Creating Proper Series 2 Clear Glass Indicators

[PM-R33]

Hey all

This is something that is wanted by most Series II owners and something that I wanted since the day I bought the car; clear front indicators.

As we all know the indicator is made of orange plastic compared to the clear glass foglight. This means a simple swap over is not possible (refer to pictures).

Many people have simply made perspex replacements, but to me it wasn't perfect and bugged me. I wanted both the foglight and indicator to look the same.

So a couple of years ago I got my hands on a second pair of housings and wanted to give it a go but very quickly hit a brick wall with not knowing how to go about it and thought it wasn't really possible so I gave up.

Well now i've returned to the project and I ain't giving up.

Here is what I have so far. I removed the glass lens from my spare set using the oven technique:

Now here is where I need some opinions/help; cutting the glass. I went around to a few glass places today and they all said it wasn't possible and didn't want anything to do with it. I aint taking no as an answer. I tried using some glass cutting drill bits to cut into it to see whether it would simply shatter. Turns out it holds together and doesn't break. But my god is it hard to drill into.

So what I need to do is cut around the circle lens to get rid of the big chuck of glass behind it. I drilled another hole on this point and it held together. Refer to picture where I need to cut:

Once this is cut out, I will simply cut out the plastic orange indicator on the set on my car and use some sort of silicone to attach and seal the glass foglight in place where the indicator was. I know it can be done some how as I have come across these pics which appear to be the same method

So any ideas of how to cut that glass? My only option at the moment is to drill 100 holes around the edge and try and snap it off.......this will take a million hours to do and I really think there could be an easier way. Any one got any ideas? A high powered laser I could borrow or something? lol.

Cheers

Phil

Edited August 31, 2010 by PM-R33

[NA_Goodness]

Plasma cutter, perhaps? Thats all I can think of.

Definately interested in how this turns out. I'm a fellow S2 owner sick of the orange lights

[PM-R33]

Hmm interesting, I hadn't thought of that. Could you use that on glass? What about a fine toothed blade for a jigsaw used to cut tiles or something?

[blk94r33]

Usually with brand new glass, they "score" the line they want to cut with a kind of pin, then it snaps off, but I doubt older glass would work so easily? Water cutter maybe?

[blk94r33]

Usually with brand new glass, they "score" the line they want to cut with a kind of pin, then it snaps off, but I doubt older glass would work so easily? Water cutter maybe?

[GUN_METAL_GTR32]

me and my brother used to have a hole bunch of fish tanks which we had plumbed up with piping and to cut the holes in the back we had a mate of ours from an aquarium cut them and drll them, maybe try some who does glass cutting like that bro.

[RusH_]

id have thought a fine blade in a jig saw could do the trick.

They look great though on the finished product, very keen to see how yours turn out, good luck

[PM-R33]

Usually with brand new glass, they "score" the line they want to cut with a kind of pin, then it snaps off, but I doubt older glass would work so easily? Water cutter maybe?

Due to the thickness of the glass and the fact it isn't a straight cut I don't think scoring it with a diamond tipped glass cutter will work. That was the first thing I thought of and after doing a bit of research and speaking to one of the guys in the glass mob it looked as if that method wouldn't work. In videos it looks so easy to cut a flat thin sheet of glass with one of those!

me and my brother used to have a hole bunch of fish tanks which we had plumbed up with piping and to cut the holes in the back we had a mate of ours from an aquarium cut them and drll them, maybe try some who does glass cutting like that bro.

I tried man, one place was even an industrial place that cuts glass for a profession and they said it wasn't possible, so I dunno. Maybe they were just to scared to crack it and didn't want to be held responsible

id have thought a fine blade in a jig saw could do the trick.

They look great though on the finished product, very keen to see how yours turn out, good luck

I might give the jigsaw a go, ill go buy a blade tomorrow at bunnings and drill a couple more holes so i can fit the jigsaw blade in place. I really want to do this but it is quite difficult indeed!

Edited September 1, 2010 by PM-R33

[75coupe]

maybe try a tile saw or a diamond blade in a wet saw?

[ahh 33 s2]

orbital sander FTW

[PM-R33]

Lol grind it down ay

[ahh 33 s2]

yeh why not, just some good safety glasses and gloves, cant see a problem

[PM-R33]

Would that work? Wouldn't it just shatter? I suppose there is one way to find out...

I was kind of thinking you were just joking haha.

Edited September 1, 2010 by PM-R33

[ahh 33 s2]

well i dont see why it wouldnt work, i never done it mind you and have zero experiance in this field, but i reckon if u clamp ur sander in a vice or something and just slowly work away at the glass, you will have a nice smooth finish,

have u rang a mirror place, they cut glass to custom shapes, like for wing mirrors and stuff and they cheap as

[75coupe]

Im pretty sure it would be toughened or temptered glass and this wont grind well I would of thought, its made to shatter into many pieces on impact..

[PM-R33]

I might do some more ringing around to smaller companies tomorrow first before I start experimenting on it. I just hate being told something can't be done. Hell they can put people on the bloody Moon but you can't cut a circle out of glass? Bullshit, it can be done.

So is it hardenered glass? See I thought if it was, it would have started to shatter when I drilled it? The glass places said it was hardened glass, but I don't know much about glass at all so I just took their word on it.

Edited September 1, 2010 by PM-R33

[75coupe]

well I though all headlight lenses were tempered or hardened for a safety issue, so it shatters and doesnt smash in shards...

[PM-R33]

Ah ok makes sense. Yeah it probably would be then.

[Rowdy]

if the glass was tempered, when you drilled through the outer case of glass, which is under compression, the whole thing would have shattered because of the release of tension.

also, it seems you need very high RPM for drilling through glass. 2,500-5,000 rpm. can your drill reach these speeds? and diamond tipped drill bits.

hope that helps a little

[PM-R33]

Oh wow cheers for that! That video is impressive. God if I had seen that before I wouldn't have dared drilled into it hahaha. So we can assume it won't do that correct? lol.

The drill I used was nothing fancy and the drill bits are nothing fancy, simple some that are made for glass from bunnings. So maybe I should invest in a slightly more expensive drill bit.

Other than drilling all the holes, do you have any other suggestions of cutting it? Some of the suggestions some of the other guys gave?

Edited September 1, 2010 by PM-R33