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hansie 
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2007
Posts: 476
Location: Beach Lake, PA
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 Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:43 pm Post subject: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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Do they make any other style front blinker lens for a 70-71 ?
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Karl Bower |
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crocteau
Samba Member
Joined: March 31, 2005
Posts: 1204
Location: Philaburbia
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| Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:16 pm Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| hansie wrote: |
| Do they make any other style front blinker lens for a 70-71 ? |
KGPR/Airhead Parts offers a choice. Or you could weld in some patch panels and change to the older bullet style with either clear or amber lenses.
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runamoc
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2006
Posts: 5600
Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 6:49 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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crocteau, has some good advice on saving a lot of money. My '72
_________________
Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 44 yrs - Plan B: '81 Rabbit Diesel LS Deluxe - Plan C: '72 Ghia
Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs-
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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hansie
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2007
Posts: 476
Location: Beach Lake, PA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:40 pm Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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I really don't want to paint the car . I was hopping someone had a flatter lens.
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Karl Bower |
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swavananda
Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2009
Posts: 889
Location: Can o' Scruz
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:33 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| hansie wrote: |
| I really don't want to paint the car . I was hopping someone had a flatter lens. |
I really wanted to convert to bullets but was running out of time with garage space. So I 'smoked' the lenses with this:
https://www.amazon.com/VHT-SP999-Nite-Shades-Cover-Translucent/dp/B000CPCRS6
Looks way better than with the clashing orange color.
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:58 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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You could always give a shot at making your own lens with help from Google.
The fact that you want something nice and flat should work in your favor, and I think basically what you'd need to do is shape a form (block of wood) into the desired profile and then gently heat some plexiglass (acrylic?, lexan?, polycarbonate?) so that it will take the shape of your form.
You probably won't find a sheet of suitable colored plastic to begin with, so you'd likely have to go with clear plastic and either use a colored bulb or find some transparent paint (tint).
Perhaps you could even try using one of those Auto Lens Tail Light Repair Kit Sheets ...
... but I don't know if that would be durable enough. |
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:09 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| runamoc wrote: |
crocteau, has some good advice on saving a lot of money. My '72
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Looking at those photos, it almost seems like if you didn't want to bother with the expense of having your Ghia's body permanently modified and repainted you could make (have made) a metal "adapter" panel upon which a bullet style turn signal could be mounted.
Then just that adapter panel would need to be painted to match the Ghia's body, and the whole assembly could simply be screwed into the later model year rectangular opening.
Just a thought.
Would it actually be feasable?
Don't ask me - I'm just the "idea guy".  |
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kman
Samba Member
Joined: November 04, 2005
Posts: 739
Location: Michigan
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Evil_Fiz
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2011
Posts: 1047
Location: Jacksonville, FL
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 2:40 pm Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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Look up "Vacuum forming" on YouTube.
The following are very crude explanations and are intended to spark ideas.
- Build a small vacuum table
- Create a buck the shape you want the Lens to have (wood, dense foam, plaster Etc.)
- Heat the polycarbonate, lay over the buck, apply vacuum
- Trim, fit, adjust, repeat
OR
Working with fleece in place of fiberglass mat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UctklwPlok
- Create a temporary patch panel out of thin metal and secure in place over opening.
- Cover the area in mold release wax
- Apply a fiberglass or fleece mat over the area and allow to cure. This will give you a template to work from and create the base of the lens and attaching points (will require trimming)
- Sculpt the lens holder out of foam using the template as the base
- Cover the mold in fiberglass or fleece and allow to cure
- Trim the holder as needed
- Use a lens created using the ideas above. You could make the lens out of polycarbonate and line the interior of the polly with the prismatic plastic/acrylic mentioned earlier in the thread.
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Emil
_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68
See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted |
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runamoc
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2006
Posts: 5600
Location: 37.5N 77.1W
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:34 pm Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
| runamoc wrote: |
crocteau, has some good advice on saving a lot of money. My '72
|
Looking at those photos, it almost seems like if you didn't want to bother with the expense of having your Ghia's body permanently modified and repainted you could make (have made) a metal "adapter" panel upon which a bullet style turn signal could be mounted.
Then just that adapter panel would need to be painted to match the Ghia's body, and the whole assembly could simply be screwed into the later model year rectangular opening.
Just a thought.
Would it actually be feasable?
Don't ask me - I'm just the "idea guy". |
It's not permanent. 1 hour with a die grinder and it's back to original.
