk one or a spare one (ebay is a good place to get them cheap).

Good luck! And I will post pics this weekend!
 
TLwiz said:
I have NOT done it yet, but since I have a spare pair of assemblies, this is the procedure I am going to do this weekend:

1. Remove all rubber hoses, clamps, rubber lightbulb plug
2. Get oven up to 400 degrees and shut it off.
3. Put aluminum foil on a cookie sheet, and place assembly on sheet in oven for 10 minutes.
4. Remove and pull apart with butter knife (will be hot).

If you want to test it out, but are afraid of ruinning your headlight, try it out on a junk one or a spare one (ebay is a good place to get them cheap).

Good luck! And I will post pics this weekend!
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Make sure u post step by step pics for us less capable peeps out there. And good luck.
 
I might give this mod a try too soon . . . maybe in the summer when it will be easier to heat up the plastic.
 
Unless you take the amber reflector out of both the headlights and the turnsignal housings what's the point? They both line up nicely along the side of the grill. With only the headlight cleared you'll have one amber reflector hanging out all by itself.
 
Unless I'm mistaken behind one of those reflectors is the bulbs for the turn signals. So you'll have to swap those bulbs out for amber bulbs too or you'll likely end up with white turn indicators which I doubt is legal in most places.
 
Sorry everyone. I am going to try it out today (maybe). I am sick, and I am home with both my little kids today. A "good" opportunity to do it, as long as the kids don't bother me too much.

Anyway, I will try it on one of my spare headlights and let you all know how it goes.

To keep in mind (at least here in MA): If you remove the amber reflectors and get in an accident, you could get ticketed or found at fault for improper/altered vehicle safety devices (i.e. they could not see your refectors, so they hit you.) A load of crap, but just wanted to warn you all. I happen to like the amber look, especially since i have a SOM AV!
 
Well sh!t on me. Here goes woth my woes: :6: :6:

Everything was going OK, and then I figured out how to do it a bit better. Following my earlier posted instructions, I kept putting the unit back into the oven, for about 8-10 minutes each time), for a total of 6 times. It did work, with some dirty talk, I managed to get it apart.

Now for the bad news. :E: :E: :E:
Like a real jacka$$, I looked at the clear lens and saw that it was a little mis-shaped from me man-handling the peices apart. From pulling it, I kind of made a slight curve to it. So, I figured that I would bend it back to shape. Well, like a dope :6: I forgot to re-heat it, so while I was reforming it, I heard a loud **SNAP** :9:
Cracked the friggin' thing in half. :-[

So, now I have an open headlight housing, I am ready to install my HID projectors (Audi A6 units) for that awesome projector style look with "angle eyes" (i.e. BMW rings) and get the darn things on my truck, and I have no clear lens!!! Damn jerk that I am!

So, the moral of the story is use CAUTION!!! It did work getting them apart. It was a ROYAL pita to do it. I am pleased with the final result, other than the boken lens :8: .Good luck to you all!
 
enkeiavalanche said:
I'll wait till June. Thats when APC will have the Clear lights for the Av.. :eek:
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APC is also making clear headlamps?? I thoght they were only making the clear tail lamps...
 
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