Restoring old OEM foglights...

[Chrispy]

Picked up a used set of OEM fog lights from Tyson.
Thanks again Tyson The lenses were very pitted and frosted. The housings were pitted in the exposed painted area.....

This was the before



This is where I am at now. Im still waiting on HID bulbs, and the brackets to dry, then they will get installed.






Here is the rundown for you DIY guys.

Taking apart the foglights is VERY simple, but you need the correct tools. To remove the lenses you will need a T-20 Torx bit WITH the recessed center notch. I got a full set from Autozone for about $10. Once you take apart the housings, the lenses will do one of 2 things...fall out, or get stuck to the white rubber seal on the projector case. I purchased new glass lenses for $20 per set. They gave me a break on shipping, so my total cost for lenses was $47. The lens kits come with new rubber seals for the projector housing and the lens housing. Please note these lens kits are VERY difficult to find, but here is what you will be looking for, Honda/Acura part # 08V31-SR0-100R1. The lenses fit 92-95 Civics, 94-95 Integras, and 94-95 Legends. I chose to clean up the reflectors and projectors. You will need a smaller tip screwdriver to remove the remaining screws on the housings. Please take note where each screw goes, if you look in my pics, I keep everything organized and together so nothing gets lost. To each his own, but this is my system and it works for me. To clean the reflectors and projectors I simply used Windex and a microfiber cloth. Once the area was clean, I used Plastix plastic polish and polished the reflectors. For the projectors, I took them apart and cleaned the glass projector with Windex, dried, and re-installed. All the metal area's for the housings, I cleaned with dish soap and hot water. I allowed them to air dry over night. For the outer lens housings, I first sanded them with 1000 grit sandpaper. It is important to remove all of the old paint. For the areas I could not sand, I used lacquer thinner and agitated the surface with a soft wire brush. Once I was finished removing the old paint, I then cleaned them with dish soap and hot water and let them air dry over night. Once they are completely dry, I then sprayed them with gray automotive primer. I let the primed pieces sit for 1 day. I then sanded the primed pieces with 2000 grit sand paper VERY lightly. In this step, all you want to do is smooth out any imperfections from priming. You can apply another coat of primer if you feel it is necessary. In my case, I didnt, but then again, I do alot of this stuff, so Im pretty good at it. If anyone would like tricks and tips, feel free to ask me in this thread or pm me. After the primer coat has dried and been prepped for basecoat, you can go ahead and apply basecoat. I used a satin black basecoat for metals. I then let that dry for 24 hours. Again sand out imperfections as necessary after drying and apply more basecoat as needed. After letting everything dry, I then hit them with some wheel clear coat. Now you may ask, "Chrispy wtf, why wheel clear?" Well, 2 reasons. 1, I had 2 full cans of it, so it was cheap and available . 2, Wheel clear is a little bit harder than most off the shelf rattle can clears. After the clear was applied, I allowed it to dry for 2 hours. After 2 hours, I then placed the pieces in my oven at 175 degrees for a period of 25 minutes. This stage cures the work you just did and sets it up so that it is harder and more resistant to chipping and pitting. This is not necessary, but I strongly recommend it as the fog lights are exposed to more road debris than any other part of the car (with exception to the wheel wells). I can add more pics upon request if anyone needs more help. So, no more paying a king's ransom for new looking OEM foglights! Refinish your old set or find a cheap used set and.....DO WORK SON!

[Homeboyx]

Damn pimpin'!
Nice!

[>>---------->]

Nice work, and sounds like a straight forward diy. I may do this to my fogs now

[Geneva_Jee]

good work on bringin' em back to life

[White_Se_Ka7]

great job!
one of those sets shouldve been mine

[sr5guy]

I had a complete nightmare getting my set apart last night. 2 screws broke and the others were hell getting out. I had a left foglight that was damaged in an accident that I was trying to repair. It appears that the lens shroud is a lot tougher than I thought and I couldn't even get it to straighten out :/.

-Matt

[MondiVTEC]

damn homie you really worked them thangs....look like brand new. rep'd for the diy

[LowPSI]

I know this thread is ancient, but I thought I'd share my solution to 94-95 fog light restoration: replace with 92-95 Civic fogs. They have the exact same housing and lens, even the screws are the same. The brackets are different and you'll need to swap the plugs.

[tstint16]