Easiest way to open up a Corner Lens?
 

Alright so here's the deal, I ordered some black headlights with black corners and today I found out that the black corners have an amber lens. They no longer make the black corners with the clear lens due to the D.O.T. outlawing clear corners/clear lens in all 50 states. So here's what I want to do, I was looking at my OEM corners today and there is a way to open them up, it appears there are two pieces, the plastic lens part and the black plastic back piece. I want to transfer the clear lens to the black corner, am I making sense? How would I go about doing this. There is like a glue/putty that is holding them together really tight. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Not sure how to separate the lens from the plastic but I thought you could have clear corners as long as the bulb was amber? I see alot of people with clear taillights and corners around here so I guess they'll be upset when they start getting pulled over.

fo sheezy: check out pb2themax's Car Domain: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/832238
he is on several forums and I am pretty sure he has a write up on how to separate the lenses by using a low heat in the oven.
Hope this helps...

Alright man, thanks for the info. I left him a comment, let's hope he replies!

It's not the color of the lens as long as the bulb is amber when turned on but I know police are picky if the rears don't have a red rear reflector of some sort on the tails. With corners they don't seem to notice here in Colorado.

Well my way is a little different, and is probably the fastest....but it involves a hammer...

Maybe you can take a knife to the seam with the putty and pry them open, but you should probably try heating them up first like with a blowdryer.

The two pieces of light housing are epoxied together. You wont likely get them apart without breaking them.

Well then, looks like you're SOL. Sorry.

It's really not that difficult. The oven method works IF done right (import guys do it all the time) but I use and recommend a heat-gun that keeps the melting point directed to only where it's needed. I've separated a few large lenses with a heat-gun...look at JDM 1 piece headlights for a '90-93 integra and you'll see what i mean.
Little corner lights would be easy as cake.

Fo-
my corner lenses were practically separated already when I did the RitzyRunner mod 'corner lites with supplemental turn signal indicator bulb'. Out here the epoxy kind of drys up and peels back.

Yes- heat will get them to separate or possibly use a fine blade Dremel to score the epoxy seam, but you may want to have another pair on standby just in case you end up destroying one.

You seem pretty handy with these mods-you'll be able to handle it. Have some of that sealant on hand to close up the seam when you are done. Same stuff used on the deckplate mod to seal the deckplate to the airbox-like a gasket type of sealant.

I am over in Newbie Tech and kind of proud of my new rear wing-come over and take a look and say hi. It is my first picture on a forum ever ever.

(dang is that a blatant hijack or what!)

Have fun modding this weekend!

Ok the good thing is, I've got two OEM corners to experiment on this weekend. So if I mess up, hopefully I can learn from my mistakes. I kind of want to try the oven method first. On Pb2themax's cardomain page he seperated his headlights at 300 degrees for 6 minutes, and sealed them back together at 400 degrees for 2 minutes. If that doesn't work, my friend has a heat gun and a dremel so I'll try that on the second OEM corner.

I don’t think you will need too much heat/time because the lenses are so small.

I heat gun would probably work OK for something this size (not so good on bigger lenses). It’s tough getting an even temperature with a HG and I get impatient and always end up burning something! :bang:

Most of the plastics that are used for lenses (AAS, ABS, PMMA, Polypropolene, PVC) have a heat resisting temp of 176 F (80 C)
Polycarbonate (PC) has a heat resisting temp of 248 F (120 C)
Polypropylene composite (PPC) heat resisting temp of 239 F (115 C)

So if you start with the oven at 165/170 F you should reduce the risk of melting the lens or lens housing. You may have to increase the time the lenses are in (check the corners and put them back in if their not ready). But, with something that small, I doubt it will be by much. If that is not enough for the sealant you can slowly start going up by 5 degrees at a time.

I’ve done this successfully with tail lights for another car, but they were only held together with butyl.

I set the lens in the oven on a piece of wood.

Here's the page that got me started.

*** The source for the temperature information is a 2007 set of the Mitchell Collision Repair and estimating guide.

that is good info on the temperatures appreciate that