_________________
Daily driver: '69 Baja owned 44 yrs - Plan B: '81 Rabbit Diesel LS Deluxe - Plan C: '72 Ghia
Yard Art: 2 Sandrails
Outback: '69 Ghia - '68,'69,'70,'72 Beetle - '84 Scirocco, GTI - Pair of '02 Golfs-
VW Wiring = It's just wires |
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jeffrey8164
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 3817
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| Evil_Fiz wrote: |
Look up "Vacuum forming" on YouTube.
The following are very crude explanations and are intended to spark ideas.
- Build a small vacuum table
- Create a buck the shape you want the Lens to have (wood, dense foam, plaster Etc.)
- Heat the polycarbonate, lay over the buck, apply vacuum
- Trim, fit, adjust, repeat
OR
Working with fleece in place of fiberglass mat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UctklwPlok
- Create a temporary patch panel out of thin metal and secure in place over opening.
- Cover the area in mold release wax
- Apply a fiberglass or fleece mat over the area and allow to cure. This will give you a template to work from and create the base of the lens and attaching points (will require trimming)
- Sculpt the lens holder out of foam using the template as the base
- Cover the mold in fiberglass or fleece and allow to cure
- Trim the holder as needed
- Use a lens created using the ideas above. You could make the lens out of polycarbonate and line the interior of the polly with the prismatic plastic/acrylic mentioned earlier in the thread.
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Emil |
If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it!
But still a cool project.
I’d probably just spray them too. |
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:41 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| runamoc wrote: |
| KGCoupe wrote: |
| runamoc wrote: |
crocteau, has some good advice on saving a lot of money. My '72
|
Looking at those photos, it almost seems like if you didn't want to bother with the expense of having your Ghia's body permanently modified and repainted you could make (have made) a metal "adapter" panel upon which a bullet style turn signal could be mounted.
Then just that adapter panel would need to be painted to match the Ghia's body, and the whole assembly could simply be screwed into the later model year rectangular opening.
Just a thought.
Would it actually be feasable?
Don't ask me - I'm just the "idea guy". |
It's not permanent. 1 hour with a die grinder and it's back to original.
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That's very true ... you make a good point, runamoc.
My intention with that comment was to focus more on the fact that after welding up the original rectanguar hole, some paint work would be required.
The same would probably be true after spending an hour cutting that welded panel back out at a leter date.
My idea was to come up with a bullet style turn signal assembly that could simply be bolted in where the original later model rectangular style turn signal lens mounts.
With something like that the only thing that would need to be painted would be the adapter plate, and not the actual car itself.
If you had the skills, you could even incorporate a horn grill in the style of the Porsche 356 turn signals ...
... and then no painting would be required at all. |
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iowegian
Samba Curmudgeon
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 9829
Location: Somewhere between Dubuque and Keokuk
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 6:27 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
If you had the skills, you could even incorporate a horn grill in the style of the Porsche 356 turn signals ...
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Installing Beetle headlights would complete the look.  |
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John Moxon
Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13952
Location: Southampton U.K.
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NOVA Airhead
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 5221
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:02 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
| runamoc wrote: |
crocteau, has some good advice on saving a lot of money. My '72
|
Looking at those photos, it almost seems like if you didn't want to bother with the expense of having your Ghia's body permanently modified and repainted you could make (have made) a metal "adapter" panel upon which a bullet style turn signal could be mounted.
Then just that adapter panel would need to be painted to match the Ghia's body, and the whole assembly could simply be screwed into the later model year rectangular opening.
Just a thought.
Would it actually be feasable?
Don't ask me - I'm just the "idea guy". |
I did exactly that on a Ghia I had back about 8 years ago. I carefully made a metal plate that I could screw to the flanges. I then used a little bondo to smooth it. Since the paint on the car was single stage it was pretty easy to blend. I thought it came out good and was easily reversed.
It was an interesting exercise. Here is a photo of the car. Since the car was white I went with clear bullet lenses with yellow bulbs.
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rbsurfguy
Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2008
Posts: 1757
Location: Fairfax, Northern Virginia Formerly Huntington Beach, SoCal
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 6:56 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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Hey NOVA, did you keep those plates or turn them in so I can try to get them??? They look like Historic plates, so I don't really want them since I plan to drive mine more than is allowed by state law.
Jeff
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1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold
See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight= |
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NOVA Airhead
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 5221
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:10 am Post subject: Re: 70-71 Blinker Lens |
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| rbsurfguy wrote: |
Hey NOVA, did you keep those plates or turn them in so I can try to get them??? They look like Historic plates, so I don't really want them since I plan to drive mine more than is allowed by state law.
Jeff |
I turned them in. Its showing as available on the DMV site with any type of plate. Good Luck!
https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/dmvnet/plate_purchase/select_plate.asp
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