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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Head light shell repair
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Message started by SURAZAL on 03/03/09 at 12:15:08

Title: Head light shell repair
Post by SURAZAL on 03/03/09 at 12:15:08

considering what a replacement costs I decided to repair the one I got with my crashed 2002 salvage bike. As you can see it isn’t in very good shape, after taking it a part and sanding the inner surface with a mototool to roughen it to make it easier for the epoxy to stick to , I made a cotton cloth reinforcing patch for the inside and outside and then using a set of large stainless hose clamps I was able to precisely close the cracks in the shell, a final clean up with alcohol and I mixed up a batch of regular set time epoxy and brushed in on and then laid in the cotton scrape cloth, think of it as a fiberglass repair. After allowing it to dry I then put some small patches on the outside doing a similar process sand, alcohol, epoxy, cloth. Now this shell appears to be made out of a slippery molded plastic and the epoxy will hold for the short term but I am in for a longer lasting repair. This is the trick now you drill through the shell in 6 places and put cotton string through to make an epoxy cotton rivet that will hold the inner and outer patch together probably improving the grip the patches have on the shell by a factor of 3-4. Don’t make the patches too big as you will get into issues with the difference of coefficient of thermal expansion between the plastic and the epoxy resin. Now I believe I can relax and the shell will hold as long an the original. This is an easy process and inexpensive considering the shell lists at 65 locally, so I figure a $5.00 repair a very good investment. Just thought I would share with you some thing I tried and after 6 months seems to be holding just fine.

Title: Re: Head light shell repair
Post by Savage Eddie on 03/03/09 at 20:55:39

i don't see any pics but am willing to send you my headlight assembly for my 96 which is still in good condition if you want to pay for shipping....
(if your doesn't hold)
pm me!

Title: Re: Head light shell repair
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/04/09 at 01:13:24

I woulda never thought of that. Sounds ingenious. Would a fiberglass layer on it make it permanent now? You got the shape all steadied up, would a a layer of glass stay on it or would it attack the plastic?