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HankScorpio
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2010
Posts: 375
Location: Connecticut
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 Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 5:45 pm Post subject: How to French taillight reflector? |
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How would I go about 'properly' frenching the reflectors on my 72 bugs taillight body? I'd love for the reflector to be flush with the sheet metal.
I guess my google foo is weak right now because Im getting a lot of results relating to France. I am using the proper term here? Recessing something into the sheetmetal is frenching, Right?
In the end I'm guessing this is out of my skillset and not worth risking original sheet metal but it is on my wish list...
(Not my car pictured) |
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Dodgy
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 517
Location: Leicester, UK
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| Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 12:10 am Post subject: |
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It's a lot of work for a small change, but I agree with you that it would definitely look better, to people who can spot the detail 
Here's what I'd do:
• Get some spare taillight bodies to modify, just in case it goes horribly wrong...
• Make up a simple press tool the shape of the reflector, plus clearance, and punch the shape into a piece of flat steel sheet. The press tool doesn't have to go into a press, you can have two halves joined by a bolt through the centre. This helps keep the two halves of the tool aligned but will mean you need to have a hole in the middle of your panel. Kind of like the dimple tools you can get on ebay:
(You could press the recess directly into the side of the taillight body, but you'll find it will pull the edges in, which will be hard to repair)
• Cut around this formed recess, shape the curve to match the side of the taillight housing. Cut a hole in the taillight body and weld in the new panel. The tricky bit will be making sure the edge that goes against the fender keeps the original curvature, otherwise the seal won't fit properly and it will look rough.
• Smooth, paint etc
• Recessed reflector - done!
If you're brave enough to try it, post pictures when it's done!
_________________
'75 1303 (current project) owned since 1989!
'72 Squareback - full resto completed 2008 - now sold
356 Speedster kit, completed 2005 - now sold |
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grandpa pete
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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HankScorpio
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2010
Posts: 375
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| grandpa pete wrote: |
Have you ever welded 1/2 a bus to 1/2 a bug ???  |
I'd love to see that!
Also to be clear I'm referring to the side reflector not the taillight lens. |
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16886
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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I can do it. but I think the cost wouldn't be worth it to you. it's a lot of labor to do it right, but would be a bitchin mod!
send me both housings and reflectors. get a spare set and drop them in the mail
_________________
| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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buguy
Samba Member
Joined: November 17, 2003
Posts: 4915
Location: Port Orange, FL
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| Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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| How about just cutting and finshing a nice hole slightly smaller than the reflector and then epoxy it to the back side. It would mimic a flush mount. You could cut the shape to whatever you wanted that way. |
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HankScorpio
Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2010
Posts: 375
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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